Okay, so I read volume one (comics from 06/02/40-12/29/40) and I have to say I’m not that impressed. Everybody was telling me what a revolutionary series this is, but I’m just not seeing it. It seems to me like a typical adventure comic, with a complete dick as a main character with racist, sexist, and sometimes with heavy propaganda undertones.
I just have to ask: does it get better? It seems that all The Spirit is about is some guy going around and beating up criminals with his paint-by-the-numbers stereotype sidekick (Ebony Ivory? Really?) acting all cowardly and saying things like “massa.” Maybe I’m being overly critical, but I’m judging this on a higher critereon than I normally would because I heard it was such an awesome series and that I absolutely had to read it.
Oh: he also habitually spanks and beats up his love interest (who he denies loving despite getting her interested by kissing her in front of her fiance… what a dick).
Huh, YOU decided to read The Spirit, GAP? I’m surprised. I certainly wouldn’t have recommended it to you, precisely for those reasons.
DO NOT check the movie by the same name, it came out even sillier.
I think the real reason why people worship The Spirit is because of its creator,Will Eisner , who was a popular writer/artist in his time, and (possibly) invented the Graphic Novel with his more down to Earth “A Contract with God”. I never found Spirit interesting, tho.
For a comic I think you’ll enjoy, try Action Philosophers!, which describes the lives and beliefs of actual philosophers… using really funny cartoons. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Philosophers!
I love Action Philosophers, Wil. It’s pretty cool! I’ve read every single one of them.
But anyway, I was trying to get to the roots of comics and see what I liked. So far I’ve read some of the old Disney comics by Carl Barks (which are really aweseome!) and some vintage Batman. Before I started doing this, I hadn’t read stuff from before the 80s. And it’s not western, but Lone Wolf and Cub was one of the older influences I checked out and absolutely adored. I was just kind of floored when I saw the Spirit actually physically spanking a woman because she wanted to go to a college dance with him. o.O
And I know: stuff like old DC and Marvel comics can get pretty cheesy, too. I know. I’ve read Stan Lee’s really early stuff (whoo boy o.O). But I learn to take that in stride because I expect it. Everyone just kept telling me how awesome and groundbreaking the Spirit is and I guess I just want to understand why that is.
Try comparing it to the stuff that was coming out at the time. Sometimes groundbreakers don’t stand well the test of time.
I quite liked the movie because it was so silly. At least it didn’t really pretend otherwise.