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Rai #10
Kareem Ali 4.5

Rai #10

 

  • The good

    Great character development for Rai. Introduction of Earth's inhabitants and the eternal warrior. Izak and Momo's plan

  • The bad

    Spylocke's ordeal feels relatively simplistic in comparison to other situations and what has been expected of Father.

  • The ugly

    • Rai #10 continues with Rai seeking to find answers on Earth about how to defeat Father while his friends deal with the fallout from the failed rebellion. It opens up with Rai being taken by those who attacked him on Earth just due to the fact they knew he was from New Japan. New Japan’s solar exhaust has been continuously discharged on Earth for centuries destroying any chance the people there can rebuild while killing countless people. But Rai’s captive aren’t so sure he’s entirely bad considering how many shots he was able to take and still survive so they take him to one called Lemur, who apparently has the ability to smell if someone is good or bad. Rai, of course, passes and as a result Rai understands better why the people on Earth are this way. And actually the shark he initially killed will help the town feed its citizens for at least a year. Rai tells them that he wants to stop New Japan or what they call the “Always Rising Sun” and they inform him that there’s a warrior who cannot die who can most likely help Rai. Who is this mysterious warrior that can help Rai? Meanwhile, Father has Spylocke participating in Gladiator games so he can be killed in a public spectacle. Can Lula or Momo save Spylocke before it’s too late?

    Rai #10

    The start of this story arc was great, and even though this has been one of my favorite series, everything that was revealed in Book of Death: The Fall of Ninjak about the creation of New Japan and Ninjak’s connection to the resistance made me love it even more. So if you haven’t read that issue I highly recommend it. So I was pretty excited when the eternal warrior was mentioned because I knew who it was referring to and the connection to current events. And I was glad that this issue didn’t drag out the question of whether or not those on Earth could trust Rai, and instead chose to explore the world they inhabited and how they made due with New Japan above them. I wasn’t impressed with the series earlier visit to Earth because very little was shown. This time a lot more was shown ranging from how New Japan’s exhaust system decimated Earth, the tribes that formed and even introduced the Faith Tree. Rai’s understanding of his need to grow and get stronger in order to defeat Father was refreshing and made the overall situation feel more daunting and intense. Very enjoyable character development. And Rai’s journey on Earth was entertaining with the characters introduced and the island he ultimately had to visit.

    Rai #10
    However, things on New Japan weren’t as captivating, and that was a little surprising considering the numerous characters and story threads. It’s all relative so I want it to be clear that this was still good and advanced the story considerably. Momo and Izak made plans to search for Izak’s people in order to fight against Father once again. And Lula, Grace and Karana worked to break Spylocke out of Father’s gladiator games. The problem with that was Spylocke’s battle against these enemies initially seemed like it would be an intense one but it was skipped and that threw me off for a minute as if I skipped a page or so. And Lula and Grace’s break out plan was just about treated the same. However, I did like Spylocke’s connection to the events of Book of Death: The Fall of Ninjak, and more importantly, the more interesting plan of what to do next can start sooner. So there’s a lot that has to unfold and I can’t wait.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Rai #10 is a great character development issue for Rai as he learns about the inhabitants of Earth and a great warrior who can help him in his quest to defeat Father. In addition, what’s laid out on Earth in terms of the new characters and the introduction of an eternal warrior creates so much potential going forward. Spylocke’s ordeal including Lula and Grace mounting a rescue feels relatively simplistic although I like what’s revealed about Spylocke here. And once again this series has put forward an entertaining issue with an engrossing story, enjoyable characters and intense action. I can’t wait for the next one.

     

    Release Date: 9/16/15

    Writer: Matt Kindt

    Artist: Clayton Crain

  • Rating ( 8.75 )
  • Total score 8.8

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