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The Spirit (March 16, 1941) “Introducing Silk Satin”
Will Eisner (editor, script, pencils, inks)
Joe Kubert (colors)
Sam Rosen (letters)
Satin is an incredible strip. It’s a mostly action strip, with three master thieves planning a team-up heist in Central City. They’re all displaced from Europe: Cedric’s British, Anton’s French, and Satin’s… Satin. They’ve also got an American sidekick monikered “Asphalt,” who doesn’t figure in much except during the setup.
The strip opens with men all waiting for Satin to arrive; she shows up with a bullet wound. They all get excited watching her dig it out before getting down to the heist planning.
The main action takes place at a ball; the thieves are going to do a switch on a famous medal, only the Spirit’s wise to them. He interrupts Satin dropping off the goods, and they get into a multi-page fight scene. By the second page, it’s clear they’re both enjoying it, which is a vibe from the weekly newspaper comic strip for the whole family. To be clear–Introducing Silk Satin is neither sexy nor horny, but Spirit and Satin clearly think rolling around with one another is sexy. And Eisner knows how to visualize it, which is accomplished, albeit arguably unnecessary. Though without Spirit’s pent-up frustration at loving to wrestle with the lady criminal but knowing it’s wrong, there’s not much to the strip.
The setup seems another of The Spirit’s WWII-aware but not directly referenced strips, but once the rolling around starts, it’s all about flexed muscles, exposed flesh, and unexpected lust. Spirit and Satin’s first rumble seemingly leaves him addled and vulnerable, which she exploits, only to discover she too is unable to dismiss her feelings.
It’s the most human Spirit’s been in ages, partially because he’s clearly losing control.
Art’s great, the comic bits are awesome—their tussle gets interrupted, leading to a turning point but also a good comedic beat amid the action—and the other thieves are always mugging out at the reader to emphasize the humorous potential in one moment or another. Again, it’s accomplished, but it’s accomplished at being about the good guy and the bad girl getting horny for each other.
And it’s infinitely impressive how well Eisner and studio pull it off.
Ebony pops in for the last few panels to give the story a postscript but also wonder why Spirit’s not in a friendly mood. Will Satin return? Perhaps… and it’ll be interesting to see if Eisner’s able to find a narrative more “Sunday Funnies” than late-night cable.
Magnificent comics.
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The Spirit (March 9, 1941) “Toy Planes”
Will Eisner (editor, script, pencils, inks)
Joe Kubert (colors)
Sam Rosen (letters)
Spirit and Ebony are on the job for the G-men, trying to crack a spy ring planning on destroying munitions factories with “robot planes.” The robot planes, as the Spirit will later explain, are really aerial torpedoes. The villains launch them from Europe with such precision, they don’t need adjustment until they near their target, when a light signal can aim them.
And, so, when it comes time for the Spirit to counter these intercontinental missiles, he will utilize Toy Planes. And Eisner and studio get away with any potential silliness because the art is moody and gorgeous. Turns out the Eisner studio’s really good at dramatic silhouettes and vehicles. Even the fisticuffs are outstanding. Right up until the last page, Planes is a recent art standout. It’s still a recent art standout with the poorly conceived finish, where Spirit has to make his report; that scene just doesn’t deliver narratively or visually.
Not to mention portraying the G-men as flakes, which is a tad odd for such an otherwise jingoist strip (and recurring plot line). Eisner’s still staying coy about the home nation of the baddies, with one named Hogh—is it supposed to be Danish because Denmark was occupied, or is Hogh just a European name?
Still, the strip is getting much bolder about the Nazi threat. These villains aren’t fifth columnists; they’re actual Nazis who fly over in their superior, silent airplanes. They’re planning an invasion. It’s approximately nine months before Pearl Harbor, and the Nazis have flying torpedo planes and silent running. Despite their disbelief at the autoplane, they’ve got better technology, and it might be enough to beat us.
While it’s an action strip, with beautiful art, fantastic action, and the Spirit unveiling his gliding suit, it’s also a comic strip in newspapers telling readers to be on the lookout. Report those potential Nazi invaders. So, you know, it’s like a public service announcement, really.
But they’re still not saying Germany.
Ebony’s around almost the entire strip, helping capture the bad guys, and he’s got a bunch during the toy plane sequence. He’s the Greek chorus for some of the toy vs. robot plane battle, which would be fantastic if not for the (racist) caricaturing. With the caricature… well, there’s a lot going on with Spirit this strip. Lot to think about, lot to enjoy, lot to appreciate, some to question, some to regret.
Well, right up until the end, when it doesn’t go anywhere. Not with the art, not with the alarm-raising, not with anything. Dolan’s been absent before, but his absence has perhaps never been felt more greatly than on this last page. Still a great strip, just got that off finish.
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All-Star Comics (1976) #70
Paul Levitz (script)
Joe Staton (pencils)
Bob Layton (inks)
Jerry Serpe (colors)
Ben Oda (letters)
Joe Orlando (editor)
Last issue, writer Paul Levitz found a Hallmark moment amid the chaotic infighting of quinquagenarian white male superheroes and their surrogate daughter (Power Girl), whom they all berate or dismiss. Sole exception: Dr. Fate; respect. Though maybe not once we get to the end of this issue, but then, grace.
Anyway.
It was a watershed moment for the series. It was a good comic and not because it was Wally Wood doing Flash Gordon-esque Justice Society. So it’s unfortunate this issue features villains out of a toy commercial. They’re an elite team of super-criminals in tactical gear with laser guns, and they’re also elitist. They mock the cops for being poors. They are… the Strike Force.
If it were campy or corny, it’d be better, because then there’d be something to talk about. Instead, there’s not. Levitz is either checked out or trying to be condescending to fourth graders in a comic book aimed at a thirty-something (or older) audience? It’s bewildering. And not the progression one would hope after last issue.
But it’s All-Star, so it’s been worse.
The issue opens with a direct continuation of last issue, but instead of having soul-searching monologues, the assorted heroes—after pummeling one another for most of last issue—are having a Justice Society guest-star get-together. There’s too much with Superman (he’s oddly charmless without that Golden Age face) and not enough with Wonder Woman. It’s like there was a Wonder Woman editor yelling at her to get out of the comic. But after the cool kids leave (in addition to the Trinity, this means (yet again twerpy) Robin, Starman, Hourman, and Dr. Mid-Nite, who should not be the cool kids), the regular cast decides it’s time to take a week off. Hawkman hasn’t been there for his recently kidnapped wife, Dr. Fate’s got to Dr. Fate, Green Lantern needs a new job, which Flash is giving him before taking Joan on vacation.
They leave Power Girl, Star-Spangled Kid, and Wildcat in charge because none of them have any lives outside superheroing. Kid immediately takes their assignment to mean turning off the monitors and having a day off to play board games. Wildcat’s already been whining about bad life decisions, so Power Girl leaves. She’ll go actively superhero instead of mope, taking with her a follow-up to last issue. But go read Showcase.
Levitz is falling right back into what made the comic so annoying—they’re either actively jerks or, at least, wanting company. Kid and Wildcat go to the bar, leaving Huntress to come in—still in shadow but with a boot visible now. They’re going to go get in trouble at a bar, then go fight the bad guys. They were on the monitor just as Kid turned it off, but Huntress has seen them. So we’re going to get the regular cast with Huntress in for Power Girl (but in her own thread), along with a check-in with Dr. Fate, who has been unintentionally imprisoning his wife for almost forty years—more next issue on that one (sort of).
But the main plot is the Strike Force wreaking havoc, because apparently, Police Commissioner Bruce Wayne is also taking the day off and doesn’t deploy the cops with the Kryptonian killers. And it’s all pretty bad stuff. The Huntress stuff is the best, but it’s also not the Strike Force or the regular cast, meaning it’s a little unfair to compare.
Disappointing after last issue.
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Briefly, TV (26 October 2025)
All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s06e03 “Captain Farnon?” [2025] D: Stewart Svaasand. S: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton. The show feels comfortable enough after the season jump ahead–with Shenton finally getting down to the village for a bit–it’s a surprise when the episode slows down in real time. Ralph’s got the Tricki Woo breeding subplot, West and Woodhouse have the bickering because West’s not communicating one. Sublimely goes from busied to precise. Madeley’s awesome.
All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s06e04 “Jenny Wren” [2025] D: Brian Percival. S: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton. Heartstring-pulling–in all the best ways–episode about Imogen Clawson’s future potential. Meanwhile, Woodhouse has a culture clash with his paramour’s family, and West still can’t figure out how to communicate. Excellent episode for Shenton, Woodhouse, Clawson, and Tony Pitts, with some delightfully unexpected character interactions. It quickly gets emotionally intense and stays there. Great vet cases, too.
Only Murders in the Building (2021) s05e07 “Silver Alert” [2025] D: Jessica Yu. S: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Michael Cyril Creighton, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Renée Zellweger. The gang heads out to the country to Waltz’s weird mansion, thinking they’ll catch the billionaires plotting. Instead they find them playing board games for the future of the MacGuffin. Only then everyone figures out it’s a MacGuffin. Maybe they’ll pull this off? Like, Short and Gomez are really good this episode, and Waltz’s fun. But it’s still iffy.
Only Murders in the Building (2021) s05e08 “Cuckoo Chicks” [2025] D: Jessica Yu. S: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Meryl Streep, Richard Kind, Renée Zellweger. Did they just save the season? It’s a big turnaround episode, thanks mostly to Streep getting every morsel off the scenery. It’s kind of cruel Zellweger’s one note Martha Stewart is opposite her. The circles Streep runs are something. Really nice character moments, lots of laughs, and a genuine surprise at the end. Great balance of guest stars too.
Only Murders in the Building (2021) s05e09 “LESTR” [2025] D: Jamie Babbit. S: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Michael Cyril Creighton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Richard Kind, Jermaine Fowler. The penultimate episode puts everything on the line with the case and the building. Then it (initially) inexplicably messes with the stakes (with Gomez nicely getting the good scene if not arc), before a dynamite second half. Returning supporting cast members make for a fun time. And Short and Martin eventually do get to their moments, too. Real good.
Slow Horses (2022) s05e03 “Tall Tales” [2025] D: Saul Metzstein. S: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, Christopher Chung, Aimee-Ffion Edwards. Brilliantly done bridging episode has Scott Thomas and Oldman simultaneously figuring out what the season villains are plotting. Oldman’s in lockdown with the team while Scott Thomas is interrogating Chung, who gets to show some actual range for the first time. There’s also a lot of saboteur intrigue and reveals, though special guest star Nick Mohammed isn’t really delivering.
Slow Horses (2022) s05e04 “Missiles” [2025] D: Saul Metzstein. S: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Saskia Reeves, Christopher Chung, Aimee-Ffion Edwards. Excellent direction, acting, and a surprise ending cap the episode, which opens with Oldman thinking through a part of the mystery and showing off. The second half is Lowden and Edwards trying to investigate and potentially protect assassination targets, with varying levels of success. Once again, Nick Mohammed is over his head, but James Callis finally gets to flex.
Slow Horses (2022) s05e05 “Circus” [2025] D: Saul Metzstein. S: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, Christopher Chung, Aimee-Ffion Edwards. Excellent setup for the finale has little fallout from last time, instead showcasing supporting players Ruth Bradley and James Callis. It’s (presumably) to get the board in shape for the HORSES to come through and save the day next episode; superbly executed. Though not enough for still regular Scott Thomas. And there’s some concerning repetition from last season’s wrap.
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Briefly, Movies (26 October 2025)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) D: George Roy Hill. S: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Strother Martin, Henry Jones, Jeff Corey, George Furth. Superlative Western about outlaws Newman and Redford’s luck running out as the world’s changing and they aren’t. Spectacular filmmaking–Hill’s direction, Conrad L. Hall’s photography, John C. Howard and Richard C. Meyer’s editing standout–essays William Goldman’s patient, lush screenplay. And then, of course, there’s the acting. Redford, Newman, and Ross are all fantastic. Some great bit players, too.
A Date with the Falcon (1942) D: Irving Reis. S: George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, James Gleason, Allen Jenkins, Mona Maris. Professional cad Sanders once again finds himself embroiled in a mystery, this time at the expense of meeting fiancée Barrie’s family. Sanders is charming throughout, thank goodness, because Barrie spends most of her time either complaining about Sanders being a cad or catching him with other women. The mystery’s half-baked, and Reis’s direction is wanting, but Sanders delivers.
The Falcon and the Co-Eds (1943) D: William Clemens. S: Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Rita Corday, Amelita Ward, Isabel Jewell, George Givot, Cliff Clark. Despite Conway being a profound creep (his romantic pursuit is Ward, the–hopefully–legal age daughter of an old paramour), it’s a swell FALCON. Conway’s investigating a mysterious death at a girls’ school, where everyone (who isn’t coming on to him) is a suspect. Clemens’s best work directing on the series. Brooks is fantastic as the moody drama teacher.
The Falcon in Danger (1943) D: William Clemens. S: Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Elaine Shepard, Amelita Ward, Cliff Clark, Edward Gargan, Clarence Kolb. DANGER gives Conway a fiancée sidekick with Ward, who’s still hysterically jealous after telling him to help damsels Brooks and Shepard. Long, but Conway’s found his (somewhat less slutty) groove (and Clark’s his best ever as the cop antagonist). The mystery’s great until the messy, unrewarding third act. Ward’s amalgam character’s an interesting idea, but the execution fizzles fast.
The Falcon in Mexico (1944) D: William Berke. S: Tom Conway, Mona Maris, Martha Vickers, Nestor Paiva, Mary Currier, Cecilia Callejo, Emory Parnell. After a somewhat protracted setup in the city (which city, what supporting players, don’t ask), Conway’s on his way to MEXICO to uncover a potential art forgery. Vickers doesn’t impress as the ingenue, but Maris is great as her suspicious step-mother. Paiva’s profoundly uncomfortable Mexican caricature has an explanation, if not a point. Competent outing.
The Falcon Out West (1944) D: William Clemens. S: Tom Conway, Carole Gallagher, Barbara Hale, Joan Barclay, Cliff Clark, Edward Gargan, Minor Watson. Fun–albeit frequently racist–outing with series regulars Conway, Clark, and Gargan heading out to a ranch to investigate a murder. Conway’s there to help grieving almost-widow Gallagher, but gets distracted by capable cowgirl Hale. Conway’s getting better at the detective scenes but worse with the caddish behavior material. Great Roy Webb score. Off finish but great rhythm.
The Falcon Strikes Back (1943) D: Edward Dmytryk. S: Tom Conway, Harriet Nelson, Jane Randolph, Edgar Kennedy, Cliff Edwards, Rita Corday, Erford Gage. Conway’s first solo FALCON is a whodunit with wartime espionage trappings. He’s framed for a war bonds heist; somehow, lovely ladies Corday and Nelson figure in. Plus, Randolph’s back to perturb the plot whenever needed. Conway’s charming (though less believably mindlessly horny than unmentioned George Sanders), Dmytryk’s direction’s nicely moody, and it moves. The resolution’s a little pat, though.
The Falcon Takes Over (1942) D: Irving Reis. S: George Sanders, Lynn Bari, James Gleason, Allen Jenkins, Helen Gilbert, Ward Bond, Edward Gargan. Fascinating mix of Sanders’s slutty (no other word) adventurer FALCON and a Raymond Chandler adaptation. Sanders (fiancée now off-screen) moves from lady to lady (Bari as the good girl, Gilbert as the bad), while sidekick Jenkins is constantly assaulted by man mountain Bond, who’s looking for revenge. Plus, series cop Gleason’s around (and pressuring Jenkins). Often very noir.
The Falcon’s Brother (1942) D: Stanley Logan. S: George Sanders, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, Don Barclay, Cliff Clark, Edward Gargan, Keye Luke. Sanders, still in New York but with an almost entirely new supporting cast (and no fiancée to be cheating on), goes to greet visiting brother Conway, only to find a corpse, instead. Incredibly efficient, albeit derivative (same jokes, plot points, and character setups as last FALCON entry), baton passing entry. Randolph’s likable as the good girl. Some racism, however.
Münchhausen (1943) D: Josef von Báky. S: Hans Albers, Wilhelm Bendow, Ferdinand Marian, Käthe Haack, Hans Brausewetter, Marina von Ditmar, Brigitte Horney. Often racist, always sexist, tedious, terrible (just because it’s literal German Nazi propaganda, either) tale of how young fräuleins can’t get enough of fifty-year-old Albers. Who’s magic and immortal. The narrative arc itself could be worse–but the pieces along the way are awful, so the finish flops. The single imaginative sequence (the moon) isn’t worth it.
Underwater (2020) D: William Eubank. S: Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, T.J. Miller, John Gallagher Jr., Jessica Henwick. Ocean floor and monsters of the deep versus determined gaggle of survivors lacks competent directing and writing, but the special effects aren’t bad. Director Eubank cares about nothing but getting Stewart soaking wet and scantily clad. She and Cassel manage not to embarrass themselves; everyone else has a bad part (in addition to bad writing). Except charisma vacuum Miller.