Reviews»Comic Books»Rai #11
Rai #11
Kareem Ali 4.5

Rai #11

 

  • The good

    Exciting conclusion. Momo and Izak finding an army to fight Father

  • The bad

    Rai's journey seemed to be dragged out. Same for Lula and Grace

  • The ugly

  • Rai #11 continues with Rai searching for the Eternal Warrior to recruit him in the battle against Father. He knows that his friends on New Japan are still fighting for their lives, and Spylocke would have been the first victim if not for Lula and Grace. They were able to escort him out through secret passages due to the help of an employee in the arena. Lula and Grace bring Spylocke back to their hideout and they show him the bomb they built to destroy Father, and they need his help to bring it to where they believe Father is located. They know the cost but they’re determined to finish what they started. Meanwhile, Momo and Izak are searching for Rome, the location Momo believes Izak’s people were taken with the hopes that they’re still alive and willing to fight against Father. They need an army and Izak’s people have been genetically modified to be the most dangerous killers and even feared by Father. Can the two of them locate Rome or is it just an urban myth that will only lead them on a wild goose chase? Either way it’s up to Rai to find the Eternal Warrior on Earth, and since he knows Father was holding the Geomancer captive Rai just might have the incentive to get the Eternal Warrior to join him.

    Rai #11
    The build up in this story arc has been entertaining overall, although Rai’s journey has been more engrossing than what has been occurring on New Japan. This was due to the flow of events on New Japan making events feel somewhat cursory. This issue rectifies that by revealing Lula and Grace’s plan with Spylocke as well as by having Momo and Izak make significant progress in their hunt for an army to oppose Father. Rai’s story wasn’t stunted as a result of this, although his journey did take a little long to reach the destination.

    I enjoyed how this issue got right into it with Spylocke being freed from the gladiator games due to Lula’s sudden connections and ability to persuade others to the aid them. And it was good to see them not just discuss their plan but put it into action. It’s been clear from the start of this series that they’re all trying to destroy Father so I’m glad this issue finally got past them just reiterating that to each other. The plan wasn’t pretty complex although it remains to be seen how sound it actually is. Another thing I liked about it was Lula’s character development and her role in getting this plan off the ground.

    However, Momo and Izak’s progress was more gripping in terms of events on New Japan. It’s as if they’ve been in a holding pattern for some time so to see them searching for Izak’s people and the intensity of their discovery was exciting. I’m looking forward to a significant battle against Father and Izak’s people might just offer that.

    Rai #11
    Now I was looking forward to Rai’s progress the most and unfortunately it took a long time for it to be exciting this issue. The initial battle with @X’s and his followers was entertaining and so was Rai’s continued growth and healing. So although it might be significant down the line, the “fight” he got into with Reiko just made me wonder how much longer it would be before he located the Eternal Warrior. So yeah, that’s the equivalent of asking “are we there yet?” Fortunately, Rai and Lemur would reach their destination, and I don’t want to give anything away but I was loving the build up from that moment to the final panel when my mouth dropped. And now I believe next issue is the issue we’ve been waiting for since the last battle with Father.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Rai #11 is an excellent issue with an intense ending that makes up for what would have otherwise been just another build up issue. It’s good to see Lula and Spylocke taking action and not just planning to attack Father. Same goes for Momo and Izak, although this too stops on the precipice of the move against Father. However, the conclusion to this issue has me legitimately excited about next issue since it seems as if Rai will finally return to battle but not alone.

     

    Release Date: 10/21/15

    Writer: Matt Kindt

    Artist: Clayton Crain

     

  • Rating ( 8.5 )
  • Total score 8.5

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