Solo: The Deluxe Edition

by Various

Overview

Amazon Best Books of the Month selection for June 2013

Originally published in 2004, the 12-issue series SOLO gave some of comics' greatest creators the chance to create stories set in the DC Universe and beyond. Each issue featured one artist, including Tim Sale (BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN), Paul Pope (BATMAN YEAR ONE HUNDRED), Darwyn Cooke (DC: THE NEW FRONTIER, BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN) and many others. Stories star Batman, Robin, Superman, The Spectre, The Teen Titans and many others, but also include westerns, war stories, science fiction epics, humor and horror, as well as introspective tales from the creators' own lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401246525
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	06/11/2013
Sold by:	DC Comics
Format:	eBook
File size:	280 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

Editorial Reviews

In the Eisner-winning Solo anthology series, 12 big-name contemporary comics artists got 48 pages each of free rein to tell the comics they wanted to. What results is this gorgeous, hefty book of short stories that star both DC’s biggest superhero characters (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) and their lesser-known heroes (Deadman, Mister Miracle, Slam Bradley), as well as original stories spanning genres from western to science fiction, autobiography to history, pinup to parody. Among the dozens of highlights are Scott Hampton’s “Batman: 1947” (a movie actor portraying the Dark Knight fights crime), and Michael Allred’s skillfully dark-humored blend of the 1960s Batman and Robin and the more modern grim and gritty morality tales in “Batman-A-Go-Go!” But the original comic stories most persuasively show the skill and range of the artists and the medium. The book is beautifully produced to do justice to the artwork, from the fine pastel painting of Teddy Kristiansen, the bold and splashy graffiti-influenced art of Damion Scott, and the detailed cartoons of Sergio Aragonés. This strong focus on creator over character is rare for genre artists and results in an attractive and inspiring exaltation of contemporary comics art. (June)

Publishers Weekly

09/15/2013
This oversize hardcover collects a multiple Eisner Award-winning 12-issue series, with each one spotlighting a different artist. All were given free rein to create stories in any genre, using DC characters if they wished. The results include Westerns, crime, horror, humor, autobiography, and bizarre alternative work relying on widely diverse approaches to writing superheroes. Highlights are many and varied, from Sale's romance issue to Howard Chaykin's enjoyable Entertainment Comics (EC)-inspired twist-ending tales to Sergio Aragonés's tragic story of a Japanese sword maker, which shows another side of his usually comedic sensibility. Teddy Kristiansen contributes two deep, affecting psychological studies and a fine Deadman vignette (scripted by Neil Gaiman). Mike Allred follows a superfun Teen Titans romp with a surprisingly dark pop art-era Batman-and-Robin tale. Best is Darwyn Cooke's issue, featuring a 1950s spy caper, the Question's revenge for 9/11, and the wholly odd tale of an aesthete's love for his vacuum cleaner. VERDICT Because this title contains such a wide range of material, every reader will likely find some work that doesn't appeal, but the overall quality is high. Adventurous superhero fans and readers of other comics interested in sampling superheroes will be well rewarded.—S.R.

Library Journal