Massive-Verse

The Massive-Verse (M-V) is a fictional shared universe, created by Kyle Higgins as an offshoot/relaunch of the Image Universe (IU), 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
PublisherBlack Market Narrative
(Image Comics)
Publication dateFebruary 2021 – present
Genre
Title(s)
  • C.O.W.L.
  • Radiant Black
  • Rogue Sun
  • The Dead Lucky
  • Inferno Girl Red
  • Radiant Red
  • Radiant Pink
  • No/One
Main character(s)
  • Nathan Burnett / Radiant Black
  • Marshall Ward / Radiant Black
  • Dylan Siegel / Rogue Sun
  • Cassia Costa / Inferno Girl Red
  • Satomi Sone / Radiant Red
  • Eva / Radiant Pink
  • Wendell George / Radiant Yellow
  • Bibiana "Bibi" Lopez-Yang / The Dead Lucky
  • No/One
Creative team
Writer(s)Various
Artist(s)Various
Colorist(s)Various
Editor(s)Michael Busuttil

Publication history

In 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 series would grow so popular, that it would expand into its own universe of books dubbed "The Massive-Verse", serving to relaunch the Image Universe (IU).

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 Carlomango.[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.

Main characters

  • 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.
  • Radiant Red (Satomi Sone) — An Asian-American woman with financial debt. Has the ability of matter-absorption
  • Radiant Pink (Eva) — 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.
  • Bibiana "Bibi" Lopez-Yang / The Dead Lucky — 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

Ongoing and limited series

TitleIssuesWriter(s)Artist(s)Colorist(s)Debut dateFinale date
C.O.W.L.1-11Kyle Higgins
Alec Sigel
Rod Reis
Elsa Charretier
Rod ReisMay 28, 2014[12]July 12, 2015[12]
Radiant Black#1–Kyle Higgins
Megan Camerena
Cherish Chen
Joe Clark
Laurence Holmes
Alec Siegel
Marcelo Costa
Ze Carlos
French Carlomango
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[13]Present
Rogue SunRyan Parrott
Nic Cotton
Abel
Ze Carlos
Marco Renna
Chris O'Halloran
Natalia Marques
Raul Angulo
March 2, 2022[14]
Radiant Red#1–5Cherish ChenDavid LafuenteMiquel MuertoMarch 9, 2022[15]July 6, 2022[16]
The Dead Lucky#1–12Melissa FloresFrench CarlomagnoMattia IaconoAugust 3, 2022[17]March 27, 2024
Radiant Pink#1–5Meghan Camarena
Melissa Flores
Emma KubertRebecca NaltyDecember 7, 2022[18]May 24, 2023
Inferno Girl Red#1–3Mat GroomErica D'UrsoIgor MontiJanuary 25, 2023[19]March 22, 2023
No/One#1–10Kyle Higgins
Brian Buccellato
Geraldo BorgesMark EnglertMarch 15, 2023[9]July 17, 2024
C.O.W.L. 1964#1-4Kyle Higgins
Alec Sigel
Rod ReisAugust 2024TBA

One-shots

TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Colorist(s)Debut date
Supermassive (2022)Kyle Higgins
Ryan Parrott
Mat Groom
Francesco Manna
Simone Ragazzoni
Igor MontiFebruary 23, 2022[20]
Supermassive (2023)Kyle Higgins
Ryan Parrott
Mat Groom
Melissa Flores
Daniele Di NicuoloWalter BaiamonteMay 24, 2023[10][11]
Supermassive (2024)Stefano SimeoneJuly 10, 2024

Other

TitleWriter(s)Artist(s)Colorist(s)Debut dateFinale date
Shift (4 part story in Image!)Kyle HigginsDaniele Di Nicuolo
Francesco Manna
Danilo Beyruth
Geraldo Borges
Chris Evanhuis
Walter Baiamonte
Marcelo Costa
Francesco Segala
Gloria Martinelli
Sjan Weijers
April 13, 2022[21]July 27, 2022

Other media

Animated short film

In 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.[22]

Podcast

In December 2022, it was announced that, to tie-in with the release of No/One, an in-universe podcast entitled Who Is No/One? will release with each issue and will 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.[23][24][25] The podcast will also feature original art by Mark Englert and music by Kristopher Carter.[9]

Audiobook

In 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.[26]

Release order

Year One

  1. Radiant Black #1
  2. Radiant Black #2
  3. Radiant Black #3
  4. Radiant Black #4
  5. Radiant Black #5
  6. Radiant Black #6
  7. Radiant Black #7
  8. Radiant Black #8
  9. Radiant Black #9
  10. Radiant Black #10
  11. Radiant Black #11
  12. Radiant Black #12
  13. Supermassive (2022) #1

Year Two

  1. Rogue Sun #1
  2. Radiant Red #1
  3. Radiant Black #13
  4. Rogue Sun #2
  5. Radiant Red #2
  6. Image! #1
  7. Rogue Sun #3
  8. Radiant Black #14
  9. Radiant Red #3
  10. Rogue Sun #4
  11. Image! #2
  12. Radiant Black #15
  13. Rogue Sun #5
  14. Radiant Red #4
  15. Image! #3
  16. Radiant Black #16
  17. Rogue Sun #6
  18. Radiant Red #5
  19. Image! #4
  20. The Dead Lucky #1
  21. Radiant Black #17
  22. The Dead Lucky #2
  23. Radiant Black #18
  24. Rogue Sun #7
  25. The Dead Lucky #3
  26. Radiant Black #19
  27. The Dead Lucky #4
  28. Rogue Sun #8
  29. Radiant Pink #1
  30. Radiant Black #20
  31. Rogue Sun #9
  32. Radiant Pink #2
  33. The Dead Lucky #5
  34. Inferno Girl Red #1
  35. Radiant Black #21
  36. Rogue Sun #10
  37. The Dead Lucky #6
  38. Inferno Girl Red #2
  39. Radiant Pink #3
  40. Radiant Black #22
  41. Rogue Sun #11
  42. No/One #1
  43. Inferno Girl Red #3
  44. Radiant Pink #4
  45. Radiant Black #23
  46. Rogue Sun #12
  47. No/One #2
  48. Radiant Black #24
  49. No/One #3
  50. Radiant Pink #5
  51. Supermassive (2023) #1

Year Three

  1. Rogue Sun #13
  2. No/One #4
  3. Radiant Black #25 & #25.5
  4. The Dead Lucky #7
  5. Rogue Sun #14
  6. The Dead Lucky #8
  7. No/One #5
  8. Rogue Sun #15
  9. The Dead Lucky #9
  10. Rogue Sun #16
  11. Radiant Black #26 & #26.5
  12. No/One #6
  13. The Dead Lucky #10
  14. Rogue Sun #17
  15. Radiant Black #27 & #27.5
  16. Shift #1
  17. No/One #7
  18. The Dead Lucky #11
  19. Rogue Sun #18
  20. Radiant Black #28 & #28.5
  21. The Dead Lucky #12

Reading order

  1. Radiant Black #1–9
  2. Image! - Shift #1–4
  3. Radiant Red #1–5
  4. Radiant Black #10–12
  5. Inferno Girl Red #1-3
  6. Supermassive (2022) #1
  7. Rogue Sun #1-6
  8. Radiant Black #13–18
  9. The Dead Lucky #1-6
  10. Rogue Sun #7-12
  11. Radiant Pink #1-5
  12. Radiant Black #19–24
  13. No/One #1-5
  14. Supermassive (2023) #1
  15. No/One #6-10
  16. The Dead Lucky #7-12
  17. Rogue Sun #13-18

"The Catalyst War"

  1. Radiant Black #25, 25.5, 26, 26.5, 27, 27.5
  2. Shift #1
  3. Radiant Black #28, 28.5, 29, 29.5
  4. Supermassive (2024) #1
  5. Rogue Sun #19-22
  6. Radiant Black #30, 30.5

Collected editions

TitleCollected materialPublication dateISBN
Radiant Black
Radiant Black Vol. 1: (Not So) Secret OriginRadiant Black #1–6August 18, 2021[27]978-1534319165
Radiant Black Vol. 2: Team-UpRadiant Black #7–12March 16, 2022[28]978-1534321090
Radiant Black Vol. 3: Rogues' GalleryRadiant Black #13–18October 19, 2022[29]978-1534323285
Radiant Black Vol. 4: Two-In-OneRadiant Black #19–24July 12, 2023[30]978-1534324770
Radiant Black Vol. 5: Catalyst War Part 1Radiant Black #25 A & B, #26, #26.5, #27, and #27.5February 28, 2024[31]978-1534397255
Radiant Black Vol. 6: Catalyst War Part 2Radiant Black #28, #28.5, #29, #29.5, #30, and #30.5January 14, 2025[32]978-1534397248
Radiant Red
Radiant Red Vol. 1: Crime and PunishmentRadiant Black #6, Radiant Red #1–5December 7, 2022[33]978-1534323209
Radiant Pink
Radiant Pink Vol. 1: Across the UniverseRadiant Black #12, Radiant Pink #1-5July 25, 2023978-1534324862
Rogue Sun
Rogue Sun Vol. 1: CataclysmRogue Sun #1–6August 24, 2022[34]978-1534322370
 Rogue Sun Vol. 2: HellbentRogue Sun #7-12May 17, 2023[35]978-1534324701
 Rogue Sun Vol. 3: Knight Sun Rogue Sun #13-18March 26, 2024[36]978-1534397231
The Dead Lucky
The Dead Lucky Vol. 1: The Good Die YoungThe Dead Lucky #1–6March 22, 2023[37]978-1534324664
The Dead Lucky Vol. 2: We Didn't Start the FireThe Dead Lucky #7-12June 4, 2024[38]978-1534397224
Inferno Girl Red
Inferno Girl Red Book OneInferno Girl Red #1–3June 13, 2023[19]978-1534324817
No/One
No/One Vol. 1No/One #1-10June 11, 2024978-1534397217

References