Will Eisner’s The Spirit comic has been influential in its panel designs, graphic representation of titles, and even forming various archetypes of the superhero genre. The strip, which started in newspapers in 1940, has also been very influential to many animators and graphic designers who saw an artist able to marry bold new leaps in layouts with a fun two-fisted tale of a vigilante. It’s not surprising, then, that there have been several attempts to bring the property to the big screen. (Including Frank Miller’s 2008 adaptation that was… less than well-received, let’s say). But what is surprising is that one of the earlier tries at turning Denny Colt’s adventures into a cinematic experience was spearheaded by none other than Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) and Gary Kurtz (producer of Star Wars).