WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Radiant Black #25 and Rogue Sun #13, both on sale now.
Love indie comics? Love superheroes? Love media of almost any form? The Massive-Verse is for you. Two years ago, Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa shook up the world of cowls and capes with Radiant Black, and I was hooked. The story of Nathan Burnett becoming a superhero after being empowered by an event horizon felt fresh – not just in terms of the world Nathan and his best friend Marshall Ward were thrust into but in how the book also dealt with real-life problems. Nathan was a writer struggling with debt; Marshall was making ends meet as a video clerk. As Higgins described it, it felt like “Power Rangers with adult problems.”
Soon Radiant Black gave birth to the Massive-Verse; a shared universe consisting of spinoff titles Radiant Red and Radiant Pink, Rogue Sun, The Dead Lucky, Inferno Girl Red, and the newest addition No/One. Higgins, alongside his No/One co-writer Brian Buccellato and fellow Massive-Verse writers Melissa Flores & Meghan Camarena, once again revealed the future of the Massive-Verse on a Friday panel.
First up was Radiant Black, which launched its biggest storyline to date with The Catalyst War. Higgins said the book was both his love letter to superhero fiction while also trying to restore a sense of wonder that he felt was missing from the genre. He also revealed that starting with #25, each issue of Radiant Black will diverge into two timelines: one where Marshall fully embraces the Radiant Black powers and one where Nathan does. Both stories will intertwine with each other, continuing Higgins’ ability to push the boundaries of comic book storytelling.
This was also on display when discussing No/One. Buccellato said it was interesting to write a more grounded hero in the Massive-Verse, also saying that the hacktivist hero was inspired by Daredevil and The Wire. In a bit of life influencing art, the panel was even interrupted by a video message from No/One, who chided attendees for believing in “false gods.” Not a bad way to market your comic!
Talk then turned to The Dead Lucky, as Flores further described the adventures of Bibi Lopez-Yang. Once set out to destroy the tech conglomerate Morrow, Bibi now works with them to burn it down from the inside. But she will run into trouble, as Flores previewed a new enemy: the flame-slinging Pyre. She said that Pyre will upend everything readers thought they knew about Bibi and force the electrically powered heroine to come to terms with her past.
Pyre previously appeared in The Dead Lucky with the teleporting mercenary Shift, who’s served as Nathan & Marshall’s archenemy in Radiant Black. Higgins then took the time to reveal that a Shift one-shot in December will collect the stories he wrote about Shift in the Image! anthology book, with illustrations from Daniele Di Nicuolo. There will also be an additional new story, as well. A Massive-Verse card game is also in the works, featuring ability cards based on the heroes and villains within the comics.
Finally, Rogue Sun writer Ryan Parrott delivered a pre-taped video message catching fans up on the book as he was attending his brother’s wedding in Denver. Upcoming issues of the book will see Dylan Siegel, who had his body taken over by previous Rogue Sun Caleb, have to work with his father Marcus Bell, to escape an otherworldly realm. There’s just the small matter of previous Rogue Suns to deal with. Parrott said that each arc dealt with different aspects of parenthood, and this one would be looking at generational trauma. It’s those layers that make the Massive-Verse worth reading, and I can’t wait to see what the creators bring to the table in 2024 and beyond.
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