Cyborg Ronin Rai and his sibling Raijin is out on a mission to make sure New Japan never rises again. To do this they must hunt down their siblings but Rai is trying to retain his humanity despite this path of violence. Come check out his quest in Rai #1 by Valiant Entertainment!

RAI #1

Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Juan Jose Ryp
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Dave Shape
Editor: Lysa Hawkins
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 20th, 2019

Previously on Rai: Rai is on a quest to save the world yet again. Come see Valiant’s first superhero in action as he embarks on a mission to kill his siblings before they can bring back his father’s reign of tyranny. Come check out the new adventure here!

THE SPIRITUAL ROBOT

The book starts off with Rai and his brother Raijin traveling through the Anarcho-Baron Clan in the United States. After getting harassed by the Anarcho-Baron Clan, Raijin takes a rest and Rai enters a dreamstate with Momo. He reveals that while he is trying to find his siblings, he is traveling to find her as well. During the next day of travel, they stop for fuel but they are attacked by the full force of the Anarcho-Barons. Rai decides to step in and easily decimates their forces; Rai moving so fast they it appears that he is simply walking. Raijin reveals that they are trying to find their siblings because if 12 of them come together they can reboot Father. Suddenly Raijin picks up a signal of an offspring and they leave this gas station to check it out.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN

The Rai series has always questioned what it meant to be alive and what it means to be human. This issue is no different. Rai is trying to be human and step away from the violence that he was created for. Raijin practices being lighthearted so he can understand what it means to be human. They did a respectable job introducing this question but it just isn’t anything new. Media has explored the “What it means to be human” question over and over again and I find this trope to be boring. Often the answer to that question is love and Dan Abnett sows the seed of that with the dream shared with Momo. 

I think the highlight of this story was Raijin’s conversation with the bartender at the refueling station. There was something interesting about watching a robot kid talking to a human bartender while the cyborg Rai is fighting the Anarcho-Baron Clan. This was well done and it spent a good amount of time in the action scenes and exploring the dialogue. These 8 pages or so was written and was drawn very well without overwhelming the reader. I think this shows the strength and experience of the creative team.

BOTTOM LINE: IT WAS DECENT

I think the art was pretty and the story was told very well. I just lament the fact that I could see where the direction of this first issue was going. Perhaps I’m just fatigued this week but I really wanted something more and this fell short. 3.5 out of 5 for Rai #1 for me. It was respectable but not original.

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Rai #1

70%

70%

Average

There was something interesting about watching a robot kid talking to a human bartender while the cyborg Rai is fighting the Anarcho-Baron Clan.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  7
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0