By Brandon T. McClure
In 2021, Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa began publishing Radiant Black for Image Comics, which launched what became known as The Massive-Verse. Consisting of books like Rogue Sun, Inferno Girl Red, and Dead Lucky, the Massive-Verse has carved out a successful corner of the world of comic books with no sign of slowing down. At this year's San Diego Comic Con, Kyle Higgins revealed a very exciting new project in the works, the Massive-Verse is taking a leap to the big screen.
One of the most recent entries in the Massive-Verse comes in the form of No/One by Kyle Higgins, Brian Buccellato, and artist Geraldo Borges. This ten issue limited series has been a unique entry in the Massive-Verse due to its multi-media approach to storytelling. The series follows the aftermath of an event in Pittsburgh known as the Accountability Murders where a man going by the name Richard Roe began killing corrupt people in power. These people had been doxed by a keyboard vigilante known as No/One, whose goal was to bring their corruption to light. He signed off his initial message with “No one is above the law, and I am No/One.” The mystery surrounding No/One is at the center of the series, as well as the identity of a new killer, claiming to be the original Richard Roe. No/One’s centers on the theme of accountability and how every act, big or small, has ripple effects. Plus a little bit of The Purge mixed in.
No/One Preview Issue #1 - Artist: Geraldo Borges / Colorist: Mark Englert
No/One was paired with a in universe true-crime podcast called Who Is No/One, which was hosted by characters in the book played by Rachael Leigh Cook and Patton Oswalt as well as guest stars from the likes of Todd Stashwick, Yuri Lowenthaall, and Loren Lester as No/One. Each episode of the podcast picked up after the end of each issue, and discussed the aftermath of the comic books events. It created a very engaging and unique reading experience but the ending of the book still left many lingering questions. Most notably the question at the heart of the comic, “Who is No/One and why did he do this?”
During the “Enter The Massive-Verse” panel at San Diego Comic Con 2024, No/One interrupted Kyle Higgins with a video proclaiming that “I am No/One and this is my story.” This video was followed by the reveal that an in-universe feature length documentary is in the works. The documentary, titled I Am No/One, will recap the events of the comic and podcast and shed new light on those same events as well as act as a sequel to the series, and seemingly answer the question at the heart of No/One once and for all. I Am No/One will be directed by Kyle Higgins and is looking to start filming sometime next year. Seemingly, the cast is already set as Higgins stated he cast the podcast with an eye towards this documentary, but it’s unclear at this time how many are due to return.
For this ambitious project, director Kyle Higgins will utilize “sit down interviews, phone and drone footage, news coverage, and first-person GoPro and helmet videography from the “NO/ONE” operation itself” according to The Wrap. This may be Higgins first time directing a feature length film, but this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. Higgins has directed many short films that have tied into his comics, most notably The League (tie-in to C.O.W.L.), Versus (animated short film from Radiant Black), and Power Rangers: Shattered Grid (promo for the comic event of the same name). He loves to experiment with multi-media stories, such as Bear McCreary’s comic/album The Singularity, so I Am No/One is the logical next step.
Massive-Verse / Radiant Black
At this time, there is no official word yet on how this documentary will be distributed but it is being produced by Black Market Narrative, ZQ Entertainment, producers Ara Keshishian, Petr Jakl, Stuart Manashil and Steven Schneider (Insidious, Late Night with the Devil, and Paranormal Activity), and, of course, Kyle Higgins and Brian Buccellato. As far as distribution goes, it’s likely this will be a streaming release, possibly on the Black Market Narrative YouTube channel, since there may not be a large enough audience for No/One to warrant a theater release. The Massive-Verse may be popular but an in-universe true crime documentary may be a tough sell to general audiences. But it’s hard to rule anything out at this moment since it’s still a ways away from release. Even if it’s incredibly niche to a general public, it’s still incredibly exciting for Massive-Verse fans. Especially for the fans who were hungry for more after the end of No/One
The collected edition of No/One is due out in November, and will no doubt find new readers looking for this kind of biting political commentary. But No/One has a very particular structure when paired with the podcast, so It’ll be interesting to see how the creators include the podcast without the benefit of a monthly publishing schedule. Likewise, the documentary may also struggle. While it’s exciting now, I Am No/One will likely be out two years after the book wrapped up. It’s not unreasonable to wonder if the hype surrounding this multimedia story will sustain that long. But Massive-Verse fans are in it for the long haul and will no doubt show up when the documentary drops.
The Massive-Verse started as one comic but has grown into one of the most exciting comic book universes on the market. It’s a truly exciting time in the Massive-Verse, as Radiant Black’s “The Catalyst War” event wraps up, a card game on the horizon, the return of C.O.W.L., an audio drama based on the first volume of Radiant Black due out this Fall, and the I Am No/One in-universe documentary. It’s an embarrassment of riches coming from one of the most exciting comic book universes the industry has ever seen.
