from The Spirit Section (Register and Tribune Syndicate, June 8, 1947), script, pencils, and inks by Will Eisner; background pencils and inks by Jerry Grandenetti, letters by Abe Kanegson
WHOA WAIT who's this handsome brute? Why, that's actually an Eisner caricature of Kanegson. Eisner often visually used Grandenetti and Kanegson in his stories — after all, they were easy to draw: right next to him!
Kanegson wasn't at all this hideous, but Eisner visually spoofed him, starting in this story with its famous seductive opening page:
from The Spirit Section (May 25, 1947), credits as above
Eisner used the general look of Kanegson for the character of Stiletto, an Italian ex-fascist thief and murderer who's come to Central City steal Mussolini's priceless locket. Whoa, I bet Central City is screaming now!
(top) commentary from The Spirit (1983 series) #18 (Kitchen Sink, April 1986)
The Spirit arrives to stop him, kinda gets the worst of the fight, and then, as always, P'Gell seizes the opportunity to come out on top. Every li'l bug might have a honey to hug, but P'Gell...she loves burning up the Spirit!
Anorther caricature of Kanegson...and one of Jerry Grandenetti...AND Eisner himself…appear a few months later as (respectively) the criminal trio of Bellows, Dapperish, and Slippery Eall. The boys are back in town! I mean, in jail.
L-R: Dapperish, Bellows, and Slippery Eall.
commentary on and panels from "Slippery Eall" aka "A River of Crime" in The Spirit Section (November 30, 1947), credits as above; as reprinted in b/w in The Spirit (1983 series) #25 (Kitchen Sink, November 1986)
There's another amazing Spirit opening page and some sublime rain art in this story. (Sorry it's in b/w; I only had the Kitchen Sink reprints on this one.)
The Terrible Trio (I just bet they had a name like that for themselves!) pop up again just before Christmas...
from "Snow" in The Spirit Section (December 14, 1947), credits as above
...and try to cut a deal with Commissioner Dolan to bring in a smuggler The Spirit doesn't seem to be able to touch. It takes a crook to catch a crook, as the old saying goes, and the boys are back (out in) the town!
Using a snowman trick they learned from Ebony, the three actually manage to recover the jewels!
...but their own sticky fingers lands them a return, and they're in the jailhouse, now.
THE BOYS ARE BACK IN JAIL. Aw man, they can't win.
Today is also the birthday of Gaspar Saladino, famous letterer, and therefore we celebrate September 1 as Letterer Appreciation Day!
But also, don't forget the lettering great Abe Kanegson today, immortalized here by Will Eisner! Happy birthday, Abe! Happy Letterer Appreciation Day!
PS: "Read more about Abe Kanegson!"
A few things, Bully:
ReplyDelete— It’s Todd Klein.
— You switched up the hover-text of those last two images.
— Two other images are missing hover-text shortly after the P’Gell splash. (I assume it wasn’t commentary for little boys...)
PS: Thanks for putting “If I Had $1,000,000” (Canadian) in my head.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, was I ever sloppy! Cleaned up now, and thanks for spotting!
ReplyDelete