Gone & Forgotten

“I thought you were a pervert” -- “No ma'am, I’m a crimefighter”  In 1987, the ABC television network succumbed to a powerful wave of popular pressure from the nerd community. Comic fans had gotten wind of the existence of a live-action adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit, filmed as a pilot for a possible series and subsequently shelved. The finished project was reportedly a dud, but fan-sponsored petitions and letter-writing campaigns nonetheless begged for a taste. In response to the pleas of countless fervid aficionados, ABC replied, in their way: “Be careful what you wish for.” The Spirit, shirtless, in a big cake. Shown once on July 31, 1987, and then returned to its resting place, the actual pilot is a mixed bag. Sporting a script from celebrated action film scribe Stephen E. DeSouza, and relying heavily on the Kitchen Sink Spirit collections for its aesthetic and atmosphere, the finished product is surprisingly well-informed not only about the Spirit himself, but about Ei...