It all started with Radiant Black. Written by Kyle Higgins and drawn by Marcelo Costa, Radiant Black is a comic book series published by Image Comics since 2021. Its success would launch a whole universe, known as the Massive-Verse! Today, we are here to write about this Superhero universe inspired by the Power Rangers!
What is the Massive-Verse?
The Massive-Verse is a shared universe of superhero stories that started with Radiant Black. The story introduced us to Nathan Burnett, a struggling writer who, after drinking with a friend, discovers a miniature black hole that gives him powers and a black-and-white costume! Now, Nathan must learn to use his new powers as the superhero Radiant Black while also learning about the mysteries surrounding the object that gave him his powers.
Black Radiant is the main series of the Massive-Verse that has expanded with several spin-off titles: Rogue Sun by Ryan Parrott, The Dead Lucky by Melissa Flores, Inferno Girl Red by Matt Groom, NO/ONE by Kyle Higgins and Brian Buccellato, Radiant Red by Cherish Chen, Radiant Pink by Meghan Camarena and Melissa Flores.
What to read before Radiant Black?
Before Radiant Black, Kyle Higgins & Alec Sigel wrote C.OW.L., about the world’s first Super-Hero Labor Union named the “Chicago Organized Workers League” or C.O.W.L. The series has been retroactively added to the Massive-Verse. This is an optional read but of interest to everyone invested in this superhero universe.
- C.O.W.L. Vol. 1: Principles of Power
Collects C.O.W.L. #1-5. - C.O.W.L. Vol. 2: The Greater Good
Collects C.O.W.L. #7-11.
Massive-Verse Comics Reading Order
As stated on the Massive-Verse official website, “Every book in the Massive-Verse is completely self-contained, telling its own story with its own cast of characters.” So each series can be read separately and you can read as many or as few as you want.
This reading order is inspired by editor Michael Busuttil’s comment on Reddit and Kyle Higgins’s visual on BlueSky.
Year One
Let’s start by pointing out that Image Comics has released a volume collecting all the Radiant Black issues of Year One in a Deluxe hardcover–called Massive Edition.
- Radiant Black: Massive Edition Book One
Collects issues #1-12 of the ongoing Radiant Black series — including a newly remastered issue #11 — as well as a complete cover gallery and more than 30 pages of brand new exclusive backmatter.
And now! For the complete Year One with Radiant Black and the other comic series…
- Radiant Black Vol. 1: (Not So) Secret Origin
Collects Radiant Black #1–6 - Radiant Black Vol. 2: Team-Up
Collects Radiant Black #7–12 - Inferno Girl Red Book One
Collects Inferno Girl Red #1–3
Year Two
- Supermassive 2022
One-Shot. Collected in Supermassive Vol. 1: 2022-24 - Shift #1
One shot focused on the villain of the same name originally published in the Image! Anthology Comic. Read Chapters 1-4. The Fifth Chapter is set later. - Radiant Black Vol. 3: Rogues’ Gallery
Collects Radiant Black #13–18- Radiant Red Vol. 1: Crime and Punishment
Collects Radiant Black #6, Radiant Red #1–5.
- Radiant Red Vol. 1: Crime and Punishment
- Radiant Black Vol. 4: Two-In-One
Collects Radiant Black #19–24- Radiant Pink Vol. 1: Across the Universe
Collects Radiant Black #12, Radiant Pink #1-5.
- Radiant Pink Vol. 1: Across the Universe
- Rogue Sun Vol. 1: Cataclysm
Collects Rogue Sun #1–6 - Rogue Sun Vol. 2: Hellbent
Collects Rogue Sun #7-12 - The Dead Lucky Vol. 1: The Good Die Young
Collects The Dead Lucky #1–6
Year Three
- Supermassive 2023
One-Shot. Collected in Supermassive Vol. 1: 2022-24 - Rogue Sun Vol. 3: Knight Sun
Collects Rogue Sun #13-18. - The Dead Lucky Vol. 2
Collects The Dead Lucky #7-12. - No/One
Collects No/One #1-10, Who is No/One Episodes 1-10 and all ancillary storytelling material. Check out the companion podcast. - Radiant Black Vol. 5: Crisis: Catalyst War, Part One
Collects Radiant Black #25 A and B, #26 A and B, and #27 A and B, and Shift Chapter 5. - Radiant Black Vol. 6: The Catalyst War – Infinite Earths
Collects Radiant Black #28-30.5 and Supermassive 2024. The latter is also collected in Supermassive Vol. 1: 2022-24 - Rogue Sun Vol. 4: Divinity
Collects Rogue Sun #19-24
Coming Soon!
- C.O.W.L. 1964
Collects C.O.W.L. 1964 #1-4.
Also missing from this list right now is the appearances of Radiant Black in the non-Massive-Verse comics Free Agents!
