Image Comics’ Massive-Verse has grown since its debut in 2021, and its creators aim to take it to even greater heights in the next few years. Today, an official panel was held with Massive-Verse creators Kyle Higgins (Radiant Black, No/One, C.O.W.L.), Brian Buccellato (No/One), Melissa Flores (The Dead Lucky), Ryan Parrott (Rogue Sun), and Joe Clark (Radiant Black) where they talked about the current state of the Massive-Verse.
Higgins explained how each book was “siloed” so that you could pick up one without missing the other. He pointed out how each year had a Supermassive one-shot that tied the worlds together, with this year focusing on the fallout of Radiant Black’s Catalyst War. “I don’t even think Rogue Sun has met Nathan yet,” Parrott joked, noting how none of the Supermassive stories have had Dylan Siegel meet the original Radiant Black, Nathan Burnett. He did point out how the one-shots were all unique, saying, “We aren’t repeating ourselves.”
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Flores talked about Dead Lucky wrapping up, saying that she was happy she got to twelve issues – but she stressed that this was not the end for her electrically-powered soldier Bibi Lopez-Yang. Ditto for Inferno Girl Red – although creators Mat Groom and Erica D’Urso were absent, Higgins showed off artwork for the upcoming second volume, talking about how it would explore the other side of self-belief. “It’s YA Hopepunk,” he said.
Rogue Sun will launch a new story arc, with Dylan going after the mysterious Mourningstar – who’s been the source of the supernatural threats he’s faced as Rogue Sun. Parrott said that Rogue Sun will also begin to explore other aspects of the supernatural world, teasing two new foes and an unlikely ally for Dylan in future issues.
Making a surprise return was C.O.W.L., which was Higgins’ first creator-owned series based on his college film The League. He said that the new miniseries C.O.W.L. 1964 will retroactively place the series in the Massive-Verse, and urged viewers to look for certain ties. Clark also said that a vinyl record featuring music he wrote for the original C.O.W.L. will be available in the future.
The big ticket items had to be Radiant Black and No/One. Higgins said after the Catalyst War ends with Radiant Black #30 and 30.5, the series will go on hiatus until February 2025. He pointed out that some events, including his recent knee surgery, impacted the schedule, but he wanted to get the book back to a monthly schedule. Higgins and Clark also made it clear that, unlike other comic book events, the Catalyst War would bring lasting change to the pages of Radiant Black.
Fans won’t have to go long without Radiant Black, however, as Higgins developed an audiobook with an all-star cast. Rider Strong (Boy Meets World) is Nathan, and Will Friedle (Batman Beyond) is Marshall, while Kim Rhodes (Supernatural) and Loren Lester (Batman: The Animated Series) play Nathan’s parents. Melissa Navia (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) will voice Radiant Pink; Anne Yatco (Jujutsu Kaisen) plays Radiant Red. Rounding out the cast is Troy Baker (The Last of Us) as Shift and Todd Stashwick (Star Trek: Picard) as .
But that’s not all; the Massive-Verse is getting its own movie! Who Is No/One will build on the events of No/One and take place within the series, with Higgins and Buccellato producing, co-writing, and Higgins directing. “It’s a labor of love,” Buccellatto said, which could describe the Massive-Verse as a whole.
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