‘Solarman #1’ Comic Review

written by Joseph Philip Illidge and Brendan Deneen; art by N. Steven Harris; colors by Andrew Dalhouse


The short-lived super hero comic series, Solarman, is getting revived by Scout Comics, and their reboot looks promising. Created by David Oliphant and Deborah Kalman, and written by Marvel’s Stan Lee, the original Solarman only lasted two issues and resulted in a failed pilot for an animated TV series. Now, Solarman’s future is looking much brighter.

In this adaptation, writers Illidge and Deneen have made the 1980’s character a young African-American computer hacker named Ben Tucker who loves to expose the secrets of the wealthy and corrupt. The story begins with Ben indicating he is already in trouble. He is being hunted. Out of all of the possible enemies he had made over his years of hacking, it is the police who are after him now. Ben scoffs at the thought of being labeled a common criminal, at being “a statistic,” a line which may be alluding to the high rates of black male incarceration.

The story then shifts to before his troubles began, or at least before the police started hunting him. Readers get to see Ben’s mischievous side, as he explains he has been spying on a current space mission. Thanks to his hacking skills, Ben has been able to recover Russian documents related to the mission. They mention something called “E.D.O,” but he has yet to figure out who or what that is.

Solarman: An Alien virus

His curiosity leads him to hack into the spacecraft itself. He easily gets visuals of the craft, but audio is still not coming through. So, he continues to work on gaining access. This is where things escalate and quickly. An error code appears on his multiple computer screens followed by a forceful gust of light and energy, forever changing Ben Tucker.

When the young man awakens, he now has solar-based powers, a startling revelation. In the midst of the initial confusion regarding his new abilities, tragedy strikes. The resulting mess is what prompts Ben to go on the run. Completely alone, Ben Tucker must deal with his new powers, evade the police, and avoid another threat he does not even know is heading his way.

Solarman Powering Up

Solarman #1 entertains immediately, especially with the work’s use of nonlinear storytelling. The switch in time creates a much more suspenseful atmosphere since readers are already aware of a pressing problem. The break from a traditional narrative also gives the origin story a unique edge; this is extremely beneficial, especially considering the way Ben contracts his powers is fairly cliché. He has that typical “exceptional accident,” but because this frequently used scenario is broken up, it feels fresh.

Re-imagining Solarman as an African-American man sets the comic apart from most of its counterparts as well. Ben Tucker’s new backstory gives readers the chance to listen to a voice not usually heard in comics. More recently, Black superheros have come into prominence, such as Miles Morales, Luke Cage, or Sam Wilson as Captain America, but there is still a vast disparity in representation of perspectives other than that of a white male. Ben Tucker’s racial identity allows the writers to address political topics and themes not normally discussed, such as the aforementioned Black incarceration rates. The fact that the comic has the ability to echo the concerns, stories, and viewpoints of another demographic of readers will continue to differentiate this comic from the rest, but it will foster the growing sense of inclusion as well, a critical aspect that has been missing in the industry for too long.

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