Rai Deluxe Edition

Rai by Dan Abnett #1-2, Fallen World

by Dan Abnett, Juan José Ryp (Artist), Adam Pollina (Artist)

Retake your future... Join multiple New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Dan Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy) and breathtaking artists Juan José Ryp (X-O MANOWAR) and Adam Pollina (X-Force) for a complete deluxe edition hardcover of the essential sci-fi series of the next two thousand years!

In the year 4002 A.D., the cyborg samurai called Rai will face an impossible battle for the fate of humanity. Joined by the very first of his kind, the robot boy named Raijin, the pair will journey the wastelands of Earth to put right the wrongs of their onetime overlord and creator once and for all.

Collecting Rai (2019) #1–10, Fallen World #1–5, Rai: The History of the Valiant Universe #1, and material from Bloodshot 2019 FCBD Special along with 20+ pages of rarely seen art and extras!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

384 pages, Hardcover

Published June 21, 2022

Reviews

[Dan]

Rai by Dan Abnett: Deluxe Edition collects Fallen World #1-5 and Rai #1-10.

Okay, I liked the original Valiant run but I was never into Rai. A friend of mine on Twitter recommended this so I grabbed it on the cheap from Instocktrades.com.

So apparently before the series began, Rai killed an AI called Father and the New Japan satellite crashed into Earth, killing lots of people. Only Father is still alive and Rai needs to kill him with the help of Raijin, the Rai prototype. The two go on an adventure across post-apocalyptic 4001 AD, destroying The Offspring, Father's backups.

Let's get the thing I disliked out of way right off the bat. There is no resolution in this volume. One of the big bads is revealed and one of the heroes is reborn but there's no payoff beyond that.

Other than that, this was a pretty bad ass adventure story, part cyberpunk, part Mad Max. There are also some of those pesky moral dilemmas Star Trek always wrestles with. Lots of bad guys get cut down with swords. The story was gripping and Juan Jose Ryp is a great artist. The coloring was a little overdone for my taste but that's true for most comics these days.

I expect the relationship between Rai and Raijin will play a pivotal role in the climax of the story, whenever that may be. Since I only read trades and omnibuses, it may have already happened.

I'm giving this a four pending the resolution of the saga. This one is safe from a trip to Half Price Books for now.

[Shannon Appelcline]

Fallen World. There's a lot to like in this next-volume of Rai. It's a big story and a natural progression of what comes after 4001 AD. It's also told in a very European style, with attractive artwork that's not in the superhero style and the feel that there could be serious repercussions. Finally the introduction of Eternal Warrior is a good one. But somehow we never get that close to the characters, and so it feels mainly like we're being pushed through the plot [3/5].

Fatherland (#1-5). The MacGuffin quest in this arc is purely performative, but it allows for some interesting interactions between Rai and Raijin and some good solo issues before we get to a longer arc at the end. Rai's realization at the end is also intriguing, plus we get the great returns of Gilad and the Geomancer. [3+/5].

Wild Frontiers (#6-10). More of the MacGuffin quest. This could pretty much be eternal, and the individual stories aren't really holding up to the overall plot. Oh, there continue to be nice characters, but most of the rest is forgettable. And then Abnett's run ends on multiple cliffhangers!? Seriously!? [3/5]

A History of the Valiant Universe. A dull recounting of the VH-E universe to date. What a disappointment when its VH-1 predecessor was so great [2/5].

[Joe Santoro]

I'm definitely a fan of Dan Abnett, and his world building here is stellar. The main character, however, is pretty flat. It kinda feels like 'Valiant Universe 2099'.. tossing a bunch of future versions of characters in.

The world building and the art definitely make it worth reading.

[David Codd]

it would be perfect if not for the unresolved cliffhanger ending

[Relstuart]

Beautifully put together book. Seemed like a solid story. Would read more by Abnett if he continues this.

[M.i.]

Enjoyable. Lots of moving parts, and of course in typical Valiant fashion, tons of action to keep the reader intrigued.

[Shannon McShortall]

Rai is probably cool, the worldbuilding is probably excellent and the references are probably well-executed.

The colours are wonderfully vibrant and the world has some interesting elements, however the book is plagued by a vagueness and an overwhelming amount and style of worldbuilding that I’m sure would be mitigated by a stronger familiarity with the Valiant universe. As someone who has heard of Bloodshot but has really only read a few volumes of Faith and a couple parts of Shadowman, this was quite the confusing read at points. Even the explanation and history of the universe at the back end of the book is clearly meant for someone who is already familiar with the universe. Parts of Fallen World are great, but I think where it excels is in the 10 issues of Rai, which is a pretty engaging road trip adventure story.

As someone who wanted an engaging and self contained story about a cyborg samurai, I’m disappointed. As someone who knows Abnett through his cosmic work at Marvel, it’s really what I should have expected.