Welcome to Unifying VALIANT, our celebration of the 25-year anniversary of VALIANT’s companywide crossover ‘Unity.’ A precursor to the now omnipresent annual comic event, ‘Unity’ and VALIANT changed the face of the comic industry in the early ‘90’s. In each entry we’ll be focusing on one of the company’s storylines until culminating at ‘Unity.’ Follow along as we dig deep and rediscover what made VALIANT the innovative and revolutionary company it was.
This week we’re reviewing “Solar, Man of the Atom” #1-4 ‘Second Death.’
It’s Place within VALIANT:
The opening storyline of Solar’s 1991 reintroduction, titled ‘Second Death,’ served as a cold open for readers throughout the series’ first four issues. The storyline brings together the three separate entities that will form Solar and explains how the entire scenario is a manifestation of a man’s childhood dream to be superhero.
Within these issues are the first 4-parts of Solar’s origin, which played out across the 10-part storyline ‘Alpha and Omega.’ Later reprinted as “Solar” #0, ‘Alpha and Omega’ is included in 6-page inserts within each issue, running from “Solar” #1 to “Solar” #10. Certain aspects of it are replayed during the ‘Second Death’ storyline, as you have a convergence of scenarios which repeat. Print runs for issues #1-4 were modest for the time, with estimates at 70,000 for #1, 55,000 for #2 & 3, and 60,000 for issue #4.
Storyline Summary:
“Solar, Man of the Atom” #1-4
Publication dates: September 1991 – December 1991
Written by Jim Shooter
Penciled by D. David Perlin
Inked by Bob Layton with Thomas Ryder
Colored by Kathryn Bolinger with Jorge Gonzalez & Knob Row
Lettered by Jade Moede with Ken Lopez, B.K. Joyce & Audra Verde
In the prior storyline, ‘Alpha & Omega,’ Dr. Phil Seleski had risked his life to shut down the nuclear reactor he was responsible for developing. During the meltdown the extreme radiation exposure had left his corpse a charred husk, yet had imbued with body with the ability to harness thermonuclear energies. Reborn as Solar, Man of the Atom, Phil took it upon himself to mediate the world’s nuclear supply while also maintaining his life as Dr. Seleski. After developing a deep relationship with a fellow doctor, Gayle, she rejects his offer to experience the universe. He shares it instead with Dr. Pierce, leaving her terrified of his power. After months away Phil returns to Gayle, but is attacked by Dr. Pierce. During the battle Phil inadvertently eviscerates Gayle, and the emotional turmoil of it all causes him to lose control and create a world devouring black whole.
‘Second Death’ begins with Phil awakening in space. Bewildered, he heads towards Earth, to his home. Inside he is confronted with another Phil Seleski. Not a man like himself though, a younger version. One before he destroyed the Earth and killed everyone he knew. As memories trickle in he realizes that he’s traveled back in time. To before he killed billions. To before he eviscerated Gayle. He’s traveled back to before the accident that created him ever happened.
Presented with a second chance Phil knows that he must prevent the impending disaster. Before he can act though he is struck down with a pounding headache. As the rhythm of his agony reaches a crescendo his skull splits in two, revealing Solar, Man of the Atom. With the superhero side of himself split from the future murderous side, Solar leaves to find home and Gayle. His surroundings though are unfamiliar. Everything has been shifted, and he realizes his memories are a chaotic mess. A mixture of his own and the future Phil’s. He perceives how his younger self subconsciously rigged the nuclear plant he designed to explode, in order to become his childhood superhero, Dr. Solar.
Solar tracks down the future Phil and attacks. Phil, knowing he cannot defeat Solar, converts his entire mass into energy and unleashes it upon Solar. The resulting explosion is tremendous, leaving a massive crater in their battleground of Antarctica. As the explosion subsides Solar stands in the center of the crater. Phil, nowhere to be seen, is presumed dead.
Continued below
Alone in the world, Solar reaches out to the one group that claims they can help super powered individuals, the Harbinger Foundation. Wary of their motives Solar confronts the foundation’s leader, Toyo Harada, within his plane. Not realizing the extent of Harada’s power, Harada’s mental attacks tear at the fabric of Solar’s existence. Weakened, Solar ignites the plane on fire. With Harada disoriented the plane explodes, leaving Solar to fly away. As the fireball dissipates we see in the distance the future Phil, who’s been tracking Solar the entire time.
Before the future Phil can resumes his quest to stop his younger self the nuclear plant has come online and explodes. Racing towards the mushroom cloud that was the plant, all three, Phil, his future self and Solar find their way to the reactor. Within Phil proposes to Solar that they rejoin and become whole again. As the younger Phil enters the reactor his two counterparts explain to him that the repercussions of his transformation into Solar will ultimately kill billions. Thus, they all agree then merge as one. A new Solar, with a second chance to correct the past.
Review:
It is nearly impossible to dismiss this first story arc of “Solar” as anything other than brilliant. Clearly this reimagining of “Solar” by Jim Shooter has certain aspects of a hero’s deconstruction which by 1991 had already been seen. However, while earlier efforts such as “Miracleman” or even “Swamp-Thing” were more morose in nature, this storyline maintained a certain degree of comic book hopefulness.
In the twenty-five years since its original release the process of reimagining a character has taken numerous turns, from the extreme versions of the late 1990’s to the historically purer versions of the past ten years. “Solar” though bridges the gap between a reboot and a reimagining. By displaying the original Gold Key issues within its universe the storyline does not dismiss the character’s history. Leveraging this history within the reintroduction and creating a plausible cause for it to be repeated in essence reboots the character. Yet, unlike modern reboots it goes beyond retelling the story, it intertwines it in a matrix of its own doing that cannot be dismissed and must be appreciated.
While the essence of Solar’s reintroduction is what allows this arc to stand out, there is a cleanliness to the storytelling in both the writing and art that make it a solid story in and of its own. 1991 was a year where comics still very much adhered to the time honored tradition that any comic can be someone’s first. As such the vast majority of Marvel and DC offering at this time still maintained a heavy dose of repetition. Outside of a few panels in issue #3 though, Shooter avoids adding too much of a recap. His dialogue as well is crisp, avoiding a comic heavy or juvenile tone. However, there are still various interactions that seem unrealistic. Whether these are more a sign of the times or just Shooter reverting to a more Marvel dialogue cadence is anyone’s guess.
Barry Windsor-Smith’s contributions to the comic are strictly related to covers. While he was the artist in the ‘Alpha and Omega’ inserts, which are previously reviewed, for this first story arc he provided the covers for issues #1 & #3. They are a thing of beauty. David Perlin as well holds his own with the interior art. Some of it feels a bit rushed, though not because there is a lack of style or any sloppiness. If anything many of the panels are bereft of background detail. Opting instead for solid background colors. While this takes away from the experience slightly, it is not surprising as it is well known that the issues were produced under very heavy time and capital deadlines. Perlin’s majesty shines through in various moments nevertheless, more particularly when a fully costumed Solar appears and in his depiction of women.
A master in terms of comic book art, Perlin’s Solar is a dynamic character. Avoiding an overly muscular frame, Solar is a sinewy athletically built individual. The type that could easily hide his build underneath a suit. This of course plays perfectly with his alter ego, as a muscular physique paired with a nuclear physicist would be something of an anachronism. The other aspect of Perlin’s work that is easy to appreciate is his ability to draw women. While Solar is clearly a male heavy story given we are dealing with the same individual three times, there are numerous women of importance. Furthermore these women need to represent different archetypes. These include Solar’s girlfriend, Gayle, who is fiery with a subdued 1950’s era beauty. Dr. Pierce, who is a brilliant scientist whose personal demons cause her to drink heavy and undermine her own beauty. And Tammy, who as a slightly heavyset single mom, needs someone like Solar to let her believe in herself and realize how much she’s worth. These varying depictions, from strength to vulnerability, come across in the artwork as much as in their dialogue. Giving the characters an added dimension.
Continued belowWith so much right about this story arc that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Straightaway what sticks out is the storylines departure during issue #3. While the bigger picture will show the importance of the Harbinger Foundation to the VALIANT Universe as a whole, within the context of these four issues it definitely derails the story’s momentum. In hind sight one could say that either the three main issues should have been released consecutively. Or inversely they could have allowed more time in between the Solar and Sol confrontations to raise the anticipation of their eventual clash. By making this gap a single issue the perception is that the introduction of the Harbinger Foundation was more important and thus superseded the story. Ultimately it was justified to shoe it in based on the greater context of the VALIANT Universe, but in its immediacy it feels out of place.
Beyond the strangely placed third issue there are other factors within the storyline that could have either been expanded on or completely eliminated. The future Phil’s homeless friends act as a simple plot device to trigger certain moments. Their lack of involvement after issue #2 though makes their initial appearance virtually meaningless. In a similar thread Solar’s interaction with Dwight & Tammy seems to progress far too much in too short a timeframe. Both of these aspects could have benefited from either extended panels or a clear cut elimination.
At its core ‘Second Death’ stands as storyline which any fan of the genre should read. While its place within the history of the industry was diluted based on the later VALIANT years, it should be remembered for its brilliant reimagining of a forgotten character by some of the true greats of the industry.
Coming up Next:
We’re going to time travel to the year 4000 A.D. and meet our favorite robot fighter, Magnus. Make sure to read “Magnus Robot Fighter” #1-4, ‘Steel Nation’ and maybe check out some episodes of Futurama while you’re at it. It’s time to get your retro future robot vibe going as we continue to celebrate VALIANT and ‘Unity.’
