Recommended Reading - Solo by Randy Lander Last Updated: November 18, 2005 Publisher: DC Comics Frequency: Quarterly Price: $4.99 Status: Ongoing Series (7 issues are currently available) Jumping-On Points: Since this is more or less an anthology showcase for artists, each issue is a standalone and there is no continuity between issues. Any given issue of Solo is a great jumping-on point, and when taken as a whole, what you've got is a selection of great art and stories, but no common threads Creators: Writers/Colorists vary by issue Illustrated by Tim Sale, Richard Corben, Paul Pope, Howard Chaykin, Darwyn Cooke, Jordi Bernet & Michael Allred Edited by Mark Chiarello Website: DC Comics (Not a specific Solo site, but they do have previews of upcoming Solo issues and covers in their solicitations) The Basics: Each issue provides a new artist with a 48-page canvas upon which they can create any number of stories, either on their own or in collaboration with other writers, colorists and letterers. Each issue includes at least one story featuring a DC character, but there seem to be no restrictions on genre or story length. The result is an unbiased showcase for talented comic artists to show off what they can do. My Overview: Solo is, quite simply, an amazing idea executed to perfection. Get talented artists, many of whom have writing talents as well, and turn them loose for 48 pages to do whatever they want to do. It shows off the pure joy and potential of the comics medium, and the DC character story in each one serves as a potential hook for those who might otherwise pass the book up. The stories aren't always phenomenal, as short stories are a tough format to work on, but they are always entertaining at the least and there have been any number of really great ones as the book has gone on. What makes Solo really special, though, is that DC seems to be subverting its marketing impulses in the execution of the book. The artists chosen aren't the big hot names like Michael Turner and Jim Lee, but are instead solid craftsmen with a body of work behind them, "artists' artists" like Paul Pope, Richard Corben and Jordi Bernet. The choice of artists doesn't seem to be driven by a tie-in to their DC work, as even those creators who are working with DC on other projects have shown up at times that had little to do with any current release. Darwyn Cooke, for example, didn't have an issue of Solo published concurrently with DC: New Frontier's debut and Paul Pope's issue of Solo hit months before the 100% trade paperback. My only complaint is that thus far, there are no trade paperbacks or hardcovers, and I'd really love to have a nice hardcover collection of these books for my bookshelf. This is definitely material that deserves a lasting presence in shops which is impossible with the serial format. Who's It For?: Fans of comic book art and anthologies, rookie artists and writers who want examples of how the comics masters work, anyone who has a fondness for the artist spotlighted in a given issue, those with an interest in the medium and not just the superhero genre. Reviews: Solo #1 Solo #2 Solo #3 Snapshot: Solo #5 Recent Issues: SOLO #4 Synopsis: A black jazzman in '30s Paris rushes to escape the Nazi incursion, a murderous scientist clones his lost love with mixed results, Sheriff "Pow Wow" Smith makes a go at Hollywood, a pair of industrial spies find themselves on opposite sides of the same job, a white supremacist faces a nightmare scenario with his family and Howard Chaykin considers his career and his influences. Review: I am generally not a Chaykin fan, although in fairness I've never read his seminal work on American Flagg!, so my opinion isn't 100% formed yet. Certainly his performance on his issue of Solo gave me pause, as it was enjoyable from cover to cover, and while it had some elements of Chaykin's work that I find tedious (most notably his cardboard characterization of women), they were very much in the background, and the strength of the storytelling and of Chaykin's artwork was front and center. Like many of the issues of Solo, Chaykin's issue crosses a variety of genres. Historical adventure, science-fiction, western, espionage, drama and even autobiography, all of them flavored with Chaykin's sarcastic humor style. In the fascinating five-page rundown of influences that makes up the last story, Chaykin talks about his difficulty with horror, but it's clear that he's got the sensibilities for it, because "Bad Blood" is a truly chilling horror tale, and "Upgrades" has the same horror vibe as a good episode of HBO's Tales From the Crypt, which draws its DNA, like the story, from EC Comics. Chaykin loves the twist endings, and he serves them up on all of the fictional stories here, and I found each of them to be pretty good, with a special fondness for the hilarious and unexpected finale of "The Last Time I Saw Paris." So for this mostly non-fan of Chaykin, this issue of Solo was a great read. For fans of the writer/artist, this issue will likely be heaven. Highlights: The twist endings, especially the ones on "The Last Time I Saw Paris" and "Breaking and Entering," the repeated humor of heartbreak in "Upgrades," the parallel storytelling of "Breaking and Entering," the chilling point-of-view of a white supremacist community in "Bad Blood" and the fascinating insight into Chaykin's mind in "Horrors!" Quote: "Fine... but if you think I'm going to take being the Jack Kamen of my generation lying down, you're crazy -- it's Johnny Craig or nothing." -Howard Chaykin SOLO #6 Synopsis: A little girl worries about the unusual nature of the new boarder at her house, a couple fights as the man recalls his trip to Las Vegas, a group of imprisoned revolutionaries face a different kind of imprisonment, a scarred cowboy tells the tale of how he earned his scars and got his revenge and Poison Ivy faces off with Batman. Review: This was a surprise, an issue of Solo focusing on an artist I had never heard of. Clearly, that was a serious gap in my comics knowledge, and I'm thankful to editor Mark Chiarello for rectifying it, as artist Jordi Bernet, best known for his work outside the United States, has a gorgeous style that reads like a cross between the strict lines and stylized flair of Howard Chaykin and the rough, exaggerated look of Guy Davis. There's also a cartoonish quality to his work, especially the story featuring Black Widow, that recalls the work of Bruce Timm or Darwyn Cooke. If you want to go back further, you can compare his work to Toth and Krigstein, but at any rate, the point is this: Damn, this guy can draw. Bernet also shows a nice wide range in the course of this issue, from horror to crime to western to superhero, and including one story that works beautifully in black and white. To be completely honest, while the artwork is up to par for the levels set for Solo, the stories on this one are notably weaker than any issue since the first one, as Bernet works with five different writers on five different tales. All of the stories are at the very least entertaining, but none of them popped out at me like the stories in other issues of Solo. John Arcudi's twisted southwestern horror tale "Back Bone" is probably the best of the lot, with "Poison" by Brian Azzarello being the weakest, a run-of-the-mill Batman/Poison Ivy story whose flowery narration from Ivy isn't really very convincing or meaningful. The other three stories are very much in the EC Comics vein, whether it's the murder revelation in "Drive" by Joe Kelly (which uses an unnecessarily confusing off-panel conversation as it's driving force), the intriguing examination of prison politics and aging in prison of "Old Dog/New Trick" by Andy Helfer or the gory shock ending of "The Stalking Horse" by Chuck Dixon. Whether or not the stories resonated deeply or not with me is hardly the point, though, as the artwork looks great throughout. Bernet really sells the grossout factor and the comedy in "Back Bone," the lurid doings of "Drive," the intricate routine of the prison in "Old Dog/New Trick," the madness of revenge in "The Stalking Horse" and the sensuality of Poison Ivy in "Poison." Each story also features a different colorist, or in the case of "Drive," a black and white motif, and this variance of style in color and writing allows Bernet to show off a different aspect of his art in each story. Highlights: The laugh-out-loud final panel of "Back Bone," the expressions of grief and disbelief that drive home "Drive," the likably crusty designs for the aged inmates of "Old Dog/New Trick," the over-the-top rantings and visual expression of those rantings in "The Stalking Horse" and the sexy, seductive smile that Poison Ivy flashes throughout "Poison." Quote: "'Course, now I did think of callin' momma that night, just as he turned. But then I figgered that pig-guttin' freak might be real dangerous." -Lainie SOLO #7 Synopsis: Hourman tries to make the most of his "hour of power," the Teen Titans throw a wild party that upsets their Doom Patrol neighbors, Batman reflects on the changing times and wonders if he's still effective, Mister Miracle shows off his escape skills and Mike and Lee Allred show off the joy that comics offered a pair of young boys. Review: From the Metal Men pin-up that kicks off this issue to the 8-page cornucopia of DC hero guest-stars that closes it out, this is very much Michael Allred's love letter to the DC Comics that he grew up with. That doesn't mean the book doesn't have some serious points to make, none more effective than the neat dissection of "asshole Batman" done in "Batman A-Go-Go!," but the general thrust of this book is, "Remember how much fun superheroes can be?" There's a goofy sensibility that has shown up in most of Allred's work, and it's definitely here in force. Hourman's hilarious struggles to try and find something heroic to do once a false alarm causes him to pop his miraclo pill is a hilarious piss-take on the absurdity of his superpowers that nevertheless presents him as noble and heroic alongside the humor. I also love that Laura Allred presents Hourman as basically the only four-color figure in the story, existing in a world that is more sepia-toned and normal... it helps to increase the feel of absurdity and to make Hourman's heroic, larger-than-life nature more clear. For sheer goofy fun, however, it's tough to top "Doom Patrol vs. Teen Titans," which plays out like a '60s teens vs. the establishment morality play using the Teen Titans and Doom Patrol to fill both roles. Allred packs the pages with DC obscurities, over-the-top Haney-esque dialogue and energetic, packed panels with vintage style colors by Laura Allred, and the result is pure fun, superhero parody with a nostalgic love shine on top. There's a similar vibe to the wordless "Comic Book Clubhouse!" feature, except that that story, written by Mike's brother Lee Allred, is a hilarious contrast of real life and fantasy superheroes intruding on that life in young boys' minds. Both of these tales are excellent, highly enjoyable love poems to comics that invite the reader to share that love rather than simply being self-indulgent. The absolute highlight of the issue, though, is "Batman A-Go-Go!," which confronts an Adam West-esque Batman with the growing realism of the '70s and a rebellious young ward. It reads like a sharp, well-observed criticism of the tendency to make superheroes more "realistic" at the expense of their effectiveness as heroes and (dare I say it) role models, but even if that message doesn't resonate for you, this is an exceptionally good Batman story in a time period and style that is generally played only for laughs. Highlights: The variety of mundane activities Hourman finds to occupy his "hour of power," the dated '60s references in the Teen Titans dialogue and genius use of Bat-Mite, Streaky the Supercat and the Legion, the pointed commentary on Identity Crisis and its ilk by way of an entertaining story instead of a polemic and the sheer joy of DC's universe to be found in the two-page spread of "Comic Book Clubhouse." Quote: "Why is it the good things are never 'real life,' only the bad?" -Alfred Email Randy Lander comments about this column.