The Spirit (July 20, 1941) “The Jewel of Death”

The Spirit heads to Syria for a Middle Eastern-tinged adventure in Jewel. He’s there to find the only doctor who can cure a disease back in Central City, but the doctor has married a beautiful local woman and doesn’t want to return. Except this beautiful local woman seems to be a dark figure of legend—any man who marries her dies within twenty-four hours. Perhaps The Jewel of Death has something to do with it. The wife is personality-free as a potential villain, with some similarities to early Spirit female villains. The wanting ones, unfortunately. She doesn’t get any lines; she doesn’t have any motive; she’s just possibly a murderer. One who operates without motive, too, because the doctor isn’t some black widow achievement. He’s just a drunk who feels bad about himself and doesn’t want to listen to any of Spirit’s pleas. There’s also a fortune teller on the street who figures in, and a smuggler villain. The fortune teller freaks out when Spirit arrives, only for Spirit to be a jerk…