Reviews»Comic Books»4001 A.D. #2
4001 A.D. #2
Kareem Ali 4.5

4001 A.D. #2

 

  • The good

    Impressive battle between Rai and Father's dragon form. Change of battleground and the understanding of what's at stake

  • The bad

    Gilad still has a marginalized role so feels like another issue of Rai and not a greater event

  • The ugly

    • 4001 A.D. #2 continues with Rai and Father in an intense battle to decide the fate of New Japan. It opens up with Rai attempting to appeal to Father one more  but Father is determined to survive no matter the cost. While battling Rai he’s comparing the population numbers in different sectors and jettisoning sectors that have the lower population count. Father states that this is all Rai’s fault, and that when he defeated Rai and sent him to Earth that was mercy. However, Rai knows it’s time to strike but also knows that every attack on Father, since he converted New Japan to a weaponized dragon, is also an attack on the population in that area. So he decides to focus more on the head, and he’s able to take Father apart piece by piece. But the battle is far from over as Father is able to reconstitute himself and engage Rai once again. Even with the new armor on their side, Rai and Gilad will still have to use a better strategy in order to defeat Father. How can they defeat him when each attack puts the population of New Japan at risk?

    4001 A.D. #2
    I felt the first issue was a great start to the series, and stating it felt like it could’ve been labeled Rai #13 was more of a compliment about its continuity as opposed to not being an epic event. This issue had more of that epic feel due to the large-scale battle between Rai’s team and Father. And I appreciated how it required more than just pure strength because of the way Father was using New Japan’s population as part of his strategy. And the artwork during this opening action sequence was phenomenal whether it was showing Father as an immense dragon or capturing Rai’s movements in the armor. However this issue still felt like it could’ve been another issue in the Rai series because of the storyline not expanding out of what has been covered in the series. And again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

     

    This issue would focus on Lula for a period of time, mainly her discovery of Rai still being alive and her being reunited with Geo. Considering the hope Rai represented for not only Lula but the entire resistance against Father I thought it would’ve been a bigger moment for her. Yes, the widespread destruction around her of everything she knew did impact her focus, and when she learned Grace was killed that was a touching moment. It kept the destruction from feeling like just a vague concept by making it personal, which it also did last issue with her parents to a certain extent. And since she would shed some light on Rai’s strategy, somehow, this sequence felt like a welcome addition.

    4001 A.D. #2
    It wasn’t until after this sequence with Lula and Geo that I realized Gilad was to play an important role in these events yet has been marginalized up to this point. There has been no exploration of Gilad’s potential relationship with the current Geomancer or what it would mean for the Earth below if the two were reunited. And aside from a few strategic comments he hasn’t been active in the actual fight against Father. This doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of this issue or this series in a huge way but I think this change would make this series feel more like an epic event as opposed to another great Rai issue. It is possible that with the conclusion of this issue some of this will be addressed so I’m looking forward to what lies ahead for Earth’s remaining heroes.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    4001 A.D. #2 is another entertaining issue complete with high-octane action and well-paced story progression. The action is top-notch and the use of the technology is impressive. There isn’t as much character development as the first issue aside from Lula learning of Grace’s fate since the focus is mostly on the immediate battle with Rai and the strategic decisions that entails. Once again Gilad’s role is minimal, and his significance isn’t even as big as Lula’s despite the connection to the current Geomancer. However, the change in the battleground and the understanding of what’s at stake with the population of New Japan sets the stage nicely for some great developments next issue.

     

    Release Date: 6/1/16
    Writer: Matt Kindt
    Artist: Clayton Crain

  • Rating ( 8.8 )
  • Total score 8.8

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