Re-Reading: Solar #2
Moderators: Daniel Jackson, greg
Re-Reading: Solar #2
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 #2
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 #2
Re: Re-Reading: Solar #2
This is where everyone involved start finding their places (and in one case start existing). By necessity a slow-down issue. Still great art and coloring and still mainly carried by the story.
/Magnus
PS, Alpha & Omega part 2 is included. Are we supposed to include that in our vote or does it show up separately?
/Magnus
PS, Alpha & Omega part 2 is included. Are we supposed to include that in our vote or does it show up separately?
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Todd Luck
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Another truely great issue.
This is one of my favorite story ideas ever: putting a comic book super hero in the real world. It's handled so well here. Plus it's such a great idea for him to come out of Seleski's head (an allusion to Athena's birth I assume). The consequences of having a human mind have god-like like power is such an interesting concept. At a moment of internal torment who knows what might pop out of your head and become real! Agian, just pure fascination from all of it.
The reactions to Solar and Sol are just the perfect mix of shock, awe, and humor. the conflict between Sol and Solar has some wonderful plays on typical comic book behavior and is also an interesting psychological drama watching two parts of Phil's mind duke it out. And it's just really nice to see a hero in comics traumatized by a horrific event in a way that doesn't turn them into a moping soap opera character.
And Alpha and Omega is gruesome. The way Phil describes what's happening to his feet gave me chills (it sort of reminded me of some the descriptive narratives in Sin City). Again we're really pulling for Phil here, Shooter's done a great job of letting the reader understand and sympathize with him.
Agian just an amazing, very original piece of work on every level. A 10.
Continuity Notes: In the background on Alpha and Omega you'll see someone else in a radiation suit Phil doesn't notice. It's Erica Pierce. The only flaw of A & O is that I don't recall this ever being mentioned in the story. But that's how her VH-1 counterpart got there at the end of Second Death Part 4. Apparently Erica repressed her powers in the A & O reality too until that little incident in unreality.
Some of the visuals on the Edgewater reactor itself should remind you of Mothergod's machine that could recreate all reality in Unity. Essentially it's the same thing, Erica's "wish machine" just worked on a far larger scale.
You'll see the tunnels that Solar and Sol melted in the ice in a post-Shooter X-O storyline were the USA sets up a base there to study the incident. The problem is that Sol was deep underground when he let loose that massive explosion. Those tunnels should've been disintergrated too. Oh well, as we know from Unity 2000, everything that happens after Shooter leaves is a warped reality anyway
.
This is one of my favorite story ideas ever: putting a comic book super hero in the real world. It's handled so well here. Plus it's such a great idea for him to come out of Seleski's head (an allusion to Athena's birth I assume). The consequences of having a human mind have god-like like power is such an interesting concept. At a moment of internal torment who knows what might pop out of your head and become real! Agian, just pure fascination from all of it.
The reactions to Solar and Sol are just the perfect mix of shock, awe, and humor. the conflict between Sol and Solar has some wonderful plays on typical comic book behavior and is also an interesting psychological drama watching two parts of Phil's mind duke it out. And it's just really nice to see a hero in comics traumatized by a horrific event in a way that doesn't turn them into a moping soap opera character.
And Alpha and Omega is gruesome. The way Phil describes what's happening to his feet gave me chills (it sort of reminded me of some the descriptive narratives in Sin City). Again we're really pulling for Phil here, Shooter's done a great job of letting the reader understand and sympathize with him.
Agian just an amazing, very original piece of work on every level. A 10.
Continuity Notes: In the background on Alpha and Omega you'll see someone else in a radiation suit Phil doesn't notice. It's Erica Pierce. The only flaw of A & O is that I don't recall this ever being mentioned in the story. But that's how her VH-1 counterpart got there at the end of Second Death Part 4. Apparently Erica repressed her powers in the A & O reality too until that little incident in unreality.
Some of the visuals on the Edgewater reactor itself should remind you of Mothergod's machine that could recreate all reality in Unity. Essentially it's the same thing, Erica's "wish machine" just worked on a far larger scale.
You'll see the tunnels that Solar and Sol melted in the ice in a post-Shooter X-O storyline were the USA sets up a base there to study the incident. The problem is that Sol was deep underground when he let loose that massive explosion. Those tunnels should've been disintergrated too. Oh well, as we know from Unity 2000, everything that happens after Shooter leaves is a warped reality anyway
.Re: Re-Reading: Solar #2
yikes. I'll do Solar #0 next then go to #3.magnusr wrote:This is where everyone involved start finding their places (and in one case start existing). By necessity a slow-down issue. Still great art and coloring and still mainly carried by the story.
/Magnus
PS, Alpha & Omega part 2 is included. Are we supposed to include that in our vote or does it show up separately?
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Daniel Jackson
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jedimarley
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and taking notes because this is how you make GREAT comics!
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Daniel Jackson
- A toast to the return of Valiant!
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The VCB synopsis:
Phil Seleski sits among his newfound homeless friends, making holographic sculptures of Gayle Nordheim. The vagrants watch in awe. But overnight, Phil remembered that he was responsible for his world’s end. He confesses this to his friends before taking his leave of them.
He flies to the apartment of his pre-Solar counterpart, seeing that Phil Seleski leave for work. He takes a change of clothes and some money, even leaving his other self a note. He then goes to the Edgewater facility to speak with Dr Dobson. He introduces himself as Max Blackwell and attempts to convince Dobson to stop Seleski’s fusion research. But when they’re interrupted, he leaves the office at light-speed.
Phil goes to an abandoned factory, angered by his inability to convince Dobson. Suddenly, he suffers a painful siezure and out from his head springs his childhood comic-book hero, Doctor Solar! Fearful, Phil immediately attacks Solar, but lacks the power to beat him. Phil withdraws to plan a better attack.
Drawn by the disturbance, some kids approach to investigate. One of them, Dwight, befriends Solar and takes him home. There, Solar meets Dwight’s mother, Tammy, and they all try to figure out just who Solar is and how he came to be. When Dwight recounts to Solar that Phil had mentioned Dobson while raving at the abandoned factory, Solar sets out to find Atom Valley. In Solar’s comic-book world, Atom Valley is where the fusion reactor was located. But Solar finds that in this world, Atom Valley doesn’t exist. Encountering Phil’s homeless friends, Solar transmutes a junk bolt into gold and gives it to them. He proceeds to Phil Seleski’s apartment, spurred by vague memories of his life as Phil. Finding old Doctor Solar comics in the closet, Solar ponders their meaning. Then, “Max Blackwell” (the Phil Seleski from the other world) arrives. He is about to attack when Phil Seleski returns to his apartment The three stare dumbfounded at each other. Then Solar departs and “Blackwell” borrows some comics to help bait a trap.
Solar tracks Blackwell to Antarctica, believing him to be a super-villain There, he finds Gayle in a cage. But it is a holographic projection made by Blackwell. Blackwell attacks Solar, hoping to reabsorb him. But Solar has recalled the destruction of earth at Blackwell’s hands and he is determined to make the villain pay. He chases Blackwell to the bottom of the ice-pack. There, Blackwell transforms from mass to energy in an attempt to destroy Solar. A major portion of the Antarctic ice-cap is vaporized, but Solar survives.
With no one else to turn to, Solar returns to Tammy and Dwight’s home.
/Magnus
Phil Seleski sits among his newfound homeless friends, making holographic sculptures of Gayle Nordheim. The vagrants watch in awe. But overnight, Phil remembered that he was responsible for his world’s end. He confesses this to his friends before taking his leave of them.
He flies to the apartment of his pre-Solar counterpart, seeing that Phil Seleski leave for work. He takes a change of clothes and some money, even leaving his other self a note. He then goes to the Edgewater facility to speak with Dr Dobson. He introduces himself as Max Blackwell and attempts to convince Dobson to stop Seleski’s fusion research. But when they’re interrupted, he leaves the office at light-speed.
Phil goes to an abandoned factory, angered by his inability to convince Dobson. Suddenly, he suffers a painful siezure and out from his head springs his childhood comic-book hero, Doctor Solar! Fearful, Phil immediately attacks Solar, but lacks the power to beat him. Phil withdraws to plan a better attack.
Drawn by the disturbance, some kids approach to investigate. One of them, Dwight, befriends Solar and takes him home. There, Solar meets Dwight’s mother, Tammy, and they all try to figure out just who Solar is and how he came to be. When Dwight recounts to Solar that Phil had mentioned Dobson while raving at the abandoned factory, Solar sets out to find Atom Valley. In Solar’s comic-book world, Atom Valley is where the fusion reactor was located. But Solar finds that in this world, Atom Valley doesn’t exist. Encountering Phil’s homeless friends, Solar transmutes a junk bolt into gold and gives it to them. He proceeds to Phil Seleski’s apartment, spurred by vague memories of his life as Phil. Finding old Doctor Solar comics in the closet, Solar ponders their meaning. Then, “Max Blackwell” (the Phil Seleski from the other world) arrives. He is about to attack when Phil Seleski returns to his apartment The three stare dumbfounded at each other. Then Solar departs and “Blackwell” borrows some comics to help bait a trap.
Solar tracks Blackwell to Antarctica, believing him to be a super-villain There, he finds Gayle in a cage. But it is a holographic projection made by Blackwell. Blackwell attacks Solar, hoping to reabsorb him. But Solar has recalled the destruction of earth at Blackwell’s hands and he is determined to make the villain pay. He chases Blackwell to the bottom of the ice-pack. There, Blackwell transforms from mass to energy in an attempt to destroy Solar. A major portion of the Antarctic ice-cap is vaporized, but Solar survives.
With no one else to turn to, Solar returns to Tammy and Dwight’s home.
/Magnus
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Second_Death
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