Eisner At Face Value: The Covers

Will Eisner's covers for The Spirit are highly varied, but issues 23, 26 and 28 share many similar design principles that seem to demonstrate a particular style Eisner was focusing on during this point in his run on the series.

Perhaps the most readily apparent element of this style is the subject's pose. Whether grappling with a ghoulish demon (#23), fighting to break free of an enormous web (#26) or battling tiny monsters (#28), on each of the three covers The Spirit is depicted in a physical struggle.

The struggling Spirit is also carefully placed according to the rule of thirds, falling squarely along the left third in each cover.

Finally, The Spirit consistently appears foregrounded in relation to the villain. On each cover, The Spirit is depicted along with the the villain he faces in the issue. But The Spirit always appears in the foreground while his antagonist always appears in the background.

Eisner's style during this period is dependent upon the coordination of three elements in tandem: The Spirit's pose, his placement and his proximity to the villain.

Personally, I find that this style serves to communicate a certain degree of hope. Although the covers would have it seem as though The Spirit is almost certainly doomed, a sentiment communicated by his pose alone, if not by the numerous dangers lurking in each scene; his placement on eye-catching power points along the left line of thirds seems to draw the reader's attention to the slightest shimmer of light at the end of the tunnel: his proximity to the foreground. Almost as if to say The Spirit will overcome while the villain will once again retreat into the shadows.