Re-Reading: Solar #5
Moderators: Daniel Jackson, greg
Re-Reading: Solar #5
I thought we could do a book a day (that way people can read one every day or catch up on weekends), talk about it on its own, in the context of whats next, in regards to what expectations it creates and vote on how good it is. I don't have to be the one that posts everyday. If I miss a day or if someone wants to take over please do
For voting think of your single favourite comic book (not just VALIANT) as the benchmark - thats a 10 - and grade according to that.
Make sure to mention what you like'd about the book, what you didn't, what you wish they would have done, your favourite panels, lines of dialogue, little bits of trivia etc.
Solar #5
For voting think of your single favourite comic book (not just VALIANT) as the benchmark - thats a 10 - and grade according to that.
Make sure to mention what you like'd about the book, what you didn't, what you wish they would have done, your favourite panels, lines of dialogue, little bits of trivia etc.
Solar #5
Re: Re-Reading: Solar #5
A whole new storyline is being setup here. Very much happening in a good pace. More of a superhero story than before, but still with the special quality to the writing. Feels like the art is a bit rushed. Wonderful cover.
/Magnus
/Magnus
-
Daniel Jackson
- A toast to the return of Valiant!
- Posts: 38007
- Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 8:33 pm
-
jedimarley
- Evra'Ting Ire Mon.
- Posts: 16063
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:44 pm
-
Todd Luck
- Doomed to forever roam the black halls
- Posts: 4729
- Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2004 1:02 pm
- Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Originally my first issue of Solar. Normally it took me 3-6 issues to figure out if I was going to collect a series. Here it only took me a few pages to know I HAD get to follow this series.
Agian just the utter originality of Solar's power and the humanity and humor in the dialog is awesome. All the Big John scenes and Phil finding out Gail has doing it on the lab tables with Jorge...priceless
.
And portrayal of aliens was great. Normally a hero finds out about aliens by either a) them attacking him or b) him stumbling upon them in action. Here it just makes so much damn sense: They've been around us for a long, long time doing seemingly normal things, it just took a guy who had Solar's powers to see they were different.
And how does Solar react? He's curious, he wants to talk. Good. The idea that aliens lived among us secretly was facinating. This was before X-Files rip-offs made that into such a lame cliche.
And we'll see in this plotline that we begin to debunk and make fun of sci-fi cliches just as "Second Death" did with superhero cliches. Great stuff. I love it when Solar told the aliens they read too much bad science fiction.
And the fight scene in the jungle was brillant. We needed to see these guys do some damage to Solar. It builds up their menace. It puts tension in the action. We know the hero has his limits, that he can fall. It was a great scene, especailly when he realized he hadn't been replinishing his energy (shades of old Spiderman comics where Spidey runs out of web fluid ).
Excellent, excellent stuff. A 9
.
Agian just the utter originality of Solar's power and the humanity and humor in the dialog is awesome. All the Big John scenes and Phil finding out Gail has doing it on the lab tables with Jorge...priceless
.And portrayal of aliens was great. Normally a hero finds out about aliens by either a) them attacking him or b) him stumbling upon them in action. Here it just makes so much damn sense: They've been around us for a long, long time doing seemingly normal things, it just took a guy who had Solar's powers to see they were different.
And how does Solar react? He's curious, he wants to talk. Good. The idea that aliens lived among us secretly was facinating. This was before X-Files rip-offs made that into such a lame cliche.
And we'll see in this plotline that we begin to debunk and make fun of sci-fi cliches just as "Second Death" did with superhero cliches. Great stuff. I love it when Solar told the aliens they read too much bad science fiction.
And the fight scene in the jungle was brillant. We needed to see these guys do some damage to Solar. It builds up their menace. It puts tension in the action. We know the hero has his limits, that he can fall. It was a great scene, especailly when he realized he hadn't been replinishing his energy (shades of old Spiderman comics where Spidey runs out of web fluid
).Excellent, excellent stuff. A 9
.The VCB synopsis:
Phil Seleski uses his powers to repair a sensor conduit in the Edgewater reactor’s containment building. He then proceeds to a staff meeting where Dr Dobson introduces the new resident NRC monitor, Dr Rusk. Phil notices that Rusk gives off no background radiation, so he examines him on other spectra and sees that Rusk’s skeletal structure isn’t even human! Phil says nothing, but goes to tell his friend, John Veerhusen, of the strange Dr Rusk. Then, Phil remembers that the fire in which he gained fame as the “fireproof man” will occur tonight. It is odd for him to re-experience events from his previous life before he destroyed the world. But this time he doesn’t perform a flashy rescue. Instead, he braces the burning house with his powers until the firemen rescue those trapped within. No one sees Phil’s intervention and thus he escapes the notoriety that contributed to his downfall.
The next day, Phil surreptitiously follows Dr Rusk to an Orb Industries facility near Chicago. Finding that there are others like Rusk there, Solar enters among them. They immediately attack, displaying inhuman strength and behaviour. When they find they cannot beat him, they tell Solar that they are benevolent aliens, like “E.T.”. But Solar is unconvinced.
He travels through the alien communications system to their base in Peru. He finds that the aliens have different body configurations, ranging from human to spider-like. But Solar’s analysis is interrupted as the aliens open fire on him with energy-eating projectiles. He is so grieviously depleted that he retreats to the Edgewater Facility to recharge. Once there, he is seen by Gayle Nordheim, who mistakes him for coworker Jorge in the darkness. Gayle lets slip that she and Jorge have had intimate relations before she realizes that she’s speaking to Phil Seleski. He dismisses her and is almost as disturbed by Gayle and Jorge’s tryst as he is by his imminent demise. But as he is about to recharge himself with the fissionable materials in the reactor vault, Phil is attacked by Rusk. He manages to make it in the vault and re-emerges as powerful as ever. He beats Rusk, and even tears his arm off. But they are disturbed by Gayle, who’s investigating the ruckus. Rusk escapes while Gayle is overcome at the sight of Solar holding the severed arm. She quickly realizes that Solar is Seleski and he departs in a flash of light.
Solar makes a quick stop by John Veerhusen’s home and tells him what happened. He tells John that some of the alien communications beams led to a fleet near Saturn. He will go to confront them now and wants someone else to know before he leaves. And with that, Solar departs for Saturn.
/Magnus
Phil Seleski uses his powers to repair a sensor conduit in the Edgewater reactor’s containment building. He then proceeds to a staff meeting where Dr Dobson introduces the new resident NRC monitor, Dr Rusk. Phil notices that Rusk gives off no background radiation, so he examines him on other spectra and sees that Rusk’s skeletal structure isn’t even human! Phil says nothing, but goes to tell his friend, John Veerhusen, of the strange Dr Rusk. Then, Phil remembers that the fire in which he gained fame as the “fireproof man” will occur tonight. It is odd for him to re-experience events from his previous life before he destroyed the world. But this time he doesn’t perform a flashy rescue. Instead, he braces the burning house with his powers until the firemen rescue those trapped within. No one sees Phil’s intervention and thus he escapes the notoriety that contributed to his downfall.
The next day, Phil surreptitiously follows Dr Rusk to an Orb Industries facility near Chicago. Finding that there are others like Rusk there, Solar enters among them. They immediately attack, displaying inhuman strength and behaviour. When they find they cannot beat him, they tell Solar that they are benevolent aliens, like “E.T.”. But Solar is unconvinced.
He travels through the alien communications system to their base in Peru. He finds that the aliens have different body configurations, ranging from human to spider-like. But Solar’s analysis is interrupted as the aliens open fire on him with energy-eating projectiles. He is so grieviously depleted that he retreats to the Edgewater Facility to recharge. Once there, he is seen by Gayle Nordheim, who mistakes him for coworker Jorge in the darkness. Gayle lets slip that she and Jorge have had intimate relations before she realizes that she’s speaking to Phil Seleski. He dismisses her and is almost as disturbed by Gayle and Jorge’s tryst as he is by his imminent demise. But as he is about to recharge himself with the fissionable materials in the reactor vault, Phil is attacked by Rusk. He manages to make it in the vault and re-emerges as powerful as ever. He beats Rusk, and even tears his arm off. But they are disturbed by Gayle, who’s investigating the ruckus. Rusk escapes while Gayle is overcome at the sight of Solar holding the severed arm. She quickly realizes that Solar is Seleski and he departs in a flash of light.
Solar makes a quick stop by John Veerhusen’s home and tells him what happened. He tells John that some of the alien communications beams led to a fleet near Saturn. He will go to confront them now and wants someone else to know before he leaves. And with that, Solar departs for Saturn.
/Magnus