Solar, Man of the Atom #10

History

The Valiant Comics line was built by editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, who licensed the Gold Key character Solar from Western Publishing and reimagined him as physicist Phil Seleski — a morally complex figure who worshipped the original Gold Key Doctor Solar comics as a child, a meta-textual device unique to the Valiant take on the character. Issues #1–10 each contained a two-page insert chapter of 'Alpha and Omega,' written by Shooter with art by Barry Windsor-Smith and inking by Bob Layton; the ten inserts were designed from the outset to form a single giant image when laid side by side, a production feat planned across the full first year of publication. The Eternal Warrior himself — introduced in this issue's main story — was co-created by Shooter and artist Don Perlin, with the main 'Man Who Killed the World' story also credited to pencilers Don Perlin, Stan Drake, and John Dixon. Bob Layton served as both artist/inker on the Alpha and Omega feature and as editor of the series; colorist Janet 'JayJay' Jackson contributed to the visual richness of the Windsor-Smith backup segments throughout the run.

Trivia · 7 facts

• First appearance of the Eternal Warrior (Gilad Anni-Padda), an immortal warrior created by Jim Shooter and Don Perlin, who would go on to headline a 50-issue solo series beginning August 1992.
• First appearance of Geoff McHenry as the Geomancer — a human chosen by the Earth itself to communicate its will — and his uncle Buck McHenry, who teaches Geoff the secrets of the Geomancer lineage.
• Contains 'Alpha and Omega, Part 10,' the concluding chapter of Solar's ten-part serialized origin story written by Jim Shooter with art by Barry Windsor-Smith and inks by Bob Layton.
• Each of the ten 'Alpha and Omega' chapters across issues #1–10 included a two-page pull-out insert; assembled together, the ten inserts form the 'Omega Panel,' advertised by Valiant as the largest single comic panel ever created.
• A second printing was released approximately six months after the first; it is identifiable by Roman numeral 'II' embossed below the Valiant logo on the cover.
• The 'Alpha and Omega' serial was later collected in both a trade paperback and a slipcase hardcover edition (1994) — the hardcover being the only slipcase hardcover Valiant Comics ever published — each bagged with a giant fold-out poster version of the Omega Panel.
• The Geomancer/Eternal Warrior partnership introduced here became a structural cornerstone of the Valiant universe's mythology, with Geoff McHenry and Gilad Anni-Padda both appearing in the Unity crossover event just months later in Eternal Warrior Vol. 1 #1–2.

Full credits

Variants (1)