Solar: Man of the Atom #1 from Dynamite brings us the return of Solar. The character has a rich history that has taken him on many travels, but now he is coming to us courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment as part of their Gold Key Universe.
Solar is Dr. Phil Seleski and he was granted powers after being flooded by experimental radiation. He has the ability to chemically alter items with mathematical equations. We see him change bullets into steam, super heat weapons and even do something pretty amazing to save a girl from being shot. Unfortunately, things take a turn and Solar is having problems with the equations he uses with his abilities. He continually tells us the math is “all wrong”. The story also introduces us to Dr. Seleski’s kids, who have no idea of his extra curricular activities, but are being brought in to his world in one way or another.
Solar is a great reintroduction to a character that is probably as well known as he is not known. Solar originated back in the 60′s and he has been reborn multiple times over the years, most notably back in the 90′s. With this new version, Dynamite and writer Frank Barbiere, jump us right into the action and it is a pretty decent first issue for anyone that isn’t really up to date on the character. We get just enough back story to fill in some blanks, but plenty more mysteries that are crying for answers.
Joe Bennett takes what is, let’s be honest, a pretty boring character design and plays with angles to make Solar more interesting. He is complimented by Lauren Affe with some great coloring and we have some nice effects throughout the book with this duo.
Solar is back, but I can’t help but wonder if new readers care. Those of us that already know the character are curious, but are new readers? I hope they do take a look at it and learn more about a character that has as much history as most of the characters currently showing up on the big screen.
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