Skybound Reveal A First Look At ‘Darwyn Cooke’s The Complete Spirit Connoisseur Edition’
by Olly MacNamee
Skybound/Image Comics, in partnership with Scott Dunbier’s Act 4 Publishing, has given fans of Will Eisner‘s The Spirit an art preview from Darwyn Cooke’s The Complete Spirit Connoisseur Edition, coming out this Autumn.
This new release is presented with a slipcase and premium finishing and collects Cooke’s critically acclaimed run in an oversized (9” x 13.5″), readable format, originally published by DC Comics. Also included is a gallery featuring all the DC covers, two variant covers from a Rocketeer/The Spirit crossover, and several never-before-seen drawings. This new edition contains DC’s The Spirit #1-6, #8-12, with J. Bone inking and Dave Stewart colouring, and DC’s Batman/The Spirit one-shot, written by Jeph Loeb, collaborating again with J. Bone and Stewart.
Dunbier said of this new collection and faithful reproduction of Cooke’s work on The Spirit for DC:
“This volume showcases one of Darwyn Cooke’s seminal works, and presented in the format it so richly deserves. Like DC: The New Frontier Absolute Edition and the two Parker: Martini Editions, The Complete Spirit Connoisseur Edition is one of those books we savor and revisit for years to come. I know I will.”
And here’s the hard sell (not that it’s needed for this beauty):
“With his masterful storytelling and flair for noir style, Darwyn Cooke was uniquely suited to reintroduce Will Eisner’s beloved comics creation, The Spirit, to modern audiences.
Now, readers can leap into the crime-ridden, two-fisted tales of Darwyn Cooke’s The Spirit. This edition is designed by Sean Phillips, who also oversaw the Eisner-winning Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition – Last Call, to which this book is a companion in size and scope. J. Bone, Cooke’s long-time collaborator, provides an introduction.”
Nachie Marsham, Senior Editor at Skybound added:
“It’s always a delight to partner with Scott Dunbier, and I can’t wait for people to get their hands on the Connoisseur Edition of Darwyn’s work on The Spirit. Darwyn’s work is the gold standard for what comics storytelling can be, and his take on Will Eisner’s characters is truly a joy to see in this format.”
Darwyn Cooke’s The Complete Spirit Connoisseur Edition is out in comic book stores on Wednesday, October 8th, 2025, and at booksellers online and in stores on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 from Skybound/Image/Act 4 Publishing.
