("Huh?" You may well be saying to yourself. "The Spirit I know, but who's this Slam guy?" Good question, since he's relatively obscure, or at least was until the fine writer Ed Brubaker brought him back as an aged but still tough guy in Catwoman. You can read more about Slam, the man, the legend, the human sound effect, here and here, courtesy of the good folks at Scans Daily.)
So. Off they go, these two macho hunks of men, with nary a utility belt, Legion flight ring, or even a Kevlar vest between the two of them. Just muscle against muscle, bone on bone.
Whoops, this is starting to sound like slash.
Anyway. Who has the edge. Well, let's see. Snappy dresser? The Spirit is in spades; Slam, not so much. A clever strategist? The Spirit is; Slam's idea of a cunning plan is very much akin to Baldrick's in Blackadder. ("I shall pretend to be bellhop! A hulking, uncouth bellhop with a granite jaw!") A cool hand with the ladies, whether they be innocent ingenue or sultry femme fatale? The Spirit, more or less; Slam vehemently prefers to punch out a Chinaman than kiss a gal. Created by a genius? The Spirit was the brainchild of the late, truly great Will Eisner, the Picasso of comics; Slam was created by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster, who also gave the world an oddly-attired fellow name of Superman --- so yes, they've got some comics cred, but nobody beats out Eisner. Racist overtones? The Spirit's sidekick Ebony was construed as a stereotype, and maybe he was, but Eisner tried to rectify that; Slam liked to beat the snot out of Chinamen.
Some of the above may have relevance to a fistfight; some may not. But it's my blog, and I say the Spirit's got the stuff of a champion: determined, fearless, persistent and tough. Slam thought and talked with his fists. Denny Colt would wipe the floor with the palooka.
The Champ.
And remember, the champ always gets the girl. Or, as you can see from some of these pictures, she gets him. Oh well.
Next: In darkest night, in brightest armor...
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