Reviews 

“Radiant Black” #1

By | February 11th, 2021
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

In many ways, an origin story is like a pilot episode of a tv show. Usually, pilots don’t tend to rank very high on people’s “best-of” lists. Frequently it’s because a pilot can be a bit of an overload. In a single episode, you have to establish the world, the characters, and their dynamics with one another. It’s a lot of heavy lifting in a small amount of time. In a best-case scenario, the hope is that the pilot is enough to convince you to come back. Origin stories can often feel like this as well. In a single issue, you not only have to establish a character’s life and personality but give them a power set and establish their look. It’s a lot to do in a single issue of a comic. In many ways, “Radiant Black” #1 feels like a perfectly proficient television pilot. It hits the right beats, has some impactful moments, but ultimately doesn’t encourage or inspire a return to the story.

Cover by Michael Cho
Written by Kyle Higgins
Illustrated by Marcelo Costa
Colored by Marcelo Costa
Lettered by Becca Carey

For fans of INVINCIBLE and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comes a brand-new ONGOING SERIES from acclaimed writer KYLE HIGGINS (Ultraman, C.O.W.L.) and artist MARCELO COSTA that reinvents superheroes for a new generation!

Nathan Burnett has just turned thirty, and things aren’t great: He’s working (and failing) at two jobs, his credit card debt is piling up, and his only move…is moving back home with his parents.

But when Nathan discovers and unlocks the ethereal, cosmic RADIANT, he’s given the power to radically change his fortunes!

There’s just one problem: The powers don’t belong to him. And the COSMIC BEINGS who created them want them back…by any means necessary.

The biggest thing about “Radiant Black” #1 is that it is an incredibly efficient comic, hitting all the origin story beats right on target. We’re introduced to Nathan Burnett, a big dreamer who has fallen on hard times and returns home a bit broken. Burnett is reunited with Marshall, his fast-talking, somewhat mischievous, but ultimately supportive friend. At about the halfway point of the issue, Burnett encounters what appears to be a sentient black hole and, with a literal bang, is given a set of powers. While there’s nothing wrong with following conventions, Kyle Higgins follows them to a T. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with following familiar story beats, “Radiant Black” really doesn’t do much else to make itself stand out from other similar stories. There are moments where it seems that the story is playing with being subversions of the common origin story, but it all ends up feeling very “origin of the TV age.” The thing is that none of it is necessarily bad; it just doesn’t leave that much of an impression. Even the ending revealing that there is another evil version of Nathan feels all too familiar.

While the basic structure of “Radiant Black” #1 is fairly boilerplate, there are some things that Higgins does rather well, specifically with characterization. Nathan is a perfectly sympathetic protagonist, a man with broken dreams who has lost his sense of drive and purpose. There are especially moments as he struggles with his worthiness of being able to wear the suit. He wants to do a good job; he wants this to not be yet another in a long line of personal failures. It’s in these moments where it feels like “Radiant Black” has something to say, taking a character at their lowest point and building them up. It also helps that his relationship with Marshall is endearing, even if Marshall initially comes off a little rough around the edges. At Nathan’s lowest moment, Marshall steps up and supports his friend. It’s the little moments like these that make “Radiant Black” #1 work. If Higgins’ character work weren’t this strong, it would further highlight just how basic the issue is overall.

While Higgins’ characterization works in the dialogue, Marcelo Costa helps sell the issue’s emotions and brings the characters to life. “Radiant Black” #1 starts with a strong scene of Nathan talking to a loan officer, and within a few quick panels, runs the gamut of emotions. Costa draws Nathan bouncing between frustration, masked confidence as he tries to keep his composure, ultimately ending up having a full breakdown in his car. It’s a raw and authentic way of starting the issue, which helps establish Nathan’s character but his desire not to be a failure. The series begins with Nathan at rock bottom, and Costa captures the real emotions of trying to keep your composure as the world is falling apart around you. In a similar vein, Costa’s strong characterization helps add some nuance to Marshall as well. While he initially comes off looking like a slimy threat, as the issue progresses, Marshall shows some real nuance, being the supportive friend and showing that Marshall might not be the best influence as Nathan figures out his power set. During a situation with the police, Marshall escalates the tension forcing Nathan to use his power set and then leverages their position to get off scot-free. Marshall doesn’t seem to be concerned with the heroic ideals of the great responsibility of being a superhero. It proves a nice contrast, and the issue leaves a few suggestions that while he’s a confidant at the moment, Marshall might not be the most trustworthy of friends. It’s good stuff and helps make the characters sympathetic, enhancing the basics approach of the hero’s origin.

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Finally, Costa’s use of coloring helps create mood while enhancing the costume design in “Radiant Black” #1. Most of the issue uses natural lighting, with deep blues and blacks of the night sky, bright fluorescent lighting of bars, and the orange-red sky of a city’s light pollution at night. Costa also uses the coloring to increase the threat level of a situation. For instance, as the police situation heats up, the scene gets progressively more orange as a train comes careening towards the group, the threat grows as the situation becomes more intense. But, the natural lighting helps to heighten the design of Nathan’s costume. It’s a relatively simple design, a simple black and white costume, but the deep rich black of the design makes it feel alien in the otherwise real world. It makes the costume that much more dynamic when you see how it reacts and reflects the light of the world. Overall, the art was the highlight of the issue.

The thing about “Radiant Black” #1 is that it all worked; it just didn’t necessarily do anything to stand out. It features quality art and design and fine characterization. It just all felt like well-tred ground. Once again, origins and pilots are similar in a lot of ways. Both have to do a lot of heavy lifting in a short amount of time. Perhaps there’s more going on here than meets the eye. Maybe there’s some master plan to elevate the simple hero origin story. In any case, it didn’t do quite enough for a return visit.

Final Verdict: 5.5 Despite its quality art, “Radiant Black” #1 is a comic that treads familiar ground without a solid way to distinguish itself from the pack.


Joe Skonce

Joe Skonce was born, raised, and currently resides in Ohio, but has been exploring fantastical and imaginary worlds for as long as he can remember. He loves big guys and barbarians, pirates and puppets, and is always down to find nerdy new things. Come say hi to him on twitter @tunabellgrande.

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