Rai #10

[Captain Craig]

Rai rivals Imperium as the best book VEI publishes.

Whoa whoa whoa...let's not get crazy

It's in the upper echelon for certain along with X-O.

[BugsySig]

Rai rivals Imperium as the best book VEI publishes.

Whoa whoa whoa...let's not get crazy

It's in the upper echelon for certain along with X-O.

I agree. But I don't think it's been consistently as great as Imperium or Timewalker. XO is the model of consistency for VEI, but I think falls short of being great. I'd put Rai right after those three, with Bloodshot and Ninjak after that.

[jmatt]

Oh, wanted to add this: If they were clever, the next issue would be number XI.

But this issue didn't even have a number on it.

So much for clever, eh?

[Blood of Heroes]

Oh, wanted to add this: If they were clever, the next issue would be number XI.

But this issue didn't even have a number on it.

So much for clever, eh?

I'll still buy the XI variant.

[jmatt]

I just noticed this while reading the news today. China's leader is in the US on a state visit. His first name is XI.

Coincidence? Or a commentary of some kind by Kind-T?

[Thomas]

What I don't get in this issue is why didn't father just kill Spylocke. It's kind of obvious that he won't talk so why not just kill him? Why put him in arena to fight for his life. HE HAD HIM TIED BEFORE HIM. KILL HIM. Why build a *SQUEE* giant snake in order to kill him. Why build a giant poisenous snake at all, other than because it looks cool. Are big death robots not good enough anymore? Atleast they are more practical. You know if you don't kill the person who is obviously a threat to your rule someone could try to safe them. SO WHAT HAPPENS. They save Spylocke. With cereal.

Rai really has the potential to be great series and Matt Kind-t sets a lot of setpieces but he never fully explores them. Now he added a new character to the cast eventhough the personalities of a lot of the other cast members haven't really been explored. The only think I know about Izak is that he hates father and kills stuff. Momo, Lula, Spylocke, Grace and Rai himself all those characters could have been fleshed out more. Lemur has about the same personality as a dog. He has a good nose and follows Rai around. They should have made the last Arc longer and should have more build up to the uprising of the radies and positrons. Show more of the society of New Japan. I still don't get why they have dinosaurs on New Japan. What purpose do they serve? What about all those weird sectors? Why do the people on earth look like Spider-Man Noir?
The art is great and really puts you in this futuristic setting but I want to know more about the world. The storylines are moving fast but the world building is way behind.
The four issue arc is really whats holding this series back.

[jmatt]

The only think I know about Izak is that he hates father and kills stuff.

Izak got several pages a few issues ago where he explained his alien race and what Father did to them. His backstory was fairly well spelled out.

[Thomas]

The only think I know about Izak is that he hates father and kills stuff.

Izak got several pages a few issues ago where he explained his alien race and what Father did to them. His backstory was fairly well spelled out.

It was more like it was mentioned to me and not fully explored. Three pages are not really enough. I feel like there is more and more stuff brought up and it's not even sure if we get a good resolution for all of it. I really think they should have made the first two arcs longer.

[Thomas]

Now that I think about it. The backstory of Izak isn't really explained. It says what happened to him but not why. Why would father need an alien species to protect New Japan? Can't he just simply arm the Positrons? Give them guns in their hands, grenade launchers in their shoulders or something. Why does Izak look so different compared to the others? Maybe that one was explained and I just forgot about it. Why this whole alien thing to begin with? Father could just build a big army of robots which he can control. He doesn't seem to be lacking the resources. Did he fight an enemy that could only be beat by weird alien vampire spiders? Why?
And that's just one example of the things are brought up but never fully explored. There is so much stuff now that you can have years of storylines but they just add even more stuff. Instead fleshing out what was shown before.
It's like connect the dots, with more and more dots appearing that don't connect and the ones that connect don't form a picture but just a weird *SQUEE* line.

To be honest. I don't want to be too hard on the series. I could trashtalk any series like that.
I just want Rai to slow down and add things on a slower pace.

[BugsySig]

Now that I think about it. The backstory of Izak isn't really explained. It says what happened to him but not why. Why would father need an alien species to protect New Japan? Can't he just simply arm the Positrons? Give them guns in their hands, grenade launchers in their shoulders or something. Why does Izak look so different compared to the others? Maybe that one was explained and I just forgot about it. Why this whole alien thing to begin with? Father could just build a big army of robots which he can control. He doesn't seem to be lacking the resources. Did he fight an enemy that could only be beat by weird alien vampire spiders? Why?
And that's just one example of the things are brought up but never fully explored. There is so much stuff now that you can have years of storylines but they just add even more stuff. Instead fleshing out what was shown before.
It's like connect the dots, with more and more dots appearing that don't connect and the ones that connect don't form a picture but just a weird *SQUEE* line.

To be honest. I don't want to be too hard on the series. I could trashtalk any series like that.
I just want Rai to slow down and add things on a slower pace.

I dont think your questions are unfounded. Let me attempt to answer some of them...

Isak looks different from those of his species shown in the past because Father experimented on them and altered their genes. If we are right to assume that Harada is or created Father, then this would not be the first time he had done so (see Lord Vine 99). They may have been preferable due to their ability to withstand any anti-Psiot technology.

While it does seem strange that Father would not just arm programmable robots/positrons, the fact that they have the possibility of gaining free will may have frightened Father. Again, if Father is/came from Harada, this would also make sense (see Sunlight on Snow/Mech Major).

Of course, coming up with those explanations takes a knowledge of Imperium (and BoD: Fall of Ninjak by extension), which should not be required reading in order to understand New Japan. From the very beginning my biggest complaint about this series was the number of plates Kind-t was attempting to spin and whether or not he could keep them all going, especially as more and more are added.

[Thomas]

Now that I think about it. The backstory of Izak isn't really explained. It says what happened to him but not why. Why would father need an alien species to protect New Japan? Can't he just simply arm the Positrons? Give them guns in their hands, grenade launchers in their shoulders or something. Why does Izak look so different compared to the others? Maybe that one was explained and I just forgot about it. Why this whole alien thing to begin with? Father could just build a big army of robots which he can control. He doesn't seem to be lacking the resources. Did he fight an enemy that could only be beat by weird alien vampire spiders? Why?
And that's just one example of the things are brought up but never fully explored. There is so much stuff now that you can have years of storylines but they just add even more stuff. Instead fleshing out what was shown before.
It's like connect the dots, with more and more dots appearing that don't connect and the ones that connect don't form a picture but just a weird *SQUEE* line.

To be honest. I don't want to be too hard on the series. I could trashtalk any series like that.
I just want Rai to slow down and add things on a slower pace.

I dont think your questions are unfounded. Let me attempt to answer some of them...

Isak looks different from those of his species shown in the past because Father experimented on them and altered their genes. If we are right to assume that Harada is or created Father, then this would not be the first time he had done so (see Lord Vine 99). They may have been preferable due to their ability to withstand any anti-Psiot technology.

While it does seem strange that Father would not just arm programmable robots/positrons, the fact that they have the possibility of gaining free will may have frightened Father. Again, if Father is/came from Harada, this would also make sense (see Sunlight on Snow/Mech Major).

Of course, coming up with those explanations takes a knowledge of Imperium (and BoD: Fall of Ninjak by extension), which should not be required reading in order to understand New Japan. From the very beginning my biggest complaint about this series was the number of plates Kind-t was attempting to spin and whether or not he could keep them all going, especially as more and more are added.

He still could have breed just one "prototype" of the alien species just to see how it turned out instead of many. I just had the idea that maybe Izak is like the original "prototype" of this species, because he seems more controlled, than the others. So after Izak was a success father continued further into this process but Izaks brothers didn't turn out that good.
That said it would still make more sense to me if he had just stuck to the positrons. First because it's just just more efficient. He already has the capabilities of mass producing than. Second, a machine, mostly machine, positron having free will seems to be less of a rist than an alien race.
In Imperium Harada doesn't really have that many resources, so he has to work with what he gets. Harada knows Lord Vine 99 is not easy to control and could backstab him if he gets the chance. So if Harada is father or they are somewhat related, father should know that alien races are not easier to keep in line than robots.
I hope Fall of Harbinger shows us how Harada and father are contected, or atleast gives us a hint.

But that's all just speculation and speculation is fun. But I would like to have some cerntainty because I kind of start to doubt that we will get a resolution for a lot of of the things we are shown. Also always adding so much new stuff makes the book less inviting for new readers. Apparently we get to see Gilad in the next arc and that's sound good. Gilad is like one of my favourite characters. Eventhough I like what he could become more than what he is now. His potential hasn't been fully realised. The same with Rai. But bringing the geomancer and the eternal warrior into this just adds even more stuff.
To me it feels like Rai doesn't have a status quo because it gets changed every arc. First arc: He is the protecter of New Japan. Second ard: He turns on father and fights against him. Third arc: Rai is stranded on earth. Fourth arc: Rai finds Gilad....
You need to have a status quo so you can shake it up but you can't have a status quo because you change stuff everytime. Every arc has only four issues. That's four issues for every status Rai had. Seriously take more time. Have Rai slowly come to the realisation that father and New Japan are not what they seem.
One of the things that bothers me personally is the romance between Rai and Momo. I like romance, I was actually hoping that they would get together and I can get enjoyment out of some really *SQUEE* romance stories. But this romance was so terribly contrived. I would ship them so hard if the story was better written.
He saves her, so she likes him. Okay that's about on the same level as a bad shoujo romance manga.
But what is Momo to Rai? She is the person he saved and she looks hot and she kissed him. Yeah that's kind of it. Show them form a romantic bound. We don't see much of it because there is just so much going on and so many new concepts are introduced. This wouldn't have happened if they took more time and establishing all of this.

I think the main reason people pick this series up is the art. The stil of Clayton Crain is perfect for this series. Even if the actual artwork can get a bit messy sometimes. Crain makes every panel look like a digital screen you would see in a sci-fi movie and it fits the series perfectly. I don't know how they will replace him.

The problem is the writting. You are right Bugsy Matt Kind-t is spinning a lot of plates and I think they all crash down on him. I think he needs to stop adding stuff just concentrate on what he got.
Step on the gas pedal Kind-t.

I really want to like Rai, but it just dawned on me that I like my idea of what it could be and not what Rai actually is and that makes me sad.

[jmatt]

It was more like it was mentioned to me and not fully explored. Three pages are not really enough. I feel like there is more and more stuff brought up and it's not even sure if we get a good resolution for all of it. I really think they should have made the first two arcs longer.

The three pages is enough in that it gives us what we need for the story to continue, imo. Would I like to know more? Sure, and maybe we learn more in an arc that is more specifically about Izak. But Kind-T can't stop in the middle of a story to regale us with an issue or two that tells the story of his species. Especially since the thing goes on hiatus for three months after every four issue arc.

Take Imperium, for instance. I would love to see a dozen issues about the species from another dimension that hijacked Angela's body. But I can't fault Dysart for not pausing to cover all of that territory. That would be bad storytelling. Some day, we'll learn more. Just not today.

[Thomas]

It was more like it was mentioned to me and not fully explored. Three pages are not really enough. I feel like there is more and more stuff brought up and it's not even sure if we get a good resolution for all of it. I really think they should have made the first two arcs longer.

The three pages is enough in that it gives us what we need for the story to continue, imo. Would I like to know more? Sure, and maybe we learn more in an arc that is more specifically about Izak. But Kind-T can't stop in the middle of a story to regale us with an issue or two that tells the story of his species. Especially since the thing goes on hiatus for three months after every four issue arc.

Take Imperium, for instance. I would love to see a dozen issues about the species from another dimension that hijacked Angela's body. But I can't fault Dysart for not pausing to cover all of that territory. That would be bad storytelling. Some day, we'll learn more. Just not today.

It was more like it was mentioned to me and not fully explored. Three pages are not really enough. I feel like there is more and more stuff brought up and it's not even sure if we get a good resolution for all of it. I really think they should have made the first two arcs longer.

The three pages is enough in that it gives us what we need for the story to continue, imo. Would I like to know more? Sure, and maybe we learn more in an arc that is more specifically about Izak. But Kind-T can't stop in the middle of a story to regale us with an issue or two that tells the story of his species. Especially since the thing goes on hiatus for three months after every four issue arc.

Take Imperium, for instance. I would love to see a dozen issues about the species from another dimension that hijacked Angela's body. But I can't fault Dysart for not pausing to cover all of that territory. That would be bad storytelling. Some day, we'll learn more. Just not today.

The thing to me is that in Imperium we have already established concepts. Psiots were explained in Harbinger. PRS, I haven't read the Bloodshot issues but I get what they are. The vine probably explained in X-O Manowar, haven't read the earlier issues. I started reading that with #26. Divinity also already established, still not explained, but we get a follow up on that. The only really new concept is the species that hijacked Angela.
It doesn't feel overwhelming, because we know something about the world.
In Rai we have like this whole new world. There are so many new cocepts. New Japan itself, the society of new Japan, the structure, the sectors, Rai, father, Livewire, Silk who saved New Japan in a war or something, Spylocke, Izak, Izaks brothers or wathever. Those things would be enough for years of storytelling, but we still get more. The geomancer and the Eternal Warrior are up next. It just piles up more and more. If this series will run for 25 issues like some of the other titles I don't think they can explain all of that in that time. We are 10 issues in.
I really think they should have took more time and have Rai be the protector of New Japan for like 8 issues, then he find out what father did to his mother and how he runs New Japan. Then eight 8 trying to find allies to oppose father and not fighting each other. Then he gets thrown to earth and he is on Earth for about 4 issues. He finds the Eternal Warrior and returns to New Japan, either beats father or creates a state of his own. That arc could take 5 issues. Then you have 25 issues. Continue the series or start renumbering from there. I think there should have been more world building at the beginning. Seeing is this like a completly new world to us.

I trust Dysart enough to believe that we will get a resolution for the thing that happened to Angela.
With Kind-t I find it more likely that it turns out there is a character called Ra-I out there who is like a evil version of Rai. Of course there will also be a Ra-V and a Ra-X.
I hope I'm wrong.

[Thomas]

A part of this issue was a huge time waste. Spylocke fighting in the arena was *SQUEE* pointless. Father wants to kill him publicly. Okay. Do it and prodcast it live all over New Japan. I get that killing Spylocke would be lame, since there is still much we don't know about the guy. Than why have father capture him in the first place? You still want that Spylock cartoon scene from Rai #9? Not a problem. Have Spylocke escape with Momo and Izak. Then have him infront of a computer screen with the cartoon on it. Then Momo walks in and asks: "What are you doing? Are you seriously watching cartoons of yourself? NOW?"
Spylocke says: "No, I'm sending a message."
DONE
We waste pages with pointless stuff instead of exploring more of what was mentioned before but not fully developed? No. Just no. I know you can not explain and show everything from the beginning but why waste pages with stuff that doesn't really make any sense?
By the way the thing with the cereal that has the ingredients to build an explovise and now a gun? That really gets old. It was fun once. Maybe. I get the criticism of geneticaly manipulated food out it, just exagerated. I get that. But this is not the right time or place for that. It just raises more questions. So you can build explosives out of cereal. In New Japan. Father is like an allknowing authoritarian ruler. I think one of the first thing he should have done is make sure that people could not build any kind of weapon out of ordinary stuff you can buy at a grocery store. And a positron knows that. Why? Why would you give them that knowledge about chemistry unless it's a positron who specifically works in the field of chemistry, like pharmaceutial research.
The stuff with Rai finding the sword, of a legendary hero and reforging it, that was good. Got kind of a King Arthur vibe out it. Having Rai go on a Journey. Awesome. With that part I don't have a problem. I don't have a problem with Lemur. He is weird but thats okay. Sadly this series isn't always like that.

[ShadowTuga]

Just finished reading this and man, Rai is getting better and better and better. I love the new outfit- hope it stays, since it would give the character a distinct look from Bloodshot to non-fans and it is AWESOME!!!!- and at last some Eternal Warrior references.

[DirtbagSailor]

My published Rai #10 review.

http://all-comic.com/2015/rai-10/

[leonmallett]

Another enjoyable issue for me. This arc is shaping up to be my favourite from this Rai so far (but then I found the first arc pretty underwhelming).

The scene with the tree was a really effective and well-told and depicted moment for me. Good stuff, and I Lemur is really growing on me.

[leonmallett]

...
Rai is getting better and better.
...

I agree. Not the best of the line, but on an upward trajectory in my opinion.