Rai #3 Review

Written by: Matt Kindt

Art by: Clayton Crain

Publisher: Valiant

This particular issue of Rai kicks off with a bang. In fact, it would have kicked off with a literal bang if it weren’t for Rai foiling a terrorist plot to destroy New Japan’s solar battery. This picks up right where the last issue left off, with Rai having been “killed.” We do quickly find out, however, that he is linked up with the city, and therefore is able to create new bodies for himself. Think Swamp Thing, but digital rather than plant based. Rai quickly dispatches of the terrorists, and then we get to spend time with the supporting cast of this book; namely Lula and Spylocke.

The reason that this is so exciting is that Rai, as a character, isn’t all that interesting, at least so far. And so it ends up being the supporting cast that carries the book, at least if you’re looking for a character-based story. There exists a contrast between the supporting cast and the titular character, in that Rai feels lifeless and kind of alien, where as Spylocke and Lula, despite being relegated to supporting roles, are the characters that truly shine, and are truly vibrant, deep characters. This does seem intentional on the part of Matt Kindt, and I have no doubt that it is. Regardless, a more dynamic lead character could benefit this series (for example, having Lula take center stage like in the first issue, and treating Rai more as a deified being).

Anyways, at least this Rai seems slightly different from the Rais that preceded him. Oh, yeah, there’s apparently a new Rai every 100 years or so. This is because, as revealed in this issue, upon learning the “truth” about them, the Rais go on a murderous rampage because they can’t handle the revelation. Fortunately (Or unfortunately, if you wanted to read an issue that consisted entirely of a bloody massacre), that doesn’t happen with this Rai. Right off the bat, this tells readers that this particular “version” or “model” of Rai is not the same mindless killing machine as all of his predecessors. And even though he isn’t all that dynamic or interesting a character at this point, this tells me that there are more layers to him than have been revealed so far.

Really, this is a testament to Kindt’s prowess as a writer. He’s proven himself on numerous occasions, but this is a great example of him slowly peeling back the curtain, and slowly showing us that there are more layers to Rai than have become evident so far. Unfortunately, the best character work that Rai has gotten as in the first issue, and that’s the case because he wasn’t the central character in that particular issue. Kindt is a master of developing characters through the use of other characters, essentially doing his character work based on other character’s inner monologue about other characters. In short: Rai #3 has too much Rai. That may sound counterintuitive, but the reason that one of Kindt’s other books, Rebel Heist, is so good is because the central characters aren’t the focus of the book, instead we see them through the lens of the supporting cast.

I guess what I’m saying is that Rai is a really, really good comic. The problem is, I can never quite shale the feeling that it could be even better than it currently is. And perhaps that’s just my interpretation of the book. That’s not to say I didn’t like the latest issue of Rai – in fact, I loved it. Other than some of the minor issues, the only major issue with this book is the art. That isn’t to say that it’s “bad,” per se. However, it’s obviously all digitally rendered. On occasion, I find artists who play around with digital art techniques to be extraordinarily talented, and I’m not saying that this artist isn’t. However, it looks a little bit too digital for my taste, even though it suits the book.