Written by: Matt Kindt
Art by: Clayton Crain
Publisher: Valiant
As comic book readers, we’ve been taught that a story arc should always end with a bang. The last issue should consist of a massive showdown between the antagonist and the protagonist, and then maybe a little three or four page epilogue. In Rai #4, Matt Kindt throws that concept out the window. This issue of Rai is very much an end to the first story arc, especially thematically. And, you know, because the book is going on hiatus for the next four months. Despite how much of a bummer not having an issue of Rai every month until December is going to be, this issue, like the past three, is a great issue.
Sure, it has its flaws. Really, it feels like this story line needed another issue or two. Not because this issue feels like a ton of content was squished into one issue, but because there has to have been a more organic way to do the exposition. The biggest flaw in this issue is that there’s a four page scene consisting purely of exposition. It really damages the issue as a whole, delivering a cosmic blow to the pacing that the issue never quite recovers from. The other issue with the exposition is that so much of it has already been heavily implied in the rest of the book. Aside from one or two points (which aren’t necessarily important), many readers will likely have been able to deduce a lot of what Father tells Rai in this scene.
That said, this issue does a ton right. The character development of Rai, over the course of these first four issues, has been great, and this issue really rounds it out. Seeing him deal with the revelation that he has a mother (who happens to be dead) is great. Until this point, he’s had this belief that he’s completely inorganic. Him finding out that part of him is human is huge for his character arc, as he begins to find his humanity. This is where his supporting cast of Lula and Spylocke come in. These two characters are one of the best parts of the book, each of the two characters representing the dichotomy of Rai’s character. In addition to their roles as representing part of Rai’s character, they’re awesome on their own as well, which is good, because they take up so much page space here.
Rai #4, despite having some awesome action in the opening pages, has a very soft ending. This story arc ends not with a bang, but rather ends like one of Marvel’s event, simply setting up the next story arc. It leaves readers with a great cliffhanger, yes. That said, it doesn’t feel like a proper ending. Yes, thematically it’s an end to this story arc, but it’s still not necessarily the best ending to this story arc.
