Doctor Solar Man of the Atom #1

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Doctor Solar Man of the Atom #1
By Hervé St-Louis
July 25, 2010 - 13:33

Dark Horse Comics
Writer(s): Jim Shooter
Penciller(s): Dennis Calero
Inker(s): Dennis Calero
Colourist(s): Dennis Calero
Letterer(s): Blambot
Cover Artist(s): Michael Komark, Dennis Calero
$3.99 US

Doctor Philip Solar has been caught in an explosion that gave his consciousness control over atoms. He’s back but has changed history to erase a small faux pas. That change has repercussions on the world and anomalies now appear everywhere. Comic book characters spring to life and threaten the public. Can Doctor Solar fix the mess he created?

I really enjoy the return of Jim Shooter to comic books. I will say this. He’s one of my heroes no matter what criticism people have about his days at Marvel and Valiant Comics. He is a fighter and had a clear vision of what this industry could achieve. He knew how to sell comics to guys like me and get us hooked. He’s doing it again here with Doctor Solar, a series he worked on at Valiant Comics. He had grand plans about stories before it became the norm today. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

Having said that the issue has a different feel from some of his other work. It’s more introspective and quiet and puts in perspective the old point about super heroes somehow being responsible for creating the villains that plague their lives and that of others. I like how he has those god-like powers but still has humanity left and some complexes. He did improve on his physical looks enormously. This feels sensible to me. Part of me feels that this story is so close to that of Captain Atom and Doctor Manhattan which are all inspired by the same nuclear things from the 1960s. But here, we see what an alternative to the story could have been if treated by another writer. I’m definitely going to be along for the ride.

The one weak point is the artwork. It’s not bad at all, but the inking should be stronger. It doesn’t fit with the style of the story and makes it more quiet than it really is.
Rating: 9/10