After leaving us on one helluva cliffhanger during the closing moments of issue #5, Radiant Black returns, but not with the continuation most readers expected. Instead, Radiant Black #6 takes a step in the opposite direction, giving us a backstory on Satomi, the Red Radiant. It’s a story about love, hate, lies, and the things we do for the people we love, even if sometimes it is the wrong thing. It’s a deep look into how a good person can quickly become a villain depending on their circumstances, and is worth reading.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Radiant Black #6!
The story follows Satomi and her fiancé Owen, who look like the perfect couple, but they’re struggling financially and in danger of losing their home behind closed doors. It’s a compelling story that explores subject matter like gambling additions, building a foundation as a couple and trust. But more importantly, it shows how power can corrupt even the purest of hearts in the face of adversity. It’s also an ironic twist as if you go back to issue #1’s ending, this backstory makes total sense as to why the Red Radiant is robbing MK Bank and Trust. To take it a step further, it is even more bizarre because Nathan Burnett, the original Radiant Black, wrote a story about a woman robbing banks that is super meta.
In terms of the illustrations, Darko Lafuente gives the book a fantastic look that makes it feel like we’re telling a story from the past. Lafuente provides some significant transitions, especially when we go from the lighthearted dinner table scene to the dark, gritty reality of the situation between Satomi and Owen during the car ride home. Colorist Miquel Muerto gives a perfect balance of colors that take the mood from happy to gloomy as the story progresses. And of course, you can forget Becca Carey, who has a keen eye for putting the word balloons in great locations that don’t take away from the artwork.
Radiant Black #6 adds depth to an already established story that gets you more invested in the characters of the series. It’ll make you look at Red Radiant a bit different by the time you finish reading the book.
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