It's the most spooktacular time of the year, boils and ghouls! I thought I'd respond in kind with something Halloween-y this month, and also keep my Crypt Keeper impression to a minimum. You're welcome. I recall picking this particular issue up in a dollar bin at an enormous antique shop while vacationing in Maine a year ago, and it has a story in it entitled, appropriately enough, "Halloween".
These issues reprint Will Eisner's Spirit newspaper insert strips, and the particular tale I'm focusing on was originally printed on October 31st, 1948. It seems every Halloween, Eisner reintroduces the character of "14th generation American witch" Hazel P. Macbeth to cause mischief in Central City. (For the record, there are other stories in this issue, featuring the characters Plaster of Paris and Quirte, but I'm focusing on the most appropriate, altogether ooky one.)
It's Halloween in Central City, and Ellen Dolan: police commissioner's daughter, girlfriend of The Spirit, and stick in the mud, is trying to organize this year's school Halloween pageant, and the kiddies are excited about the possible annual return of Hazel Macbeth. Turns out they need somebody to play the witch in their little skit, and Hazel turns up just in time to secure the coveted role. Being a real witch, she refuses the aid of wires to make her broom fly on stage, but Ellen stops her for: A. Not believing she's an actual witch and B. The school board will fire her if she gets hurt on school property. Bureaucracy, keepin' the witches down! One of the kids cleverly tries to convince Ellen that Hazel is the real deal by asking if she read last year's Spirit story. Fourth Wall: Demolished! Insulted, Hazel flies out of the school window on her broom in a huff.
She heads to the local watering hole to drown her wounded pride, and who should also be there but the Octopus, arch enemy of The Spirit! The Octopus is only ever shown as a pair of gloved hands emerging from the shadows, perhaps an inspiration for Dr. Claw, arch enemy of Inspector Gadget! Octopus is intrigued at the prospect of a real witch at his disposal and turns on the charm. I particularly enjoyed the exchange:
Hazel: Ya sure are han'some, in an ugly sort of way.
Octopus: Indeed? You're pretty disgusting yourself.
Hazel is smitten by his sweet talkin' and he persuades her to steal some valuable historical documents on witchcraft that will be on display at the school Halloween pageant.
Ellen has some of her Commissioner dad's police force guarding the book at the school, but Hazel turns into a black cat and snatches the artifact out from under their noses. Take that, Dolan! Stick it to the man! She turns the book over to Octopus, and still enamored by the crook, asks when the wedding date will be. Octopus, apparently having cold feet, or tentacles, or whatever, responds by lobbing a live hand grenade at her. Not gonna lie, that actually made me laugh out loud at the sheer Warner Bros. cartoon wackiness of it all. The jilted, soot stained Hazel departs dejected once again.
Meanwhile at police headquarters, Police Commissioner Dolan is with The Spirit (Wait, he's actually IN this story?!? For like 4 panels, yeah) and cussing out his men for losing the book. Spirit thinks it may be something other than a person that swiped it, and that's...pretty much all he does in the story. Make Dolan look like a boob. One of the officers at the scene find a black cat with the book in it's mouth and huzzah, the case is solved! Hazel returns to her true form, and returns back to her witch sisters in the Central City swamp, to disappear till next Halloween, laughing at the city folk for not believing in witches.
But what of the Octopus? Cut to foggy London town, where he is trying to pawn off the relic to a crooked dealer. Turns out the book Hazel gave him was a fake, and he's laughed out of the shop. Revenge on her would be paramour, and all is right in her spooky world (though she still does carry a torch for him)!
This story mostly centers on other characters in The Spirit's world other than the crime fighter himself, but is just the right story for publication on Halloween. By no means scary, but wacky, funny and very much in the Spirit (ugh) of the holiday! Until next time, catch you by the spinner rack, and Happy Halloween!
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