Rai #13
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The good
Father's character development through the story of Rai I. Delves into history of New Japan and the start of the rebellion
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The bad
Doesn't give additional insight into the rebellion against Father and the Positrons
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The ugly
- Total score
Rai #13 gives the history of the first Rai created on New Japan 1,000 years after it launched from Earth. Many of New Japan’s inhabitants were struggling with the day-to-day reality due to the fact that they lived in poverty, and some wanted to return to Earth. And the orphanages were overrun due to the dire situation on New Japan. However, Father was aware of this situation and used the sheer number of orphans to his advantage by conducting experiments on them attempting to transform them into something else. His first successful experiment becomes the first Rai but unlike later versions this one had no combat capabilities whatsoever. The purpose of the first Rai was to serve as a form of a goodwill ambassador striving to make life easier by building structures inhabitants were familiar with and finding inventive ways to provide necessary services such as creating Positrons. But with so much anger and distrust of Father lurking beneath the surface will the first Rai be able to make a difference?
The first Rai’s childlike appearance wasn’t a coincidence since this story was being told by Father and represented his first interactions with New Japan residents on a physical level so it represented his discovery of the world, its people and his naiveté. At least from his perspective. He would frame everything as a matter of self-preservation with his declaration that there was no such thing as artificial intelligence, just intelligence. So even his manipulative and cruel experiments on orphans was framed as nothing more than his attempts to create something that would allow him to understand humans better and be benevolent in providing for their needs.
SUMMARY
Rai #13 is an engrossing issue that succeeds in developing Father’s character more through the story and learning experience of the first Rai. The fact that this is from Father’s perspective and not so black and white makes it all more intriguing, and whether it’s the creation of the Positrons or the rebellion’s plan against Rai, this issue is pretty intense. There’s no new insight given into the rebellion against the Positrons so an understanding of previous issues might be necessary. I’ve stated this before but I’ll reiterate that if you’re a fan of futuristic sci-fi you need to give Rai a shot.
Release Date: 5/18/16
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: CAFU
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