The Spirit Trailer....Yeah

[TCJohnson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XTFX64LbLY


The City is his mother and lover? Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[Jack Zodiac]

When the fuck did The Spirit become Daredevil in a trench and fedora? Goddamn, that looks awful. And disco-Octopus Samuel L. Jackson isn't helpin' me like it any more.

[Hybrid2]

This look realy bad.

is'nt The Spirit a 1950/60 hero?
I know he got a new serie not long ago.But how many people realy know him.
Realy.I dont know anything about the guy.

[Chris Hansbrough]

hmmmmm......just to be a contrarian I'll say something positive.....

I really like the untouchables theme......

[TCJohnson]

The problem is that it looks way too much like Sin City...which was great for Sin City. But now it is going to come off as a Sin City ripoff.

[Stressfactor]

The original Spirit stories date from the early 1940's to the late 1940's (or early 1950's can't remember off the top of my head).

As for this....

1) What is up with the cats?
2) BLACK?! He's wearing a BLACK tenchcoat and fedora?
3) The action sequences really are Eisnerian -- Eisner often had the Spirit leaping out of windows and landing on telephone wires
4) The dialogue strikes me as a cross between Miller's Daredevil and Sin City. In other words... NOT Eisner!
5) Okay, that last bit "I'm on my way"...was ripped off from Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy". Really NOT a good idea to rip off lines from another comic based movie featuring a hero who wears a trenchcoat and fedora.

[Infra-Man]

Wow... that teaser is full of stilted, hard-boiled fail.

Nothing about that screams "Will Eisner" and all of it screams "I'm goddamn Frank Miller."

[Chris Hansbrough]

The original Spirit stories date from the early 1940's to the late 1940's (or early 1950's can't remember off the top of my head).

As for this....

1) What is up with the cats?
2) BLACK?! He's wearing a BLACK tenchcoat and fedora?
3) The action sequences really are Eisnerian -- Eisner often had the Spirit leaping out of windows and landing on telephone wires
4) The dialogue strikes me as a cross between Miller's Daredevil and Sin City. In other words... NOT Eisner!
5) Okay, that last bit "I'm on my way"...was ripped off from Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy". Really NOT a good idea to rip off lines from another comic based movie featuring a hero who wears a trenchcoat and fedora.

that's not the nly ripping off......note the theme music.....

[TCJohnson]

2) BLACK?! He's wearing a BLACK tenchcoat and fedora?

Well, this movie is in Black and White.

that's not the nly ripping off......note the theme music.....

Can't really blame them for that. This is a very common practice for trailers for movies that don't have their score done yet. The trailer for Two Towers used the score from Requieum for a Dream. And a lot of trailers in the 90s used the score from Glory.

[Ben Morgan]

Huh, I've never even heard of The Spirit, but this looks cool

[Jeff Brady]

Huh, I've never even heard of The Spirit, but this looks cool

WHAT THE UNHOLY FUCK?

[KevinTBrown]

Yeah.......

That fucking sucks.

[Jack Zodiac]

WHAT THE UNHOLY FUCK?

It's Ben. If it doesn't involve sweaty half-naked men, it's new to him. And I guess, in a way, that's cool. Like "Sin City," this movie will probably bring in a lot of people, but unlike "Sin City," if those people enjoy the movie and hunt down the comics expecting more of the same, they'll be sorely disappointed.

[hellokittykat]

Nonononononononononononooooooooooooo...

*seizes on the ground*

[Chris Hansbrough]

It's Ben. If it doesn't involve sweaty half-naked men, it's new to him. And I guess, in a way, that's cool. Like "Sin City," this movie will probably bring in a lot of people, but unlike "Sin City," if those people enjoy the movie and hunt down the comics expecting more of the same, they'll be sorely disappointed.

the lack of ebony is still grating......I mean even the idiots who cast Keanu as Constantine knew he still needed his Chaz....you can't do movies about characters with cab driver sidekicks without the cab driver sidekicks....

[Jack Zodiac]

the lack of ebony is still grating......I mean even the idiots who cast Keanu as Constantine knew he still needed his Chaz....you can't do movies about characters with cab driver sidekicks without the cab driver sidekicks....

Y'know, I'd rather they not put Ebony in there than force him in there as some drooling, idolizing nitwit. "Constantine" fucked Chaz all kinds of up. Goddamn did that movie suck.

[Tetsuo_man]

To me it's obviously frank miller's reimagining of the spirit which won't really bug me seeing as frank was really close friends with eisner and the fact that in comics many other creators have reinvented previous existing properties. I mean i love darwyn cooke's spirit comics but it looks like and sounds like darwyn cooke or at least darwyn cooke trying to be eisner dosen't mean it's bad. To me the fact Miller was adamant that the spirit not use a gun which is one thing Eisner felt was the most important thing to never change when translated to screen at least gives me hope that this will not be a complete sin city retread. But then again i'm probabbly in the minority all the same.

As for ebony, cooke didn't need ebony to have a kickass spirit so why should miller?

[Jack Zodiac]

As for ebony, cooke didn't need ebony to have a kickass spirit so why should miller?

But he did. Cooke did great stuff with Ebony while doing kickass stuff with The Spirit. Ebony's as much a part of the Spirit mythos as P'Gell, Ellen, or Dolan. Plus, it'd give the movie a positive black role to counter-balance the almost assuredly shit-tastic portrayal of The Octopus by Samuel L. Jackson, which isn't Jackson's fault so much as it's Miller's for making Octopus look like... well, like someone out of the P-Funk All Stars.

[Ben Morgan]

It's Ben. If it doesn't involve sweaty half-naked men, it's new to him.You're forgetting beards, and penguins who swallow children.

[Tetsuo_man]

But he did. Cooke did great stuff with Ebony while doing kickass stuff with The Spirit. Ebony's as much a part of the Spirit mythos as P'Gell, Ellen, or Dolan. Plus, it'd give the movie a positive black role to counter-balance the almost assuredly shit-tastic portrayal of The Octopus by Samuel L. Jackson, which isn't Jackson's fault so much as it's Miller's for making Octopus look like... well, like someone out of the P-Funk All Stars.

Wait that black kid was ebony?

[TCJohnson]

Y'know, I'd rather they not put Ebony in there than force him in there as some drooling, idolizing nitwit. "Constantine" fucked Chaz all kinds of up. Goddamn did that movie suck.

Eh....I just changed the character names in my head and then I thought it was a pretty good movie.

[Jack Zodiac]

You're forgetting beards, and penguins who swallow children.

A half-naked bearded penguin swallowing children? Might be in the movie.

Wait that black kid was ebony?

No, that was Ivory. Ebony was his Caucasian twin brother living in his stomach. :tongue:

"Start the reactors!"

[Ian Boothby]

This would have been great if you take the Spirit out and put in Daredevil. Really, the Elektra/Bullseye story done in this style with the same script they use in the trailer and I'm there.
But he's got the tone for the Spirit wrong. He's not a "this is my city" guy. That's Batman and Daredevil.

[Tetsuo_man]

It's just cooke's version was diffrent enough that i didn't even notice he was being called ebony. Thought he was a cooke created charater meant to fill in for ebony but i guess i should go back and check out those issues. What probbably confused me the most was i swear that initially cooke said he wouldn't use ebony.

[Jack Zodiac]

Eh....I just changed the character names in my head and then I thought it was a pretty good movie.

I couldn't do it, man. Whenever he fuckin' spoke, all I could think was, "Whooooooaaah, dude! Surfer Constantine!"

This would have been great if you take the Spirit out and put in Daredevil. Really, the Elektra/Bullseye story done in this style with the same script they use in the trailer and I'm there.
But he's got the tone for the Spirit wrong. He's not a "this is my city" guy. That's Batman and Daredevil.

Actually, that would've been pretty cool. And it would've made Affleck a less shitty eyesore of an actor in that movie.

It's just cooke's version was diffrent enough that i didn't even notice he was being called ebony. Thought he was a cooke created charater meant to fill in for ebony but i guess i should go back and check out those issues. What probbably confused me the most was i swear that initially cooke said he wouldn't use ebony.

I don't remembering him sayin' that, but I don't remember a whole lot of the interviews building up to it. And I don't know what about Cooke's version was that different besides the setting. I thought it was pretty spot-on most of the time.

[Tetsuo_man]

Writting while felt like much like eisner it still read writting wise like a darwyn cooke comic and art was more in cooke's style which is much more kirby and wood looking than looking like eisner's work.

not saying i'm complaining about cooke's spirit but i don't think it was a hundred percent recreation of the comic.

[Aggie]

dear god, why is frank miller crazy??...

*sigh*...it's too much like sin city...i was really hoping for a throw back kinda feel a la "maltese falcon"...not robert rodriguez-esque slick...:frown:

[Ben Morgan]

A half-naked bearded penguin swallowing children? Might be in the movie.I've always wanted to see a penguin wearing pants

[Jack Zodiac]

Writting while felt like much like eisner it still read writting wise like a darwyn cooke comic and art was more in cooke's style which is much more kirby and wood looking than looking like eisner's work.

not saying i'm complaining about cooke's spirit but i don't think it was a hundred percent recreation of the comic.

Well, Cooke's a modern comic book writer. Eisner's style of story pacing went extinct decades ago (or is, at least, gravely endangered). You're more likely to keep the readers' attention with a more flowing, faster pace. Case in point, the book's sloughing readers again and becoming unpopular with the casual comic fan because Sergio's pacing in storytelling is very old-school. Not quite Eisner, but still a whole lot of story packed into twenty-two pages. And in a time where people are spoon fed stories at trade paperback speed, that isn't very popular.

[Michael P]

I am not optimistic.

[Jack Zodiac]

I am not optimistic.

Ever, about anything, really.

[Dazzler]

I'm sorry I just don't see it working. I like my Spirit kinda bouncy and good-spirited. I imagined him with a really normal-joe voice with maybe a twinge of upbeat naivete to it.

This guy's gravelly voice is enough to make me hate it. I don't want the Spirit to act like a bad-ass. I want him to BE a badass...and then go out for hambugers.

--Dazz

[Tetsuo_man]

Well cooke's writting has always felt old school to me. I don't think it really is that modern. Maybe more modern than eisner but it still feels like stylistically cooke's writting is a throw back to a combination to julie shwartz dc with the character depth of sixties marvel with slight modern sensibilites. I wouldn't say aragones is more old school just because he's been in the industry longer his style is just diffrently oldschool and as good in my opinion (not to mention aragones isn't nessicarily writting like eisner either but that dosen't make his work on the spirit bad).

[Dazzler]

Well cooke's writting has always felt old school to me. I don't think it really is that modern. Maybe more modern than eisner but it still feels like stylistically cooke's writting is a throw back to a combination to julie shwartz dc with the character depth of sixties marvel with slight modern sensibilites. I wouldn't say aragones is more old school just because he's been in the industry longer his style is just diffrently oldschool and as good in my opinion (not to mention aragones isn't nessicarily writting like eisner either but that dosen't make his work on the spirit bad).
The dude runs around in a suit, tie, and a fedora. With a domino mask. You don't get much more old-school than that. if you screw with the *ahem* spirit of the original, why bother doing it at all?

--Dazz

[Tetsuo_man]

I was talking about writting old school not look.

Plus using the same logic then miller's spirit is old school because he wears a fadora, domino mask and a trenchcoat.

[Chris Hansbrough]

It's just cooke's version was diffrent enough that i didn't even notice he was being called ebony. Thought he was a cooke created charater meant to fill in for ebony but i guess i should go back and check out those issues. What probbably confused me the most was i swear that initially cooke said he wouldn't use ebony.

nope that was miller who came out and said ebony wouldn't be in it.

[Dazzler]

I was talking about writting old school not look.

Plus using the same logic then miller's spirit is old school because he wears a fadora, domino mask and a trenchcoat.
I know.
That's what I'm saying. If a guy is going to be wearing an old school outfit based on an old-school character, why make him into some hardcore character just because it's more modern?

I can't imagine the Spirit with anything BUT an old-school style of writing, but that's just me.

--Dazz

[Tetsuo_man]

I swore i heard dc say something themselves in an official statement long before there was going to be a movie but that might have just been a rumor.

Also with the exception of the gravely voice i see no hardcore aspect to the character. The narration itself seems like someting out of an old pulp novel so that really can't be called modern and the leaping from building to building seemed very eisnser-esque.

[TCJohnson]

I couldn't do it, man. Whenever he fuckin' spoke, all I could think was, "Whooooooaaah, dude! Surfer Constantine!"



No! No! The character's name was not Constantine! It was Julio! Julio! Surfer Julio! : sticks fingers in ears : I can't hear you! I can't hear you! LALALALALA!!!

[Jack Zodiac]

Well cooke's writting has always felt old school to me. I don't think it really is that modern. Maybe more modern than eisner but it still feels like stylistically cooke's writting is a throw back to a combination to julie shwartz dc with the character depth of sixties marvel with slight modern sensibilites. I wouldn't say aragones is more old school just because he's been in the industry longer his style is just diffrently oldschool and as good in my opinion (not to mention aragones isn't nessicarily writting like eisner either but that dosen't make his work on the spirit bad).

I think the scripting that Cooke does, the dialogue and plots, those are definitely old school, very Silver Age style, but his pacing and stylized art (even with art mimicking Kirby-era superheroes) are very much modern. And the reason Sergio's dialogue, plotting, and pacing seem old school is, of course, because he's been in the business so long, and also because he doesn't get a whole lot of work these days.

But that's perfect for The Spirit, it's just that a lot of people with more modern sensibilities (if ya' wanna call 'em that :tongue:) about comics don't find it as appealing as Cooke's, apparently. Me, I'm enjoying the crap out of it (I just wish they would've gotten Ploog to stick around as the artist, and it's really fucking weird that they didn't).

[Tetsuo_man]

I'll give you that probbably the only real modern aspect of cooke's writting is his pacing. Also like both what he did on the book and what sergio is currently doing.

I've probbably just liked to be devil's advocate because I at least think that would make things more interesting than seeing this whole thread be oh noez and such.

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

http://www.shortpacked.com/comics/20070319thespirit.png

[CutterMike]

The problem is that it looks way too much like Sin City...which was great for Sin City. But now it is going to come off as a Sin City ripoff.

I was SO looking forward to this movie and my heart just broke watching the teaser.

The Spirit was never "Noir" -- it could be atmospheric and moody, but it was never Noir. For one thing, Denny Colt was an optimist with a sense of humor. He could get ironic -- about himself as much as anybody else -- but his idealism was what MADE him the Spirit.

More to the point, Eisner LET US IN ON THE JOKE! Here's a guy -- a detective who occasionally needed to get smacked with a clue-by-four 0before he sees it, who puts on a lone-ranger mask while wearing the same blue suit and fedora that he ALWAYS wore, and NO ONE recognized him. He was a Joe Average who could absorb more punishment than Joe Louis and then get knocked flat by a right from the girlfriend that barely came up to his shoulder.

Grim 'n' gritty WAS NOT IN HIS VOCABULARY!

I do believe that this movie - as an evocation of the SPIRIT - is going to suck off dead donkeys 'til the heads cave in.

Wow... that teaser is full of stilted, hard-boiled fail.

Nothing about that screams "Will Eisner" and all of it screams "I'm goddamn Frank Miller."

Clearly, however close he might have been with Eisner, his highest priority is to make "Frank Miller's 'The Spirit'".

But he did. Cooke did great stuff with Ebony while doing kickass stuff with The Spirit. Ebony's as much a part of the Spirit mythos as P'Gell, Ellen, or Dolan. Plus, it'd give the movie a positive black role to counter-balance the almost assuredly shit-tastic portrayal of The Octopus by Samuel L. Jackson, which isn't Jackson's fault so much as it's Miller's for making Octopus look like... well, like someone out of the P-Funk All Stars.

I quite liked Cooke's use of Ebony as the cynical foil to Spirit's idealism and naiveté.

This would have been great if you take the Spirit out and put in Daredevil. Really, the Elektra/Bullseye story done in this style with the same script they use in the trailer and I'm there.
But he's got the tone for the Spirit wrong. He's not a "this is my city" guy. That's Batman and Daredevil.

Note to Frank Miller: The Spirit is James Garner, not Clint Eastwood!

Well, Cooke's a modern comic book writer. Eisner's style of story pacing went extinct decades ago (or is, at least, gravely endangered). You're more likely to keep the readers' attention with a more flowing, faster pace. Case in point, the book's sloughing readers again and becoming unpopular with the casual comic fan because Sergio's pacing in storytelling is very old-school. Not quite Eisner, but still a whole lot of story packed into twenty-two pages. And in a time where people are spoon fed stories at trade paperback speed, that isn't very popular.

(...)
But that's perfect for The Spirit, it's just that a lot of people with more modern sensibilities (if ya' wanna call 'em that :tongue:) about comics don't find it as appealing as Cooke's, apparently. Me, I'm enjoying the crap out of it (I just wish they would've gotten Ploog to stick around as the artist, and it's really fucking weird that they didn't).

What a lot of people tend to forget is that Eisner's Spirit stories were eight pages in a weekly newspaper supplement. Most of the time they were self-contained even if they were parts of longer story arcs. And he crammed as much story into those eight pages as a lot of creators are putting into 22 pages today. They were always pretty densely packed.

I DID think that Cooke relied on the long story arcs too much. I would have been happier seeing more one-off stories. Which, given the density, have been roughly equal to a a three-week arc for an Eisner story/

And I, also, wish that Ploog could/would have stayed on as artist He certainly tends to have the most Eisner-like line of anyone working in the business today - very expressive.

[Pink Bat Maxine]

I don't care HOW close Miller was to Eisner. I don't care if he'd give him thursday night HJs. He is NOT the man for this film!!!!

The Spirit is pulp, yes. But Pulp doesn't always equal noir.

[Crowley]

Yeah, I'm not feeling this at all.
The Spirit is a wiseguy, he doesn't talk in DKR speak.

HATE the black suit, but his movement seems okay.

[Gumbo Maximillian]

Looks decent; can't say it seems a whole lot like The Spirit, jumping around aside I guess, but on its own merit it might be a worthwhile movie.

[Linkara]

I just don't get it. I thought Miller and Eisner were like best friends or something, how the hell did he completely miss the point of the Spirit?

[NickThompson]

I like it.

I know people compare it to Sin City, but I don't think it's that SC-y. It's like, here is Eisner, here is Miller, here is something inbetween. I've not read much Eisner Spirit, but from the stuff I've seen plus the old series with people like Moore and Busiek and the Cook series it's not as if Spirit is all flourescent Chibis and uber-lightness.

[Angelus II]

Watchmen seems better, and it coming out 2009 as well.

http://binkythedoormat.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/rorschachwatchmen.jpg

[NickThompson]

Well, Cooke's a modern comic book writer. Eisner's style of story pacing went extinct decades ago (or is, at least, gravely endangered). You're more likely to keep the readers' attention with a more flowing, faster pace. Case in point, the book's sloughing readers again and becoming unpopular with the casual comic fan because Sergio's pacing in storytelling is very old-school. Not quite Eisner, but still a whole lot of story packed into twenty-two pages. And in a time where people are spoon fed stories at trade paperback speed, that isn't very popular.
I agree and disagree. I think that the style of Eisner is somewhat outdated, but that's because it's from 60-70 years ago. A lot of stuff from that era in many mediums isn't in a popular style now, it's just how it is. I think the likes of Lee, Kirby, Ditko and the rest are some of the most important and influencial people in comics, but that doesn't mean I can really enjoy their works now. Why should I, it's written for an audience twenty years before I was even born.

On the other hand though the overall style isn't dying IMO, it's just that there are many styles. I like a story to breathe more, others have different views.





As for Spirit losing sales, it was doing that when Cooke was on it too and didn't start that high. Some possible reasons IMO:

1 - Cooke isn't a big pull singles sales-wise.
2 - Spirit isn't that big a name character. He hasn't been in much in the last few decades.
3 - In no existing continuity, which seems to bring people in.
4 - Aside from starting with the Loeb written Batman issue, it hasn't had anything to boost sales outside of quality (Which doesn't always sell).

Had I been in charge, I'd have put variants on each issue. Imagine, all the great names DC have in their stable showing their take on the character.






That last comment has got me thinking how a Morrison/Quitely Spirit would be :smile:

[singoalla]

"Frank Miller's The Spirit"? Since when?
... Yeah, people seeing this movie and going for the books are going to be sorely disappointed. And won't we stand around looking smug :D

[Pink Bat Maxine]

I like it.

I know people compare it to Sin City, but I don't think it's that SC-y. It's like, here is Eisner, here is Miller, here is something inbetween. I've not read much Eisner Spirit, but from the stuff I've seen plus the old series with people like Moore and Busiek and the Cook series it's not as if Spirit is all flourescent Chibis and uber-lightness.

I have read a good amount of the Eisner stories. Throughout, the Spirit generally maintains a lighthearted tone..... he can take the most brutal beating ever, but he'll be back with a wink and a smile. He doesn't brood. He just doesn't. There's adventure and action, but you'd BEST believe there's humor. Denny's not 'dark and brooding'. He's not a Sam Spade. He's a guy in a domino mask who kinda gets a kick out of what he does.

It's not flourescent chibis, but it is full of.... well. Fun.

[PatrickG]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XTFX64LbLY


The City is his mother and lover? Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Better than Speed Racer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO2jcwgIi8o)'s infamous:

"You think you can drive a car and change the world? It doesn't work like that!"
"Maybe not... But it's the only thing I know how to do and I gotta do something."

[rick]

I hate to say it, but this looks really, really, awful.

[TCJohnson]

Ya know, if they added colors, like BLUE, to the shot and changed the dialogue completely, it might not be that bad.

[Guapo Méndez]

I hate to say it, but this looks really, really, awful.

The tie.

Dear God, the tie...

[rick]

The tie.

Dear God, the tie...

To say the least.

[Guapo Méndez]

To say the least.

Looks like he found a piece of Spawn's cape (from the 90's movie) and tied it with a windsor knot.

[rick]

Looks like he found a piece of Spawn's cape (from the 90's movie) and tied it with a windsor knot.


I guess that since they can't put Ebony in the film they had to figure out a new side-kick for the character and settled on his neckware.

[MPagar]

Wow. Can't say that got me excited in the least.

[Jared_Humpherys]

WHAT THE UNHOLY FUCK?

Jeff, I agree with you completely, but I must say that your post me laugh harder than I have in days.

[Tetsuo_man]

I might sound dumb but does anyone know where the music in the trailer is from (if it's from sin city then i sill have to say i feel extremely dumb).

[NickThompson]

I might sound dumb but does anyone know where the music in the trailer is from (if it's from sin city then i sill have to say i feel extremely dumb).
Untouchables theme.

[Tetsuo_man]

I still feel really dumb seeing as i love de palma.

[The Xenos]

As interesting as Frank Miller's take on The Spirit would be, I'd much rather see a more direct take on Will Eisner's original version.

[Erebus]

How did a DC publication get a Lionsgate film deal?

[CutterMike]

The more I think about this move, the more I think that I'm just gonna go out and pick up the "Rockford Files" dvds and imagine James Garner is wearing a blue suit, fedora, and mask.

[TCJohnson]

How did a DC publication get a Lionsgate film deal?

DC is leasing the rights to publish the comic book but they don't actually own The Spirit.

[stealthwise]

This... isn't the Spirit.

How did we go from Eisner's sacred animal, that Cooke had to basically convince everyone he was right for, to THIS?

Jesuschristfuck.

[Guapo Méndez]

DC is leasing the rights to publish the comic book but they don't actually own The Spirit.

They probably sold the foreign rights to make up for the money spent.

I'd like to feel hopeful for the movie, but it's gearing up to be a disaster of epic proportions.

[Stressfactor]

While I won't say its going to be a disaster I am going to say that I doubt it will be "The Spirit" for everyone.

I'm just afraid that Miller will make the movie too "adult" and in the process forget that "sophisticated" does NOT equal "adult". People forget that Eisner's Spirit stories were quite sophisticated for their time but they were also a NEWSPAPER strip. this meant that they were intended to be read by everyone from six to sixty and beyond. To me, that's the spirit of "The Spirit" and that is what should be retained. Will this movie be something that I can take my nine year old nephew to and have us BOTH have a good time?

[Tobias March]

Oh Robert Rodriguez...methinks you gave Mr Miller too much of a big head with your hero worship.

[MacQuarrie]

While I won't say its going to be a disaster I am going to say that I doubt it will be "The Spirit" for everyone.
I doubt it will be "The Spirit" for anyone.

Let's face facts; it's not Will Eisner's Spirit. It's Frank Miller's Sin City dressed up in a Spirit costume. It bears only the most superficial resemblance to Eisner's character.

Miller has not served Eisner's vision at all. He's imposed his own version on it and practically smothered Eisner's in the process. Worse, this is going to end up being the definitive version for a lot of people, and it'll be a good 20 years before anybody else gets to take another try at it, possibly longer.

And it should be in color. Oh well, at least I'll save $20 on tickets.

[Jeff Brady]

And it should be in color.

It will be in color. (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20194343,00.html)

[CutterMike]

It will be in color. (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20194343,00.html)

Well, technically, if the tie is red, then the film is in color.

[Erik Burnham]

DC is leasing the rights to publish the comic book but they don't actually own The Spirit.

Nah, Eisner sold the Spirit outright -- but the film rights were already snapped up before the sale of the character. (By Michael Uslan, I believe.)

[PatrickG]

I'm a bit stunned that nobody is mentioning the 80s movie. This project sounds lightyears better than that project.

[JKCarrier]

I'm a bit stunned that nobody is mentioning the 80s movie. This project sounds lightyears better than that project.

The '80s tv movie had a lot of problems, but one of the few things they did get right was the Spirit's dry, self-deprecating humor. That's what's conspicuously missing from the trailer, and I hope at least some of it makes it into the finished film.