Shannon Eric Denton, writer of Lady Rawhide/Lady Zorro #1, talks with writer Frank Barbiere about Solar: Man of the Atom #10, both on sale March 18th.
SHANNON ERIC DENTON: March is Women’s History Month and here you have a cool new female superhero for the world to enjoy! What’s the one thing you hope your women readers get out of your run?
FRANK BARBIERE: Hopefully showing that representation of women can be done right in superhero comics. Erica is a great, strong character that doesn’t rely on just punching things or throwing her gender in the face of readers—she’s an individual with a cunning, artistic mind and a great deal of empathy, and she uses her natural, personal strengths as assets, rather than relying on her “superpowers.”
SED: Since your Solar isn’t the one readers have known since the ‘60s what’s your plan to get those readers on board with this current version?
FB: By weaving a good deal of classic Solar mythology in, and keeping Phil, the more classic Solar, present in this first arc. I really wanted to sell the transition, to show why this was so important and how this story was about family and character, so by having Phil “ghost mentor” Erica I think we really got to see the best of both worlds.
SED: For those readers unfamiliar with the Solar-verse, could you explain who Solar is and this legacy she comes from?
FB: Solar is a Gold Key character who gained powers from exposure to a radioactive experiment. He was the basis for the “nuclear superhero” archetype, and thusly he should be familiar to comic readers. Our Solar, Erica, is a new generation of Solar (the daughter of the original) and represents a new generation and hopefully a subversion of the classic “scientist gets powers” trope.
SED: The art for the Solar books has always been top-notch. With Roberto Castro on board as your artist, what are your plans to push him visually?
FB: Just to keep things fresh and introducing fun, visual elements. The ideas of the manikins as villains actually came from the Gold Key run, and little things like that help us honor where the book has been while keeping it new and exciting. Also, Roberto gets to handle the first appearance of a great Solar villain.
SED: In this current story Dr. Spektor makes an appearance so it’s safe to say you’ve been reading the sweet stuff Mark Waid has been cooking up with the character. What’s the challenge of working in another legacy character who is still evolving in his current form with your own evolving mythology?
FB: It’s really quite fun. We’ve been building a shared universe and I know some of the stuff that’s coming, so having Spektor be oblique will hopefully fascinate readers and build their trust that we’re working towards something bigger. He’s a really fun new take on the character, and has been exposed to a cosmic power, so I really enjoy writing him and bringing the universe together.
SED: You’re showing off a cool villain for Solar in this issue so without giving anything away tell us what you like best about this villain and why fans should be racing out to their LCS to pick this book up!
FB: Villains who are a foil of the main character are always the most fun, in my opinion. We are going to see Erica face off against a bonafide villain (vs. the more situational threats of last arc), and clearly she’s not ready. This arc means a lot to me, and is the culmination of a lot of hard work, so I hope it pays off for readers as much as it did for me. There are big things afoot!
Make sure to check out SOLAR: MAN OF THE ATOM #10, on sale now. Enjoy the rest of this extended preview!
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