Comic Book Review - Supermassive #1

Rob reviews Supermassive #1...

Since its launch last year, the world of Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa's Radiant Black has set itself apart from other superhero stories. Kicking off 'year-2', Higgins has taken things further by enlisting Ryan Parrott and Mat Groom to create Supermassive - a superhero team-up that introduces and sets up two new titles - Rogue Sun and Inferno Girl Red.

Supermassive #1 sets off with a new hero, Inferno Girl Red chasing a two-headed beast through a snow-capped forest. Things take a turn for the worse as after receiving quite a punch from the hero, the monster then attacks an innocent bystander who happened to be in the same forest. This then causes Inferno Girl Red to catch the attention of Rogue Sun, who's alerted by the interdimensional wake that the duo left behind. As Red and Sun clash over their handling of the situation, both are interrupted as Radiant Black turns up.

It's at this point where the crossover gets interesting as the monster comes back and essentially de-powers the three heroes. What follows is quite a journey as the youngsters discover that their power is more than just their suits and that working together they make quite the team. While this style of story has been told before, it's got that Radiant Black spin on it that keeps it sounding fresh. 

With such a diverse range of cast, there's a lot of character building. Higgins continues to build Marshall up as being Earth's defender - a fact that he's still not so sure about. We're then shown chunks of Rogue Sun and Inferno Girl Red's origins as the duo discuss their situations with Marshall. The cross country car journey is an excellent way to delve into the characters and allow them a bit of breathing room between fights. Whilst Marshall bonds with both newbies, Cássia (Inferno Girl Red) is the one with who he seems to bond more. 

Completing the trio is Rogue Sun who's the most experienced and eldest of the group. Throughout Supermassive he displays his annoyance with Radiant Black and Inferno Girl Red's naivety with their current situation. Whilst initially this does set the character apart from the others, he does open up to Marshall during the car journey, which shows the character's more vulnerable side. 

Artwork comes from each of the series' main contributors with each team working on their segments. Francesco Manna, Melania Palladino, and Simone Ragazzoni dive straight into proceedings to give us some crisp clean line work that fits perfectly into the Radiant Black world. Each character oozes detail with every action rendered with perfect style and finesse. Igor Monti brings all this detail together with some excellent neon colour work that makes the action-packed set pieces shine.

While Supermassive was a gamble, it has paid off exceptionally well. While Radiant Black is the only pre-established superhero in this story, Higgins, Parrott, and Groom make Inferno Girl Red and Rogue Sun feel just as established. Throw in the impeccable visuals and Supermassive #1 is a great superhero team-up that continues to reshape the mould. 

Rating 8/10 

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