WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Radiant Black #4, by Kyle Higgins, Marcelo Costa, Rod Fernandes and Becca Carey, on sale now.
The first three issues of Radiant Black, the Image Comics superhero series, introduced a new millennial hero. The series draws on readers' familiarity with the everyman superhero story seen in books like Spider-Man and Invincible. However, this is no coming-of-age story. Series lead Nathan Burnett already knew who he was and saw his dreams fall apart. Becoming Radiant Black offered him a chance to define himself after adult failures. In Issue 4, “Everything Changes,” the world established in the previous issues is turned on its head.
Nathan is finally starting to get serious about the idea of being a superhero. After having a vision of a mysterious robot who tells him they are bonded until death and warning him of coming doom, Nathan is told that he must be willing to take a life to save everything. Haunted by the message, Nathan meets up with his friend Marshall to practice using his powers. They are soon attacked by Radiant Red, Radiant Black’s villainous counterpart. As they battle in the heart of Lockport, Nathan tries to stop a building from collapsing on innocent people. When it becomes clear he cannot save the building, Nathan shoves Radiant Red away to safety and the building collapses on him. Marshall runs to his friend’s side and the Radiant, the mysterious power source, leaves Nathan’s body and informs Marshall that his friend is dead. Marshall takes hold of the Radiant and is given the same warning: he must be willing to kill to save everyone. Marshall does not hesitate in agreeing to these terms.
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Issue 4’s ending is all the more shocking because readers have been afforded a deeply personal look into Nathan’s inner struggle. Being Radiant Black gave Nathan a new purpose and a chance to rediscover who he was beneath the bitterness and defeat. While the twist is not without precedent, writer Kyle Higgins’ story feels undeniably unique. It is the kind of unexpected swerve that only works in a creator owned series. This kind of shocking reveal is what propelled another creator owned series, Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker’s Invincible, beyond simple genre homage.
Invincible is a series about the ideals of youth being shattered by the harsh reality of the world’s capacity for cruelty. In Invincible #7 readers discover that Omni Man, the protagonist Mark Grayson’s father, is not the hero they believed him to be when he murders the planet’s premiere team of superheroes, The Guardians of the Globe. When Mark finds out the truth issues later, his father beats him nearly to death. These same events were adapted to brutal effect in the recent animated series. It was a genuine shock to audiences who expect superhero stories to have clear lines between good and evil. If Invincible' s father was so cruel, what did that mean for the hero? Would he be doomed to follow the same destiny?
There is a sense of finality to the events that elude mainstream superhero stories published by Marvel and DC. While there is plenty of storytelling value in those universes, moments that promise they will rock the foundation of a franchise will always feel hollow. Readers know things eventually return to the norm. Superman will be Clark Kent, Peter Parker will be Spider-Man. Higgins’ decision to spend 3 issues with Nathan to make readers care so deeply about him results in a devastating final moment that sweeps readers’ expectations out from under their feet. Marcelo Costa’s art adds to the heartbreak, with a solemn final glance from Nathan toward Marshall and the glimpse of Radiant Red’s face beneath the shattered helmet. Nathan had finally begun to put the pieces of his life back together, and for one shining moment was able to be a hero. His life was not what he thought it would be but it was worth something, in the end.
There is a chance that this twist is not as final as it appears but with no corporate franchise to pull the series back to a specific status quo the stakes feel genuine. It evokes the same sense that anything can happen in this series that readers felt when they saw that final page of Invincible #7.
How will Marshall use these powers and what lessons will he take from Nathan's death? There have been only hints of who Marshall is beneath the wisecracks, of a man with his own regrets and bitterness about his lot in life, but who set those aside to help a friend. Does he live a life in Nathan’s honor or is his road a darker one?
After blowing up expectations early on, Radiant Black’s future is wide open.