The Spirit

Real Name:

Denny Colt

Location:

New York City, Central City

First Appearance:

The Spirit Section June 2nd, 1940

Created By:

Will Eisner

Powers:

Although The Spirit has no superpowers per se, he is a mastermind detective and advanced hand to hand combatant. He never uses a gun, but instead uses subterfuge, tracking skills, his keen intellect, and a distinct sense of justice to thwart the criminals that seek his death at every turn. He has been deemed the, “middle-class crime fighter” and is a hero for the everyday man.

In addition to this, The Spirit has a large cast of colorful supporting characters that aide in his quest for justice. Characters like Ebony White, Ellen Dolan, Commissioner Dolan, and others all aide The Spirit on his adventures.

Perhaps not a power to some, but The Spirit has an uncanny ability to make the women around him fall for him in some way. Many have fallen to his charm, even his very enemies, giving The Spirit a chance to unravel evil plans, escape from harm, and capture the criminals of Central City. It would seem that almost every episode had a woman swooning over The Spirit.

Team Affiliations:

Central City Police

Archenemy:

The Octopus

Currently Seen In:

The Spirit can be found in The Spirit Archives from DC Comics. There is also an ongoing series from DC Comics.

Interesting Fact:

Many current comic creators cite The Spirit as being an influence in their path to becoming comic creators themselves and much of what is seen in the comic book world in terms of storytelling and techniques today can be traced back to The Spirit’s original work, which spanned over a decade.

Origin:

Denny Colt was a young criminologist and private detective that aided the police force from time to time. He was colleagues and friends with the police commissioner, Eustace Dolan, and came to him when a certain Dr. Cobra was plaguing the police force, missing them at every turn. Colt offered to capture Cobra, but only if he could get the reward that was offered.

Colt found the secret hideout of Dr. Cobra and secretly entered. There he found Dr. Cobra and his accomplice and set out to capture them. Unknowingly, Dr. Cobra was a physical as well as mental threat and pounced at Colt like a “panther” and attacked him with “claw like fingers.” He hurled Colt against a wall and when Colt fired off a shot, he hit a vat of green liquid that enveloped him completely. Cobra escaped and when Dolan came to the scene, Colt was pronounced dead.

The next night a mysterious figure appears to Dolan, offering to capture Dr. Cobra. The figure calls himself The Spirit, but Dolan feels his voice is familiar and travels to the cemetery where Colt was buried. He finds Colt there interrogating two of Cobra’s men and Colt chases the thugs off, leading him to Dr. Cobra.

Dr. Cobra is pleased to know that this mysterious figure is coming for him saying, “So my liquid works! Colt, or The Spirit as he calls himself is living proof!” They then set a trap for The Spirit and await his arrival.

The Spirit makes his way into the trap, but overcomes Dr. Cobra’s goons and chases Cobra himself out of his hideout. In a quick move, Cobra positions himself to attack The Spirit but Commissioner Dolan interferes and shoots Cobra, incapacitating him.

The two enter into a new relationship with The Spirit dropping the identity of Denny Colt and embracing his new crimefighting persona. Very few people know the true identity of The Spirit, and Dolan keeps his secret, but warns The Spirit to not, “step outside of the law.”

The Spirit ran in newspaper strips all over America in seven page stories. The comic lasted for 12 years and had 344 strips. Eisner’s work on The Spirit is heralded as one of the greatest comic runs in history as it truly pushed the boundaries of the comic book world. The strip crossed the boundaries of genres, telling pulp detective stories, horror, superhero, suspense, and even romance storylines. Many of the techniques and styles used by Eisner have influenced the comic books of today and its impact can be seen throughout the world of comics.