Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1

History

Western Publishing had spent decades producing comic content for Dell Comics before severing that relationship in 1962 and launching Gold Key as its own standalone imprint. Doctor Solar was conceived by writer Paul S. Newman and editor Matt Murphy as the flagship original property for that launch — not a licensed character, but something wholly new — with interior art by Bob Fujitani and a painted cover by science-fiction illustrator Richard M. Powers. The issue went on sale on June 28, 1962 (per Library of Congress copyright records), carrying an October 1962 cover date, and appeared in Gold Key's very first wave of releases. Notably, Gold Key chose not to carry the Comics Code Authority seal, relying instead on Western Publishing's established reputation for wholesome children's content — a distribution gamble that paid off, as the series reportedly outsold every Marvel title through at least 1964 according to Comichron data cited by contemporary researchers.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance and full origin of Dr. Philip Solar, a nuclear physicist at the government research facility known as Atom Valley who absorbs a catastrophic radiation dose caused by a saboteur and is transformed into a being of pure energy.
• First appearance of the series' supporting cast, including Dr. Gail Sanders (Solar's colleague and eventual love interest) and villain Dr. Rasp, as well as the first indication of the shadowy 'mystery villain' Nuro, who is formally introduced in issue #2.
• The issue is the first original character Gold Key Comics ever published, arriving in the imprint's debut wave after Western Publishing split from Dell Comics in 1962.
• Created by writer Paul S. Newman, editor Matt Murphy (both credited as concept co-creators), and artist Bob Fujitani; the cover was painted by science-fiction artist Richard M. Powers, who also painted issue #2 before George Wilson took over the painted-cover duties.
• The book was published and distributed without the Comics Code Authority seal — an uncommon status for a superhero comic of the era — made possible by Western Publishing's reputation for family-friendly material.
• Interior art in this early issue features a distinctive Gold Key house style: no inked border lines separating panels (they fade to white), and rectangular speech balloons — and Solar himself appears without a superhero costume, which he would not receive until issue #5.
• The issue contains two Solar stories: 'Solar's Secret!' and 'An Atomic Inferno!' — both with painted front and back covers, a production standard that set Gold Key visually apart on Silver Age newsstands.
• The original Gold Key series ran 27 issues through 1969, was briefly revived in 1981–1982 for four more issues, and the character was subsequently adapted by Valiant Comics (1991, written by Jim Shooter), Dark Horse Comics (2004 reprints and a 2010 new series), and Dynamite Entertainment (2010s), making this debut issue the fountainhead of a multi-publisher, multi-decade franchise.

Full credits