The Massive-Verse (M-V) is a fictional shared universe, created by Kyle Higgins, which spans a line of comic books (Radiant Black and its spin-offs) published by Image Comics since February 2021, later retroactively established to have begun with C.O.W.L., first published in May 2014.
| "Massive-Verse" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional Poster by Eduardo Ferigato and Igor Monti | |||
| Publisher | Black Market Narrative (Image Comics) | ||
| Publication date | February 2021 – present | ||
| Genre | |||
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| Main character(s) |
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| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Various | ||
| Artist(s) | Various | ||
| Colorist(s) | Various | ||
| Editor(s) | Michael Busuttil | ||
Publication history
editIn November 2020, it was announced that Higgins was writing another creator-owned book for Image Comics entitled Radiant Black, with art by Marcelo Costa. The series officially began publication in February 2021.[1]
The first crossover started with a one-shot crossover entitled Supermassive, written by Higgins, Ryan Parrott, and Mat Groom with art by Francesco Manna and Simone Ragazzoni and colors by Igor Monti released February 23, 2022. The comic served as a backdoor pilot for spin-off titles entitled Inferno Girl Red and Rogue Sun, with this comic marking the first appearances of the series' protagonists.[2]
The first of these new books to spawn out of this would be the title Rogue Sun written by Parrott and illustrated by Abel, with its first issue releasing on March 2, 2022 and Inferno Girl Red debuting on January 25, 2023, written by Groom and illustrated by Erica D'Urso and colored by Monti.[3][4] In February 2022, it was announced that another book connected to the Massive-Verse would release in August entitled The Dead Lucky, written by Melissa Flores and illustrated by French Carlomagno.[5] The first direct spin-off of Radiant Black would release on March 9, 2022, entitled Radiant Red, with the miniseries written by Cherish Chen and art by David Lafuente.[6] Another spin-off, Radiant Pink, written by Meghan Camarena and Melissa Flores and illustrated by Emma Kubert, debuted on December 7, 2022.[7] C.O.W.L., was originally released in 2014 but has since been retroactively designated as part of the Massive-Verse.[8] In December 2022, it was announced that a new series, entitled No/One, would launch in March 2023, with Higgins and Brian Buccellato writing and Geraldo Borges illustrating.[9]
A second Supermassive event was released in May 2023 written by Higgins, Parrot, Groom and Flores with artwork by Daniele Di Nicuolo. This one-shot features Radiant Black (Nathan and Marshall), Rogue Sun (Dylan) and The Dead Lucky (Bibiana), along with a new character Thomasin (a previous Inferno Girl Red) as they hunt down the Holy Grail.[10][11] That issue includes a cameo from Medieval Spawn, possibly hinting at a further crossover down the line.
After the end of an official fan voting, and the "Catalyst War" arc, the next Radiant Black story arc will feature Marshall Ward as the permanent titular hero.[12]
Main characters
edit- Radiant Black (Nathan Burnett) — The original Radiant Black, before a building collapsed on top of him that left him in a coma for 9 months. He eventually became Radiant Black again and is now sharing the Radiant with Marshall. Has the ability to manipulate gravity and shoot energy blasts.
- Radiant Black (Marshall Ward) — Nathan's best friend and the second Radiant Black after Nathan fell into a coma. Has the ability to manipulate gravity and shoot energy blasts. Became the new permanent Radiant Black after winning a fan vote.
- Radiant Red (Satomi Sone) — An Asian-American woman with financial debt. Has the ability of matter-absorption
- Radiant Pink (Eva Reyes) — An Hispanic internet streamer who has the ability to open portals.
- Radiant Yellow (Wendell George) — An elderly African-American man who has the ability to see every probability across time and space.
- Rogue Sun (Dylan Siegel) — The latest Rogue Sun following the death of his estranged father, Marcus Bell.
- Inferno Girl Red (Cassia Costa) — A teenage girl living in Apex City and the current Inferno Girl Red.
- The Dead Lucky (Bibiana "Bibi" Lopez-Yang) — The former captain of the platoon "Dead Lucky" and has the ability to control electrical machinery and can see energy ghosts.
- No/One — A hacktivist/vigilante operating in Pittsburgh.
- Shift (Guy) — A recurring villain who antagonizes Radiant Black and leads his own crime syndicate that sells Radiant tech. Has the ability to "shift" between places.
Titles
editOngoing and limited series
edit| Title | Issues | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colorist(s) | Debut date | Finale date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.O.W.L. | 1-11 | Kyle Higgins Alec Sigel |
Rod Reis Elsa Charretier |
Rod Reis | May 28, 2014[13] | July 12, 2015[13] |
| Radiant Black | #1– | Kyle Higgins Megan Camerena Cherish Chen Joe Clark Laurence Holmes Alec Siegel |
Marcelo Costa Ze Carlos French Carlomagno Thobias Daneluz Eduardo Ferigato David Lafuente Stefano Simeone |
Marcelo Costa Raul Angulo Tríona Farrell Rod Fernandes Mattia Iancono Natália Marques Igor Monti Miquel Muerto (#6) Stefano Simeone |
February 10, 2021[14] | Present |
| Rogue Sun | Ryan Parrott Nic Cotton |
Abel Ze Carlos Marco Renna |
Chris O'Halloran Natalia Marques Raul Angulo |
March 2, 2022[15] | ||
| Radiant Red | #1–5 | Cherish Chen | David Lafuente | Miquel Muerto | March 9, 2022[16] | July 6, 2022[17] |
| The Dead Lucky | #1–12 | Melissa Flores | French Carlomagno | Mattia Iacono | August 3, 2022[18] | March 27, 2024 |
| Radiant Pink | #1–5 | Meghan Camarena Melissa Flores |
Emma Kubert | Rebecca Nalty | December 7, 2022[19] | May 24, 2023 |
| Inferno Girl Red | #1–3 | Mat Groom | Erica D'Urso | Igor Monti | January 25, 2023[20] | March 22, 2023 |
| No/One | #1–10 | Kyle Higgins Brian Buccellato |
Geraldo Borges | Mark Englert | March 15, 2023[9] | July 24, 2024 |
| C.O.W.L. 1964 | #1-4 | Kyle Higgins Alec Sigel |
Rod Reis | August 7, 2024 | December 18, 2024 | |
One-shots
edit| Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colorist(s) | Debut date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermassive (2022) | Kyle Higgins Ryan Parrott Mat Groom |
Francesco Manna Simone Ragazzoni |
Igor Monti | February 23, 2022[21] |
| Supermassive (2023) | Kyle Higgins Ryan Parrott Mat Groom Melissa Flores |
Daniele Di Nicuolo | Walter Baiamonte | May 24, 2023[10][11] |
| Shift (2023) | Kyle Higgins | Daniele Di Nicuolo Francesco Manna Danilo Beyruth Geraldo Borges Chris Evanhuis |
Walter Baiamonte Marcelo Costa Mark Englert Sjan Weijers |
December 20, 2023 |
| Supermassive (2024) | Mat Groom
Kyle Higgins |
Stefano Simeone | July 24, 2024 | |
Other
edit| Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Colorist(s) | Debut date | Finale date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift (4 part story in Image!) | Kyle Higgins | Daniele Di Nicuolo Francesco Manna Danilo Beyruth Geraldo Borges Chris Evanhuis |
Walter Baiamonte Marcelo Costa Francesco Segala Gloria Martinelli Sjan Weijers |
April 13, 2022[22] | July 27, 2022 |
Other media
editAnimated short film
editIn June 2022, to tie in with the release of Radiant Black #15, an animated short produced by Tiger Animation and Black Market Narrative entitled Versus | Radiant Black vs. Blaze was released, with Higgins directing and co-writing with Alec Siegel and Will Friedle providing the voice of Radiant Black. The short can be viewed on the official Black Market Narrative YouTube channel.[23]
Podcast
editIn December 2022, it was announced that, to tie-in with the release of No/One, an in-universe podcast entitled Who Is No/One? would release with each issue and would feature the voice work of Rachael Leigh Cook as Julia Paige, the host of the podcast, and Patton Oswalt as Teddy Barstow, the Metro Editor for The Pittsburgh Ledger. Loren Lester provides the voice of No/One, while Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Cristina Vee, Karl Herlinger, Todd Stashwick, and Walter Jones are also cast.[24][25][26] The podcast will also feature original art by Mark Englert and music by Kristopher Carter.[9]
Audiobook
editIn April 2024, it was announced an audiobook adaptation of Radiant Black would release later that year. Rider Strong is set to play the voice of Nathan with Friedle reprising his role as Marshall from the animated short. Higgins will serve as writer, director, and narrator for the adaptation.[27] Further casting was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, including Kim Rhodes as Mrs. Burnett, Loren Lester as Mr. Burnett, Todd Stashwick as <001>, Melissa Navia as Eva Reyes / Radiant Pink, Anne Yatco as Satomi Sone / Radiant Red, and Troy Baker as Guy / Shift.
Feature length film
editIn July 2024, during San Diego Comic-Con it was announced that a film based on the comic series No/One was officially in development, under the title I Am No/One. According to TheWrap, the film is set to consist of "sit down interviews, phone and drone footage, news coverage, and first-person GoPro and helmet videography from the “NO/ONE” operation itself". Higgins is set to direct the film, along with co-writing the screenplay with No/One co-writer and co-creator Brain Buccellato. The film is set to be both a recap of the comic series and its companion podcast, Who is No/One?, while also serving as the final chapter in this multi-narrative experience.[28]
Collected editions
edit| Title | Collected material | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiant Black | |||
| Radiant Black Vol. 1: (Not So) Secret Origin | Radiant Black #1–6 | August 18, 2021[29] | 978-1534319165 |
| Radiant Black Vol. 2: Team-Up | Radiant Black #7–12 | March 16, 2022[30] | 978-1534321090 |
| Radiant Black Vol. 3: Rogues' Gallery | Radiant Black #13–18 | October 19, 2022[31] | 978-1534323285 |
| Radiant Black Vol. 4: Two-In-One | Radiant Black #19–24 | July 12, 2023[32] | 978-1534324770 |
| Radiant Black Vol. 5: Crisis | Radiant Black #25 A & B, #26, #26.5, #27, and #27.5 | February 28, 2024[33] | 978-1534397255 |
| Radiant Black Vol. 6: Infinite Earths | Radiant Black #28, #28.5, #29, #29.5, #30, and #30.5 | January 14, 2025[34] | 978-1534397248 |
| Radiant Red | |||
| Radiant Red Vol. 1: Crime and Punishment | Radiant Black #6, Radiant Red #1–5 | December 7, 2022[35] | 978-1534323209 |
| Radiant Pink | |||
| Radiant Pink Vol. 1: Across the Universe | Radiant Black #12, Radiant Pink #1-5 | July 25, 2023 | 978-1534324862 |
| Rogue Sun | |||
| Rogue Sun Vol. 1: Cataclysm | Rogue Sun #1–6 | August 24, 2022[36] | 978-1534322370 |
| Rogue Sun Vol. 2: Hellbent | Rogue Sun #7-12 | May 17, 2023[37] | 978-1534324701 |
| Rogue Sun Vol. 3: Knight Sun | Rogue Sun #13-18 | March 26, 2024[38] | 978-1534397231 |
| Rogue Sun Vol. 4: Divinity | Rogue Sun #19-24 | March 4, 2025 | 978-1534327535 |
| The Dead Lucky | |||
| The Dead Lucky Vol. 1: The Good Die Young | The Dead Lucky #1–6 | March 22, 2023[39] | 978-1534324664 |
| The Dead Lucky Vol. 2: We Didn't Start the Fire | The Dead Lucky #7-12 | June 4, 2024[40] | 978-1534397224 |
| Inferno Girl Red | |||
| Inferno Girl Red Book One | Inferno Girl Red #1–3 | June 13, 2023[20] | 978-1534324817 |
| No/One | |||
| No/One Vol. 1 | No/One #1-10 | December 10, 2024 | 978-1534397217 |
References
edit- ^ Grunenwald, Joe (November 20, 2020). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "IMAGE SUPERHERO UNIVERSE EXPANDS IN FEBRUARY 2022 WITH SUPERMASSIVE ONE-SHOT CROSSOVER EVENT & ROGUE SUN SERIES LAUNCH". Image Comics. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "IMAGE SUPERHERO UNIVERSE EXPANDS IN FEBRUARY 2022 WITH SUPERMASSIVE ONE-SHOT CROSSOVER EVENT & ROGUE SUN SERIES LAUNCH". Image Comics. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ Grunenwald, Joe (August 6, 2022). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "THE DEAD LUCKY SERIES LAUNCH WILL ELECTRIFY THE MASSIVE-VERSE THIS AUGUST FOR RADIANT BLACK FANS & NEW READERS ALIKE". Image Comics. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "CHERISH CHEN, DAVID LAFUENTE & MIQUEL MUERTO REUNITE FOR FORTHCOMING RADIANT RED SPINOFF MINISERIES THIS MARCH". Image Comics. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "RADIANT BLACK'S MASSIVE-VERSE OF SUPERHEROES TO EXPAND WITH RADIANT PINK LAUNCH IN DECEMBER". Image Comics. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "Massive-Verse Reading List".
- ^ a b c "Patton Oswalt, Rachael Leigh Cook Explore Superhero Noir in NO/ONE". Gizmodo. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "Radiant Black's Superhero World is Gearing Up for Another Crossover". Gizmodo. August 28, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "MASSIVE-VERSE PLANS AN EXPLOSIVE CROSSOVER EVENT IN THE FORTHCOMING SUPERMASSIVE 2023". Image Comics. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ Whitbrook, James (May 4, 2023). "The Future of Radiant Black Is in Its Readers' Hands". Gizmodo. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "C.O.W.L." Image Comics. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
- ^ Radiant Black #1
- ^ Rogue Sun #1
- ^ Radiant Red #1
- ^ Radiant Red #5
- ^ The Dead Lucky #1
- ^ McMillan, Graeme (September 8, 2022). "Image Comics' Massive-Verse expands as Radiant Pink breaks into her own book". The Pop Verse. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Grunenwald, Joe (June 8, 2022). "C2E2 '22: INFERNO GIRL RED coming to Image Comics in 2023". The Beat. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ Supermassive #1
- ^ Blum, Jeremy (March 14, 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: Image Comics' New Anniversary Series Expands Radiant Black's Massive-Verse". CBR. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ "RADIANT BLACK FANS TREATED TO ORIGINAL ANIMATION FEATURING VOICE OF WILL FRIEDLE". Image Comics. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ Lowenthal, Yuri [@YuriLowenthal] (February 14, 2023). "Not saying @taraplatt & I are involved in this, but … OKAY WE TOTALLY ARE. It's not just a comic but a full immersive narrative experience w podcast, video drops, & so much more. 1st issue & podcast drop March 15. Pre-order @ your local comic shop & queue up the podcast! https://t.co/RCSj7lS2Ku" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Higgins, Kyle [@KyleDHiggins] (February 17, 2023). "Been working with @AlecFSiegel all week on Ep 1 of WHO IS NO/ONE and God damn, I'm excited. @RachaelLCook @pattonoswalt @YuriLowenthal @DavidBlue @CristinaVee @karlherlinger just kill it. We're trying something super ambitious here— hope you'll join us! https://t.co/sHKyleVFGY https://t.co/gggrObyyNj" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ @BlackMarketNAR (March 14, 2023). "We hit 100! As promised, here's the grand reveal of the voice of NO/ONE-- The voice of NO/ONE is none other than the voice of Robin and Nightwing in Batman: The Animated Series: Loren Lester! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast here: http://blackmarket.la/no-one/" (Tweet). Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Will Friedle and Rider Strong Recruited For Upcoming Radiant Black: The Audiobook, Volume One From Image Comics". Comics. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ Gonzalez, Umberto (July 26, 2024). "Image Comic 'NO/ONE' and Companion Audio Drama Podcast to Be Adapted Into Feature Film | Exclusive". TheWrap. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Radiant Black, Vol. 1 TP
- ^ Radiant Black, Vol. 2 TP
- ^ Radiant Black, Vol. 3 TP
- ^ "RADIANT BLACK TP VOL 04 A MASSIVE-VERSE BOOK MV (MAR229492)". previewsworld.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ "RADIANT BLACK TP VOL 05 (DEC230437)". www.previewsworld.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Higgins, Kyle (May 28, 2024). Radiant Black Volume 6: The Catalyst War. Marcelo Costa. Image Comics. ISBN 978-1-5343-9724-8.
- ^ "Radiant Red Vol. 1: Crime and Punishment TP Preview". League of Comic Geeks. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ Rogue Sun Vol. 1
- ^ "ROGUE SUN TP VOL 02 A MASSIVE-VERSE BOOK MV (FEB230142)". previewsworld.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ Parrott, Ryan (March 26, 2024). Rogue Sun, Volume 3. Abel, Marco Renna. Image Comics. ISBN 978-1-5343-9723-1.
- ^ "The Dead Lucky Vol. 1 TP Preview". League of Comic Geeks. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Flores, Melissa (April 16, 2024). The Dead Lucky, Volume 2. French Carlomagno. Image Comics. ISBN 978-1-5343-9722-4.