P'Gell! The hardest Spirit Archives to find. Here is a pristine Mint copy in shrinkwrap. Reprints 26 stories from 1947. Printed on uncoated stock for an authentic comic book feel and color.

From the publisher:

The adventures of Will Eisner's most famous creation continue in this volume reprinting the Spirit newspaper sections from 1/5/47 to 6/29/47. Featuring appearances by Ebony, Dolan and Ellen, the seductive P'Gell, Hoagy the Yogi, Silken Floss, Saree and more, plus an introduction by Jim Vance.

This volume of deluxe hardcover reprints of Eisner's 1940s strip The Spirit shows the writer-artist fully achieving the unmatched amalgam of expressive drawing, fast-paced scripts, vivid characterizations, and innovative storytelling techniques that remains a key influence on comics artists today. In these 1947 stories, Eisner began playing up elements that concurrently were becoming the hallmarks of the American movies later called film noir. Comics and movies alike are punchy crime stories set in a nocturnal urban milieu and featuring hardboiled gangsters, crooked politicians, and gorgeous but deceitful dames. Eisner wasn't afraid, however, to tackle other genres (this volume features a ghost story) or to take his cast to exotic locales. For a real change of pace, he produced equally accomplished comedies (many focused, however, on the Spirit's diminutive sidekick, Ebony, an unfortunate racial stereotype). Each seven-pager is a well-polished gem; nobody else in comics has ever done more with fewer pages. Now in his eighties, Eisner turns out acclaimed graphic novels, but this early work best demonstrates his mastery.

--Gordon Flagg, American Library Association