Radiant Black has slowly been teasing the arrival of a new villain named “Jaeger”, who’s been lurking in the shadows and somehow possesses weaponry that can disrupt the cosmic champion’s powers. In Radiant Black #34, we finally get to see Jaeger in full…and I’m not exaggerating when I say that he might be the most terrifying foe Marshall’s ever fought. Considering that this book’s thrown an army of cosmic invaders, a werewolf/vampire hybrid, and hi-tech criminals at him, that’s saying something.
What makes Jaeger terrifying is his design. From the way Eduardo Ferigato and Marcelo Costa draw him, you can tell this guy is either a soldier or a mercenary. While Jaeger has a helmet similar to Marshall’s, his contains two fiery red slashes where his eyes should be – a sharp contrast to the round, expressive blue eyes in Marshall’s helmet. Jaeger’s red, black and white armor (paired with a leather jacket and utility belt) also feels like a direct inversion of Marshal’s black and blue uniform. Even his words are a fiery black and red (somehow, Becca Carey’s able to depict his word balloons as if they’re laced with fury.)
Radiant Black #34 also shows that Jaeger is a legit match for Marshall, despite being outmatched power-wise. First, he tricks Marshall into coming back to his apartment by holding Eva hostage. Then he triggers another destructive bomb that screws up Radiant Black’s powers. Finally, he offers the hero an ultimatum that puts his loved ones at risk. It all builds up to a final page that immediately had me screaming “holy crap!” followed by “where’s the next issue?!”
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It also shows that Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark make a great writing team, in the same way that Ferigato and Costa click. They know how to balance the action-packed moments with plenty of humor; in the opening, a group of armored mercenaries break into a doughnut shop because they believe that it holds the portal to the alternate universe from The Catalyst War. There’s no portal – just a bathroom – but it perfectly shows how ridiculous conspiracy theories are while also highlighting the dangerous lengths that some people will go to in order to prove their life. But when Jaeger shows up, things get deadly serious. Radiant Black hasn’t shied away from highlighting the danger of superheroics, and that’s not stopping now.
The real standout of Radiant Black #34 is the fight scene between Jaeger and Radiant Black. Higgins and Clark build up to that moment, and when it happens, it’s absolutely intense. A window explodes as the two tumble to the ground. Cars are turned into projectiles thanks to the combined powers of Radiants Black and Pink. And one page is a literal explosion of action, due to Costa and Rod Fernandes’ color work. But the biggest draw is how Jaeger is not only able to dodge all of Radiant Black’s attacks – he also beats the high holy crap out of Marshall.
Radiant Black #34 finally brings Jaeger out of the shadows, and spends its entire length proving why he’s a terrifying villain. I don’t think I’ve been this impressed by a villain in a while, but I hope he sticks around.
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