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Radiant Black #2

Image Comics

By Steven LeitmanPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Radiant Black #2

Image Comics 2021

Written by Kyle Higgins

Illustrated by Marcelo Costa

Lettered by Becca Carey

Yesterday: Nathan found an alien artifact that turned him into a superhero. Today? His dad says he has to get a job, so driving for rideshare company Drivr it is. Oh, and there's also someone else out there robbing banks with powers like his. That's probably important.

I have to say that the ending of last issue and what we see this issue threw me for a loop and I really thought that Nathan had gone red and robbed some bank. That Kyle can immediately use misdirection and then continue to use this throughout the book is going to keep you on your toes. This is what Kyle does, he writes amazing stories that defy your expectations and thrills you while you have no idea what and how things happened in the manner they did. He really has emerged as one of the best storytellers of his generation. I already like a few aspects of this book with Nathan and his family and those who have already entered the picture and have some impact or influence in his life.

I like the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented extremely well. The opening here is what really got me too and the father/son heart to heart that was meant with the best of intentions went horribly wrong and I can totally relate to that and somehow this perfectly sets the tone for the issue. The character development is amazing and I really like how the combination of dialogue and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter continue to shape their personalities. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing what’s in store it’s easy to lost in your mind as you are engaged in the potential.

I am loving the way that this is being structured and how the layers within the story continue to strengthen and new ones emerge. Again Kyle keeps switching things up on us and it’s really rather quite effective. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is sensational. There is nothing short of understated brilliance happening within these pages.

Want to know what else is understated here, the interior artwork that’s what. The linework is so clean, smooth and exquisitely laid down that with the varying weights being utilised we see some of the nicest detail work around. The backgrounds are utilised judiciously and rather effectively I might add as they enhance the moments as well as bring us some great depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the book. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is beautifully rendered and how we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is done exceptionally well. I love the light sources we see and how that changes the colouring.

There are some threads that I really can’t wait to see explored. Kyle manages to generate the interest and intrigue levels here through subtle manipulation of the story arcs that wind throughout the book. There is a reality to the way we see the events and the interactions between the characters that is something we don’t normally see and it adds a bit more humanity to the book than I thought was possible when dealing with an alien type suit that gives a guy like Nathan the strange abilities it does.

I’m excited to see where this is going to go next as this is incredibly well written and gorgeously illustrated.

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About the Creator

Steven Leitman

Just me talking about the comics I enjoy reading, ones that you might not know exist and spotlighting the indie creators that excite me.

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