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The Spirit (March 2, 1941) “Dead Duck Dolan”
Will Eisner (editor, script, pencils, inks)
Joe Kubert (colors)
Sam Rosen (letters)
Argos is a singular Spirit strip. Not because of its formal artistic qualities, which are strong in places, particularly in the establishing shots, and altogether perfectly fine. Rather, its content and connotations. The strip’s about a regular Joe who encounters a space alien and can’t get anyone to believe him. Eventually, this fellow—Sam Smith—will enlist the Spirit’s aid. And the Spirit’s not sure whether or not to believe him, because even though they’re hunting giant robot monsters in the cemetery, turns out Spirit’s got bad eyes. Especially on foggy nights.
First, the most obvious—aliens exist in the Spirit-verse. Eisner presents it as a “what do you think?” but the Spirit’s evidence is conclusive. I mean, as far as within the context of the story, it’s conclusive. So… neat. It doesn’t really matter. It does allow for this strip having a bit of a horror vibe—even though the alien means Sam Smith no harm (and, arguably, no one any harm), Sam’s repulsed and must find allies to help him destroy.
The alien told Sam only primitive minded beings are racist, and, if you’re always so violent, you’re going to kill yourselves off. Sam’s going to take them out to prove the opposite. And the Spirit’s going to help.
The strip’s almost entirely from Sam’s perspective. Even when the Spirit takes over, it’s just for exposition’s sake; even though Sam’s not present in the finale, the conversation’s about Spirit’s adventure with him. We find out about Sam’s racist lodge brother, his unsympathetic landlady, and his ability to bust out of jail. While briefly in custody, Sam finally finds someone who believes him–a prisoner in a straitjacket compares Sam’s story to Jesus’s.
It’s actually kind of hard to understand the point Eisner’s trying to make with the interaction. Best to take it objectively, but the other implications are fascinating. Contradictory and fascinating.
But then Sam meets up with the Spirit on his way to the tallest, most likely spot for a spaceship takeoff around, which just happens to be in Wildwood Cemetery. Spirit flies Sam around and acts as a sounding board. He’s superfluous, just as superfluous as Commissioner Dolan, who takes Sam’s statement. It’s a Spirit strip because it’s Eisner and studio and Spirit and Dolan, but it’s a sci-fi horror thriller appropriate for newspaper readers.
I’m leaving out Sam Smith’s moral imperative; with it, the strip’s far more fascinating than “are aliens for real” could ever be. And the strip taking Spirit out of the driver’s seat (in his scenes) is a milestone.
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The Spirit (February 23, 1941) “Invasion from Argos”
Will Eisner (editor, script, pencils, inks)
Joe Kubert (colors)
Sam Rosen (letters)
Argos is a singular Spirit strip. Not because of its formal artistic qualities, which are strong in places, particularly in the establishing shots, and altogether perfectly fine. Rather, its content and connotations. The strip’s about a regular Joe who encounters a space alien and can’t get anyone to believe him. Eventually, this fellow—Sam Smith—will enlist the Spirit’s aid. And the Spirit’s not sure whether or not to believe him, because even though they’re hunting giant robot monsters in the cemetery, turns out Spirit’s got bad eyes. Especially on foggy nights.
First, the most obvious—aliens exist in the Spirit-verse. Eisner presents it as a “what do you think?” but the Spirit’s evidence is conclusive. I mean, as far as within the context of the story, it’s conclusive. So… neat. It doesn’t really matter. It does allow for this strip having a bit of a horror vibe—even though the alien means Sam Smith no harm (and, arguably, no one any harm), Sam’s repulsed and must find allies to help him destroy.
The alien told Sam only primitive minded beings are racist, and, if you’re always so violent, you’re going to kill yourselves off. Sam’s going to take them out to prove the opposite. And the Spirit’s going to help.
The strip’s almost entirely from Sam’s perspective. Even when the Spirit takes over, it’s just for exposition’s sake; even though Sam’s not present in the finale, the conversation’s about Spirit’s adventure with him. We find out about Sam’s racist lodge brother, his unsympathetic landlady, and his ability to bust out of jail. While briefly in custody, Sam finally finds someone who believes him–a prisoner in a straitjacket compares Sam’s story to Jesus’s.
It’s actually kind of hard to understand the point Eisner’s trying to make with the interaction. Best to take it objectively, but the other implications are fascinating. Contradictory and fascinating.
But then Sam meets up with the Spirit on his way to the tallest, most likely spot for a spaceship takeoff around, which just happens to be in Wildwood Cemetery. Spirit flies Sam around and acts as a sounding board. He’s superfluous, just as superfluous as Commissioner Dolan, who takes Sam’s statement. It’s a Spirit strip because it’s Eisner and studio and Spirit and Dolan, but it’s a sci-fi horror thriller appropriate for newspaper readers.
I’m leaving out Sam Smith’s moral imperative; with it, the strip’s far more fascinating than “are aliens for real” could ever be. And the strip taking Spirit out of the driver’s seat (in his scenes) is a milestone.
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Briefly, TV (12 October 2025)
Alien: Earth (2025) s01e07 “Emergence” D: Dana Gonzales. S: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Adarsh Gourav, Erana James. Lawther once again fails to deliver, dragging an already wobbly episode down at the finish. Everything is full red alert, moving pieces in place for the season finale. Ceesay also stumbles, while Chandler gets an iffy part in the script. Olyphant gets an outstanding showcase, as ever. Great special effects, not long enough action; Michael Crichton’s ALIEN 3 continues.
Alien: Earth (2025) s01e08 “The Real Monsters” D: Dana Gonzales. S: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Adarsh Gourav, Timothy Olyphant. Solid enough finale with some great direction from Gonzales–including what appears to be an ALIEN 3 visual homage; warms the heart. Either way the cliffhanger goes–renewal or not–doesn’t touch movie canon; fine, but safe. No one gives a standout performance, either. This episode really showcases how sacrificing actor gristle can lead to more dramatic success.
All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s05e07 “All God’s Creatures” [2024] D: Andy Hay. S: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton. Stressful, well-acted wartime Christmas episode tries giving everyone something, but only Madeley and Woodhouse get completed arcs. Woodhouse only because he can pick up some more narrative heft thanks to Madeley. Ralph and Shenton are trying to make a nice Christmas for the baby, which is barely a plot. It’s nice to see Tony Pitts and Imogen Clawson.
All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s06e01 “Gathering the Flock” [2025] D: Brian Percival. S: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton. The series jumps ahead to 1945 and the war winding down. Madeley has moved away, leaving West and Ralph to their own devices. Ralph copes, West does not. Can Ralph and Woodhouse get things right? Some great moments, strong performances from Madeley and Wedt, and a cracker of a veterinary case. They handle the time jump quite well.
All Creatures Great & Small (2020) s06e02 “Old Dog, New Tricks” [2025] D: Stewart Svaasand. S: Nicholas Ralph, Samuel West, Anna Madeley, Rachel Shenton. Great episode gets away with not addressing various changes since last time, instead continuing West’s unpleasantness and the various repercussions. Fun subplots for Ralph, home and work, and continuous nice moments for the characters nearly post-war. Outstanding work from the cast, including Hodge, who sets up a promising season plot. The optimism’s back; ditto the particular charm.
My Life Is Murder (2019) s05e08 “The One That Got Away (2)” [2025] D: . S: Lucy Lawless, Ebony Vagulans. Meandering wrap-up to the two-parter should give Lawless more to do character development-wise but the episode intentionally avoids it. Vagulans’s trip to Fiji is a lot less interesting than it ought to be as well. It’s not bad or anything, but there’s very little payoff from this episode or last, which doesn’t work for season finale.
Only Murders in the Building (2021) s05e04 “Dirty Birds” [2025] D: Chris Koch. S: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Michael Cyril Creighton, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Renée Zellweger. This episode feels a little like the fourth season premiere, confirming Lerman, Waltz, and Zellweger as the season adversaries (or at least level bosses). It’s a fine episode–great acting (Waltz and Zellweger are particularly delightful opposite Martin and Short, respectively)–but the season’s herky-jerky. And Gomez’s season isn’t looking good. For a final season, it’s unduly erratic.
Only Murders in the Building (2021) s05e05 “Tongue Tied” [2025] D: Robert Pulcini. S: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Michael Cyril Creighton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Richard Kind, Téa Leoni. Funny but thin episode gives Martin and Leoni a comedy set piece, which rocks while also being a little pointless as things unfold. Randolph’s back, which also rocks. But then Gomez is just reacting to finding out it’s the last season from a shoehorned detail. Solid Short moments and a great showcase scene for Creighton.
Only Murders in the Building (2021) s05e06 “Flatbush” [2025] D: Robert Pulcini. S: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Michael Cyril Creighton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Meryl Streep, Téa Leoni. Good episode for Gomez, great episode for Short and guest starring Streep. There’s also some great Dianne Wiest and Leoni, and also Randolph. It’s an absurdly good showcase for everyone (minus Martin and Creighton, who’ve had their turns already). Short and Streep get some wonderful character moments, ditto Gomez. Albeit with less oompf. Too bad the end reveal’s lukewarm.
Slow Horses (2022) s05e01 “Bad Dates” [2025] D: Saul Metzstein. S: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas. Well-acted and fairly well executed opener respects the formula–terror attack (related to the HORSES but how)–while they recuperate from last season. Oldman gets very little this episode, mostly just yelling at Edwards, who’s this season’s loose cannon. Meanwhile, Lowden gets less likable; they do ground him better. It’s good, it just hasn’t clicked into place yet.
Upload (2020) s04e01 “Wedding Weekend” [2025] D: Daina Reid. S: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards, Zainab Johnson, Kevin Bigley, Owen Daniels. Allo and Edwards still each have their own version of Amell, albeit with some differences in virtuality. Everyone in the real world lives with Johnson (who gets a lot and is so good she makes up for the more extreme gags), and Edwards’s wedding is imminent. Zilch about the politics or conspiracies; good acting, overly enthusiastic–nearing desperate–writing.
Upload (2020) s04e02 “Workload” [2025] D: Daina Reid. S: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards, Zainab Johnson, Kevin Bigley, Owen Daniels. Amell’s splitting his time between bewildered and doofus, without clicking in either mode. Allo’s trying to find one of those versions, but mostly in background to Daniels’s romance arc or doofus’s honeymoon planning. Johnson continues to have the season’s best subplot, this rushed corporate espionage future spy thing. The season reveal is impressively woven, and the cast’s still appealing.
Upload (2020) s04e03 “Spa Day” [2025] D: Jeffrey Blitz. S: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards, Zainab Johnson, Kevin Bigley, Owen Daniels. It’s Amell’s easy best episode of the season, but they also rush through the big setup. They had the money for the idea but not to take it anywhere. There’s also a bunch of filler with Amell and Edwards on their honeymoon, which is slightly less time wasting than Daniels’s plot. Johnson’s great as always, though.
Upload (2020) s04e04 “Mile End” [2025] D: Jeffrey Blitz. S: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards, Zainab Johnson, Kevin Bigley, Owen Daniels. Well. Some good acting–maybe not from the people who needed to be giving the best performances–but a fairly big whiff of a series finale. Show creator Greg Daniels is back scripting the finish, which accounts for Allo and Amell getting to be cute, and it’s an intentional conclusion. A bad one, but certainly intentional. Oh, well.
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Briefly, Movies (11 October 2025)
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025) D: Simon Curtis. S: Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Paul Giamatti, Hugh Bonneville, Alessandro Nivola, Phyllis Logan. Dockery’s divorce sends shock waves through London society and even follows her back to DOWNTON. Meanwhile, Giamatti’s over from the States with some bad news for McGovern. And Bonneville doesn’t want to retire from overseeing the estate. Fine acting, strong moments, but it feels like mini-series hastily edited down. Especially if Dockery’s supposed to have any character development.
The Dragon Murder Case (1934) D: H. Bruce Humberstone. S: Warren William, Margaret Lindsay, Lyle Talbot, Eugene Pallette, Helen Lowell, Robert McWade, Robert Barrat. Philo Vance (William, who does fine) investigates a blue blood going missing at a party. Despite some elaborate sets, the script’s nothing but red herrings, false starts, and bad one-liners for Pallette. Lindsay, second-billed as the missing man’s fiancée, barely figures in. Talbot’s her would-be beau but strangely not a suspect. Humberstone’s direction’s blah, too.
The Garden Murder Case (1936) D: Edwin L. Marin. S: Edmund Lowe, Virginia Bruce, Benita Hume, Nat Pendleton, Gene Lockhart, H.B. Warner, Kent Smith. Engaging programmer has Philo Vance (Lowe) maybe falling for murder suspect Bruce; they’re exceedingly charming together. There’s a lot going on with the other suspects–layers and layers of impropriety and ick–and a genuine surprise for the finish. Marin’s direction is fine enough, with occasional superlatives. The supporting cast’s mostly good, though sadly not an under-directed Pendleton.
The Iceman (2012) D: Ariel Vromen. S: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans, David Schwimmer, Robert Davi, John Ventimiglia. Mostly middling period piece organized crime drama about unfeeling hitman Shannon, the family he loves, and all the cameos the producers could afford. Plus Schwimmer as a doofus mob fanboy. There’s a lot, with a masterful performance from Shannon but to no end. Ryder gets worse as her character ages, fine to bad. The third act’s a truncated mess.
Night of Terror (1933) D: Benjamin Stoloff. S: Bela Lugosi, Wallace Ford, Sally Blane, Bryant Washburn, Tully Marshall, Gertrude Michael, George Meeker. Old dark house thriller but one with a serial killer on the looser, a suspended animation science subplot, a family inheritance bickering and backstabbing subplot, a romance subplot, an anti-romance subplot, and low and high key racism. All in an unrewarding single hour. Ford’s a bland lead, Blane’s a likable damsel, Lugosi looks embarrassed as the “heathen” butler.
The Renegade Ranger (1938) D: David Howard. S: George O’Brien, Rita Hayworth, Tim Holt, Ray Whitley, Lucio Villegas, William Royle, Cecilia Callejo. Not boring (but not any good) Western about Texas Ranger O’Brien sent to bring in righteous rebel Hayworth. She’s battling evil businessman Royle. O’Brien’s ex-pal Holt is now working for Hayworth. Also, O’Brien thinks Hayworth’s hot. And maybe innocent. Fisticuffs, romance, villainy, and shootouts occur, but O’Brien’s terrible; it fumbles. Hayworth and Holt are at least likable.
Stir of Echoes (1999) D: David Koepp. S: Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas, Zachary David Cope, Kevin Dunn, Conor O’Farrell, Jennifer Morrison. Disappointing adaptation of a Richard Matheson novel about blue-collar Bacon (with an ill-advised Chicago accent) all of a sudden seeing dead people and needing to solve a mystery. Screenwriter and director Koepp doesn’t have much interest in the mystery, mise-en-scène, characters, or performances. Some interesting visuals, nowhere near enough. A bad production more than misfire.
Surviving Desire (1992) D: Hal Hartley. S: Martin Donovan, Matt Malloy, Rebecca Nelson, Julie Kessler, Mary B. Ward, Thomas J. Edwards, George Feaster. Theatrical (not stagy) hour-long skips the first act in depressed, bad at his job literature professor Donovan obsessing over student Ward. Lots of talking. Donovan can’t shut up, while Ward puts it into her writing. About him. Donovan’s performance’s uneven, Ward’s great when the film doesn’t hate women; Malloy and Nelson are standout supports. Not unimpressive, just unsuccessful.
Union Depot (1932) D: Alfred E. Green. S: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, Alan Hale, David Landau, George Rosener, Earle Foxe. Young hobo Fairbanks–in an astonishingly charismatic performance–schemes his way into a good outfit and a good dinner, leading him to meet Depression damsel Blondell. Unfortunately, some of his good luck turns out to be counterfeit dough, putting Secret Service agent Landau on his tail. Despite returning to the romantic drama–the better material–the end falls flat.
Young Adult (2011) D: Jason Reitman. S: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, Collette Wolfe, Jill Eikenberry, Richard Bekins. A good–albeit pointlessly so–performance from Theron anchors this pseudo-character study. Theron’s a drunken YA ghost writer who goes home to blow up high school boyfriend Wilson’s marriage. Along the way, she reacquaints with high school nobody Oswalt. Reitman’s indistinct direction doesn’t do the film (or the actors) any favors. The smug elitist misanthropy’s a yawn, too.
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All-Star Comics (1976) #69
Paul Levitz (script)
Joe Staton (pencils)
Bob Layton (inks)
Elizabeth Safian (colors)
Ben Oda (letters)
Joe Orlando (editor)
This issue’s writer Paul Levitz’s magnum opus on the book so far. It’s an action-packed issue—most of the pages are just Justice Society members fighting, whether amongst themselves in the Batcave (holy set-piece, Batman!) or against the Gotham P.D. The cops zap Power Girl with some seventies Earth-Two ray guns and almost kill her; is the reaction for the cops to then try to kill all the superheroes? Earth-Two might not have Apartheid South Africa, but it’s still got killer cops.
Cops versus Justice Society comes after some catch-up. While the heroes found out last All-Star Psycho Pirate had been controlling them and making them dicks, they then had their annual team-up adventure with the Justice League. So they’re just now having a chance to debrief and process. Someone’s trying to console Green Lantern and points out he just saved the world; Lantern whinges about it not being Earth-Two he saved. Psycho Pirate clearly didn’t give him that voluminous gallantry.
After a little more poor communication, the team ends up in their headquarters, where Police Commissioner Bruce Wayne is waiting with his laser gun-armed cops. The Kryptonian casualty leads to fisticuffs and retreat—at this point in the comic, even though the cover promises the JSA in-fighting (and an all-new team member)—it’s a visual miss. Penciller Joe Staton will get to do better work, but he and inker Bob Layton fumble the first showdown.
Things start to improve after there’s a “Batman slapping Robin but for a gag” moment (also, Levitz writes Dick Grayson’s obsequiousness at eleven; he’s a twerp), and then the mystery guest star appears to surveil the retreated Society. They’ve gone to a secret Gothamland hospital for superheroes. The mood’s effective, even if the scene ends with the observer noting the “good guy” superheroes are acting maliciously.
One could put in a pin in that item, but—at least as far as this issue goes—one shouldn’t bother. Levitz throws in big red herrings multiple times just to get to the finish. The narrative contortions he successfully puts this issue through are wild. Especially considering Staton and Layton; their work is much better with the set-piece fight scene, but they’ve still got their limits. They have a good issue: the mystery observer’s second appearance is probably their best work (on the book together), and they can sell the melodramatic ending.
The story has Dr. Fate leading the stars of this comic book against Commissioner Wayne, Robin, Hourman, Starman, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Wonder Woman. Whenever All-Star has needed a body, the writer has thrown in a character from the latter group. Robin even started this All-Star comeback; he was on the original Super-Squad. And Dr. Mid-Nite almost died once—or was it Hourman—it was at least one and probably both.
They’re all of a sudden not second-stringers—Batman’s Red Shirts more than hold their own against the “good guys,” with Robin refusing to listen (and fighting dirty as hell), and Wonder Woman trying to get Green Lantern to chill out and let her lasso him. Starman and Star-Spangled Kid have a bad interchange, considering Kid’s supposed to be Starman’s legacy hero or whatever. But at least Levitz tries. And it gives Staton variety in the intricate fight scenes. So much foreground and background going on.
The finale’s not a surprise, other than what threads Levitz does and doesn’t bring in.
For All-Star, maybe the most successful issue ever. Is there any reason to believe next issue isn’t someone else being revealed to be under Psycho-Pirate’s control? No, but this issue does earn it some hope.
