In the words of Good Ol’ J.R., business has picked up with the rampage of events from last issue.
However, this issue, Kyle Higgins is joined by Cherish Chen, newcomer to Image, in crafting a one-issue backstory for Radiant Red, who we learn is Satomi Sone.
Satomi comes from a good family, parents who take pride in her job, her chosen lifestyle, and responsibility to family. She’s a good person who seems to have come from a family of solid role models. But if things are this good, how did we come to meet her robbing a bank at the beginning of the series?
Well, let’s get to her soon-to-be husband, Owen. He seems like a nice guy, but much like reality, nice guys may also have dark, impulsive secrets. We soon learn his secret is gambling and making many, many poor financial decisions. As one might have predicted, his compulsion for gambling lands him in a lot of trouble, to the point where, like many gambling addicts, suddenly seek out any way possible to make it back, even if it’s in desperate and ultimately futile fashion. Satomi learns this the hard way, and in a noble effort to help, she learns Owen emptied her own bank account to pay for his outstanding debts.
This is why I love Radiant Black. This series touches upon so many real-life scenarios. As a Licensed Professional Counselor (in Mental Health), this is a situation I am all-too familiar with in in my line of work. Desperation often leads to clouded thinking, and in Owen’s poor judgement he returns to gambling, a familiar place where he thinks he could simply win back both the money and Satomi’s trust.
Sadly, neither happen.
Satomi, distraught, is sudden caught in a blasting crash of a red object. Sure enough, it resembles the black and blue orb which Nathan and Marshall discovered in issue #1. Upon realizing it’s potential, Satomi begins to change her calm, hopeful demeanor into something tougher, and in her own words, “bad ass.” I really enjoyed the portrayal of Satomi’s emotional struggle with Owen’s compulsory gambling and money issues. Very impressed how the character developed in this one issue.
This bad ass takes matter into her own hands, and by the end of the issue, we see the result. A heist pulled off. Excellent dive into the backstory, and I hope we get similar side-tales with the introductions of the newest Radiants from the previous issue.
