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RADIANT BLACK #25 – IMAGE COMICS VIA BLACK MARKET NARRATIVE
Creative Team: Kyle Higgins, Joe Clark, Marcelo Costa, Eduardo Ferigato, Paulo Daniel Santos, Rod Fernandes , Raul Angulo, Becca Carey, Wesley Griffith Editor and Design: Michael Busuttil
Issue 25 of Radiant Black kicks off the Catalyst War, a 6 issue arch which has been the most anticipated event since the first SUPERMASSIVE crossover back in 2022. “Everything has been leading to this moment” writer Kyle Higgins told fans in his teaser video for this event who left the choice of who will wield the radiant for the future of this franchise in the readers’ hands coming out of issue 24. This series has constantly been taking MASSIVE swings since it started back in 2021 so let’s see how the first issue in this arch holds up.
Spoilers ahead in case you haven’t read it yet.
Let’s start off with the amazing set of connecting covers by Marcelo Costa that we got with this first issue and all subsequent issues of this event!
The futuristic artistic design and color that Marcelo has created helps show the magnitude of this event. It really hit me with Tron and Independence Day vibes where the mothership is looking to decimate Earth. Looking at the position of both Radiant Blacks leaves readers guessing if both will be able to wield the power again at the same time.
The Radiant on the right’s body language shows a bit of uncertainty and fear (Nathan), where the one on the left looks confidently ready to dive in head first without thinking twice about it (Marshall)!
Based on this it can be implied that there are 2 different people possessing the radiants at what appears to be the same time. If you haven’t picked up both covers yet I would highly recommend you do, more on this later.
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I really enjoyed the back story we got between Nathan and Marshall right out of the gate. Marcelo, Eduardo and Paulo did an amazing job depicting a younger Nathan and Marshall. Their art played an instrumental role in being able to easily follow the story during the time jumps throughout this issue.
The juxtaposition between Nathan and Marshall is really showcased in both past and present events that help us learn more about why each character behaves in the way that they do.
The frustration that Marshall feels with his impulsive behavior is directly correlated to his past. The same goes for Nathan, always wanting to do things his own way to try and get ahead seems to end up pushing him further behind and as a result his self confidence suffers.
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A quick trip back to existence produces some of my favorite panels of this whole issue where we learn more about the back story of the Radiants and what is on the horizon for the team.
Overall, this first issue of the new arch is paced well and does a good job setting up what feels to be an action packed event where we may see 2 sides to the same story! Make sure to pick up both covers on stands today!
OVERALL GRADE: 8.5 OUT OF 10
Thanks for checking out my review for the NI Comics Bullpen. Let me know what comics you’re reading and hit me up on Twitter. Till next time…
