Massiverse (Radiant Black, Rogue Sun, etc.) by Kyle Higgins

[captainzombie]

I dropped it back around issue 4 but I came back when it was collected in volumes. Of the Massive verse books I'm reading, RB is my least favorite but it's still solid.

The split timeline is an interesting gimmick but it looks pricey. So it could be more of a price concern than a story concern.

I don't think there are too many massive verse books as the universe feels standalone. What books would you cut?

If anything they should of just had 2 ongoing books, Radiant Black and Rogue Sun. I think having those split books is not helping at all and honestly, they could have alternated where one month it is Nathan's book and the next month it was Marshall's and condensed the storyline a bit so it wasn't as dragged out by any means and build up to one giant sized issue or the next Supermassive book.

I am not sure that they needed separate books for Dead Lucky or even mini-series for No/One, Inferno Girl Red, Radiant Pink, Radiant Red, and Shift. They should of spent time building all of these new characters between Radiant Black and Rogue Sun to give those books more meat. Then if some of these characters are popular and taking off, give them their own book. I could be all wrong with my way of thinking, especially how the comic book market is currently correcting from the pandemic levels and people are not spending as much money these days as they were on non-essential items.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

If anything they should of just had 2 ongoing books, Radiant Black and Rogue Sun. I think having those split books is not helping at all and honestly, they could have alternated where one month it is Nathan's book and the next month it was Marshall's and condensed the storyline a bit so it wasn't as dragged out by any means and build up to one giant sized issue or the next Supermassive book.

I am not sure that they needed separate books for Dead Lucky or even mini-series for No/One, Inferno Girl Red, Radiant Pink, Radiant Red, and Shift. They should of spent time building all of these new characters between Radiant Black and Rogue Sun to give those books more meat. Then if some of these characters are popular and taking off, give them their own book. I could be all wrong with my way of thinking, especially how the comic book market is currently correcting from the pandemic levels and people are not spending as much money these days as they were on non-essential items.

I don't think the current books needed more characters/plot threads.

[captainzombie]

I don't think the current books needed more characters/plot threads.

I can respect that since you've read more than I have.

What is your feelings on the future for this franchise?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I can respect that since you've read more than I have.

What is your feelings on the future for this franchise?

Theoritically RB could've acted as a prologue for Dead lucky and No/one as both those books have problems that RB should take an interest in. But it would've added too many characters and changed the current tone for the series. So i don't know if it would've worked out for the characters. It would be in danger of turning into a divided mess of a story like Iron man 2/ Multiverse of madness.

I don't track sales so I can't explain that aspect. Outside of the split timeline RB is doing, the books seem like they are in a solid creative place. Right now the Massive verse is pretty standalone. There are the occasional crossovers but there isn't a big event like Infinity War/Endgame that they are building towards. So right now the Massive verse just feels like a bunch of comics from the same studio and may end on it's own terms than the universe needing to continue. Its too soon to tell what kind of indie superhero comic they are.

[captainzombie]

Theoritically RB could've acted as a prologue for Dead lucky and No/one as both those books have problems that RB should take an interest in. But it would've added too many characters and changed the current tone for the series. So i don't know if it would've worked out for the characters. It would be in danger of turning into a divided mess of a story like Iron man 2/ Multiverse of madness.

I don't track sales so I can't explain that aspect. Outside of the split timeline RB is doing, the books seem like they are in a solid creative place. Right now the Massive verse is pretty standalone. There are the occasional crossovers but there isn't a big event like Infinity War/Endgame that they are building towards. So right now the Massive verse just feels like a bunch of comics from the same studio and may end on it's own terms than the universe needing to continue. Its too soon to tell what kind of indie superhero comic they are.

You do make a great point with regards about too many characters that would change the tone of the series. In no way do we need to have any of these Marvel/DC convoluted multiverse stuff, because it has done nothing but hurt Marvel in the long run.

How long do they plan to continue to do the split timeline for?

How do you feel that they can improve this entire series?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

You do make a great point with regards about too many characters that would change the tone of the series. In no way do we need to have any of these Marvel/DC convoluted multiverse stuff, because it has done nothing but hurt Marvel in the long run.

How long do they plan to continue to do the split timeline for?

How do you feel that they can improve this entire series?

I'm not sure about either question. What do you feel is lacking in Radiant Black?

[captainzombie]

I'm not sure about either question. What do you feel is lacking in Radiant Black?

I couldn't tell you as I had mentioned before I had lapsed way early around the early teens on RB.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I couldn't tell you as I had mentioned before I had lapsed way early around the early teens on RB.

So why did you drop it back then? Just curious.

You do make a great point with regards about too many characters that would change the tone of the series. In no way do we need to have any of these Marvel/DC convoluted multiverse stuff, because it has done nothing but hurt Marvel in the long run.

How long do they plan to continue to do the split timeline for?

How do you feel that they can improve this entire series?

Regarding Radiant Black, it's a decent Spider-Man esque comic about two buddies dealing with superheroes. Right now it's at a turning point with who would get the Radiant Black. So the split timeline approach can't go on forever and how it chooses to resolve that question is a make or break for it.

No/one is a street level crime story. It has an ensemble cast and is about the consequences of No/one's previous activities. Who is underneath No/one's mask could be another make or break moment. Plus unlike the others, No/One feels like a limited TV Series. So we might get an anthology like structure with each season being set around a particular mystery/Crisis.

[captainzombie]

So why did you drop it back then? Just curious.



Regarding Radiant Black, it's a decent Spider-Man esque comic about two buddies dealing with superheroes. Right now it's at a turning point with who would get the Radiant Black. So the split timeline approach can't go on forever and how it chooses to resolve that question is a make or break for it.

No/one is a street level crime story. It has an ensemble cast and is about the consequences of No/one's previous activities. Who is underneath No/one's mask could be another make or break moment. Plus unlike the others, No/One feels like a limited TV Series. So we might get an anthology like structure with each season being set around a particular mystery/Crisis.

I had stopped reading because my pull list had gotten a bit of control and I am still so behind on books. Kept buying way too many books.

I will probably start the series all over again and get caught up. Any suggestions on the reading order with all of the books?

I do keep hearing how good that No/One is and would like to read this. That is cool if they do something like an anthology series.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I had stopped reading because my pull list had gotten a bit of control and I am still so behind on books. Kept buying way too many books.

I will probably start the series all over again and get caught up. Any suggestions on the reading order with all of the books?

I do keep hearing how good that No/One is and would like to read this. That is cool if they do something like an anthology series.

Outside of Radiant Red/pink should be read after volume 2 of Radiant Black, I don't think a reading order is that necessary.

You do make a great point with regards about too many characters that would change the tone of the series. In no way do we need to have any of these Marvel/DC convoluted multiverse stuff, because it has done nothing but hurt Marvel in the long run.


How do you feel that they can improve this entire series?

With the Massive verse, the next step would be whether or not they expand beyond the books they have now. Are they gonna start doing more crossovers/events? Would they retire characters or create successors? Would they expand beyond superheroes and create new imprints like Ghost Machine etc?

[captainzombie]

Outside of Radiant Red/pink should be read after volume 2 of Radiant Black, I don't think a reading order is that necessary.

With the Massive verse, the next step would be whether or not they expand beyond the books they have now. Are they gonna start doing more crossovers/events? Would they retire characters or create successors? Would they expand beyond superheroes and create new imprints like Ghost Machine etc?

I started re-reading Radiant Black last night, finished up the first 6 issues. I remember just how good this series was when it came out. I am going to work on a full readthrough. Even though I have floppies of the books, I also have the first 2 volumes of Radiant Black in TPB, and it is so nice sometimes reading this way as you can really blast through books.

It will be interesting to see the direction they go in if they have anymore crossovers and/or create new characters.

I think there is a lot of potential here with what Higgins has created for this overall universe to even get an animation at some point down the road.


I found this reading order on Reddit.

Year One:
Radiant Black #1-9
Image! (Shift series) #1-4 (This one is not really important. They are gonna rerelease the Shift short stories soon in a dedicated One-shot. You can read those after that One-shot comes out)
Radiant Red #1-5
Radiant Black #10-12
Supermassive 2022

In RB #9 is a timeskip and Radiant Red happens then, but you can also just read it after issue 12.

Intermission/1960s:
C.O.W.L #1-11
C.O.W.L is a series that was released in 2015, but it retrospectively became part of the Massiveverse. It is not important to the Massiveverse as a whole, but it is still part of it.

Year Two:
Rogue Sun #1-6
Inferno Girl Red #1-3
Radiant Black #13-18
The Dead Lucky #1-6
Rogue Sun #7-12
Radiant Black #19-24
Radiant Pink #1-5
Supermassive 2023

Rogue Sun, Inferno Girl Red, The Dead Lucky and Radiant Black can really be read in any order here. Make sure you are at the last issue listed here once you start Supermassive 2023. I like to switch to another hero once I finish a volume. That's why the order is like this. Radiant Pink should be read after you finished Radiant Black Volume 4. The story of the Inferno Girl Red solo book happens before Supermassive 2022, but you should read it after.

Year Three:
NO/One #1-6
Rogue Sun #13-16
The Dead Lucky #7-10
Radiant Black #25-26 A+B

The Year 3 stories are currently ongoing and you can read those in any order. No/One is extremely disconnected from the other stuff so it doesn't really matter at what point you start reading it. (There is a No/One "Easteregg" in one of the Shift short stories, but those aren't really important.)

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

C.O.W.L. is a good read. It has the potential to be the Massive Verse of the JSA. It's set in the 50s but exploring COWL in the 70s/90s could be fun.

[captainzombie]

C.O.W.L. is a good read. It has the potential to be the Massive Verse of the JSA. It's set in the 50s but exploring COWL in the 70s/90s could be fun.

I will make sure to check out C.O.W.L.. Is that available in a TPB format?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I will make sure to check out C.O.W.L.. Is that available in a TPB format?

Yep. I believes it's collected into two TPBs

[captainzombie]

Yep. I believes it's collected into two TPBs

Awesome, I will take a look at these here at some point once I finish up Year 1 since some say that this comes at the end of that.

I was even picking up all of the Rogue Sun and Dead Lucky, never got around to reading any of them. The good thing is that I have quite a bit to read as I have been chopping down my pull list. I was just buying books to buy them at times in the past and have started to get better about that as it is a total waste of money.