The friendship between Marshall and Nathan is developed quickly, but it feels natural. It’s a familiar tale, yet Higgins and Costa give it their own unique spin. They know that they are dancing with clichés, so they keep the pace quick and put the focus early in the story on intimate character interactions. But soon, they start to feel as if they were given their new powers for a reason: to make a difference. They can neither understand nor control these powers at first. A person happens to stumble upon a peculiar object or thing that imbues them with superhuman powers. But, as the issue’s ending reveals, he isn’t the only one on earth with these abilities. After all, what’s a hero without a villain? The Ole Origin Story: Familiar But Necessary
In a genuinely human moment, Nathan freaks out instead of celebrating this new feeling. His initial reaction, understandably, is to vomit, to which Marshal quips, “Oh, you should not do that in a helmet.” i During a brief encounter with two police officers, Nathan discovers that his fancy new suit comes with some fancy new powers. “Radiant Black #1” Radiant Black. Image Comics. Accessible and entertaining, Radiant Black proves there's plenty of life and new directions in a well-worn genre.Higgins, Kyle. Higgins and Costa make a fine collaborative duo and are able to keep sight of their emotional core even as cosmic elements bleed into their story, with the action and scope only looking to expand as the debut issue's cliffhanger ending makes it clear that this story goes beyond that of one young man gaining superhero powers.
#RADIANT BLACK SERIES#
Radiant Black is instantly relatable, but it's also a lot of fun - Image had billed the series as a cross between Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Invincible and both of those influences are evident right from this opening issue. RELATED: Afterlift: Chip Zdarsky & Jason Loo Break Down the Afterlife Rideshare Epic And when the cosmic superhero elements do appear, Costa's artwork truly makes these developments seem like they are out of this world, with visual sensibilities that serve as a stark contrast to the grounded environment and characters around them that are only poised to go bigger as the series progresses. Costa brings an animated quality even to the title's more dialogue-driven sequences, with particularly expressive character work that helps keep the narrative moving through its own exposition. Joining Higgins is artist and co-creator Marcelo Costa whose clean linework and vibrant color palette elevate the welcoming tone of the series. And while Higgins is delivering a fair bit of exposition - to be expected in any debut issue - all of the dialogue here feels particularly earned nothing comes off as extraneous or forced save for maybe a character wearing a "Crisis Culture" t-shirt which admittedly feels a bit too on-the-nose.
#RADIANT BLACK HOW TO#
After years of writing superhero titles like Nightwing and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Higgins knows how to set the stage while simultaneously engaging the reader in a fun and inviting way.
#RADIANT BLACK PROFESSIONAL#
Nathan is a character that draws heavily from Higgins' own background, with his professional occupation and personal links to the Prairie State, but this isn't a story that runs as emotionally raw as Higgins' past work on Hadrian's Wall.
While Higgins has certainly crafted plenty of creator-owned comics before ( C.O.W.L., The Dead Hand), Radiant Black feels like one of his personal yet, though also one of his most self-aware and entertainingly accessible from the outset. RELATED: Nocterra: Scott Snyder Drives Through the Darkness In the New Image Series However, as Nathan contemplates all the curveballs and crossroads life and his career ambitions have thrown his way, he stumbles across a strange, cosmic power known as the Radiant that will seismically change his entire life and the world around him forever. Protagonist Nathan Burnett finds himself at a personal low point after his attempt to become a successful screenwriter in Los Angeles has him accruing a mountain of credit card debt, fruitless career ambitions and the humiliation of moving back into his parents' home in suburban Illinois, where he's greeted with skepticism over his life choices by the familiar faces he grew up with.
This, of course, makes it all fertile creative ground for comic book creators Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa in their latest Image Comics title Radiant Black, which provides a timely twist on the superhero genre without getting bogged down by ennui and insecurity facing the main characters' millennial milieu. From one relentless crisis after another on a national and global scale, a sluggish economy and the general anxiety of discontent, the generation needs a hero in more ways than one. For as much ridicule and scrutiny as the media places on the millennial generation, this all-too-easy segment of the population to scorn does not have it easy.
0 kommentar(er)
