Writer Kyle Higgins, frustrated by the lack of freedom on the Power Rangers, decided to create his own version with Radiant Black at Delcourt. However, can a copy be made into an original work?
From looser to superhero
Strangely, sentai (teams of Japanese superheroes costumed and with colors in the manner of Power Rangers) are very fashionable at the moment as shown by their intervention in Quentin Dupieux's next film. In Radiant Black, thirty-year-old Nathan Burnett takes stock of his life and it's not pretty. Because of his debts, he has two jobs and still has to live with his parents. However, everything changes when he discovers the Radiant. This artifact gives him access to cosmic power but nothing is ever easier, right?
A breath of fresh air in the genre
In Radiant Black, the reader feels a desire for freedom on the part of the screenwriter. Fortunately, as is often the case, it does not involve more violence but an anchoring in reality. Nathan cries in his car when he learns that the bank refuses his loan but he can not let go because a customer arrives: he is a Drivr driver (who rhymes with…) in Los Angeles and has to race one race. He is ashamed of his debts that he hides from everyone except his best friend, Marshall. The young man is also a thriller novelist who struggles to finish his first book. He keeps ruminating on every page, every comma to the point of being blocked. Writing is a vital need for him. He must also undergo a tense discussion with his father about the need to have a food job.
Like Invincible, we find superhero codes perfectly executed but in a different setting. Nathan can fly and levitate, throw objects and expel energy rays. He is poor but honest. Like Spider-Man, he is a hero of the neighborhood, of everyday life and, during his first fights, he jokes. But the link with the Radiant also evokes the Venom symbiote. He is supported by Marshall who is the classic sidekick of the hero. He represents the humorous surety. He is in charge of Nathan's training but his expertise seems to be based on the films he rents in a video club. Both are considered losers who dream their lives rather than live it.
A squall of action
Radiant Black is primarily an action series with a fast pace: Nathan finds the artifact after eight pages. He helps the police, but two officers immediately discover his new identity. Kyle Higgins quickly installs a more complex universe. Nathan discovers another universe (Existence) and the complete reversal of episode five is very successful and shows that the writer dares to go very far. If Marcelo's drawing is simple, several passages are successful. Radiant Black also has a "French touch" as the costume's helmet is inspired by that of a Daft Punk. Eduardo Ferigato who draws episode five gives scope to the duel between the Radiant Black and the Red. The last episode, illustrated by David Lafuente gives a very interesting style for a more intimate episode.
Radiant Black is very successful by a very fast pace and characters more original than the Power Rangers. Nathan is very touching by his hesitations and a whole group is formed at the end of the volume. The screenwriter begins with Radiant Black and, thanks to the success, he has multiplied the colorful spin-offs in the United States.
If you liked this article, you can find other chronicles on superheroes with Crossover and The Paybacks.
