Deeper into the mystery we go.
Creative Staff:
Story: Francesco Francavilla
Art: Francesco Francavilla
Colors: Francesco Francavilla
Letterer: Francesco Francavilla
What They Say:
Danny Colt’s investigation leads him into a place of fears and horrors where he will learn that not all that is dead is dead. Don’t dare miss this third spine-tingling chapter of Francesco Francavilla’s tale of THE SPIRIT!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
While Francesco Francavilla’s art style, and color work, may be an acquired taste for some, it’s one that I definitely enjoy. His work with The Spirit so far has been a visual treat that really does delight. The structure of the panels with the layout, the flow of motion and action, the close-up pieces and the shadowed distance ones, all of it comes together in a really great way to draw me further into the story. Or, perhaps more accurately, into the atmosphere of the story. The book is one that I can see other writers doing in one or two issues overall and perhaps being frustrated by what we get here. And in monthly form (with a two month break between this and the previous issue) it can be a bit more problematic. It’s already looking to be a series that will be stronger in collected form.
But what a treat in individual installments it is if you enjoy artwork. The Spirit is getting closer to discovering what’s going on as he continues his search for Eb’s cousin Vince. That’s lead him to taking out a couple of guys for Dolan to deal with, and it serves to get Ebony out of the way for a bit as well. This gives us a bit of time with recap in a sense but also just in drawing in other aspects of what makes a Spirit story a Spirit story. Watching as he goes through the exploration phase and discovers the crematorium truck out late and then seeing where it goes offers up all that he needs to explore more. And that’s certainly going to push things into overdrive has he makes his way in and gets the first blush discovery of what’s being created down there.
The book does delve elsewhere for a bit as we see Lisa Marlowe recovering back at her place from her encounter, which we then get to see. It’s definitely exciting and I love Francavilla’s take on the bike and her look while riding it as it just clicks so well. This is the part of the story where you’re waiting more to see how it’s going to impact things in the final couple of issues more than anything else as it doesn’t offer up anything that really alters or shakes things up here. But like the rest of the book it’s just great looking with its detail and color design that keeps you thoroughly engaged with it.
In Summary:
The Spirit: The Corpse-Makers continues to be an appealing book to look at as Francavilla knows how to tell a story in a beautiful way and make it thoroughly engaging. At the same time, it’s a book that feels like it would have been far better as a collection right from the start because it comes across as really needing that binge read. While the Spirit is finally starting to get a handle on what’s going on here, the reader doesn’t get too much new but gets a pretty fun ride with which to go through it. I’m excited for what’s left but more excited for a full read.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 17th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
