Advance Review: Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1

Writer: Jim Shooter
Artist: Dennis Calero
Cover Artist: Dennis Calero
Genre: Superhero, Science-Fiction, Action/Adventure

Empowered by a thermonuclear catastrophe, Doctor Solar discovers that he can control energy. Immeasurable strength is his at a whim. Power beyond imagination courses through his body. But he knows that the same kind of science run amok that created him can also empower the wicked. In the aftershock of the cataclysm that created Doctor Solar, ripples throughout space time imbue one Whitmore Pickerel with the power to create life — which he uses to serve his selfish desires and reckless ambitions. His newly created being, Leviathan, invulnerable and immeasurably strong, clashes with the Man of the Atom in a fierce battle that ravages the city. Meanwhile, for his personal amusement, Pickerel creates Glow, a living fantasy of unearthly charms . . . and deadly possibilities!

* Special bonus for this supersized issue: the very first Doctor Solar story from 1962!

* Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 is but the first act in an explosive program that will also see Shooter reimagine Magnus, Robot Fighter and Turok, Son of Stone for the twenty first century!

* Jim Shooter (former Valiant Comics editor in chief) returns to the character he redefined in the 1990s!

Check behind the cut for my thoughts on the first issue!
Honesty is the best policy, so I should be forthcoming: I wasn’t a huge fan of the prelude on Free Comic Book Day. I was greatly looking forward to it because I enjoy the work of both creators attached, but I found the book to be a tad wordy and it dragged on for me without pushing me in with the plot. I was really scared that I wouldn’t enjoy the on-going because of it, but I still wanted to give it a definite chance, again with respect for the creators. I guess, then, that it’s a good thing the origin story was out of the way, because the first issue of the series is a lot faster and much better.

Now, if you didn’t read the Free Comic Book Day book – yes, you missed the origin, but no, it’s not hard to get in. In fact, there is still a sequence in the book that goes over Doctor Solar’s origin story, and in an interesting story. On top of that, there is an extra reprint in the back of the issue that once again goes over the creation of the hero. No matter your situation going into the book, you’ll be set.

The reason the first issue is a lot better is because, aside from the scene that goes over his history once more, the book doesn’t treat you like an idiot. It’s a first issue, so you’d assume that the origin would HAVE to be present, but it’s done in a way that allows the reader to start the story from the beginning with the backstory filled in when it’s needed and when it works within the story. In fact, the story feels like more of a classic superhero story, and for that I commend Jim Shooter. This definitely has a very classic feel to it, and for a relaunch of a series it’s an interesting angle to keep. There is no reason that the book shouldn’t absorb all sorts of modern day trends, with a dark origin and moody characters in a gritty world, but instead the book feels more like it was plucked out of time and rewritten (because – no offense – but last time I read a comic originally from the 1950’s, it read like I was reading a modern day comic written by a five year old!… though that’s neither here nor there). Shooter definitely has a great feel on the book that I appreciate.

Dennis Calero’s art here is great as well. Calero’s handling of the characters and their movements is worth watching, and his handling of shadows is easily his strongest attribute. Calero brings a more realistic feel to the tale, which is interesting to look at in parallel with the comic in the back. It brings a mildly noir-ish feeling to a book that is decidedly not noir at all, yet it still brings contrast to the tale that feels appropriate. Calero also has a way with liquid and light in earlier scenes in the book that are just fantastic, and his attention to finer details are what help make the art for the issue all the better.

The first issue does have it’s flaws, as minor as they may be. As far as pulse pounding openings goes, this doesn’t really fall into that category. Rather, the book slowly draws you in. The “villain”, if that’s what we can really call it, is an intriguing character, though slightly confusing in the villainous aspect. The most confusing element is probably his reaction to the Venusian, which doesn’t really quite make sense to me. Overall it’s definitely a concept that I enjoy, but the characters do seem rather confused with one another. The book can also get oddly wordy at times, which was the main thing I faulted the free issue for, if only because too much dialogue can come off as out of place. There’s also one more thing to note, which is less of a series critique and more of an open ended question, but is it just me or is Doctor Solar’s reaction post-mortem to Gail a tad creepy?

There is a lot of intrigue in the book, and my confidence in this revival has sufficiently been restored. I’m more interested to watch the adventures of Doctor Solar now than I was before, and any good first issue of a series aims to grab you in, for which this succeeds. Doctor Solar is an old character for sure, but I’m glad to see him enter the modern way almost the same way he originally came in and without any of the modern baggage that can often plague our heroes. I hope that the series only gets better from here, and I definitely recommend giving the first issue a look.

Final Verdict: 8.2 Buy