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Valiant Masters
Valiant Masters: Rai, Volume 1: From Honor to Strength
4001 A.D., Tohru Nakadai is the 42nd Rai, the spirit guardian of Japan. Infused with the energy of his ancestors and dedicated to the way of the samurai, Rai is sworn to the service of Grandmother the personified, artificial intelligence that governs the island nation of Japan. For forty generations, Grandmother's benevolent dominion has endured, but in the wake of her sudden disappearance, Rai will become all that stands between his nation and all-out chaos. As humanist factions war with mechanist loyalist for control of the future, the masterless Tohru is about to become the first Rai that must choose for himself how best to defend his people, his family, and his honor.
Presenting, in a deluxe hardcover format for the first time anywhere, revisit the future of the original Valiant Universe with Rai's critically acclaimed, highly sought-after adventures from legendary creators David Michelinie (Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man), Joe St. Pierre (Spider-Man 2099) and Peter Grau (Titans)!
Collecting: Rai 1-8
Presenting, in a deluxe hardcover format for the first time anywhere, revisit the future of the original Valiant Universe with Rai's critically acclaimed, highly sought-after adventures from legendary creators David Michelinie (Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man), Joe St. Pierre (Spider-Man 2099) and Peter Grau (Titans)!
Collecting: Rai 1-8
216 pages, Hardcover
First published December 3, 2013
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53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 11, 2021
Rai was one of my favorite Valiant comics back in the 90's. It and Valiant in general had a ton of great world building. Everything in the Valiant universe just fit together, even these comics set 2,000 years in the future. (It's not actually that surprising given Jim Shooter was the architect of the Valiant universe. It all has that same feel as Marvel in the 80's when Shooter was Editor in Chief.) Unfortunately, Rai #0 wasn't included which had contained a lot of the setup for future Japan. (I'm guessing because the pages originally appeared as a flipbook in Magnus, Robot Fighter #5-8.) So we're left a little bit lost when this starts. New Japan Has already ascended into space to revolve around the Earth while Grandmother, the A.I. who ran Japan has departed into space. Rai's wife received an X-O armor during a war with its creators. New Japan is in a great deal of flux as it's citizens aren't use taking care of themselves and blame it all on Rai. The first 5 issues are skirmishes between the new government and separatists. Issues #5 and #6 are Unity crossovers, but ones that have great impact on Rai. Issue #8 is about setting up the new direction as issue #9 becomes Rai and the Future Force.
January 11, 2014
Back in The Day, I started reading this comic with Rai & The Future Force #9, so I've literally been waiting 20 years to go back and read the first story of Rai.
It starts off a little off-kilter because we're pretty en media res, following events that I assume occurred in the unreprinted Magnus, Robot Fighter comic. However, as things come clear, it's increasingly obvious that this is a strong, courageous comic. Micheline has a lot of shocking events occurring in this volume, and they all have a lot of emotional heft. It's terrific to read.
The Unity crossover (issues 6-7) reads surprisingly well. Sure, we don't get the full story, but the two issues of Rai hang together.
Overall, a great done-in-one storyline that's much more realistic than was the case at the time and is really different too, for its Japanese focus.
It starts off a little off-kilter because we're pretty en media res, following events that I assume occurred in the unreprinted Magnus, Robot Fighter comic. However, as things come clear, it's increasingly obvious that this is a strong, courageous comic. Micheline has a lot of shocking events occurring in this volume, and they all have a lot of emotional heft. It's terrific to read.
The Unity crossover (issues 6-7) reads surprisingly well. Sure, we don't get the full story, but the two issues of Rai hang together.
Overall, a great done-in-one storyline that's much more realistic than was the case at the time and is really different too, for its Japanese focus.
Read
August 20, 2013A very well written action comic book series. Next to Bloodshot, one of favorite Valiant superhero characters (and X-O Manowar as well). I collected these issues when they were first published in the early 90's. With Valiant making a comeback in the past two years, where is the new Rai?
May 17, 2015
It was only after finishing this collection that it dawned on me; I've never seen a hero so incompetent that wasn't actually billed focused on being incompetent.
In this eight issue collection, I don't think Rai actually succeeds in anything he intended to do; at least not without serious unintended ramifications that make things worse. He's powerful, but he appears to be completely out of touch with those people he is supposedly defending, and his every action escalates the situation. I think every fight he's in he at best stalemates if he doesn't outright lose. And then in the major crossover event, he even manages to be killed by the major villain in a moment that doesn't even directly support her defeat.
And Rai is not a sympathetic character; he's kind of emo; lots of whining and reflection on how he's letting down his heritage. And the artwork here is vintage 90's and feels very dated. Honestly, there's nothing here that really stands out as being worth reading; the reboot is a much better version of a similar story, looking much better and being much more interesting. Go with that instead if you have to have a Rai experience.
In this eight issue collection, I don't think Rai actually succeeds in anything he intended to do; at least not without serious unintended ramifications that make things worse. He's powerful, but he appears to be completely out of touch with those people he is supposedly defending, and his every action escalates the situation. I think every fight he's in he at best stalemates if he doesn't outright lose. And then in the major crossover event, he even manages to be killed by the major villain in a moment that doesn't even directly support her defeat.
And Rai is not a sympathetic character; he's kind of emo; lots of whining and reflection on how he's letting down his heritage. And the artwork here is vintage 90's and feels very dated. Honestly, there's nothing here that really stands out as being worth reading; the reboot is a much better version of a similar story, looking much better and being much more interesting. Go with that instead if you have to have a Rai experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2014
This was an incredibly frustrating book to read. On one hand, there's a lot of great stuff here - the setting is fascinating, as is the idea of Rai, which lets David Micheline explore those themes of fatherhood, legacy, and the nature of heroism that he does so well. The art is lovely, as well - Valiant had this house style at the time that was crisp, and clean, and really lent itself to visual storytelling.
What was frustrating, though, was how much this book was constrained by the time it was published. Shooter's attitudes about serial storytelling can definitely be felt as an influence, and I couldn't help but wish that it was allowed to develop its story in the slower, deliberate way that a book like Saga gets to operate. Add to that a completely horrible ending - Rai getting jobbed out to a super villain as part of a mega crossover - that you could argue is "ironic", but only in the sense of someone coming and stealing half of your meal while you're eating dinner.
What was frustrating, though, was how much this book was constrained by the time it was published. Shooter's attitudes about serial storytelling can definitely be felt as an influence, and I couldn't help but wish that it was allowed to develop its story in the slower, deliberate way that a book like Saga gets to operate. Add to that a completely horrible ending - Rai getting jobbed out to a super villain as part of a mega crossover - that you could argue is "ironic", but only in the sense of someone coming and stealing half of your meal while you're eating dinner.
July 4, 2022
This was going really good until it got to the Unity crossover and then it loses the nice flow it had going. Unity is a good crossover, but if you aren't reading it and are just reading this collection you are missing a ton of info in the latter half.
February 9, 2015
Very interesting Valiant book. RAI was a fantastic character (made even better by Matt Kindt in the current run) and this really was a fantastic collection. Interesting including the UNITY stuff, which is great, considering they can't print the whole run. Regardless, pick this up. 90s comics at its best.
October 25, 2019
This one is collection of Rai comics from the 90's.
Rai, protector of Japan must come to terms with what is expected from him and what truly needs to be done when Japan ends up in space, orbiting planet Earth and left by its controller AI, so called Grandmother.
Bitter feud between two fractions in Japans society - one trying to bring the controlling AI back and other trying to take control of all the power - will bring chaos to Rai's world and endanger not only him but his family too. If he is doing well he is not generally like dby political parties. But when he is not doing good .... then it is not good being Rai.
Like all other Valiant comics this one is more grounded super-hero comic. People lie and die here and there is no happy ending as one might expect.
That aside, since story is mix of various story lines somewhere at the end one will be left with huge number of question marks on what actually happened and then - zooooom - we go back to other story-line and ... that's it (?!?). For this incompleteness and large holes left at the end (I know what happened but what happened before and after?) I deduct one star.
Recommended to all fans of SF.
Rai, protector of Japan must come to terms with what is expected from him and what truly needs to be done when Japan ends up in space, orbiting planet Earth and left by its controller AI, so called Grandmother.
Bitter feud between two fractions in Japans society - one trying to bring the controlling AI back and other trying to take control of all the power - will bring chaos to Rai's world and endanger not only him but his family too. If he is doing well he is not generally like dby political parties. But when he is not doing good .... then it is not good being Rai.
Like all other Valiant comics this one is more grounded super-hero comic. People lie and die here and there is no happy ending as one might expect.
That aside, since story is mix of various story lines somewhere at the end one will be left with huge number of question marks on what actually happened and then - zooooom - we go back to other story-line and ... that's it (?!?). For this incompleteness and large holes left at the end (I know what happened but what happened before and after?) I deduct one star.
Recommended to all fans of SF.
February 27, 2018
it really is a shame this doesn't have the origin story from Magnus or Rai #0 in it, making it a complete collection. the Unity story lines feel a bit out of place to the rest of the Rai story, but nice having all 8 issues in one place. I want to go digging through my boxes to pull out all the Unity stuff to re-read now.
November 18, 2019
Good storyline but the Unity Saga was redundant. Probably good 25 years ago but only okay now today.
January 29, 2023
Weak tea, read most of these back in the day. More of interest for the covers and unexpected direction of the story.
May 6, 2016
Кибернетическая утопия (вместо панка - японский сеттинг), оборачивающася не до конца раскрытым образом тиранией и войной всех против "Отца", правителя Новой Японии, парящего острова над выжженной землёй. Необычно реалистичный, масляный рисунок (с лёгким эффектом 3д), интриги, не всегда логичные персонажи, вопросы свободы, борьбы и последствий принятых решений. Красной нитью по сюжету сквозят религиозные параллели.
На русском издательство "Виверра" в конце 2014 года выпустило первый том со вздувшейся обложкой и приказало долго жить после неважных продаж. Дочитал 12 выпусков в оригинале - не могу назвать шедевром, но в целом неплохо.
На русском издательство "Виверра" в конце 2014 года выпустило первый том со вздувшейся обложкой и приказало долго жить после неважных продаж. Дочитал 12 выпусков в оригинале - не могу назвать шедевром, но в целом неплохо.
November 16, 2014
I had heard good things about this series, so I ended up being pretty disappointed. There are definitely some cool ideas here, but the pacing is really awkward, and the story/worldbuilding is just getting interesting when it's interrupted by a crossover that we only get a few pieces of. Then it ends sort of abruptly. By the time it was over, I wasn't sure what to make of it. Potential ruined by corporate crossovers? I don't know...
November 13, 2014
Reprint of the original series, while it was interesting idea. I cant help but feel very dissociated from the character. I think they did not take the time to encourage the reader to develop a relationship with Rai character
September 15, 2014
Classic Rai...my first introduction.
The Unity story almost led to me giving it a three since it is chunks of a multi-title story so it is not always coherent.
The Unity story almost led to me giving it a three since it is chunks of a multi-title story so it is not always coherent.
August 28, 2024
Re read this again and I like it even more now, way ahead of its time.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews