A midnight meeting doesn’t quite turn out as Satomi expected. She is not the only person in the area with superpowers. Can she step away from this life, or will she be drawn back in? Find out in Radiant Red #2 from Image Comics!
RADIANT RED #2
Writer: Cherish Chen
Artist: David Lafuente
Colorist: Miquel Muerto
Letterer: Diego Sanches
Editor: Claire Napier
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 6, 2022
Previously in Radiant Red: Satomi Sone, in the Radiant Red persona, robs a string of banks around Chicago. Then her fight with Radiant Black makes the news. She decides to swear off using the powers. Her fiancé, Owen, asks her what they are going to do about the couple million dollars stashed in the vents. Satomi, we soon learn, is close with her family. She has always wanted to live an adventurous life. Instead, she is an eighth-grade literature teacher. Then one day a guy shows up at her class, identifying her as a bank robber and claiming his employer has a job for her. She walks out and runs into a reporter looking for more details about the “incident” a few weeks ago. Then she gets a text message setting up a 2 AM meeting…
THE CLASSIC MIDNIGHT MEETING
Radiant Red #2 opens as Satomi arrives at the address she was given, an abandoned foundry. The stairwell is lit, but the rest of the cavernous building looms in the darkness. She pauses on a walkway to announce her arrival. A bucket of molten metal is dumped on her and she just barely transforms into Radiant Red. Then some thugs walk up to her. A fight ensues. Satomi dispatches them quickly. Then the man she met earlier steps out of the shadows.
Satomi pre-emptively refuses his offer again and tells him to keep away from her family. He then reveals that he has superpowers, and he is called Shift. He can phase in and out. This is a tougher fight for Radiant Red, even though she is able to land a couple of solid blows with her giant fists. Still, he knocks her down. Then she blasts him with fire from her hands, a power she didn’t realize she had.
The lights come on. More people walk in. A woman called Margo stops the fight and says that she is impressed with Satomi. Any filter Satomi has, goes away when she is Radiant Red, and she tells Margo to lay off. Margo orders her minions to go so she can talk to Satomi privately. She starts by complimenting her. Satomi insists that she does not want her powers anymore. Margo knows about the bank robberies, that Owen is a gambling addict, that Satomi has got herself into uncharted territory.
And Margo has a deal for her. She can help Satomi by exchanging her cash for fresh bills. But she needs Satomi and her powers for a job.
FIGHT…OR AUDITION?
The opening scene in Radiant Red #2 is brilliantly atmospheric. Satomi’s silhouette in the first panel sets it up. The red glow behind her sets us up for the molten metal incident, but we don’t realize that yet. The place has been abandoned for some time. The walls are covered with layers of graffiti. It is so quiet that the sound effects of creaking doors seem unnaturally loud. The main foundry is dark and full of heavy machinery. When Satomi is suddenly spotlighted in a warm glow, we know something is up, but even so, the molten metal comes as a surprise, and I love how it is drawn. It looks thick and gloopy and absolutely white-hot.
I don’t know if being Radiant Red changes Satomi’s personality, or draws upon her inner personality, but when she is Radiant Red, she is the antithesis of an eighth-grade teacher. When she is her normal self, there is something about her that almost looks childlike. When she is Radiant Red, her stance changes. Her reflexes are incredibly fast. She acts before thinking. The wildness in her is terrifying. Despite this, Margo does not hesitate to confront her and is not afraid to turn her back on her. Satomi may be complex, but it seems like Margo thinks she understands some things about her.
BOTTOM LINE: TENSION AND TEMPTATION
Radiant Red #2 is not bad for a second issue. The art is terrific and now we have enough setup and complications that it looks like the story will be interesting.
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Radiant Red #2
Satomi desperately wants to step away from her powers, but a new complication arises.
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Writing8
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Art9
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Coloring8
By day, she’s a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Ms. Know-It-All. By night, she’s a dance teacher and RPG player (although admittedly not on the same nights). On the weekends, she may be found judging Magic, playing Guild Wars 2 (badly), or following other creative pursuits. Holy Lack of Copious Free Time, Batman! While she’s always wished she had teleportation as her superpower, she suspects that super-speed would be much more practical because then she’d have time to finish up those steampunk costumes she’s also working on.