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Solo #12
"Brendan McCarthy"
Book Released: 30 Aug 2006
Posted 28 Nov 2006
Artist: Brendan McCarthy
Publisher: DC Comics
3.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by John L. Daniels Jr.
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Solo is a good idea.
It gives fans an opportunity to look into creators’ thoughts and
imaginations as artists. Previous issues featured such artists as
Jodi Benet, Howard Chaykin, Darwyn Cooke, Paul Allard and two legends
Richard Corben and the satirical Mad Magazine artist (and Groo
the Conqueror creator) Sergio Argones, all of whom displayed their
talents with zest and distinction.
The series went out with a phantasmagorical bang with Brendan
McCarthy. Brendan is a crazy genius that can wear your eyes down with
his graphical drawing and detailed aspects of characters and
backgrounds. As some scientists may ask, do we dream in color?
Brendan McCarthy does. McCarthy has an imagination that cannot be
explained. If you had the mind of Matt Groening, Walt Disney, and
Isaac Asimov, and mixed in the art skills of Robert Crumb and Peter
Max, stir it all up with a dash of creativity from Picasso, you have
Brendan McCarthy. One’s eyes wear out after viewing only the first
panel in the opening spread page. This montage of stories reminds one
of the Beatles movie Magical Mystery Tour. The premise of
Brendan’s story revolves around a well-known super heroine that is
having a dream. Brendan runs away with this idea with great success.
Brendan improvised and threw caution to the wind; he let his ideas
flow. Nothing is left undone; McCarthy truly uses every bit of the
panel by filling them in with creative doodles and stunning abstract
characters while still having to set the dialogue in somewhere too.
All seven stories in Solo #12 were intertwined into one
story. Two stories that really stood out were:
“Duke Hussy”
This is the first story, and it sets the tone of the book. The
story introduces the readers to the shopping diva Duke Hussy. She (or
he — readers can make their own decision) is shopping for a
comic book. Duke picks up the new number one issue of Lord of
Nothing. The character in Lord of Nothing adores doing
nothing and his only purpose is to collect trash. While reading the
book Duke is astounded to notice that she and the helmet she wears
(which also is two living entities within itself) are mentioned in the
book.
“The Flash: A Fragment”
After Barry Allen witnesses the death of his wife, he escapes to
another dimension using his string ring as The Flash. Creatures from
the void chase after the Flash from this dimension. The Flash comes
across an old man in a house, which turns out to be himself caught in
this dimension years ago. He warns the Flash of his own impending
doom.
The other stories, “Johnny Sorrow,” “Jelly
Night,” “Slouch World,” and yet another Batman story
are all set in surreal three-dimensional worlds, which include aliens
and severed hands, a gossip columnist with dogs hanging out of her
ears, occultists… the lists goes on.
The end of this series reminds me of other great titles that did
not last a whole year that had grandiose expectations of success:
Captain Carrot, DC Premiere Special, Hercules
Unbound, The Joker, and most recently The Monolith. I
really enjoyed Solo; it was always different and fresh.
Interestingly, despite the vast library of DC heroes, every issue of
Solo featured a Batman story. That is why it was refreshing
that Brendan used someone less well known within the DC Universe,
legionnaire Saturn Girl.
The final issue of Solo #12 featuring Brendan McCarthy gets a three
star rating. The yearlong series as a whole receives a commendable five star
rating. If you missed any of the previous issues of Solo never
fear readers, always remember the magic words “trade
paperback!”
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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