Pix from The Spirit

[MDG]

http://www.ifitsmovies.com/2008/04/04/40-new-the-spirit-photos/

[Kan-Man]

Boy, I don't know. Some of it looks way too campy for me, but I guess we'll have to wait for the green screen stuff to be finished before final judgment.

At the very least, they could have gone with the classic blue suit, but if memory serves, certain colors don't work well with a green screen.

And am I the only one who thinks some of these shots look they were lifted from an International Male catalog?

I'll be interested to hear from some big Spirit fans for their opinion.

[Red Oak Kid]

It appears they have already been removed.

[Paradox]

I hope so. Samuel Jackson as the Octopus is a god-awful nightmare.

[scratchie]

They're back:

http://entertainmentondvd.blogspot.com/2008/04/frank-millers-spirit-set-pictures.html

I realize that I'm not the most impartial observer, but this movie seems to have a strong case of schizophrenia already. The publicity materials scream "Grim & Gritty! Sin City 2!" while the actual images look dopey and campy in the extreme.

Plus, his mask is too big.

[dan bailey]

Looks like my policy of not putting a single penny in Frank "Which Way is the Wind Blowing? I Think I'll Wave the Flag Today" Miller's pockets will continue unabated ...

[Red Oak Kid]

Hey, Red Sonja is in it!

Cool team-up!

[scratchie]

The publicity machine must be revving up. Here are some wardrobe test shots of Scarlett Johansson as Silk N. Floss:

http://www.egotastic.com/entertainment/celebrities/scarlett-johansson/scarlett-johansson-is-a-sexy-nurse-in-the-spirit-003435

Some vaguely NSFW images on the margins of this page, so check over your shoulder before you click.

[Bicycle-Repairman]

It doesn't look like Will Eisner's The Spirit. It looks like Frank Miller reimagining The Spirit.

[TROUBLEZ]

Why does Miller always have to put ninjas or samurai's in his stories? If The Spirit comics had them, my bad, but I'm pretty sure Eisner never had them in there.
I know with a green screen the pictures will be better, but from what I'm seeing, this looks beyond silly.

The one girl in the Red Sonja outfit is very attractive however...but still, I'm not looking forward to this movie.

Hopefully it will be a great movie that will explain why All-Star Batman seems like it's written by a crack head.

[Red Oak Kid]

I know with a green screen the pictures will be better...


I wouldn't bet on it.

I think this movie will make Dick Tracy look like Citizen Kane.

[scratchie]

I think this movie will make Dick Tracy look like Citizen Kane.I think it says that in their press kit!

[MDG]

Of these shots, the one with the cats hits me as catching Eisner's tone most closely (even though I don't think it's from any Spirit story I've read). Of the rest... oy! The huge firearms, the sweat-shirted hoods out of the Batman TV show, the ninja costumes--looks like a mess.

I know The Phantom, The Shadow, The Rocketeer didn't make Spider-Man movie money, but they were a lot closer to what the Spirit could be on screen than this looks to be.

[Jolly Mon]

Why does Miller always have to put ninjas or samurai's in his stories?

Because everything is better with ninjas! Just ask Frank. "I know they say Citizen Kane was a classic, but what I really felt it was missing was ninjas."

[scratchie]

Of these shots, the one with the cats hits me as catching Eisner's tone most closely (even though I don't think it's from any Spirit story I've read). Even that picture looks like it's trying way too hard to be "daffy", though. Like "Check it out, look at this huge bag of cat food! Isn't that hilarious? It's huge!"

Also, I think Denny should have a bigger chest. He looks too much like Jim Carrey here.

[TROUBLEZ]

I know The Phantom, The Shadow, The Rocketeer didn't make Spider-Man movie money, but they were a lot closer to what the Spirit could be on screen than this looks to be.

I know it's not fair to compare movies we've already seen to one that we haven't but I'm betting you're going to be proven right.

I thought The Rocketeer was pretty cool. It atleast captured that era pretty well.

And at first I thought those guys in the black shirts were security or prop guys. Are they supposed to be villains? The ones wearing the "adios amigos" shirts.

Y'know, when I think of a movie with The Spirit I would have expected an actual film noir styled movie, with realistic looking characters, the protagonist looking like the normal guy except with a domino mask (not a big painted on '8' on his face), dealing with social injustice...This kind of looks like Loony Toons.

[scratchie]

More pix: http://dontlinkthis.net/movies/hires/thespirit/index.html

[Jolly Mon]

More pix: http://dontlinkthis.net/movies/hires/thespirit/index.html

As to the picture with her sitting on the copier, I don't think she gets the point of copying your butt.

[vazel]

CG backgrounds? Samuel holding up those two cartoony guns looks a little too campy. And to top it off I don't like Eva Mendez, didn't know she was going to play Saref. My hype for this movie is at an all time low.

Happy to see The Shadow, The Rocketeer, and The Phantom get some love. They deserve it.

[The Confessor]

OK, slightly off topic here but I thought that this would be the best place to post it....

I've never read any of Will Eisner's "The Spirit" comics. Where's the best place for me to start to see if I like it?

I see on Amazon that there's multiple volumes of "The Spirit: The Archives" but is Volume 1 of these necessarily the best place for a newcomer like me to start?

Is there perhaps a better TPB or something with only the very best stories in it?

[TROUBLEZ]

I think there is a Best of The Spirit tpb. It has a nice amount of stories, from the very first origin story (I think) to later stories where Ebony has been replaced with a white kid. I was very happy with it. And it's much cheaper than the archives, giving you a sample of everything.

The Spirit Archives vol. 1 is in chronological order so you might miss out on the later stories he did, where he was more experimental and innovative, plus his style is more recognizable later on.

[scratchie]

Best of the Spirit is the best place to start. Lots of classic stories in that one. If you want to buy an Archives volume, get #12 or higher, as that's when Eisner returned from WWII and the strip really kicked into high gear.

It's not generally the sort of strip that requires you to read it in sequence, so any volume you pick up will be enjoyable.

[MDG]

You might also be able to find the Kitchen Sink reprints (comic size) for cheap.

[The Confessor]

OK, thanks for the info guys. I've just had a look online and the Best Of The Spirit TPB seems to be pretty cheap, so I think I'll give that a go.

[MDG]

Official move website is up:

http://www.mycityscreams.com/index.html