The Catalyst War is over. The end of the world is at hand. The only positive is that Radiant Black currently occupies TWO worlds. Your Major Spoilers review of Radiant Black #30.5 from Image Comics awaits!

RADIANT BLACK #30.5

Writer: Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark
Artist: Marcelo Costa/Eduardo Ferigato
Colorist: Raul Angulo and Rod Fernandes
Letterer: Becca Carey
Editor: Michael Busuttil
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 16, 2024

Previously in Radiant Black: Everything has come to this. The paradigm is forever changed. In the wake of the unmissable conclusion to The Catalyst War, there can only be one Radiant Black.

But which one will it be?

WHO WILL BE RADIANT BLACK?

The two timelines of Radiant Black (one where Marshall is the primary bearer of the Radiant, one where Nathan is the hero) have collapsed, and Nathan faces the power of Premier, perhaps the most powerful creature in the universe. Fortunately, Radiant Black is not alone, as Radiants Pink and Red have joined the battle. In fact, every hero in the Massive-Verse is on hand, with Rogue Sun, Dead Lucky, and Inferno Girl Red arriving to help, and even the mysterious <001> is working with Marshall to assemble more fighters against the Catalyst. Even the slippery criminal, Shift, has brought his forces, bringing the full force of their alien technology to bear… but they still lack the power to defeat Premier one-on-one. Of course, some of that equipment is designed to connect to the force they call Existence, the same energies that power all the Radiants, which gives <001> an unexpected flash of intuition.

ACROSS THE MASSIVE-VERSE

The last few double-issues of Radiant Black have been epic stuff, but the resolution of the lingering question of “Who should bear the Radiant?” is answered in an unexpected way this issue. Despite that surprising resolution, it pulls together the threads of both universes, defying the Good Ending/Bad Ending tropes, allowing heroic moments for both RB Marshall and RB Nathan. There’s also a very touching funeral sequence, a happy ending for several of the Radiants, and the building of camaraderie between the heroes of the Massive-Verse. (With The Dead Lucky ending recently, I hope that we’ll continue to see Bibi appearances in the remaining books.) After double-timing things for so long, it’s impressive to see Costa and Ferigato have a lot in the proverbial tank. The combat sequences are striking stuff, with giant robots, existential crises, and the various timeliness of Radiant Yellow all looking phenomenal. The final page splash featuring the newly-crowned one, true Radiant Black, is poster-worthy, wrapping up the biggest, craziest arc in the history of the Massive-Verse.

BOTTOM LINE: THE ENDING THIS STORY DESERVES

All in all, the end of The Catalyst War could have come apart at the seams, but Radiant Black #30.5 pulls all the threads together and showcases some of the best art we’ve seen in a book that always looks great, wrapping things up with a dead-solid 5 out of 5 stars overall. Best of all, the final page indicates that a new issue is scheduled for February 2025, meaning that this isn’t the end of the line for our toku-inspired heroes. That’s the best news I’ve heard all week.

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.