Rai (comics)
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Rai (pronounced "rye") is a fictional superhero from the Valiant Comics universe. Rai was the first original hero created by Valiant and had its beginning as a flipbook back-up feature in Magnus Robot Fighter issues #5-8. The popularity of the flipbook back-up story later led to an ongoing series. Valiant Entertainment is the current owner of Rai and the rest of the original Valiant Comics characters.
Rai is the spirit guardian that protects the nation of Japan in the 41st century. It is a mantle passed down from father to son through the generations. As such the series chronicled a number of protagonists.
[edit] Story
In 4001 A.D., a massive machine known as the Host covers the entire island of Japan. Fifty billion Japanese dwell inside this mighty construct, which is, in fact, a single, enormous robot. Rai is the hereditary defender of the Host - its living "immune system." Rai draws weapons from his own body to protect the people of Japan and his creator Grandmother, the sentient AI robot that controls Japan.
The line of Rai were created by Grandmother in the image of the 20th century hero Bloodshot. She hoped to inspire her people by invoking his heroism.
Japan is torn by two waring ideologies. The traditionalists, who believe Grandmother should continue controlling every aspect of life; and the extremist Anti-Grannies, who want to destroy Grandmother and believe that Japan should begin caring for itself.
[edit] Name
Rai's name is the kanji for "spirit", has that meaning, and is pronounced the same way, but is spelled differently in English. The English spelling for that pronunciation would normally be "Rei".
[edit] Grandmother & the origin of Rai
Early in the 31st century, the entire land mass of the island nation of Japan was blanketed by hundreds of levels of high-tech urban sprawl. In order to support such a spectacular megalopolis, with its population of over 50 billion, a tremendously powerful central computer was designed to control every aspect of the island's function. In 3050, that computer went "freewill", which meant that it took on an independent, artificial intelligence. The populace dubbed it "Grandmother" because of its clearly benevolent desire to care for and protect the people of Japan. To insure her own safety, Grandmother created a security force of one. Forged in the image of the legendary 20th century hero, Bloodshot, her Spirit Guardian would be called "Rai".
[edit] Shiro Yagami, the first Rai
Shiro Yagami, a man of noble birth, was infused with some unknown form of energy which gave him great strength, and the ability to form energy weapons. He was also able to travel through the nerveweb of Japan, the computer network which gave Grandmother control of the city, thus allowing him to move anywhere inside Japan at virtually the speed of thought. More skilled as a politician than as a warrior, Shiro met his death in 3216 at the hands of the Anti-Grannies.
[edit] Sho Sugino, the second Rai
In the year 3216, seeking to thwart Grandmother's champion, the Anti-Grannies had somehow managed to obtain the Blood of Heroes - the very plasma that coursed through Bloodshot's veins nearly twelve hundred years before. Once a suitable host could be found, the blood's power could be used to give them control over any electronic intelligence - including Grandmother's. Sho Sugino, the second Rai, was raised up from life as a vagrant to defend Japan, protect Grandmother, and defeat the terrorists. He succeeded but after handing over the blood of heroes he was abandoned in the Lost Land by Grandmother. Feeling Sugino's personality unsuited for the task, she chose a member of the high-born Nakadai family to be the next Rai, declaring henceforth that the line of Rai would be passed from father to son through the generations.
[edit] Rentaro Nakadai, the 41st Rai
Rentaro served as Rai well into his old age, mainly because his son, Tohru, refused to assume the mantle. Tohru finally relented in 4001, and Rentaro was able to retire.
[edit] Tohru Nakadai, the 42nd Rai
In 4001 A.D., however, the Earth was invaded by vicious Spider Aliens, and Grandmother was forced to launch Japan into space in order to defeat them. With the combined might of Earth's forces, the armada was repelled, but Grandmother was so badly damaged that she finally left Japan to govern itself. The Rai of that time, Tohru Nakadai, remained behind to champion his nation, until his death at the hands of Mothergod during the Unity conflict.
Mothergod proved disastrous to Japan. As a result of her machinations, the orbiting island fell from space shortly before Tohru's death, killing billions of its inhabitants. But in its darkest hour, Takao Konishi, a Harbinger with the potential to receive the Blood of Heroes, was chosen to inherit the mantle and continue the lineage of Rai (Rai #0).
[edit] Takao Konishi, the 43rd Rai, or "The Last Rai"
Infused with the "Blood of Heroes" once belonging to the hero Bloodshot, and a Harbinger by birth. Though not of the original line of Rais, he was what "the Rais were supposed to be."
[edit] Obadiah Konishi, the 44th Rai, and possibly "The Greatest Rai"
Son of Takao Konishi and Leeja Clane via a short love affair. He was born with nannites in his blood, which made it possible for him to be more powerful than his father. He was later infused with the "Blood of Heroes" that once coursed through his fathers veins, which not only gave him the powers of the hero Bloodshot, it also gave him some of his memories.
He would become the elder half-brother to Torque, son of Magnus, Robot Fighter and Leeja Clane, and was raised by the First Family of North Am. Upon becoming Rai, "Obie" came into conflict with Tohru Nakadai's son Takashi, who was bitterly jealous of what he saw as Obadiah's preferential treatment as "the last Rai", particularly since Takashi's late father was in fact the last "legitimate" Rai reared by Grandmother.
[edit] Series issues and creators
The following is a list of all who contributed to the creation of the series. When repeated, only last names are be used.
Note: The true first four issues of Rai were a flipbook to issues 5-8 of Magnus, Robot Fighter. These will be denoted as R/FB.
R/FB-1: Jim Shooter, writer/Paul Creddick, pencils/Bob Layton, inks/David Lapham & Layton, cover.
R/FB-2: Shooter, writer/Lapham, pencils/Kathryn Bolinger, inks/Creddick & Layton, cover.
R/FB-3: Shooter, writer/Lapham, pencils/Bolinger & John Holredge, inks/Lapham & Layton, cover.
R/FB-4: Shooter, writer/Lapham, pencils/Bolinger & Maria Beccari, inks/Lapham & Layton, cover.
0: (Note-this was released after the series had begun its regular run) Shooter & Lapham & Layton & John Hartz, story/Layton, script/Lapham, pencils/Tom Ryder, inks/Creddick, cover.
1: David Michelinie, writer/Joe St. Pierre, pencils/Charles Barnett III, inks/Lapham & Layton, cover.
2-3: Michelinie, writer/St. Pierre, pencils/Barnett III, inks/Layton & St. Pierre, cover.
4: Michelinie, writer/St. Pierre, pencils/Bolinger, inks/St. Pierre & Ralph Reese, cover.
5: Michelinie, writer/St. Pierre, pencils/Bolinger & Dave Chlystek, inks/St. Pierre & Reese, cover.
6: Michelinie, writer/Sal Velluto, pencils/Bolinger, inks/Frank Miller, cover.
7: Shooter, writer/Peter Grau, pencils/Bolinger, inks/Walter Simonson, cover.
8: Michelinie, writer/Grau, pencils/Bolinger, inks/Grau & Bolinger, cover.
9: (note-becomes Rai & The Future Force) John Ostrander, writer/Sean Chen, pencils/Bolinger, inks/Layton & Chen, cover.
10-16: Ostrander, writer/Chen, pencils/Bolinger, inks/Chen & Bolinger, cover.
17: Ostrander, writer/Jim Calafiore, pencils/Bolinger, inks/Chen & Bolinger, cover.
18: Anthony J. Bedard, writer/Spark, pencils/Gonzalo Mayo, inks/Rodney Ramos, cover.
19: Dave DeVries, writer/Calafiore, pencils & cover/Mayo, inks.
20-23: Bedard, writer/Dave Ross, pencils/Ramos, inks/Ross & Ramos, cover.
24: (Note-becomes Rai, again. First denoted by "New Rai") Bedard, writer/Ross, pencils & cover/Ramos, inks.
25: Bedard, writer/Ross, pencils/Ramos, inks/George Saravia & Ramos, cover.
26: Bedard, writer/Ross, pencils/Ramos, inks/Ross & Layton, cover.
27-29: Bedard, writer/Kevin Kobasic, pencils/Ramos, inks/Ross, cover.
30: Bedard, writer/Kobasic, pencils/Ramos & Phyllis Novin & Charles Yoakum, inks/Ross, cover.
31: Fred Schiller, writer/John Royle, pencils/Brad Vancata, inks/Ross, cover.
32: Schiller, writer/Royle, pencils/Ramos, inks/Ross, cover.
33: Bedard, writer/Kobasic, pencils/Ramos & Novin, inks/Ross, cover.
