Random Happenstance

If you ever listen to the old Captain America Power Record, Solarr gets a shout-out, as a suspect for Cap's new foe, the Phoenix. Despite having listened to that a million times, I'm not sure I'd ever read a comic with Solarr, until his recent loss in X-Men '92: House of XCII #3. (What's the reverse of a ringer?) But, I guess I had this one waiting for me: from 1982, Marvel Team-Up #123, "Rivers of Blood" Written by J. M. DeMatteis, pencils by Kerry Gammill, inks by Mike Esposito. 

 

There wasn't always a lot of continuity between issues here, but Spider-Man took a beating the previous issue against Man-Thing, which lands him in the hospital. Upon regaining consciousness, Spidey claims he heals quick, but is still in no shape for hopping about; so he's still there to see a young stab victim, then Matt Murdock, who's representing a mob hitman turning state's evidence. Unfortunately, Solarr has taken the job to silence the hitman; since he had recently escaped from a long stint as research subject at Project: Pegasus and needed to rebuild his rep. Still, getting trounced by Spidey and Daredevil? Not helping his rep any. Spidey tricks him into zapping a water tower, then beats him unconscious before he can dry off; which I'm not positive he even needed to do? He wasn't like the Human Torch! 

There is a little drama, when the hitman panics and decides to take a hostage, rather than risk being burned alive by Solarr: that's derailed when DD reminds him of something he told Matt Murdock, about the blood on his hands. Now literal, since his hostage was bleeding all over the damn place. That seems like the sort of thing where maybe, in a movie or something, the hitman might put two and two together and figure out DD's secret identity; but here the toughened, grizzled hitman appears to have a psychotic break instead, so small chance of that.