It’s Official! The Rebuild Era of Radiant Black is here! As established last issue, the end of the Cataclysm War saw Marshall take the mantle of Radiant Black, as his best friend and ours, Nathan Burnett flies off into the sunset to continue his career as a writer. That seems nice. Quiet life.
Have you ever felt, no matter what you did or how you did something, it was perceived as wrong, or you felt it was never enough? Can’t catch a break? Damned if you, damned if you don’t?
Radiant Black feels like it should take place in the same universe as Invincible. The constant challenging of morals and values, as evidenced by the decisions made by both protagonists during the Cataclysm War.
Marshall now has to deal with the aftermath of the war, both as civilian and in the role as Radiant Black. It seems he begins by taking a light-hearted approach to superheroing, but as the pages turn, it seems the weight of taking the mantle might appear to be a burden difficult to bear. Multiple panels show construction crews trying to remove the debris from the giant mechs which trampled the city, with Marshall having to abruptly abandon assistance in order to resolve another issue.
We go from time spent in the suit, to trying to be a regular human. Dating? Seems to go well. Things take a turn which sours Marshall’s mood for the remainder of the issue. It seems trying to mask his identity is tougher than imagined. For a guy who uses snarky humor and wit, having a cynical approach to the world, it is a curious path to becoming an individual of authority and having to present himself as serious-minded in the face of national and potential international dilemmas.
It is going to be fascinating to watch this transition unfold. Nathan appeared to already have these traits and the ability to perceive the bigger picture and understand the ramifications of decisions which not only affected himself, but his home, and as we saw during the Cataclysm War, the entire world. It is theses conflict which I feel to be so similar to the Invincible universe and yet at the same time so unique to stand out on its own.
Kyle Higgins (writer), Joe Clark (writer), Eduardo Ferigato (artist), Rod Fernandez (colorist), Becca Carey (letterer), and Michael Busuttil (editor), must be burning the midnight oil. As #31 comes sets the stage, #32 will see the arrival of foes, likely new and old to challenge the fortitude of Radiant Black.
The biggest question is, who knows there is a different wielder of The Radiant?
