My Rating
“The Remote-Control Traitor”
Dr. Gail Sanders has been acting very peculiar since she returned from her shopping trip yesterday. First Gail wrecked her Rambler on the side of the highway, then she missed the Energy-Into-Matter experiment headed by Dr. Clarkson. Now she is adamant about getting into Dr. Solar’s lab to speak with him. Did she just faint in the hallway outside his doorway? It’s time for Dr. Solar to investigate!
“The Meteor Mystery”
This is a fascinating 1962 editorial on the existence of other life in the universe. The writer covers meteors, and more specifically a meteorite discovered in 1864 by French scientists which contained fossilized single-celled organisms. Did people believe in life on other planets? In 1962 it appears so.
“The Melting Point”
Professor Harbinger waxes poetic in his hypothesis of future technology. What WOULD humanity do if a rogue agent or country built a satellite with the capability to magnify the sun’s rays? What if such a satellite could melt the polar ice caps, causing global flooding and a chain reaction of extreme climate change? Could man survive?
“The Night Of The Volcano”
In a small inlet cove on the Pacific coastline Dr. Clarkson is about to dentinate a low-yield atomic explosion underwater for the first time. This experiment will help the United States military understand the best use practices if such a weapon is ever needed to be deployed. 3…2…1… Ignite!
Tucked safely away in a nearby hut, Dr. Solar watches the explosion erupt from the seafloor. The blast causes an impressive breach of the water’s surface but it’s not what the two scientists were expecting. Something has caused the main charge not to ignite. Without a properly equipped dive team, Clarkson turns to Solar to investigate the misfire.
Has the experiment caused a chain reaction with a nearby inactive Volcano? Will the local Townsfolk be saved from an environmental catastrophe? Just how powerful is Dr. Solar when charged with high amounts of radiation? Collect the series to find out!
“Radiation Detection”
A brief summary of the tools used by scientists to detect radiation levels in their work environment. Kids take note. You may face such dangers in the age of the atom!
Reviewer Notes
Doctor Solar Man of the Atom No.2 is jam packed with content. It’s amazing to see just how different comic books were then compared to today. In issue two the reader is given three full stories, an editorial discussing real science, and then a brief overview of radiation detection equipment. It seems to me this title was geared towards younger teens and twenty-something adults. I can report that the science covered here is still relatable to modern audiences even with our advances in technology. Heck Professor Harbinger covers global warming. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Greta!
I love the retro art in the Doctor Solar series. The characters are just normal looking scientists with no hint of capes and flashy gadgets at this point. It reminds me of the old Johnny Quest series with bits and pieces of James Bond thrown in. Who the heck is Nuro working for? Tell us already because the suspense is killing me!
I’m giving issue two of Doctor Solar a big five out of five stars. Gold Key had a great thing going with this title. I can see why Jim Shooter fought to get the rights to publish a second volume through Valiant Entertainment. If you can find this series, definitely pick it up!
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