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Rai by Matt Kindt
4001 A.D.
One hundred years from today, Father – the benevolent artificial intelligence that governs the island nation of Japan – will gain sentience. To defend its borders, Father will take drastic action by launching Japan into space…where its people can thrive in isolation, away from the overpopulated and resource-deprived planet below. Over the centuries, as New Japan orbits our increasingly unstable world, it will become a model society – one built on peace, prosperity…and Father’s control.
A thousand years from today, Father will create the first Rai, founding a lineage of technologically enhanced heroes engineered to defend New Japan and sworn to protect it from all enemies. For hundreds of years into the future, the Rai will single-handedly enforce New Japan’s justice well…and serve Father without question.
Now, at the dawn of 4001 A.D., the latest Rai is about to inherit the dark truth behind the origin of his kind…and discover the sinister secret at the heart of Father’s existence. For New Japan to live, Earth must die…and as Rai challenges his former master for the first time in more than a millennium, the lone guardian of New Japan will be cast out of his own Father’s kingdom…
Exiled from the only realm he’s ever known, Rai now walks the ravaged world of 4001 A.D. in search of forgotten heroes like himself…on a mission to collect the last surviving legends of a broken planet…and to forge a rebellion with the power to bring the most advanced civilization in history crashing back down to Earth.
Earth must rise. Father must fall.
Collecting: 4001 A.D. 1-4
A thousand years from today, Father will create the first Rai, founding a lineage of technologically enhanced heroes engineered to defend New Japan and sworn to protect it from all enemies. For hundreds of years into the future, the Rai will single-handedly enforce New Japan’s justice well…and serve Father without question.
Now, at the dawn of 4001 A.D., the latest Rai is about to inherit the dark truth behind the origin of his kind…and discover the sinister secret at the heart of Father’s existence. For New Japan to live, Earth must die…and as Rai challenges his former master for the first time in more than a millennium, the lone guardian of New Japan will be cast out of his own Father’s kingdom…
Exiled from the only realm he’s ever known, Rai now walks the ravaged world of 4001 A.D. in search of forgotten heroes like himself…on a mission to collect the last surviving legends of a broken planet…and to forge a rebellion with the power to bring the most advanced civilization in history crashing back down to Earth.
Earth must rise. Father must fall.
Collecting: 4001 A.D. 1-4
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2016
15 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
November 22, 2019
In reality this is Rai vol. 4. I'm not really sure why Valiant does this. It's even the same creative team. It makes it really confusing to follow the story when the title changes 4 volumes in. That being said, there's not much meat to this story. It's 4 issues of Rai fighting Father for control of Japan. Clayton Crain's art is very hit and miss for me. Some panels are beautifully rendered while others I can't even tell what's happening in them. I think his art would be better served if a colorist set up his color palette for him. He tends to go way too dark. I find my eyes straining to figure out the art in the panel.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley and Valiant in exchange for an honest review.
Received an advance copy from NetGalley and Valiant in exchange for an honest review.
July 3, 2021
Someone at Valiant had an idea. It wasn’t a good one.
This is essentially the fourth volume of Matt Kindt/Clayton Crain’s Rai run. Only for some reason they decided to call it 4001 A.D. and make Rai, Vol. 4 a prequel to the whole thing. Why? No one knows.
I don’t see this working for either people who have read the previous volumes nor for the ones who start here, thinking this is a new series. It’s basically the final confrontation between Father and Rai that the first three volumes were building up to. But because of Valiant being stupid, Kindt has to dump the backstory on readers in a couple of panels at the start of every issue. For someone like me, who has read the previous volumes, this is just a lot of repetition and leaves me with a “final volume” that is pretty short on new content. For anyone who’s new to the series, they must be wondering why the meat of the story happens off-page. It doesn’t make any sense.
The artwork which, let’s be honest, has always been the star of this series has also gotten worse. It isn’t bad now all of a sudden. But it is often very busy, and some of the action scenes are too much work for the reader to decipher. I mean, what even is happening here:
I have no idea. But the next panel is telling me that Rai has (spoiler) apparently defeated this very cool New Japan Dragon that came a little bit out of nowhere. Boo!
2.5 stars
This is essentially the fourth volume of Matt Kindt/Clayton Crain’s Rai run. Only for some reason they decided to call it 4001 A.D. and make Rai, Vol. 4 a prequel to the whole thing. Why? No one knows.
I don’t see this working for either people who have read the previous volumes nor for the ones who start here, thinking this is a new series. It’s basically the final confrontation between Father and Rai that the first three volumes were building up to. But because of Valiant being stupid, Kindt has to dump the backstory on readers in a couple of panels at the start of every issue. For someone like me, who has read the previous volumes, this is just a lot of repetition and leaves me with a “final volume” that is pretty short on new content. For anyone who’s new to the series, they must be wondering why the meat of the story happens off-page. It doesn’t make any sense.
The artwork which, let’s be honest, has always been the star of this series has also gotten worse. It isn’t bad now all of a sudden. But it is often very busy, and some of the action scenes are too much work for the reader to decipher. I mean, what even is happening here:
I have no idea. But the next panel is telling me that Rai has (spoiler) apparently defeated this very cool New Japan Dragon that came a little bit out of nowhere. Boo!
2.5 stars
October 20, 2022
More fun in the Valiant Entertainment / Comics universe, way out ahead in 4001 AD.
The Rai story just keeps getting better and Matt Kindt knows what buttons to push to keep the wheels rolling. Artist Clayton Caine’s art is as good or better than Duston Nguyen’s brilliant work in Jeff Lemire’s Descender series.
The sectors in New Japan remind me of writing from John Varley and William Gibson and this time around I also thought about Howard Chaykin’s work in his American Flagg series. There is just so much going on its hard to say what was best – just all of it.
It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE Valiant fan and so this was some rich cream with a cherry on top.
The Rai story just keeps getting better and Matt Kindt knows what buttons to push to keep the wheels rolling. Artist Clayton Caine’s art is as good or better than Duston Nguyen’s brilliant work in Jeff Lemire’s Descender series.
The sectors in New Japan remind me of writing from John Varley and William Gibson and this time around I also thought about Howard Chaykin’s work in his American Flagg series. There is just so much going on its hard to say what was best – just all of it.
It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE Valiant fan and so this was some rich cream with a cherry on top.
September 17, 2016
Collection with Volumes #1-4.
I haven't read anything by this author/artist team before. I like the linework and colours.
The story has some superhero/transformers hints in a dystopian setting. The Matrix comes to mind as well.
There were several panels, where I simply did not understand what I was seeing. Especially the action sequences were sometimes difficult to decipher.
And despite all of the action, the plot dragged. I kept checking the page count from Volume #3 onwards... Volume #4 is pretty short, but has some really nice, full-spread panels.
Bottom line, nice artwork. The plot is really drawn out and a little thin, I could have done with a more elaborate storyline. Recommended for sci-fi fans.
I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
I haven't read anything by this author/artist team before. I like the linework and colours.
The story has some superhero/transformers hints in a dystopian setting. The Matrix comes to mind as well.
There were several panels, where I simply did not understand what I was seeing. Especially the action sequences were sometimes difficult to decipher.
And despite all of the action, the plot dragged. I kept checking the page count from Volume #3 onwards... Volume #4 is pretty short, but has some really nice, full-spread panels.
Bottom line, nice artwork. The plot is really drawn out and a little thin, I could have done with a more elaborate storyline. Recommended for sci-fi fans.
I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!
June 1, 2019
Matt Kindt can write a good sci-fi story. 4001 AD is a perfect example. It is beautifully illustrated and tells an interesting story.
In the future, Japan is an orbiting satellite nation. Run by AI and a super computer known as Father, Japan has become a superpower. But the rule of father is harsh. His "son" Rai, another AI, rebels and leads a fight against father. That's all the spoilers you're getting.
I am thinking there is more to this story, even though this is volume 1. I'll see if I can find the others. But, this was a fun read even not knowing the full background. The artwork is top notch and the story of Father and his control is a good one. I enjoyed this first outing and will certainly be back for more. Any sci-fi fan will enjoy this comic.
In the future, Japan is an orbiting satellite nation. Run by AI and a super computer known as Father, Japan has become a superpower. But the rule of father is harsh. His "son" Rai, another AI, rebels and leads a fight against father. That's all the spoilers you're getting.
I am thinking there is more to this story, even though this is volume 1. I'll see if I can find the others. But, this was a fun read even not knowing the full background. The artwork is top notch and the story of Father and his control is a good one. I enjoyed this first outing and will certainly be back for more. Any sci-fi fan will enjoy this comic.
August 3, 2018
It’s time for another Valiant mega-event! The year is 4001AD, and Rai has declared war on Father, the AI that controls the floating country of New Japan. Can he free his home from tyranny even as Father desperately tears it down around him?
4001AD is basically the next arc of Rai; after being cast down to Earth from New Japan, Rai attempts to rally Earth’s remaining heroes in order to take the fight back to Father and destroy him once and for all, giving the people of New Japan back their agency. I’m not really sure why it was turned into an event other than ‘because’, but that’s how comics work I suppose.
It picks up directly from the end of Rai #12, and hits the ground running after some beautiful David Mack flashback sequences to catch people up. I don’t think it’s actually that easy to jump into if you haven’t been reading Rai, personally, but I’m assuming most people have if they’re interested in the story.
The final confrontation with Father seems a bit quick, if we’re honest. I know he’s meant to be losing control at this point in the story, but as an AI that’s meant to be running an entire city-continent, for him to have a physical body that dies just as easily as Rai or anyone else would seems odd. He’s not the final threat I suppose since there’s something a little more important to deal with after him, but when he’s been built up to be the big bad guy, having him go down so quickly is a bit cheap.
I do like the ending of the story overall though; it feels like the characters have reached the goal they were aiming for, but it could easily be a springboard for another story going forward if Valiant want to revisit Rai in the future. But you won’t feel cheated out of a satisfying conclusion by any means
Clayton Crain hands all of the art in these four issues except the aforementioned David Mack flashbacks, and he’s built for this series by this point. His super-stylized computerized artwork is beautiful, and is exactly what you associate with Rai and his world after 12 issues of the main series. The insane set pieces wouldn’t look half as bombastic under anyone else’s care.
4001AD isn’t perfect, but it’s the action-packed finale that the Rai series has been building up to since it started. The final battle’s not quite as satisfying as it could have been, and some of the characters get a little lost in the shuffle to the main event stage, but if you’ve been reading Rai, you’ll find 4001AD exactly what you’d hoped it’d be. If you haven’t, your mileage may vary.
4001AD is basically the next arc of Rai; after being cast down to Earth from New Japan, Rai attempts to rally Earth’s remaining heroes in order to take the fight back to Father and destroy him once and for all, giving the people of New Japan back their agency. I’m not really sure why it was turned into an event other than ‘because’, but that’s how comics work I suppose.
It picks up directly from the end of Rai #12, and hits the ground running after some beautiful David Mack flashback sequences to catch people up. I don’t think it’s actually that easy to jump into if you haven’t been reading Rai, personally, but I’m assuming most people have if they’re interested in the story.
The final confrontation with Father seems a bit quick, if we’re honest. I know he’s meant to be losing control at this point in the story, but as an AI that’s meant to be running an entire city-continent, for him to have a physical body that dies just as easily as Rai or anyone else would seems odd. He’s not the final threat I suppose since there’s something a little more important to deal with after him, but when he’s been built up to be the big bad guy, having him go down so quickly is a bit cheap.
I do like the ending of the story overall though; it feels like the characters have reached the goal they were aiming for, but it could easily be a springboard for another story going forward if Valiant want to revisit Rai in the future. But you won’t feel cheated out of a satisfying conclusion by any means
Clayton Crain hands all of the art in these four issues except the aforementioned David Mack flashbacks, and he’s built for this series by this point. His super-stylized computerized artwork is beautiful, and is exactly what you associate with Rai and his world after 12 issues of the main series. The insane set pieces wouldn’t look half as bombastic under anyone else’s care.
4001AD isn’t perfect, but it’s the action-packed finale that the Rai series has been building up to since it started. The final battle’s not quite as satisfying as it could have been, and some of the characters get a little lost in the shuffle to the main event stage, but if you’ve been reading Rai, you’ll find 4001AD exactly what you’d hoped it’d be. If you haven’t, your mileage may vary.
November 15, 2016
'4001 A.D.' by Matt Kindt with art by Clayton Crain is actually RAI #4 by Valiant. That was a little confusing since it wasn't disclosed before I started reading. It became apparent soon after I cracked the cover.
One hundred years from now Tokyo is a floating city in the sky. Everything seems idyllic, unless you are one of the drones forced to work and sacrifice. It's also not that great since a previously benevolent AI known as Father is in charge. Prior to this issue, there was an uprising by a creation known as Rai, and a woman named Lula, but that was then, and now Rai is presumed dead.
Lula has unleashed a virus on the city and Father is releasing city modules back to Earth. Most of the modules don't have a way to make it safely back, so they crash and kill anything living on them. Lula is on the run and chaos is happening all around her. Can anything or anyone save her?
The art is pretty cool, but sometimes it's a bit busy and it's hard to tell what is going on. The story seems to be the standard giant robot armor fighting dragons in space kind (at least at one point). If I were more familiar with these characters, it might have helped. There are intros to each of the 4 issues, and that fills in a lot of detail, so kudos goes to that. The story is okay, but kind of predictable.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment LLC, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
One hundred years from now Tokyo is a floating city in the sky. Everything seems idyllic, unless you are one of the drones forced to work and sacrifice. It's also not that great since a previously benevolent AI known as Father is in charge. Prior to this issue, there was an uprising by a creation known as Rai, and a woman named Lula, but that was then, and now Rai is presumed dead.
Lula has unleashed a virus on the city and Father is releasing city modules back to Earth. Most of the modules don't have a way to make it safely back, so they crash and kill anything living on them. Lula is on the run and chaos is happening all around her. Can anything or anyone save her?
The art is pretty cool, but sometimes it's a bit busy and it's hard to tell what is going on. The story seems to be the standard giant robot armor fighting dragons in space kind (at least at one point). If I were more familiar with these characters, it might have helped. There are intros to each of the 4 issues, and that fills in a lot of detail, so kudos goes to that. The story is okay, but kind of predictable.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Valiant Entertainment LLC, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
October 1, 2016
I think this is a must for all Rai fans. It continues the story of Rai and his struggle against Father, the leader of New Japan.
I really enjoy the Valiant world of comics and the way different heroes have their own stories which sometimes overlap with the stories of other heroes. Having found out the truth about his origins and seeing the Father's destruction of New Japan, Rai takes the battle to the gates and goes head to head with Father in order to save the lives of his people.
I hadnt read the earlier books in this series and I couldn't figure out how this story fit into the earlier ones but I still enjoyed it. Lots of battles, adrenaline and of course inevitable loss. I thought some of the art was a bit dark but this is an arc copy and so the final copy might be a bit lighter.
Even though I hadn't read the earlier comics from this series I soon caught up to what had happened before and it has made me want to go and read the whole story. I really liked the balance between words and art. I don't like too much text in my graphic novels but I don't like silent comics either and I think Valiant comics get this balance just right.
Best if all. I enjoyed the action and the world building which is superbly conveyed through the artwork.
Thoroughly enjoyable, a great sci fi story which overflows with dramatic action.
Copy provided by Diamond Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
I really enjoy the Valiant world of comics and the way different heroes have their own stories which sometimes overlap with the stories of other heroes. Having found out the truth about his origins and seeing the Father's destruction of New Japan, Rai takes the battle to the gates and goes head to head with Father in order to save the lives of his people.
I hadnt read the earlier books in this series and I couldn't figure out how this story fit into the earlier ones but I still enjoyed it. Lots of battles, adrenaline and of course inevitable loss. I thought some of the art was a bit dark but this is an arc copy and so the final copy might be a bit lighter.
Even though I hadn't read the earlier comics from this series I soon caught up to what had happened before and it has made me want to go and read the whole story. I really liked the balance between words and art. I don't like too much text in my graphic novels but I don't like silent comics either and I think Valiant comics get this balance just right.
Best if all. I enjoyed the action and the world building which is superbly conveyed through the artwork.
Thoroughly enjoyable, a great sci fi story which overflows with dramatic action.
Copy provided by Diamond Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
March 3, 2017
I'm impressed! Rai is one of the best titles Valiant is currently producing, and this event (which could have easily been Rai volume 4) was bombastic and fun. It didn't read like a big crossover, for which I am thankful, though I don't really understand why they decided to separate it from Rai proper at all.
Some really neat things happen though, and with Crain behind the artwork, you know that it was all gorgeous. We get a very cool look at some crazy giant X-O armor, and even get to see New Japan unfold into a brilliantly illustrated dragon-beast. The plot sagged behind the vibrant imagery for a while, but by the end I was genuinely surprised with Valiant's follow-through.
In the final pages of this trade, massive, untidy changes to the (4kAD) Valiant U occur, wrapping up Rai's first arc nicely, and pushing things into the future. That mentality from a shared universe comic books publisher impresses me, and made me feel gooey inside.
Some really neat things happen though, and with Crain behind the artwork, you know that it was all gorgeous. We get a very cool look at some crazy giant X-O armor, and even get to see New Japan unfold into a brilliantly illustrated dragon-beast. The plot sagged behind the vibrant imagery for a while, but by the end I was genuinely surprised with Valiant's follow-through.
In the final pages of this trade, massive, untidy changes to the (4kAD) Valiant U occur, wrapping up Rai's first arc nicely, and pushing things into the future. That mentality from a shared universe comic books publisher impresses me, and made me feel gooey inside.
June 6, 2021
Super epic and awesome, and a fitting end to Matt Kindt’s Rai run. Clayton Crain’s artwork is phenomenal. The final battle between Rai and Father is ::chefs kiss::.
I’n going to miss this run. Thankfully, I still have all the tie-ins to read!!
Def check out Rai and 4001 AD!
I’n going to miss this run. Thankfully, I still have all the tie-ins to read!!
Def check out Rai and 4001 AD!
January 2, 2022
This was a solid Dipping Back Into The Valiant Universe book. Thoud I don't think it stands on its own.
Following up on Rai, Volume 2: Battle for New Japan, this book does a consistent job of starting each chapter with a This Is The World You're About To Read About intro before plunging you into the story.
The story itself is fine. It's a dystopian future where a son needs to overthrow the father. The dialog is pretty milquetoast, the plot is obvious from page to page, and Clayton Crain's art has always seemed flat and lifeless to me, he makes a two page spread of the explosion of a planet sized satellite filled with people look dull.
But if you enjoy non-challenging fluff sci-fi, this is a quick read.
I do question why they bothered to include The Eternal Warrior in this, though, as he does absolutely nothing but occasionally provide expository dialogue.
Following up on Rai, Volume 2: Battle for New Japan, this book does a consistent job of starting each chapter with a This Is The World You're About To Read About intro before plunging you into the story.
The story itself is fine. It's a dystopian future where a son needs to overthrow the father. The dialog is pretty milquetoast, the plot is obvious from page to page, and Clayton Crain's art has always seemed flat and lifeless to me, he makes a two page spread of the explosion of a planet sized satellite filled with people look dull.
But if you enjoy non-challenging fluff sci-fi, this is a quick read.
I do question why they bothered to include The Eternal Warrior in this, though, as he does absolutely nothing but occasionally provide expository dialogue.
May 14, 2016
Love the vibrant colors and artwork but I need more of the story to know if i´ll like it or not. Was okay so far.
September 11, 2016
The artwork and the colors were GREAT
I felt lost sometimes and the other times I felt like it was very short. It didn't convince me to continue the story but it was great at all.
I felt lost sometimes and the other times I felt like it was very short. It didn't convince me to continue the story but it was great at all.
April 13, 2022
Ah well, it was an alright read an interesting sci-fi story and best of all I got this and more comics by helping some charities on humble bundle. My rating would be 3.25 or 3.5 for this volume and I liked the illustrations the main reason is that even though the issues are called #1 and as such the story continues from other series and as such it takes a little while to get into the story but it still feels like you are missing a bunch of stories even after the summary given before the book starts but ah well it was a good time. And now's the time to keep on reading more and more.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to the bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I hope that I will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics or Diamond Comics or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I Love comics to the bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
October 13, 2019
'Father', the AI that has taken control of the planet is a tyrannical entity. Rai, his 'son' is out to stop him before Father wreaks any further havoc.
Average art, too many cliches, a story that is really going nowhere. And that sums up 4001 A.D. for you. I'd strongly suggest avoiding this and devoting your time to better science fiction out there.
Average art, too many cliches, a story that is really going nowhere. And that sums up 4001 A.D. for you. I'd strongly suggest avoiding this and devoting your time to better science fiction out there.
November 9, 2020
Reprints Valiant: 4001 A.D. Free Comic Book Day 2016 and 4001 A.D. #1-4 (May 2016-August 2016). Rai has been cast down to Earth by Father and now has plotted to free the people of New Japan from Father’s control. Teaming with Gilad the Eternal Warrior and Lemur, Rai is about to take on his biggest fight. Meanwhile Lula’s infection of Father has created a dire situation on New Japan. Father is jettisoning infected parts of New Japan without concern for the inhabitants. Time is running out, and Rai could be the only hope!
Written by Matt Kindt, 4001 A.D. is a Valiant Comics limited series. Following Rai Volume 3: The Orphan, the collection features art by Clayton Crain and also collects the short story presented in Valiant: 4001 A.D. Free Comic Book Day 2016 (May 2016). The issues in the collection were also collected as part of 4001 A.D. Deluxe Edition.
Rai is an interesting Valiant character. Primarily a science fiction title, it often reads really dense, but the new Rai title read slightly easier and very focused on its ultimate goal. 4001 A.D. is a culmination of a decent title.
Even if you didn’t read Rai, Kindt does a good job presenting the storyline leading up to the events, but some background in Rai, the Eternal Warrior, and the whole set-up of New Japan will be necessarily. The second and third issues of the five issues seemed to lag a bit with Rai, Gilad, and Lemur fighting generic techno enemies of Father. It all leads to an inevitable showdown with Father at the end of the fourth issue and start of the fifth issue. The showdown feels like it actually could have been expanded and the lead up could have been condensed. Four issues was probably enough especially when you factor in tie-in issues in Rai’s own title, 4001: X-O Manowar, 4001 A.D.: Bloodshot, 4001 A.D.: Shadowman, and 4001 A.D.: War Mother which expanded on the story (but aren’t necessary reads).
Even though Rai’s fight is the primary storyline, it feels like much of the heart of the title (and the heart of Rai) is the parallel storyline involving Lula Lee. Lula serves as the readers’ perspective by being caught up in the madness surrounded Rai’s battle, and she and her friend Geo (the Geomancer of 4001) are a means to show the life of the people on New Japan. New Japan is built upon slavery, and it is important to show the day to day life of people who don’t live like kings on New Japan to understand why the cost of millions of lives is worth it.
I do like Clayton Crain’s art for the project. He runs the risk (and sometimes crosses into the risk) of having it too dark and too loaded with techno-style attacks. Father is supposed to be a mass of circuitry and essentially can control all aspects of New Japan so the onslaught of his attack needs to be terrifying and Crain does the best he can bringing the immensity of Father’s power to the comic, but even then it still feels like it probably doesn’t match the level that the fight is supposed to be.
4001 A.D. is a quick and decent story for readers of Valiant. It isn’t necessarily a jump on title, but with a little background, it is a solid title for new readers who like more science fiction based comic books. Valiant is a company with an uphill struggle much like Rai, and like Rai, Valiant keeps powering on against the odds…give them a chance!
Written by Matt Kindt, 4001 A.D. is a Valiant Comics limited series. Following Rai Volume 3: The Orphan, the collection features art by Clayton Crain and also collects the short story presented in Valiant: 4001 A.D. Free Comic Book Day 2016 (May 2016). The issues in the collection were also collected as part of 4001 A.D. Deluxe Edition.
Rai is an interesting Valiant character. Primarily a science fiction title, it often reads really dense, but the new Rai title read slightly easier and very focused on its ultimate goal. 4001 A.D. is a culmination of a decent title.
Even if you didn’t read Rai, Kindt does a good job presenting the storyline leading up to the events, but some background in Rai, the Eternal Warrior, and the whole set-up of New Japan will be necessarily. The second and third issues of the five issues seemed to lag a bit with Rai, Gilad, and Lemur fighting generic techno enemies of Father. It all leads to an inevitable showdown with Father at the end of the fourth issue and start of the fifth issue. The showdown feels like it actually could have been expanded and the lead up could have been condensed. Four issues was probably enough especially when you factor in tie-in issues in Rai’s own title, 4001: X-O Manowar, 4001 A.D.: Bloodshot, 4001 A.D.: Shadowman, and 4001 A.D.: War Mother which expanded on the story (but aren’t necessary reads).
Even though Rai’s fight is the primary storyline, it feels like much of the heart of the title (and the heart of Rai) is the parallel storyline involving Lula Lee. Lula serves as the readers’ perspective by being caught up in the madness surrounded Rai’s battle, and she and her friend Geo (the Geomancer of 4001) are a means to show the life of the people on New Japan. New Japan is built upon slavery, and it is important to show the day to day life of people who don’t live like kings on New Japan to understand why the cost of millions of lives is worth it.
I do like Clayton Crain’s art for the project. He runs the risk (and sometimes crosses into the risk) of having it too dark and too loaded with techno-style attacks. Father is supposed to be a mass of circuitry and essentially can control all aspects of New Japan so the onslaught of his attack needs to be terrifying and Crain does the best he can bringing the immensity of Father’s power to the comic, but even then it still feels like it probably doesn’t match the level that the fight is supposed to be.
4001 A.D. is a quick and decent story for readers of Valiant. It isn’t necessarily a jump on title, but with a little background, it is a solid title for new readers who like more science fiction based comic books. Valiant is a company with an uphill struggle much like Rai, and like Rai, Valiant keeps powering on against the odds…give them a chance!
October 25, 2016
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
4001AD (Book 4 in the Rai series) started out well, featuring a beautifully drawn series of Japanese ink inspired art telling the backstories of our main character and his world. But then the plot kicked in to standard (but still lovely) comic panels and it all fell apart fast. Honestly, the story was so shallow and ponderingly juvenile as to feel like it was written by a 5th grader who watched too much Saturday anime. Characters are as flat as cardboard, the plot so recycled as to feel nonexistent, and the story insipid. This was a huge disappointment.Story: Rai is supposedly dead at the hands of his father - cast back down to Earth from New Japan in space. But he was saved and his moral compass renewed - his father is eeeevil! He puffs out his chest and heads off recklessly to challenge his father. Meanwhile, his teen rebel 'daughter' has poisoned father with a virus - and so father is doing evil things like killing off parts of New Japan in order to contain the virus. Will Rai get to New Japan in time to save it? And why or why doesn't father understand that there is more to life than power - and you shouldn't kill people just to keep it?!?!?
Those who found the 1980s He Man cartoon complex will probably not be bothered by the lack of depth and nuance in 4001 AD. But midway through the book, when New Japan does a Transformers and turns into a dragon, I was bonking my head on my keyboard at (let's be honest here) the levels of silliness. It is all told deadly earnest and so no one is actually addressing the elephant in the room - this is all 6 year old hero worshipping fluff. Albeit, yes, a 6 year old who watched Japanese anime in addition to reading American comics. But still, appallingly shallow considering the beautiful artwork accompanying the over-idealized characters.
At the end of the read, I honestly regretted the time put into it. Yes, I can say I enjoyed the illustrations, though they were not very creative nor laid out in any stunning fashion. Certainly, the opening had been so promising and I thought I would be in for a treat. But it all went downhill fast once the story continued and my eyes started rolling as the cliches piled on Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
July 29, 2017
The arwork didn't really allow me to enjoy the fight scenes. It's just too complex and I couldn't get a sense of scale or simply didn't understand who was hitting whom. The story of the New Japan uprising is finally brought to a close in battles that involve mainly the named characters, but also opponents of Father. Eliminating Father's influence may be more destructive than maintaining the status quo, but the die has been cast. The only possible outcome is complete destruction and hopefully there will be someone left to rebuild. It's a good ending to Rai's story.
Father is trying to rid New Japan's systems of the virus inserted by Lula. He is jettisoning sectors to Earth, half of which won't survive the fall. Rai and Lemur are guided by Gilad to an ancient armor that Rai activates and flys to New Japan while Lula is bringing more people to help in the battle against Father.
Father is trying to rid New Japan's systems of the virus inserted by Lula. He is jettisoning sectors to Earth, half of which won't survive the fall. Rai and Lemur are guided by Gilad to an ancient armor that Rai activates and flys to New Japan while Lula is bringing more people to help in the battle against Father.
October 7, 2016
I got this as a review book. I normally don't share that because it has nothing to do with my reviews except this book is part of a series. Nothing in the description or title mentioned that this was book 4.
So I start reading it. There is no character development and I feel like the book was written by a preschooler - there's a lot of telling and very little showing.
The story is full of cliches and it's just painful to read.
Now some of that may come from the fact that it's book 4 and there is a lot of information dumped into this that would have been explored more fully in previous books. That doesn't change that the dialogue is terrible. It's so bad, I couldn't finish it.
Normally, I suck it up but I can't this one is just bad. The battle is like watching teenage boys playing D&D - oh no we've been attacked by something random, oh look we've been saved by something even more random now we can proceed to the treasure (in this case the great enemy). The whole thing is ridiculous.
So I start reading it. There is no character development and I feel like the book was written by a preschooler - there's a lot of telling and very little showing.
The story is full of cliches and it's just painful to read.
Now some of that may come from the fact that it's book 4 and there is a lot of information dumped into this that would have been explored more fully in previous books. That doesn't change that the dialogue is terrible. It's so bad, I couldn't finish it.
Normally, I suck it up but I can't this one is just bad. The battle is like watching teenage boys playing D&D - oh no we've been attacked by something random, oh look we've been saved by something even more random now we can proceed to the treasure (in this case the great enemy). The whole thing is ridiculous.
July 19, 2017
HEY A NEW VALIANT CROSSOVER--- YEAH!!!!!
wait, this is just the part that Deals with RAI ----- NOOOOO!
Slight Spoiler- Neo Japan, or whatever the Giant Satellite containing the remains of Earth's population is called turns into a Giant Dragon. Now that might be worth the price of Admission right there.
Another Slight Spoiler- I really loved how Father kept detaching whole chunks of Neo Japan, just to purge Rai's rebellious influence.
Besides that, though, this felt like a book that could have just been the last issue of a story arc. It dragged on. Get it? Drag-On
Ok, I am leaving
wait, this is just the part that Deals with RAI ----- NOOOOO!
Slight Spoiler- Neo Japan, or whatever the Giant Satellite containing the remains of Earth's population is called turns into a Giant Dragon. Now that might be worth the price of Admission right there.
Another Slight Spoiler- I really loved how Father kept detaching whole chunks of Neo Japan, just to purge Rai's rebellious influence.
Besides that, though, this felt like a book that could have just been the last issue of a story arc. It dragged on. Get it? Drag-On
Ok, I am leaving
November 18, 2019
4001 A.D. collects four issues of the comic of the same name, but not the crossover volumes in the same series that featured Bloodshot, Shadowman, War Mother, X-O Manowar, and probably some other beasts. It is set in a universe that was created for Valiant Comics and rebooted by Valiant Entertainment.
The satellite known as New Japan is ruled by an Artificial Intelligence called Father. Its son, Rai, one of a long line of dudes named Rai, is New Japan’s spiritual guardian. The son rebels against the father and the son’s follower, Lula Lee, drops a viral bomb into the father’s heart to aid the rebellion. In a desperate attempt to save itself, Father drops sectors of the satellite and its human inhabitants back to Earth. Some sectors are able to land safely and others crash. So it goes.
The art is stylish, but it doesn’t always clearly depict whatever is supposed to be happening. The story makes a modicum of sense, although after the first issue, the story mostly consists of stylish battle scenes. The fourth issue contains a lengthy recap of the third issue, which comes across as filler.
I like the concept more than the execution. A good bit of the story is just dull. I got the impression that Matt Kindt was handed a Big Idea and didn’t know what to do with it, so he fell back on the writer’s crutch of swordplay, because all futuristic battles are fought using swords. Star Wars got away with it, but enough is enough. If you aren’t already a fan of the series, this isn’t the place to start. If you are a fan, reading this proves you are a completist.
If this were Amazon, I would give 4001 A.D. 3 stars, but here it gets 2 stars. In both systems, the rating is "It's ok" which means I'm pretty much indifferent to it.
The satellite known as New Japan is ruled by an Artificial Intelligence called Father. Its son, Rai, one of a long line of dudes named Rai, is New Japan’s spiritual guardian. The son rebels against the father and the son’s follower, Lula Lee, drops a viral bomb into the father’s heart to aid the rebellion. In a desperate attempt to save itself, Father drops sectors of the satellite and its human inhabitants back to Earth. Some sectors are able to land safely and others crash. So it goes.
The art is stylish, but it doesn’t always clearly depict whatever is supposed to be happening. The story makes a modicum of sense, although after the first issue, the story mostly consists of stylish battle scenes. The fourth issue contains a lengthy recap of the third issue, which comes across as filler.
I like the concept more than the execution. A good bit of the story is just dull. I got the impression that Matt Kindt was handed a Big Idea and didn’t know what to do with it, so he fell back on the writer’s crutch of swordplay, because all futuristic battles are fought using swords. Star Wars got away with it, but enough is enough. If you aren’t already a fan of the series, this isn’t the place to start. If you are a fan, reading this proves you are a completist.
If this were Amazon, I would give 4001 A.D. 3 stars, but here it gets 2 stars. In both systems, the rating is "It's ok" which means I'm pretty much indifferent to it.
July 17, 2017
Well that was disappointing. Great finale to RAI arc is finished somehow. And I do not know what to say except that it was quick, bizarre and unnecessarily epic. Whole book is just one mega robot beating other mega robot. Couple of people versus a lot of smaller robots and constant shouts: We do not have time! And many times I had no idea what was even going on in the pictures because they are painted. This kind of art is great for characters and beautiful exteriors and interiors but it fails to caption action.
August 5, 2017
Despite its name, this is really the fourth volume of VH-E Rai, telling the story of Rai's final rebellion against Father. It's a good conclusion to the story and the series that makes strong use of the characters we've met to date. But, on the other hand, the characters get a bit lost in the epic scope of the story, and the only twist of the story that's really surprising is massively understated.
So, this is an enjoyable book, but it's ironically the least bit of the 4001 AD event.
So, this is an enjoyable book, but it's ironically the least bit of the 4001 AD event.
November 14, 2016
The Father (an AI) rules New Japan, an orbiting city above a devastated Earth, with an iron fist and mechanical dragons. Rai and Lulu Lee lead the rebellion that finally toppled Father. But in doing so, New Japan fell to Earth as well. The next question, how will the survivors fare, but that is for another book.
February 7, 2020
There are some crazy and highly imaginative concepts at play here in this epic tale of the final days of New Japan, the outer space nation divorced from a corrupt future Earth and controlled by an artificial intelligence that has become corrupted by its own power.
There's a lot going on in this series. A highly enjoyable saga.
There's a lot going on in this series. A highly enjoyable saga.
June 23, 2021
Collecting issues #13-16 of the third volume of the Rai series, 4001 AD will probably be a welcome addition to Rai fans. But for those entering the scene now, this is not a great place to start; there is simply too much backstory to explain and re-explain, and the conflicts feel so set in place already that every page reminds you of how much you don’t already know.
August 31, 2021
It was ok. So much info-dumping. I didn't realize this was volume 4. There's just so little that happens other than getting the reader up to speed. Besides that it was all very rushed and way too easy to defeat Father. Oh you just stab him? great idea. why didn't they do that earlier? I just couldn't engage in this story at all. Some cool panels so worth flipping through I guess.
February 27, 2021
Beautifully illustrated but somewhat thin story about the robot son of a sentient AI that rules an orbiting human enclave called New Japan. The son, Rai, rebels against Father’s tyranny & frees the humans, detaching components of the station to fall to earth & freedom.
March 14, 2021
What a phoned in, rushed, disjointed steaming pile of crap. The story telling is on par with the worst of Jodorowsky and about as well paced as a 6 year old playing with action figures and making explosion sounds...
June 11, 2017
I really really really wanted to love this.
But in the end it just didn't work for me and was not really an "Epic Crossover" but a true Rai story only.
But in the end it just didn't work for me and was not really an "Epic Crossover" but a true Rai story only.
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