Miller is the wrong man for the job. I read about this some time ago and his "Sin City" take on The Spirit for the teaser poster just confirms my doubts.
I likes it. I likes it as an image a lot. But admittedley it doesn't say The Spirit to me. It does say to me that Frank ""Ugly" is what I do" Miller was given the job of producing a high impact image largely for an audience who don't know whoThe Spirit is, and to generally shake things up with existant The Spirit fans in order to create an early buzz around a still gestating project. And I reckon he's done that.
Mr Nimbus: As The Forum's foremost fan of The Spirit who do you think would do a good job on a cinematic The Spirit? Or do you just wish they'd leave poor ol' Denny be? Have you had another look at Cooke's version. Still disappointed?
Still disappointed is an under statement. I do wish they'd leave the character alone. There's very few writers today capable of handling the character and situations as deftly as Eisner, nor do any have the empathy to bring out the nuances. Most attempts are either heavy handed Spillane style takes or seem to be crime noir pastiches.
But as to who I'd like to see handle the character I don't know.
And by the way are you up for the OK social on Monday?
Alas, I think we can take it as read that "Spillane" Spirit will be Frank "Nuance?" Miller's direction. And yes,that will be very wrong indeed. Come back to funnybooks Frank, we need you, Hollywood doesn't! Come home and do the "ugly" for us again.
I'm reading DC's Best Of The Spirit TPB at the mo' and it is mighty stuff. What I'm left with is the feeling that The Spirit is Eisner's completley and any one else taking it on is doomed to failure. I like Cooke's version but I'm pretty much treating it as an alternate take/homage rather than a continuation. If DC are going to milk The Spirit (and they are) let it be by someone talented. At least it's well crafted and doesn't activley tarnish the property. After all they will never, ever leave a great creation alone as long as dollars can be wrung from it. So, could be a whole lot worse,is all I'm saying. Cold comfort (if any) I know.
I'll put in an application through the usual channels for Monday,thanks everso for asking, tho'. Have you finished rebuilding Barnsley Mr Nimbus? I hope it now resembles something from Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon.
Now that's what I call news! C'mon Franky-man bring this baby on home!
Mr NT - may one ask what one's opinion of the current Spirit creative team is? Now Cooke's gone (dash it all!). Still apopleptic? Or soothed and receptive?
Say now, has anyone else read that Miller/Eisner interview book where they both just talk at cross purposes for about 300 pages, with Miller genuflecting before Eisner to an appropriate degree, while Eisner frantically tries to think of something he likes about Miller's work (er....leaves? I like the way you draw..leaves?) I think Lord Frank will do Eisner proud. (It's a good book).
Last time he paid tribute to Eisner we got Elektra, everyone loves Elektra don't they?
The Miller/Eisner interview was truly painful (and embarrassing for those involved) to read. I was left wondering why any body had gone to the trouble of committing it to print. And DC's The Spirit ~ I'm not picking up the Aragones run after reading the first of his issues. The only issue I've recently read of the title that I've enjoyed was the last of Cooke's run (for which I owe you many thanks Sir, and apologies for not having posted such earlier) and could have functioned as a stand alone/one off title. I still don't think that putting the character into the format of a 20 page comic monthly works. The success and quality of the character was dependent upon the concise plotting and art necessary to fill a 7 page sunday supplement slot. There was very little superfluous material in any of the sunday strips. Hone down any of the plots featured in the current DC run, cram them in to the 7 page format and you could have a good comic.
Still not looking forward to the movie. And wasn't Elektra a Skrull?
Glad you enyoyed the comic, I just thought you might like that one issue for some weird reason. Hurrah! You did. The end.
They should just reprint the old strips in the new series like Cancelled Classic Avengers. I'd buy that. Do you know when the Spirit Archive containing Wood's Space Spirit is due out? I'm gonna have to get that one.
"The movie will be adapted and directed by Miller, with Odd Lot Entertainment’s Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker co-financing and producing. Also producing is Batfilm Productions’ Michael Uslan. Batfilm’s co-founder, Benjamin Melniker, will executive produce along with Steven Maier. Odd Lot’s Linda McDonough and Batfilm’s F.J. DeSanto will co-produce.
Uslan said Miller was the ideal choice for the project. “What makes Frank’s involvement with ‘The Spirit’ particularly poignant was his special relationship with Will Eisner, captured in the book Eisner/Miller,” he said. “You have two of the medium’s greatest storytellers of sequential art and cinematic comics discussing the compelling and controversial art form.”
“I intend to be extremely faithful to the heart and soul of the material, but it won’t be nostalgic. It will be much scarier than people expect,” Miller told Variety."
Just where does he wear trainers? And Miller & Eisner's special relationship? I'm going to throw up.
so close were Eisner and Miller, sometimes they used to wear each other's clothes and confound close relatives with the similarities! Miller's just bringing Denny into the 21st Century. Kids wear sneakers! So does Denny! He will also breakdance and talk entirely in "scat". While gorily killing bad men and clinching with ridiculously proportioned ladies. It's the same! But different! Well, it's certainly "scarier" than Nimbus expected already.
I would have posted the link to the MTV web page which has the trailer and interviews but apparently due to copyright reasons it can't be seen outside the US (what a crock of s**t).
Yeah, I saw that link too, I was not pleased. Still it'll be here soon...The Atlantic can't save you NT. Nor can weird legal stuff. Frank Miller's Will Eisner's DC Comic's Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Michael Bay's The Spirit is coming...
You'll need that ole charm if you: 1) go to YouTube 2) do a search for "Spirit Teaser Trailer" 3) Click "play" I haven't done that because that would be illegal, but someone who had told someone who knew someone I know and they said it worked. I'm not suggesting for one minute anyone does this. I'm just saying I heard it worked.
I'm currently in the USandA so it's ok for me to watch it. It looks like a sequel to Sin City. I haven't read all of Eisner's Spirit but I have read some and it seems like Frank Miller was reading a much different comic to me...
I just caught a bus to AmeriKKKa , watched it , turned around and came straight back...
Denny's on his feet all day, he needs comfort and give in one pedal package that will also allow his feet to breathe and avoid a build up of stale gases - trainers! If they do Frank Miller's Will Eisner's Spirit branded trainers I am so there, baby.
I liked the little jiggly hot foot he did when he crossed the roof, that was nice and Eisnery.
Have they used CGI to faithfully re-create Ebony? He could be this year's Jah Jah Binks.
Was it my PC or was he in black. He should be in blue. I'm not even discussing that one, Frank. He should be in blue. Blue.
I think Miller loves The Spirit like the Hulk likes beans (a lot). I think he's doing it because:
a) he can. b) He'll get to put his own stamp on it thus in effect "collaborating" with one of his heroes, and also forever entwining his name with the character.
I think his intentions are good. But the thing about good intentions is...
You really like The Spirit, don't you? I hope it's good for your sake. Sadly, I've crumbled, I don't care anymore. Whatever they do to the book/comic I've still got the book/comic. Mind you, I thought Dick Tracy/Phantom/The Shadow were faithful(ish) and they all tanked. So the less faithful approach might be better for the bean counters. Me,I want David Lynch's Will Eisner's Spirit.
What made you turn your back on Frank? What did he do? No,really, I'm intrigued. Or is he just "wrong" for this. Or is he just "wrong" all over?
I don't dislike Miller's work (well not all of it anyway) but there's just too much of a Sin City (which I like) spin on his vision of the Spirit. Unnecessarily so. I think if he truly respected Eisner he'd have stayed true to the strip and it's mythos instead of tarting it up as a grimmer take on the character. I also think that there are four colour heroes that just aren't suited to the big (or small) screen. It's like watching the Shazam live action series from the 70's. You keep asking yourself "Why?"
