Have you ever read a comic and loved it without knowing until the very last page it was the last issue? Yep, major bummer, but hopefully that makes this final issue extra enjoyable. Sorry to spoil it, but the end is here… is it good?
Solar: Man of the Atom #12 (Dynamite Entertainment)
This has been one of my favorite series over the course of its 12 issues. The artist changed to Jonathan Lau about midway through and although not quite as sharp and clean as his predecessor, he gets the job done. Frank J. Barbiere has delivered a fantastic father/daughter story since issue #1, as Erica gained her father’s powers, but not without staying connected to his spirit. They stopped an alien invasion, saved a planet from annihilation and ended a feud between the original Solar and an alien race. All the while Erica was flying by the seat of her pants trying to figure out how to use her powers and what the deal was with all this science stuff.
Last issue every nuclear missile on Earth had been activated by Eclipse, a foil to Solar and a bad guy Erica’s dad fought. Erica took him on, but the odds were against her, until her dad came back to life and was ready to take some shots. This issue picks up there.
Touching moments.
Writer Frank J. Barbiere has succeeded at delivering a climactic battle, ending the father/daughter story and delivering a satisfying conclusion. Hell, even Solar coming back to life is explained effectively. This is obviously more of an action packed type of story, but it has a heartfelt goodbye that felt so damn right. Barbiere effectively summarizes what Erica has gone through and what that all means as far as her being a hero and what she will do moving forward. I’m not sure if there will ever be another issue of this series, but it’s safe to say Barbiere has set up a strong character if he, or someone else, wants to continue this series.
I’ve been rather critical of Jonathan Lau’s art since he took over, partly because it’s a bit muddy with the inks, but he has never failed to deliver an awesome set of panels or pages to make the experience enjoyable. This issue however knocks it out of the park and looks fantastic from beginning to end. The heartfelt moments are even stronger due to Lau’s art and there’s plenty of great action scenes, that are easy to follow, that you’ll be very happy to have purchased this book.
Ouch.
Is It Good?
An extremely satisfying conclusion for the characters and plenty of great action to mark this as an excellent series.
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