In this edition of The Full Run, we look over DC Comics’ The Spirit #5, written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke, inked by J. Bone and coloured by Dave Stewart.
With each issue of The Spirit, it feels as though Darwyn Cooke is reaching out from the past to speak to those of us living in this moment in time. This time, Cooke speaks to readers on the dangers of deregulation through the hilarious marketing of old army rations to children. Sure, it sounds like a fairly silly premise that liberally borrows from the classic Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers joint “The Laughing Fish”. And while it is undoubtedly that, it is also uncannily resonant when a certain political party seems intent on gutting key institutions whose purpose is to keep the populace safe. But in the end, The Spirit #5 is an entertaining, if flawed, story placing our hero between two of his classic rogues.
Returning from the Batman/The Spirit crossover are Cossack and Carrion. To be frank, Cossack is by far the least interesting character in Cooke’s run to date. His defining trait is being a bad guy for the sake of being a bad guy. Oh, and he’s strong too. Not super strong, more like a club bouncer. Sure, it’s nice to see him defeated, but he doesn’t bring much to the story overall. In short, he sucks.
Carrion appears to be much more interesting on the surface level, but that is sadly just window dressing. Lacking in brawn, Carrion fits alongside other intellectual villains like The Riddler or Professor X (yeah, I said it). He’s given a late 2000s makeover which makes him look less like the Monopoly guy and more like Criss Angel, but retains his pet vulture, Miss Julia. Speaking of Miss Julia, bestiality is a topic I didn’t expect from this Spirit comic, and it’s not welcome. It’s played for laughs and the Spirit shows his own disgust at what is happening off panel, but it’s an unnecessary and crass distraction from the issue’s hook.
The idea of supervillains using perfectly legal but morally dubious means to get rich is nothing new, but is invited so long as it can be refreshed to be resonant in the present. Carrion using the Spirit’s likeness to sell repurposed surplus rations as a tasty snack for kids is a great premise, one that the issue would benefit from leaning harder into. Unfortunately, Cooke is more interested in a feud between two subpar baddies for this to reach its full potential.
The moments that he does dedicate to this particular story thread are easily the issue’s strongest. They allow Cooke to poke fun at the hero without being outright disrespectful or devolving the whole issue into parody. The satirical-driven humor is pointed and meaningful. In particular, the reactions by The Spirit and his allies to the marketing campaign are especially hilarious, and play a role in the issue’s final pages. Sadly, the issue just doesn’t lean as hard into this subject matter as it could have.
The Spirit #5 is a mixed bag, with its high points sprinkled around mediocre plot threads. Perhaps, in a vacuum, this issue would be held in much higher esteem. However, the preceding issues set the standard for The Spirit high enough that ultimately one was going to fall short, and this is that one. And while falling short of previous issues in terms of quality, this issue is still entertaining. That should count for something.
