In the 1990′s I read plenty of comic books, but the Valiant Universe sucked me in and held my interest more than anything Marvel or DC was publishing at the time. Needless to say, when I heard that two former characters from the Valiant universe were to be published again by Dark Horse comics, I was excited.

The first Valiant character to make his way into the Dark Horse universe is Doctor Solar. While the comic was an enjoyable read, it wasn’t as good as it’s 1991 counterpart. I will review the comic on Monday as part of LWIC, but today I want to compare the first issue of the new series with the first issue of the Valiant series.

Covers:

Left: Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1 (2010)
Right: Solar Man of the Atom #1 (1991)

As much as I love Barry Windsor Smith’s art, the newer cover gives a better idea of what Solar and his powers are all about. The older cover just shows an older white haired guy in plain clothes surrounded by rainbow colored “stuff” emitting from his body.

Advantage: Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1 (2010)

Interior Art:

Top: Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1 (2010)
Bottom: Solar Man of the Atom #1 (1991)

When I first opened Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom yesterday, I was shocked by how bad the art was. The lack of detail compared to the 1991 version is immediately noticeable. Look at the second panel in top image from Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1, and tell me if you can decipher what is going on. I think Solar is floating, but what about the villain? Based on the image alone I can’t tell if he floating and holding on to the parking meter, or if  he is laying flat on the ground?

Whether it’s the lack of detail or just poor artwork, the 2010 book is hurt by the art, but for the sake of saying something nice about it, I do have to admit the coloring is top notch…

Advantage: Solar Man of the Atom #1 (1991)

Story:

Both issues tell, or begin to tell, the origin of Solar. In Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1 (2010) the issue begins with Solar fighting a villain already in costume. After the fight the origin story is told in a  five pages featuring some very scientific dialog followed by another fight that sets up an even larger fight. This issue is slightly disappointing, with a long boring and science heavy origin and some visually muddled fighting.

Solar Man of the Atom #1 (1991) uses the whole issue to tell the origin story in a manner similar to the movie Memento. The comic starts with Solar returning home only to find himself before the accident that created Solar Man of the Atom. After a “Back to the Future” type of interaction, Solar goes off to do some heroic things like stop a prison riot and raise a sunken submarine full of nuclear missiles. All of these heroics are going on while his “other” self is on the path to become Solar.

Solar Man of the Atom #1 (1991) is a mystery that is well crafted, well told, and well drawn leaving the reader wanting to pick up the second issue, something Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom #1 (2010) failed to do.

Advantage: Solar Man of the Atom #1 (1991)

Conclusion:

Solar Man of the Atom #1 (1991) is far superior to it’s modern counterpart. While Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom (2010) has a fancy cover, Solar Man of the Atom tells a better story and has superior art. I am not giving up on Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom yet, but the series needs to step up it’s game if it wants to last half as long as the Valiant series did.