Comic Book of the Week- 24th April 2025

58. SOLO. Issue 5. August 2005. $4.99

Hard to believe this comic was published 20 years ago by DC comics. SOLO was a bi-monthly anthology series. Each issue would focus on a different creator. The artists were free to tell stories in any genre and use any characters from the DC universe. Each issue was 48 pages with no ads.

In issue five, all the stories were written, illustrated and lettered by Darwyn Cooke. In this issue Cooke really takes for opportunity to show us his range of styles:- animation, noir, cartoons, 1960s advertising, drama to humour.

The stories feature DC characters (Batman/ Catwoman/ Slam Bradley) and his own creations.

This copy is slightly battered and water damaged but much loved, I must have read it over a dozen times.

I think ‘World's Window’ is an autobiographical tale, a sort of origin story of Cooke.

The series ended after just 12 issues and featured the work of Tim Sale, Richard Corbyn, Paul Pope, Howard Chaykin, Jordi Benet, Mike Allred, Teddy Kristiansen, Scott Hampton, Damien Scott, Sergio Aragones and Brendan McCarthy.