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Jordi Bernet (Torpedo 1936) combines his Spanish/Parisian style with an eclectic group of American writers to produce an enjoyable, even alluring, mix of five stories in DC Comics’ Solo #6.

“Back Bone” written by John Arcudi is a whimsical tale of horror about a young girl’s curiosity about a secretive boarder in her mother’s house. The man has a hold on the girl’s inquisitive nature and suffers a surprising outcome after the girl learns of the man’s secret.

“Drive” written by Joe Kelly is an ingenious story-within-a-story, a noir melodrama filled with murder and infidelity set at the convention of Television Broadcasters in Las Vegas. (This is what Bernet’s artwork is noted for: the portrayal of sex and violence.) The dialogue and the panels each tell a different story. The dialogue is between a married couple discussing the husband’s business trip, and the panels tell what really happens — and “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

“Old Dog New Trick” written by Andrew Helfer follows four inmates in a violent portrayal of prison life. One inmate is a barber, another a lawyer, another fixes electronics, and the last inmate keeps the poker game going between the group’s members. The inmates are content to keep things as they are, but a general would like them to be freed to help him with his revolution.

“The Stalking Horse” is a Western written by Chuck Dixon. A traveler wanders into the campsite of Whiskey Sam Martin, hoping for directions. Whiskey Sam tells the weary traveler about how he became disfigured and how he is about to have his revenge on the bear that killed his brother. As the weary traveler noticed, the person next to him was not saying a word. Whiskey Sam explains that the Indian, named Silver Goose, could have stopped the attack if he would have shot the bear in time.

“Poison,” written by Brian Azzarello, is about Poison Ivy, who’s up to her plant-loving, men-hating tricks. She terrorizes a gardener, jealous of all the attention the flowers are getting. Batman arrives and knocks some sense into her.

The best story, which epitomizes Bernet’s artistic flair, is “Drive.” Joe Kelly masterfully wrote a story that could stand alone as script for a movie, and besides really bringing out the expressions of the characters, Bernet can draw the most attractive, curvaceous 2-D women on paper.

Bernet’s artwork may not be well known to Americans, but he sure put out an impressive showing. Solo #6 features a great mixture of writers and styles to compliment Bernet’s strong points. The pencil sketches outside the stories were delightful surprises for the reader, and can be seen on the inside front and back cover.