Newb questions :)

[eqravenprince]

Mage will work just fine for a soloing class. Paladin or Ranger are probably the least played melee classes. I would recommend starting your melee class as well, level him up to 5 and park him in a populated zone like EC, Crushbone, Blackburrow. You can look for a group for your melee class while soloing your mage.

[Pringles]

Yup, pet penalty goes away when grouped.