When the hordes descend on San Diego’s Comic-Con on the last weekend in July, two movies, “Twilight” and “The Spirit,” will be front and center. While neither involves a superhero, distribs Summit and Lionsgate are counting on Comic-Con fans to help turn their respective pics into household words by the time they hit theaters in December.
Maybe he doesn’t bend steel with his bare hands or shoot rays out of his eyes, but I’d still consider The Spirit a super hero. Am I totally off my rocker here?
July 11th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Kinda in the same way a Jedi is both a ninja and a wizard.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I don’t think I’d call him a superhero.
He’s a comic book character.
Comic strip character even (maybe).
But no, not a superhero… no tights.
July 11th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Well, if you consider Batman, or even better, the Question a super-hero, you pretty much have to consider The Spitir as one.
July 11th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I meant the Spirit. If I had a cat, I’d blame my mis-spelling on him.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
He’s kinda borderline. I don’t generally think of Zorro as a superhero. The secret identity is the main thing that the Spirit has in common with superheroes. Other than that, he fits in much better with pulp era detectives.
I’d say that either interpretation is reasonably valid.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I think outside of comics fandom, the definition of Superhero is pretty strict. Capes, tights, “underpants on the outside” etc. Silly costumes and dull nobility, in most people’s eyes.
For us fans of the genre it’s like a whole ecology. We’re like botanists in a jungle, knowing each distinct variation and The Spirit counts as it shares some of the ‘genes’ of the Superhero.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
It makes me wonder if Variety just isn’t aware of The Spirit’s origins in comics? Or Frank Miller’s. This makes a lot more sense at comic con than some of the random horror movies I’ve seen promoted at Comic Con.
July 11th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
He’s got a colorful codename, a mask, a secret identity, a secret lair. Variety don’t know nothing ’bout superheroes. Heidi do.
July 11th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Delete previous comment — lost track of which blog I was on. JK do, not Heidi.
I blame Jason’s non-existent cat.
July 11th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Hero, sure? Super? Up for debate. That’s not a knock on the character or Will Eisner. I just think he gets his ass handed to him too much to be a “super”hero.
Then again, maybe that doesn’t mean anything since that would also disqualify Superman sometimes.
July 11th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I thought he was a superhero when I started reading Spirit comics when I was a little kid … just as much as Batman is; and I also started reading Batman at the same time.
July 12th, 2008 at 1:46 am
He’s not a super-powered hero (superhero), but he IS a costumed crime fighter like Batman, the Green Hornet and countless others in comic books.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Even though he’s not superpowered, I’d at least call him a costumed hero if not a superhero. Although, when Frank Miller is done with him, we might have to call him a failure.
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