I'm sad that DC's Solo series is coming to an end, because it was a great project and the issues produced were of high quality. The comics series was a showcase for a single talent, though sometimes other artists played a supporting role. I appreciated seeing what an artist might produce when unleashed from the constraints of writing or drawing a specific hero or brand. I'm also a fan of the multi-story comics title, so I enjoyed that fact that Solo was comprised of a series of short pieces.

I was completely taken with Sergio Aragones's Solo title, which appeared this past summer. I find it impossible to look at his drawings and not feel happier as a result. I mean, just look at the picture I've put up of a dog drawn by Aragones. Is that a happy dog or what? I wish I was as happy as that dog just one day a week. I think it's actually a representation of Aragones's dog, so I guess what I'm saying here is that I would like to be Sergio's dog on a part-time basis. I read on Mike Sterling's blog that Aragones came into his shop recently, so Mike, if he comes in again, please let him know of my interest.

The story I liked best in Aragones's collection was called "Heroes." It showed how a hero in one country might end up looking like a villain in another, or else forgotten entirely. To illustrate, Aragones's tells the story of Irish Catholics in the United States who fought for Mexico in the Mexican-American war. This San Particio Battalion became heroes in Mexico, but deserters in U.S. history books.

The detail in Arragones's artwork is a great source of visual humor. In "A Batman Story," there's a wonderful image of the Batcave, with every nook and cranny stuffed with crime-fighting doo-dads and bat paraphernalia. There's joyful chaos everywhere you look.