Solar, Man of the Atom # 47 1995 Brave New World, Part Two pg 10 by Dan Jurgens & Dick Giordano

Solar, Man of the Atom # 47 August 1995
“Brave New World, Part Two” Pg 10
Inks over pencil on Valiant Bristol Board
Pencils/ Writer: Dan Jurgens (Signed lower right)
Inks: Dick Giordano
Letters: Jade Moede

Solar kills the Flashpoint Team. The heroes of the new world and new time try to figure out who Solar is, where he came from, and what he wants in "Brave New World – Part Two." Script by Dan Jurgens and art by Dan Jurgens & Dick Giordano.

Solar is a physicist named Phil Seleski. Seleski was a fan of the Gold Key line, especially the adventures of Doctor Solar. One day, Seleski and his colleagues were testing a new type of fusion reactor. When an accidental breach threatened to decimate the entire area, Seleski rushed to shut down the reactor. He succeeded, but he was exposed to lethal doses of radiation in the process. Amazingly, the exposure did not kill him. Instead, it gave him an ability to manipulate energy. Seleski tried to use his powers for the good of mankind. He became determined to destroy the world's supply of nuclear weapons. The US government tried to stop him. Unfortunately, their efforts caused Seleski to lose control of his powers, which in turn caused Earth to fall into a giant black hole.

Seleski was thrown several weeks back in time (or so he thought). The guilt over his role in destruction of his world caused him to split into two beings: Doctor Solar, who believed himself to be Seleski's childhood hero; and Phil Seleski, who retained all the memories of the original. Seleski sought to prevent an accident that gave him powers from taking place. His efforts were complicated by the presence of Doctor Solar, who was convinced that Seleski was a dangerous criminal. Eventually, Seleski managed to convince his alter-ego that they needed to work together. They fused with the past version of Seleski and prevented the accident. In the process, they discovered that Seleski's fusion reactor was actually a "wish machine" that allowed anyone within close proximity to change the universe in any way they saw fit. Before the original accident, Seleski wished that he could become his childhood superhero. As a result, the reactor simulated the events that gave the original Doctor Solar his powers. Seleski also found out that he did not travel to the past. After falling into a black hole, he tried to recreate his universe. For the most part, he succeeded. However, there were several important differences, the most important of which was that Earth was now populated by a large number of super-powered beings.

The revelations inspired Seleski to take up the mantle of his childhood hero. He became known as Solar, Man of the Atom.