People pleaser, influencer, human being…pink radiant?! Radiant Black #12 serves as a way to slow down the pace of Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa’s incredible series to give proper backstory to some of the other radiants we are unfamiliar with. Here, Higgins, co-writer Meghan Camarena, and French Carlomagno have decided to give readers the origins of Mija, the pink radiant, giving us get a glimpse of her day-to-day life as an internet influencer and how exactly she became the pink radiant.
All the way back in Radiant Black #6, Higgins, Camarena and Carlomagno gave us a tremendous emotional backstory on Satomi, the red radiant. It touched on the marital and financial issues Satomi was going through. However, Mija’s story touches base on a different subject. Unlike Satomi, Mija doesn’t have financial problems. Instead, we learn that Mija is a famous influencer. The story gives an interesting perspective of what that looks like on the other side of fame.
Influencers are seen as this perfect person who has no problems and a wonderful life for viewers. Radiant Black #12 doesn’t just show you what type of person Mija is, but it gives a realistic look at the gifts and curses of being an influencer. You’d be surprised to find that someone who can be incredibly popular on the internet has no time to maintain a social life outside of it, or how they deal with the pressures that sponsors or fans can put on them. The overall pacing of the story works for what we’re given and makes a lot more sense to the overall story and why the pink radiant is constantly streaming, even in costume.
Carlomagno with color artist Mattia Iacono, does another superb job with the artwork. The back-and-forth transitions between Mija’s internet persona and her persona life are fleshed out well. However, my favorite of them all is a splash panel that emphasizes the pressures Mija is feeling about everything in her life. It’s such a relatable moment.
Radiant Black #12 reminds us that behind each of the fantastic radiant costumes is a human being with their own personal problems no matter their race or financial status. It’s what continues to make this an amazing series and shows the true definition of being a hero.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.