Set in the year 4001, Rai was an interesting mix of sci-fi futurism, ancient Japanese lore and all the twists and turns expected by from Valiant Entertainment.
There's a character known as Bloodshot and this book's title character is somehow tied in. One might think that you need to have a prior knowledge of Bloodshot in order to enjoy this book. But in all honesty, the opposite is true. The less you know or think you know, the better.
The crux of this story is that Obadiah Konishi, the latest Rai of New Japan, has a crisis of faith which causes him to revolt against the megalopolis' ruler, 'Father.' As Rai goes rogue, Father will try to bring his 'son' back under to control. However, like with most teens, the more the parent rallies his child back into the family, the most Rai will run into the arms of New Japan's rebel insurgency!
As I was reading this book, I went from confusion, trying to figure out the connection between this character and Bloodshot. Then I just went with it and enjoyed it. But coming back a day or so later to review this book, I feel that if given the chance to read volume 2, I would pass.
It just wasn't that memorable a journey for me. I found myself going back trying to remember the plot of the story. A good rule of thumb is this- 'if you can't recall events from the book you just read, it's not that great of a book.' For a book by someone as good and talented as Matt Kindt (MGMT), this was quite disappointing.
Also looking back, the art really isn't my thing. Ghost Rider's Clayton Crain has a painted anime-style. Though in all likelihood, the art was done by some sort of computer program. Compared to Alex Ross who paints his own work with oils and brush, it's just not as impressive.
I normally don't do this but I am going to give this one bad marks. Rai just is not all that memorable. The art is better than I can do, surely. But compared to masters like Kirby, Allred or Adams, it is far lacking. I love a lot than Valiant has been putting out in it's rebooted universe. But Rai isn't one of those highlights.
Not Worth Consuming!
Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.
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