''Solo'' is an American comic book series that was published bi-monthly by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

, beginning in October 2004. Each issue had 48 pages plus covers, with no ads. ''Solo'' was cancelled in 2006; in all, 12 issues appeared.

Overview

The title was conceived as an anthology series to spotlight the work of a different comic book artist in each issue. The creators were free to tell stories in any

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other ...

and to use DC's library of characters as they saw fit. They could also work with writers if they chose, but the intention of the series was for them to show off the range of their own individual artistic sensibilities and abilities.

Creators

Contributing creators were: * #1 Tim Sale (with Jeph Loeb, Brian Azzarello, Darwyn Cooke, and Diana Schutz) * #2 Richard Corben (with John Arcudi) * #3

Paul Pope Paul Pope (born September 25, 1970, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American alternative cartoonist. Pope's work combines the precision and romance of European comics artists with the energy and page design of the manga tradition. Pope's ...

* #4

Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker. Early lif ...

* #5 Darwyn Cooke * #6 Jordi Bernet (with John Arcudi, Joe Kelly, Andrew Helfer, Chuck Dixon, and Brian Azzarello) * #7

Mike Allred Michael Dalton Allred is an American comic book artist and writer most famous for his Alternative comics, independent comics creations, Madman (Mike Allred character), ''Madman'' and iZombie (comic book), ''iZombie''. His style is often compare ...

(with Laura Allred and Lee Allred) * #8 Teddy Kristiansen (with

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

and Steven Seagle) * #9

Scott Hampton Scott Hampton (born April 10, 1959) is an American comic book artist known for his painted artwork. He is the brother of fellow comics-creator Bo Hampton. Andelman, Bob"Scott Hampton & Bo Hampton Interview,"''A Spirited Life'' (July 17, 2006). E ...

(with John Hitchcock) * #10 Damion Scott (with Rob Markmam and Jennifer Carcano) * #11 Sergio Aragonés (with Mark Evanier) * #12 Brendan McCarthy (with Howard Hallis, Steve Cook,

Trevor Goring Trevor Goring (born 1949, London, England) is a visual artist, author, publisher, lecturer and consultant. Early life and career Trained in Montreal at the École des Beaux Arts, Université du Québec (1968-1972) in print-making with Pierre ...

, Robbie Morrison, Tom O'Connor and Jono Howard) The series was overseen by painter and DC editor Mark Chiarello. Creators discussed as working on future issues of ''Solo'' before the series was cancelled include:

Brian Bolland Brian Bolland (; born 26 March 1951)Salisbury, Mark, ''Artists on Comic Art'' ( Titan Books, 2000) , p. 11 is a British comics artist. Best known in the United Kingdom as one of the definitive Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology ' ...

, John Cassaday,

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries '' Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For th ...

Adam Hughes Adam Hughes (born May 5, 1967) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Catwoman''. H ...

, Kevin Maguire, Tony Harris, J. G. Jones, Kevin Nowlan,

Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and ''Elektra: Assassin''. Sienkiewicz's work in the 1980s ...

Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known f ...

, Jill Thompson, Brian Stelfreeze,

Bruce Timm Bruce Walter Timm (born February 5, 1961) is an American artist, animator, writer, and producer. He has contributed to building the modern DC Comics animated franchise, most notably ''Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992–1995) and the subsequen ...

, John Van Fleet, George Pratt and Matt Wagner. Elements of Walt Simonson's issue later became the basis of his graphic novel ''The Judas Coin''.

Awards

In 2006, ''Solo'' was nominated for and received three

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

, including:Recap of the 2006 Eisner Awards
* Best Short Story: "Teenage Sidekick" by Paul Pope, in ''Solo'' #3 * Best single issue: ''Solo'' #5, by Darwyn Cooke * Best Anthology: ''Solo'', edited by Mark Chiarello

References

{{Reflist 2004 comics debuts Comics anthologies Eisner Award winners for Best Anthology 2006 comics endings