The Octopus (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Octopus is a comic book
supervillain
from the comic book The Spirit
, created by writer-artist Will Eisner
. He first appeared in The Spirit on July 14, 1946, and became the primary nemesis in later stories. The Octopus has never showed his face in the stories but readers could always identify the character by the distinctive gloves he always wore. A master of disguise, The Octopus was involved in the epic fight with The Spirit, which left Denny Colt temporarily blind.
reported that comic book
writer/artist Frank Miller
would write and direct the feature film adaptation of The Spirit
with Samuel L. Jackson
as the Octopus. Unlike the comics his face is seen in the film, depicted with eight "prison tears" under his eyes like octopus tentacles; he brags to have "eight of everything". In another departure from the comic, he holds a love of powerful firearms, including two Desert Eagle
s, two minigun
s, two .500 S&W Magnum
s, two Sawed-off shotgun
s, and a pair of four-barreled shotguns. He also wears a series of outlandish costumes such as a long fur coat and hat inspired by blaxploitation films
and Russians
, a Nazi uniform, and a samurai robe and hairpiece inspired by classic kung-fu movies.
The film combines elements of Dr. Cobra from The Spirit comics with the Octopus in that he is revealed to have been responsible for the Spirit's resurrection and immortality thanks to a regenerative formula he invented and injected himself with as well after succeeding. His quest in the film is to get his hands on the Blood of Heracles
to drink and become a god
. Following a fight with the Spirit, the Octopus escapes but ends up with Jason's Golden Fleece
desired by Sand Saref, now with the blood. After going to desperate measures trying to find Sand and kill the Spirit, the Octopus hires a beautiful assassin, Plaster of Paris, to take down his nemesis. At the end of the film the Octopus is finally defeated in a manner similar to his demise in the comic, being blown up by a grenade. However, his severed finger is found by Silken Floss, leading to the possibility that the real battle has only just begun.
and Jim Krueger
's Project Superpowers
series. In that series he has supposedly been killed by the Flame
, and his criminal empire is now run by his widow.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
from the comic book The Spirit
The Spirit
The Spirit is a crime-fighting fictional character created by writer-artist Will Eisner. He first appeared June 2, 1940 in "The Spirit Section", the colloquial name given to a 16-page Sunday supplement, distributed to 20 newspapers by the Register and Tribune Syndicate and reaching five million...
, created by writer-artist Will Eisner
Will Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
. He first appeared in The Spirit on July 14, 1946, and became the primary nemesis in later stories. The Octopus has never showed his face in the stories but readers could always identify the character by the distinctive gloves he always wore. A master of disguise, The Octopus was involved in the epic fight with The Spirit, which left Denny Colt temporarily blind.
Appearances
- 14 July 1946 - "The Postage Stamp"
- 17 November 1946 - "Return to Caramba"
- 1 December 1946 - "The Portier Fortune"
- 6 July 1947 - "Wanted - Mortimer J. Titmouse"
- 10 August 1947 - "Sign of The Octopus" aka "Klink Versus The Octopus"
- 17 August 1947 - "The Picnic"
- 24 August 1947 - "Showdown with The Octopus"
- 28 December 1947 "Umbrella Handles"
- 25 January 1948 - Montabaldo"
- 1 February 1948 - "El Espirito"
- 1 August 1948 - "The Eisner Travel Agency"
- 31 October 1948 - "Hallowe'en Spirit"
- 5 December 1948 - "Stop the Plot"
- 26 December 1948 - "Will Eisner's Almanack" (cameo)
- 4 February 1951 - "Showdown with The Octopus" (reprint)
- 11 February 1951 - "Octopus Back in U.S.A."
- 18 February 1951 - "To The Spirit with Love"
- 25 February 1951 - "The Portier Fortune" (revised reprint)
- 18 March 1951 - "Darling Unmasks The Octopus"
- 15 July 1951 - "Heat" (cameo)
- 22 July 1951 - "Hospital Zone - Quiet"
- 25 November 1951 - "I Hate The Spirit Because Contest" aka "The League of Liars" (cameo)
Film
On July 19, 2006, The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
reported that comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
writer/artist Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
would write and direct the feature film adaptation of The Spirit
The Spirit (film)
The Spirit is a 2008 American superhero noir film, written and directed by Frank Miller and starring Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film is based on the newspaper comic strip The Spirit by Will Eisner...
with Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
as the Octopus. Unlike the comics his face is seen in the film, depicted with eight "prison tears" under his eyes like octopus tentacles; he brags to have "eight of everything". In another departure from the comic, he holds a love of powerful firearms, including two Desert Eagle
Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S. and by IMI in Israel; the pistol is manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI...
s, two minigun
Minigun
The Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire , employing Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source...
s, two .500 S&W Magnum
.500 S&W Magnum
The .500 S&W Magnum is a fifty-caliber semi-rimmed handgun cartridge developed by Cor-Bon in partnership with the Smith & Wesson "X-Gun" engineering team for use in the Smith & Wesson Model 500 X-frame revolver and introduced in February 2003 at the SHOT trade show...
s, two Sawed-off shotgun
Sawed-off shotgun
A sawed-off shotgun also called a sawn-off shotgun and a short-barreled shotgun , is a type of shotgun with a shorter gun barrel and often a shorter or absent stock....
s, and a pair of four-barreled shotguns. He also wears a series of outlandish costumes such as a long fur coat and hat inspired by blaxploitation films
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
and Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, a Nazi uniform, and a samurai robe and hairpiece inspired by classic kung-fu movies.
The film combines elements of Dr. Cobra from The Spirit comics with the Octopus in that he is revealed to have been responsible for the Spirit's resurrection and immortality thanks to a regenerative formula he invented and injected himself with as well after succeeding. His quest in the film is to get his hands on the Blood of Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
to drink and become a god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. Following a fight with the Spirit, the Octopus escapes but ends up with Jason's Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the gold-haired winged ram, which can be procured in Colchis. It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest by order of King Pelias for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus...
desired by Sand Saref, now with the blood. After going to desperate measures trying to find Sand and kill the Spirit, the Octopus hires a beautiful assassin, Plaster of Paris, to take down his nemesis. At the end of the film the Octopus is finally defeated in a manner similar to his demise in the comic, being blown up by a grenade. However, his severed finger is found by Silken Floss, leading to the possibility that the real battle has only just begun.
Project Superpowers
The Octopus is mentioned in Alex RossAlex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
and Jim Krueger
Jim Krueger
Jim Krueger is an American comic book writer, novelist, and filmmaker.- Filmmaking :Kreuger's first short film, They Might Be Dragons, which he wrote, directed, and produced, won "Best In Class" at New York University , a "Best Short Film" award from the New York Independent Film Festival, and a...
's Project Superpowers
Project Superpowers
Project Superpowers is a comic book limited series published by Dynamite Entertainment beginning January 2008. It was co-plotted by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, with scripts by Jim Krueger, covers by Alex Ross, and interior art by Doug Klauba and Stephen Sadowski for issue #0, and Carlos Paul for the...
series. In that series he has supposedly been killed by the Flame
Flame (comics)
The Flame was a fictional superhero that appeared in comic books published by Fox Feature Syndicate. The Flame first appeared in Wonderworld Comics #3 . He was created by writer Will Eisner and artist Lou Fine.-Publication history:...
, and his criminal empire is now run by his widow.