Reviewer: James Hatton
It’s hard to review a book like Solo. I say that everytime I get a book that has more than one story in it (notably X-Men Unlimited), but Solo is even harder as it has SIX gosh darn stories in it! Each one roughly hitting four or five pages. The only thing linking them together is ‘Tim Sale’. So we take one of the more recent ‘art superstars’ and tag him up with some of writing’s best to see where it takes us.
So, let’s start going through them, as this book does what X-Men & Spidey Unlimited just can’t do – and that is keep me intrigued.
Story Title: Date Knight
Written by: Darwyn Cooke
Art by: Tim Sale
Colored by: Dave Stewart
Lettered by: Richard Starkings
This is your ‘cover story’ which is honestly a very amusing run through a ‘date’ between Batman and Catwoman. To say that they have a date is kind of like saying Mike Tyson is taking you out on a date. No. This is a hero and a tweener hero tossing themselves all around our fair Gotham City. Fun and light and pointless – it honestly is the weakest story of the book.
It doesn’t mean that it’s not good – just a quick little chance to show a comical moment between the Cat and the Bat. On a funny note, it wasn’t until half-way through the story that I realized that Cooke didn’t art it. Sale takes a definate Cooke approach to the art and it shows.
Story Title: Christina
Written and Drawn by: Tim Sale
Lettered by: Richard Starkings
The first of the two Tim Sale stories that are both written and drawn by the man himself. This one starts off with a sweet recollection of family life and memories of vacations and slowly warps itself.
The art is some of the most exceptional in the book, but the story takes this dark twist that doesn’t match the beginning at all. It starts sad and moves into a terrain that seems much more unnecessary than anything. It’s obviously a personal story for Sale, but it’s point is lost on me. Not horrendous, just not my cup of tea.
Story Title: Young Love
Written by: Diana Schutz
Art by: Tim Sale
Colored: Dave Stewart
Lettered by: Richard Starkings
This throwback to old Romance comics (including old coloring style and bubbly fonts for the title) is about Supergirl’s first love. The story takes them through their first moments of love together – how fleeting it disappeared and what happens when they meet again years later.
It sounds very silly, but in those four pages you get all of the emotion you need out of these two characters – enough for you to see what they truly felt for each other. Then at the end, you are with Supergirl through her entire ordeal. It truly feels like the cliffnoted version of a very long romantic movie.
Story Title: Prom Knight
Written by: Jeph Loeb
Art by: Tim Sale
Colored by: Jose Villarrubia
Lettered by: Richard Starkings
Of course if you are talking about Tim Sale, you have to include a story or two by his partner in crime, Jeph Loeb. This one is the night of Clark’s prom night and he is just more confused and worried than a goat in a pepperpatch (or some other Kansasian metaphor for life). Again, the story here is well told in four pages and it has that same feeling of love for Superman and the Kents that “For All Seasons” does.
If I was to have any complaint, it would be that the Kents look a little ancient, but it’s a stylistic issue at worst. The beauty that these two render Smallville more than makes up for this mere minor flaw. Plus the last line is just pure nice.
Story Title: Low Card In The Whole
Written by: Brian Azzarello
Art by: Tim Sale
Lettered by: Richard Starkings
I’ll let the DC pundits tell me whether or not Deuce is a character in continuity or not. For sake of argument I’m going to assume no, and then say ‘Hey! Look! Azzarello’s doin a mobster story! Shocker!’ I mean the man is synonymous with dark grittiness and he gives the story of this two-bit crook, Deuce. He catches up with a damne he used to know. At some point in time these two had outs, and things went awry. This poor lady was left in the cold and Deuce went off smellin’ like a rose.
A film noir looking story that goes off the deep end near the end and turns into an EIC Tales Of Horror issue. Unlike the last story though, the twisty ‘horror’ ending fits much better. Maybe it has to deal with the fact that Deuce is not a sentimental character. You don’t care if he gets whacked or whacks someone else. A quick good one.
Story Title: I Concentrate On You
Written and Drawn by: Tim Sale
Lettered by: Richard Starkings
The last is another story done by Tim Sale, and the style is similar to ‘Christina’ which gives you this very interesting feeling of the art matching the writer. You get this feeling that they might even happen in the same universe. This story though is much nicer than his earlier story. A dedication at the end to his parents, you can assume who your main two characters are. In a comical question & answer, you are told so very little in the four pages that is dedicated to this story that the one fact that is missing is given to you at the end – and it makes you laugh.
Overall
With a thumb up on five out of six of these little mini-tales (Christina being the one I left out), this is an interesting venture for DC. Solely based on a higher profile artist, they can tell countless little whispers of stories. As long as all of the artists show as much concentration for these short works as they would for a huge arc it will be a hit. Everyone has a short story inside them that just doesn’t fit into a monthly – plus it allows artists to work with writers they might not have ever considered.
I would say give a looksie. It’s great bathroom reading, and that’s one of the highest honors I can place upon a book.
