Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain usher in the summer of Valiant with 4001 AD. Now 4001 AD is the first issue in Valiant’s crossover event that focuses on the heroes 2000 years in the future. In particular, the comic focuses on Rai who is exiled from New Japan and his attempt to save it from the very thing that had exiled him. Although this comic is ushering major changes to the Valiant universe it is considered to be an entry point issue providing a lot of information to new and returning fans that helps to keep readers informed and engaged in the story.
The Good:
Valiant, for years, has been doing an excellent job of providing the correct amount of information in all of their comics. Issue 1 of 4000 AD is no exception as the comic has a 3 page opening background that goes through a brief history of the character Rai. This establishes who Rai is, why he was exiled, and his confrontations with Father, a super computer program that rules New Japan. In establishing this background it keeps both new and old readers in the loop of what is occurring and allows the comic to expand upon the background. Furthermore, building upon the background, the comic captures the idea of how expensive freedom is. This is due to Lula infecting Father with a virus in an attempt to weaken him and make him lose control of New Japan and it’s people. Rather than him losing control he is systematically eliminating what he deems to be the virus by dropping sectors of New Japan despite them having human life or not. This shows what freedom is worth to Lula and she is willing to accept a few causalities for liberation and freedom. This strategy is countered by Father as he is willing to risk the same amount of lives to regain control of New Japan and keep his citizens alive. Father and Lula counter one another and spark a debate as to what is best for New Japan. Finally, the comic does an excellent job of continuing the feud between Rai and Father as they come face to face at the end of the issue. Despite not fighting yet, it acts as a reassurance that the comic will not be pulling any punches. Each issues is important due to it being a limited run. Furthermore having a major confrontation in the 1st issue shows the readers that Matt Kindt is not going to waste any time on filler in this comic as he is going to give 100% to the story.
The Bad:
Despite the comic establishing a strong background, excellent character development, and ideologies that counter one another the comic falls short in one area. The ending to the issue as it is hard to comprehended and realize what has happened to New Japan. It takes away from what has occurred as it feels like the last few pages do not match with the overall theme of the comic and seem out of place. Furthermore, the comic is articulated well as every component mentioned has some reason for occurring. Despite this the ending seems illogical considering how methodical the rest of the comic was set up.
The Verdict:
4001 AD is a wonderful and entertaining read for all new and returning readers in the Valiant universe. This is due to the excellent backstory that explain Rai’s character development and history and provide a basis for other aspects such as the Father and Lula characters to be built upon. The story of the comic deals with a dystopia and characters fighting against it in order to combat its effects and grant people new freedoms. Despite the comic’s rough ending it is a must buy as 4001 AD is ushering many new elements into the comic world by Valiant and this is the comic that will help to start a new era.
Can pick up a copy of 4001 AD here.
