017 SUPERMASSIVE
The Superhero Event of 2022, Ryan Parrott comes to Image, plus Radiant Black Box and Volume 2 reveal!
So you may or may not have heard the news by now, but a few weeks back we announced something…massive.
THE SUPERHERO CROSSOVER EVENT OF 2022!
Spinning out of 2021’s hottest new superhero debut, RADIANT BLACK launches into his first crossover event ever with the Image Comics debut of INFERNO GIRL RED and the first appearance of ROGUE SUN! The future of Image’s superhero universe is here!
POWER RANGERS: SHATTERED GRID architects KYLE HIGGINS and RYAN PARROTT, MAT GROOM and FRANCESCO MANNA from Marvel’s ULTRAMAN, and colorist extraordinaire IGOR MONTI unite for a one-shot, oversized crossover event so big it can only be called — SUPERMASSIVE.
So that sounds pretty fun, right?
Wait until you see the pages ;)
We don’t want to say too much about the story just yet, but I wanted to send out a post with a bit more info (also, ROGUE SUN!) as the books are now officially available to order from Diamond.
I gave a quote a few weeks ago when the big one shot was announced that said something along the lines of “collaboration is the best part of making comics, but my favorite part is collaborating with friends.”
In a lot of ways, this project is a reunion and in so many others, it’s just a continuation of what we’ve all been doing all along.
Obviously, Ryan and I did a lot of work together during Power Rangers: Shattered Grid days but as anyone who has ever heard me give an interview (sorry) probably knows, we’ve actually been very good friends since college and have been talking story for almost 15 years. He’s one of my closest collaborators and we both remember sitting in coffee shops right after college, talking about superheroes and comics and Image and the dream of being able to run a big, ambitious event one day.
The fact that we overlapped on Power Rangers when we did and were then able to do that together was a funny little coincidence that we both loved and made sure to appreciate as it was happening, because we knew it might not happen again.
Well, now it is :)
When Marvel asked me if I’d have interest in taking a swing at Ultraman, I told them that I did…but that I would really like to do it with a co-writer. More specifically, with Mat Groom.
Mat and Michael were instrumental for me behind the scenes on Power Rangers. Which should make it no surprise that building out a massively ambitious plan for Ultraman with Mat was both an absolute joy as well a precursor of the (much, much) bigger things to come.
I am so unbelievably honored, humbled and excited to be be telling not only a MASSIVE one shot together with these guys, but also kicking off something even bigger.
The book is available to pre-order now, featuring three stunning cover options:
This is our 1:25 variant from Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and Marcelo Costa:
And this is the 1:50 virgin variant from Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and Marcelo Costa:
You’re going to start hearing us do a whole bunch of interviews about this sucker, both as a celebration of 30 years of Image Comics’ superheroes as well as a taste of what’s to come— all of which the four of us (including Michael) have been building for quite some time.
Our pre-order links on the website aren’t live yet, but they will be very soon:
https://blackmarket.la/supermassive/
Also, I want to mention that I haven’t forgotten about the supremely epic team of Francesco Manna and Igor Monti, who will be illustrating the entirety of the 54 page behemoth that is SUPERMASSIVE. Mat and I did 10 issues of Ultraman with Francesco and the world was just introduced to Igor’s stunning palettes in Radiant Black 10—we’re going to be putting together a newsletter post about the visual side of SUPERMASSIVE soon.
And, just to close this out right, here are the full teaser images that Francesco and Igor put together:
“The reason I’m in comic books is because of Image. When I was 13, Image came out, I bought every single issue. It was a superhero universe that I didn’t have to have read years of material to get into."
ROGUE SUN co-creator, Ryan Parrott
We’ll also be doing a bigger post about Rogue Sun in our next newsletter (possibly with a guest section from Ryan, if he’s up for it) but for the time being I wanted to point your attention to a really fun interview Ryan did with AIPT about his new supernatural superhero murder mystery:
https://aiptcomics.com/2021/11/15/grcc-2021-interview-ryan-parrott-rogue-sun/
Welcome to Image, Ryan!
Radiant Black Volume 2 Cover
Just a quick hitter interlude— here’s the stunning Radiant Black volume 2 cover, courtesy of Marcelo. Out in March!
Radiant Black Box
They exist! They’re out in the world! If you got one, a few tips—
Look carefully.
There is only truth in Existence. And the light of Existence reflects all.
No spoilers!
Huge thanks to Marshall and the Circle Guy News crew of Ryan, TJ and Bill for making these happen.
Oh, and this is just the start of some very cool (and very limited) Radiant Black merch. We’ve still got a few Welcome to Existence 18x24” Blacklight Posters available from Nakatomi Print Labs, limited to 100 units:
https://store.nakatomiinc.com/welcometoexistence.aspx
Jump on the last few now before they’re gone!
Radiant Black Black Market Narrative Variant
And speaking of limited edition drops, last week we announced an even more special edition of Radiant Black 10— the Black Market Narrative Blacklight Edition:
You’ll have two ways to get a hold of the Black Market Narrative Radiant Black 10 Blacklight Edition. The first, is to find me at a convention. I’ll be selling this edition—in very limited amounts—through Comic Sketch Art at any conventions I attend. Some shows I might have 5. Others, 1. So, if you want to track down a copy this way… I suggest getting to the shows early.
The second way is to pay attention to this newsletter.
See, depending on when shipments come in from our multiversal courier, we’ll be making 10 copies available at a time—the most we can allot, unfortunately. Due to multiversal pipeline delays—which will be announced and dropped exclusively through this newsletter.
The blacklight edition of Radiant Black 10 is officially sold out at Diamond—or, if it’s not yet, it’s quite close. And while we won’t be reprinting it, we will have this limited variant of the blacklight edition available for a little while.
We’ll make the first batch of 10 available soon. Very soon. And, once again, you’ll only be able to get it from us, at random drops announced RIGHT HERE.
Are you subscribed yet?
LA Comic Con
Of course, if you want to get a copy of the Black Market Narrative Blacklight Edition of issue 10 now and you happen to be in Los Angeles this weekend, then you’re in supreme luck. I’ll be appearing at Comic Con LA Friday, Saturday and Sunday along with Ryan Parrott and I’ll have copies of the book at my table.
You can find out more information on the convention here!
https://www.comicconla.com/guest-category/2021/
Stay Radiant and hopefully I’ll see you this weekend, LA!
Kyle