Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the comic book review blog to the ODPH podcast!
For this entry, we’re taking a deep dive into the latest issue from Image Comics and Black Market Narrative that has readers literally on the edge of their seats waiting for the next moment to drop! The flagship title of comics’ most exciting line: The Massive-Verse is gearing up for a monster event with “The Catalyst War” coming later this year. The build has had longtime readers guessing and bracing for what’s coming, but no one is ready for this issue’s conclusion! This chapter by Kyle Higgins, Eduardo Ferigato, Marcelo Costa, Raul Angulo and Becca Carey will be an issue & its’ conclusion is going to be the talk of comic social media as readers prepare for the war upcoming.
Let’s not wait any longer and start talking RADIANT BLACK, shall we!
Radiant Black #23
Creative: Kyle Higgins, Eduardo Ferigato, Raul Angulo, Marcelo Costa and Becca Carey
(Cover: Marcelo Costa)
Credit: Image Comics via Black Market Narrative
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Nathan Burnett is a down on his luck failed writer who’s moved back to Lockport, Illinois from Los Angeles. Fate however had different plans as he (and his best friend Marshall) came across a mysterious object which granted powers. Thus the individual known as Radiant Black was born. That is only the beginning of their journey into becoming superheroes as it has taken many twists, turns, and role reversals in a short amount of time. Let’s not forget the many friends and foes they’ve met along the way including……ONE GIANT ROBOT!
It is that said robot’s appearance that has drawn the attention of Wendell aka Radiant Yellow, who is trying to advert the oncoming attack he has seen visions of. Last readers saw Nathan, he was heading back to LA to handle some unfinished business and was forced to confront an even greater foe….a man known as BRAYDEN, who has earned the title of most unlikeable character in the Massiveverse and it’s not even close. Seriously, he’s the worst. Factor in that the power Radiant has not been working properly and the pair has their work cut out for them.
As this issue picks up, Wendell is in Lockport working on trying to communicate with the large robot head recovered after the ONE GIANT ROBOT fight. After bringing it back online, Wendell starts digging in for information but appears to get more than he bargained for with one statement. Meanwhile, Nathan (with Radiant Mask on) has a “business” meeting with the members of Circle Guy News, who handle the wholesale and merch accounts of “Radiant Black” since Marshall took over the mantle when Nathan was in a coma. The guys are talking about being paid and try leveraging Marshall’s identity as Radiant Black until they see Marshall walk by. Once their bargaining chip fades away, Nathan concludes the meeting with ideas of finding the right percentage to make everyone happy.
Returning home from the meeting, the guys walk into the garage and find Wendell’s powers going crazy while the robot head has been dissected! Making the save, Nathan catches a defeated Wendell, who can only utter “I…was…..wrong….” Wendell reveals that the giant robot was only a scout, and nowhere near the first attack. Readers also find out he miscalculated the robot sending a signal out. The optimism of averting war failed. Their only chance now is time….and time runs out! The invasion comes right to their front door!
How do the heroes fare when the battle has literally walked right inside? Is there a chance for survival? At this stage, the story speeds into action with a HUGE moment that readers will not believe when they see it! Some may even say it’s Game-Changing! Will it be enough to turn the tables? Readers find out quickly how dire things have become in such a short amount of moments. In desperate times, tough choices are made. This is the case here as a decision is made that will have major repercussions to close this excellent issue out with. There is no doubt now. The road to the Catalyst War has arrived!
BREAKDOWN: Higgins sets events in motion that readers need to brace for. The beginning of the book is the calm before the storm featuring the “Circle Guy News” team (and for more on them, check out the Invincible! Podcast). One of this series’ charms is seeing Marshall and Nathan try filling in for the other with characters they haven’t met. The moment is a fun one here and elevates the more serious tone the issue swings in following. That said, seeing Wendell defeated and broken was a powerful sequence illustrating the one shot they had to avert war just slipped thru their fingers. Wendell has always been a fantastic character whenever he’s shown up in the series (see #18), but how he reacts to a crisis of this level jumps out at readers and translates how dangerous things have become. Nathan and Marshall don’t even have a chance to fully process what’s unfolding around them but that never waivers both of their heroic spirits. Readers see how they rise to the occasion and throw caution to the win. In times like these, they both make decisions that translate to the readers why fate chose them to be heroes. The final moments of this book exemplify that and close out events with one hell of an exclamation point!
Ferigato brings the action to this chapter and sets an accelerated pace once the action starts. Prior to that, there are quite a few notable images that fans will be raving abound. The first is the double page spread where Nathan and Marshall find Wendell cracking the robot head code for information. Seeing Wendell’s powers used in this manner gave it a chaotic and desperate feel which has followed Wendell since he caught wind with what was coming. It’s equally matched when he’s saved by Nathan and appears broken, being only able to muster “I..was…wrong.” This becomes the match that lights the action for the majority of the rest of the issue The battle panels are non-stop intense. From the double full-page lead-in to a full page moment with a very cool event thrown in that readers will be excited to see, Ferigato (along with Angulo and Costa) deliver excellent action scene after scene. Once arriving at the final act, readers get a second to catch their breaths before the choice is made to send this issue into a close with much to look forward to next time.
FINAL POINT: Radiant Black #23 defines what makes this series (and the Massive-Verse as a whole) Comics’ most exciting line. Combining heart-stopping action, game-changing events and character-driven moments, Higgins, Ferigato present readers a small sample of things to come with the looming “Catalyst War” speeding forward. Readers simply can’t miss this issue on New Comic Book Day!
Hit me up on ODPH Social Media and let me know what you thought of Radiant Black #23. Thanks for reading!