By Jacob Cordas — I just read Radiant Black #1 (due out February 10), and I have a confession: My name is Jacob Cordas, and long ago, I was bitten by the comic collecting bug. For the past 26 years, however, I thought I was sick of superhero universes, launching, relaunching, restarting, etc. I’ve collected tie-ins and trades. I’ve spilled water and had to rebuy reboots, making some dicey money choices. Years passed, bringing with them so many mediocre new superhero comics. Blah blah blah. Super boring. But I handled it all like a champion. Because, you know what, no matter how many times I bought a bad comic, I always got back up. 

Radiant Black #1 is the reason why it’s worth getting back up. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve never been in as much debt as this comic’s main character, Nathan Burnett, though I did once need to beg for money so I could stop being marooned. But I have never been $40,000 in debt, as our friend Nathan is here. 

I’ve also never been visited by some kind of cosmic entity that gave me a psychically-controlled suit, which is of course a little less surprising. Nobody really expects me to lift up trains with my mind or be able to fly. Sure, I used to sit next to windows and stare and focus and stare and focus. But nothing ever lifted up. 

Things are different here. Nathan Burnett is sad and exciting. He’s a millennial superhero who is just as much a failure as a success. Hell, between you and me, you go back like 15 years, with an origin like this, he’d probably be a villain. But that’s what makes him relatable. Most folks I know are failures on the cusp of becoming successful. We’re all one step away, and I’m telling you, if we can just get the right person to pay attention, boom — straight to the moon.

Alright, people. Let’s start at the beginning one last time. Radiant Black #1 is written by Kyle Higgins and illustrated by Marcelo Costa. Higgins has written a wide variety of properties, many of them superheroes, from Ultraman to C.O.W.L. to Nightwing, while Costa has drawn Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Firefly. And now the duo are the creative force behind Radiant Black #1.

Their talents sync here flawlessly. Higgin’s words come to life through Costa’s art, and Costa’s art is filled with soul thanks to Higgin’s words. Simply put, it’s exactly what you want to happen in comics. Everyone carries their weight in this partnership. Becca Carey, who makes some of the best covers in comics*, is the letterer for the book. Carey’s work is fantastic, adeptly conveying establishing location text; voices from people, phones, televisions; sounds quite and loud; and it’s all readable and fluent. It’s quiet work that is the final part of this piece. Radiant Black #1 is, essentially, a jam session from a great team. 

So once again, my name is Jacob Cordas. I have read far too many comics, and for like two days all I’ve been doing is thinking about Radiant Black #1. I think you know the rest. I wrote this review. I rambled at some friends about it. I became optimistic about the upcoming superhero universe this title might launch. Maybe I have a bit more hope than I should from just one issue. But when I feel alone, like no one understands what I’m going through, I remember that the book’s main character, Nathan Burnett, gets it. I never thought I’d be this excited for another universe, but I am.

Overall: Radiant Black #1 is a compelling first issue that instantly sets up a relatable protagonist and makes me empathetically interested in what’s coming next. 8/10

*I highly recommend checking out her comic book series (which you can see here). It’s a fascinating experiment into covers that makes me wish more covers look like these. 

REVIEW: Radiant Black #1

Radiant Black #1
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Marcelo Costa
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
For fans of INVINCIBLE and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comes a brand-new ONGOING SERIES from acclaimed writer KYLE HIGGINS (Ultraman, C.O.W.L.) and artist MARCELO COSTA that reinvents superheroes for a new generation! Nathan Burnett has just turned thirty, and things aren’t great: He’s working (and failing) at two jobs, his credit card debt is piling up, and his only move…is moving back home with his parents. But when Nathan discovers and unlocks the ethereal, cosmic RADIANT, he's given the power to radically change his fortunes! There’s just one problem: The powers don’t belong to him. And the COSMIC BEINGS who created them want them back...by any means necessary.
Release Date: February 10, 2021
Buy It Digitally: Radiant Black #1

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My name is Jacob Cordas (@jacweasel) and I am starting to think I may in fact be qualified to write this.