Solo #3

by Paul Pope

This came with my recent purchase of Batman Year 100, and it's really made me question some of my purchasing decisions of just a few years ago. I think it might have been the $7.50 CDN price tag that scared me away from Solo (does make $3.99 for a regular comic seem not so hideous), but I really can't fathom now how I didn't want to own this book, let alone the entire series (except for the Howard Chaykin issue).

This comic does an amazing job of capturing the breadth and depth of Pope's work. It opens with a re-telling of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Pope tells the story in a pretty traditional way, and draws the hell out of it.

Next is an OMAC story conceived as a tribute to Jack Kirby, in much the same way that Godland is. This reads just like Casey's work on that series, and, while it still is recognizably Pope's work, wears its Kirby on its sleeve.

After these two stories, the book gets even better. 'Life-Sized Monster Ghost' is a short story about the ads in the back of old comic books, and has a heavily auto-biographical feel to it. Lovely stuff.

'En Esta Esquina (On This Corner)' is like a comics adaptation of a Tom Waits song, showing us life in a New York neighbourhood. This was my favourite piece in the whole book.

'Teenage Sidekick' is a fun Batman and Robin story that anticipates Year 100, while keeping the focus squarely on Robin. Pope draws a pretty mean Joker.

In all, excellent work. It's time to track down any other issues of Solo that I don't own.