Dynamite Entertainment 2014
Written by Frank J. Barbiere
Illustrated by Jonathan Lau
Coloured by Anthony Marques
Every NUCLEAR MISSILE on Earth had been activated and primed to wipe out civilization and it was up to the Man and Woman of the Atom to save the world. Now, the pair must face off in a final battle with Eclipse, and the last one standing – hero or villain – is Key to what comes next.
The opening page is a great way to see how how all three pieces of light, dark and Erica all fit into this picture. It’s pretty clever actually, the light, the dark and the variable no one was prepared for. All this leading back to the fight between Eclipse and Erica and the newly resurrected Man of the Atom thanks to Spektor having part of his body lending him a physical force. During the fight on page nine it gives me hope that while the Man of the Atom is gone we’ll be getting a new title next the Woman of the Atom. Because in all honesty Erica is too strong a character and a much needed leading woman in comics for this to be the final issue.
Frank does something brilliant here between the fight and showcasing that just because you have some power doesn’t mean you know how to use it and the personal drama between father and daughter that finally gets to happen. In a lot ways Erica gets to have that closer she needed with her father that she never got even with his essence floating around trying to guide her. There really is such a great deal of characterization here and it’s fantastic. Plus Jonathan manages to take that and run with it while depicting the characters and giving us that emotional boost we really need to connect more fully.
Once Erica is able to come to terms with her father, Phil, her confidence comes back with a vengeance and man this is why I believe she is the character find of 2014. She’s not one you want to mess with when she’s feeling confident she’s smart, capable and totally in control and the comics industry needs more women like this. Hence I’m hoping for Solar Woman of the Atom to debut soon!
I will say this everything we’ve seen so far happen over the past year gets wrapped up pretty nicely. Her husband finally sees her in her costume and realizes she’s been telling the truth and even Colin being able to overcome his issues to keep his father’s legacy alive and moving forward. This really is a perfect wrap up for Solar: Man of the Atom but also the best transition toward Solar: Woman of the Atom.
Dynamite broke new ground here and introduced the world to the future template of what a female lead superhero can be.