Radiant Black

There are some patterns in fiction that you don’t notice until someone breaks them. Consider superheroes. By and large, two types of people become superheroes: young, relatable teens (eg. Peter Parker, Jaime Reyes, Kamala Khan) or exceptional adults (Tony Stark, Carol Danvers, Shang-Chi). Heroes should either look like young readers or the people they dream of being one day.

Enter, Radiant Black.

Radiant Black by Higgins, Costa, and Carey, Issue 1, Page 1.

Nathan Burnett is not doing well. He’s trying to make it as a crime novelist in LA. On a trip home he reunites with his childhood best friend, Marshall Ward, and discovers a strange, miniature black hole. When he touches it, he gets a kick-ass superhero costume, gravity-warping powers, and a whole slew of new problems.

The series is funny and action-packed and cool, but it’s grounded in characters who rarely get starring roles in this genre. Even Peter Parker, Marvel’s perpetual sad sack, could fall back on his scientific genius at any point if he really wanted to. Nathan and Marshall are thirty year-olds with day jobs that they roll their eyes at; no part of their back stories include “the best of the best… until tragedy struck.” Other rising heroes (and villains) find themselves in similar situations: life just hasn’t worked out like they hoped. Starting with characters at this stage of life adds a lot of flavor to the super-origin story.

“Sure power, absolutely responsibility, but I’ve gotta make rent.”

Lots of stories claim that ordinary people can be heroes. Every issue of Radiant Black orbits around that idea. What are regular people capable of when given opportunities?

The Radiant Black Team is also thinking BIG. The main series has four volumes out right now. But writer Higgins has launched several companion titles to build his own superhero franchise which he has dubbed “the Massive-Verse.” And if the rest of the line has the same kind of heart that RB does, I’m going to be diving right in.