088 Happy New Year! -can we still say that?
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Hey everyone!
Happy New Year!
…is it too late for a happy new year? I never know what the statute of limitations is on that one.
Kyle here, coming to you from prison my desk, three weeks into 2026… which honestly feels pretty much exactly the same as 2025 😭
How was everyone’s holidays? We ended the year with quite a bit of travel over here— LA to Brazil to Chicago and back to LA. Kelly and I were invited as guests to attend CCXP for the first time alongside our Radiant Black team, Marcelo Costa, Eduardo Ferigato and Rod Fernandes. Our time in Sao Paolo was incredible— CCXP is a show that I had only heard a myriad of stories about and my god did it live up to the hype.
I’m not sure what the attendance was this year, but last year was 285,000 people and the venue is one of a kind. Diffusion pumped in to create light beams and ambience, more neon than you know what to do with and themed spaces that any event organizer or production designer would be jealous of. Plus, too many incredible Power Rangers, Batman and Radiant Black fans to count.
A huge thank you to all of the amazing people I was able to meet and spend time with, from my Radiant Black partners Marcelo, Eduardo, and Rod Fernandes, to C.O.W.L. co-creator Rod Reis and NO/ONE co-creator Geraldo Borges, Massive-Verse friends Cian Tormey, Danilo Beyruth, Rafael Albuquerque, Matheus Santolouco, the lovely Mega Power Brasil folks and to all the fans, the amazing staff and especially to Ivan Costa, I cannot thank you enough for a very special, one of a kind week.
And the crazy thing is, Radiant Black isn’t even published in Brazil yet! Can you imagine when that happens? ;)
In the midst of our trip, Marcelo and I also got some time to talk about plans for Radiant Black 43 and beyond. This arc will hit close to home for us and after some planning while getting lost in the rain en route to Eduardo Ferigato’s much-hyped-definitely-delivered BBQ, I can’t wait to see the designs that Marcelo is going to come up with.
Finally, thanks to Rod and his lovely wife Priscilla, we were able to tour some pretty cool areas of Sao Paolo including Batman alley.
It was a fantastic way to close a long year!
Obrigado!
Massive-Verse Live
Back in November, Michael and I announced that we were starting a weekly livestream called Massive-Verse Live, featuring a live discussion between the two of us, guests and segments where we can show off all sorts of things from upcoming issues, audiobooks, movies, and other secret things.
We’ve been doing this for a few weeks now, with a standing schedule of Monday nights at 6pm PST/9pm EST. We’re still figuring out the format as well as some technical odds and ends, but they’ve been a fun way to hangout with everyone on a more regular basis.
Next week will feature the first of our new segments, including “Kyle Pitches Michael,” “How Wrong Was I?” and “One Minute Retcons.”
Set your calendars for Monday nights!
Discord
And speaking of hanging out more regularly, at the tail end of last year we low key rolled out something that we’d been talking about internally for a while, our new Black Market Discord.
First, a huge shoutout to The Radiant Black Podcast guys and the excellent Massive-Verse Discord that they’ve built over the last five years, also known as Existence. A whole host of us creators are in there regularly and we don’t have any plans to leave. But, as I mentioned in posts within both servers, there are some things building behind the scenes for Black Market Narrative as we enter 2026 that make building a dedicated community space a move that makes sense.
From the Massive-Verse books to the Radiant Black Audiobook to the I AM NO/ONE film, we’re also going to be doing more live streams, exclusive drops, and much more video, audio and immersive material for both existing projects and some big new ones.
The other thing we’re excited to do is to use the server as a way to better source topics and feedback on certain things we’re making.
So, if the idea of having a front row seat as we push further into new storytelling formats and mediums sounds cool to you, then this is the server to be in!
Inferno Girl Red Kickstarter
After a monumental shipping adventure, the Inferno Girl Red hardcovers successfully reached us and have started going out to backers!
The book turned out gorgeous and we can’t wait for everyone to see it in person!
And for those of you who are collecting the series in the monthly or trade paperback releases, we’ve got some updates for you, too!
Inferno Girl Red Book Two
Inferno Girl Red Book Two (#1 of 3) hit stands on December 3rd.
Inferno Girl Red Book Two (#2 of 3) hit stands on January 7th.
And on February 4th, Inferno Girl Red Book Three (#3 of 3) will wrap up the series!
Finally, we’ve got the trade paperback OGN, on sale April 21! Cover art by Igor Monti!
Radiant Black
Okay, there’s a lot of big things going on with Radiant Black right now. Joe, Marcelo, Rod, Becca Michael and I are all working overtime on issue 40, along with the wonderful Paulo Santos who is joining us for a bit as we work to get caught back up. It’s a big issue, which we’re going to focus on more extensively in our next newsletter.
But today, I want to highlight all the cool stuff we’ve got coming out for our big five year anniversary.
Audiobook
As announced at NYCC last year, Radiant Black The Audiobook will be hitting digital audiobook stands on February 10th, our exact five year anniversary.
For those that don’t know, I used to be a sound editor. Funny story, I actually quit my job at Soundelux and Hollywood Edge in early 2011 in order to write for Marvel and DC full time.
And while I still keep my Pro Tools, Izotope and Soundminer subscriptions active, I don’t spend much time in any of the old programs these days, save for the occasional recording session or spot cleanup job.
Well, that’s changed entirely over the past two months.
While I’ve been recording off and on for the better part of a year, it’s only in the last few weeks that I’ve been building out all six chapters in Pro Tools, recording narration, and designing/cutting sound effects. I just finished recording with Todd Stashwick about an hour ago as I’m writing this, which about puts the finishing touches on our cast.
I don’t want to jinx anything here, but I have to tell you— this thing is turning out awesome. Every actor delivers, the soundscapes are vibrant, music is cool as hell, and by the time I finish the mix… I think people are going to really dig what we’ve made. It’s definitely a unique experience.
Here’s a little scene tease, from a session I just finished with Will:
(And the matching page from the book):
We’re still sorting out getting the audiobook pre-listed on Audible and other platforms, but rest assured— there will be a proper newsletter on release day.
Radiant Black and White
One day later, on February 11th, you’ll be able to pick up a special new edition of Radiant Black #1, featuring the entire first issue in black and white along with the full script. It’s 48 pages long and showcases the book in a really cool new way.
Here’s the cover, by David Finch and Jimmy Reyes.
And we’ve got a 1:10 incentive variant featuring just David’s pencils.
Radiant Black x Revenge Of party
Finally, on February 21st, we’ll be closing things out in style with a party at Revenge Of in Los Angeles!
We’ll have more details on this in the coming weeks, but I wanted to flag it for anyone who may want to travel— if you’re able to make it out, this should be a pretty one of a kind night :)
DC Next Level
One last thing before I get back to this audio session— a few weeks back, DC put out some news about their next wave of books, including a lineup of creators who are going to be working on some exciting new projects.
Beyond March, DC has also updated the list of creators and titles first shared during a New York Comic Con panel, expanding the scope of NEXT LEVEL with additional projects launching later in 2026. The growing creative roster includes Jeff Lemire, Greg Rucka, Javier Rodríguez, Jamal Campbell, Skottie Young, Mariko Tamaki, James Harren, Kyle Higgins, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Michael Walsh, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Rafael De Latorre, Jorge Corona, Tony Fleecs, Amancay Nahuelpan, Deniz Camp, DaNi, and more, with characters ranging from Zatanna and Firestorm to the Teen Titans and Barbara Gordon.
So, while I can’t say what I’ll be working on or with who, I can tell you that it’s a very cool thing that I’m genuinely really excited to be doing—I imagine it will make some fun waves when it’s announced in the coming months.
Okay, that’s going to do it for me today!
Back to Pro Tools!
Stay Radiant!
Kyle
Los Angeles
I can't believe it's been 5 years already. Between the release of the audiobook and the Radiant Black & White one shot, I can't think of a more Radiant way to celebrate. I'm also eagerly chomping at the bit for your DC Next Level book, whatever it turns out to be.