Solo #3

DC's Solo anthology series devoted each issue to a single cartoonist's vision, and issue #3 belongs entirely to Paul Pope. The cover — rendered in Pope's distinctively loose, energetic line work — shows a young man in a bulky space suit crouching over a large, cartoonish round-headed figure, the two locked in a quietly charged moment against a spare white background, with only the bold CMYK-colored letters of "SOLO" providing a pop of color overhead. It's a striking image that captures Pope's gift for blending science-fiction cool with playful surrealism, and with contributions also shaped by Jack Kirby's writing and color work by Dave Stewart, this 2005 issue promises a genuinely distinctive reading experience.