4001 A.D. Vol 1 1

*Father is a liar. He's not even... he's not even really **real**. He's a program. Designed to keep us in line. Controlled. He's hurting the Earth and he's enslaving us. He's not human and we don't have to listen to him. We **can't** listen to him.*
-- **Lula Lee**

## Solicitation

In the tradition of BOOK OF DEATH, ARMOR HUNTERS, and HARBINGER WARS, Valiant’s most ambitious crossover event yet starts here! At the dawn of the 41st century, the future of Earth will be decided in the stars. This May…the rebellion begins in 4001 A.D.!

One hundred years from today, Father – the benevolent artificial intelligence that governs the island nation of Japan – will gain sentience. To defend its borders, Father will take drastic action by launching Japan into space…where its people will thrive in isolation, away from the overpopulated and resource-deprived planet below. Over the centuries, as New Japan orbits our increasingly unstable world, it will become a model society – one built on peace, prosperity… and Father’s control.

A thousand years from today, Father will create the first Rai, founding a lineage of technologically enhanced heroes engineered to defend New Japan and sworn to protect it from all enemies. For hundreds of years into the future, the Rai will single-handedly enforce New Japan’s justice well…and serve Father without question.

Now, at the dawn of 4001 A.D., the latest Rai is about to inherit the dark truth behind the origin of his kind…and discover the sinister secret at the heart of Father’s existence. For New Japan to live, Earth must die…and as Rai challenges his former master for the first time in more than a millennium, the lone guardian of New Japan will be cast out of his own Father’s kingdom…

Exiled from the only realm he’s ever known, Rai now walks the ravaged world of 4001 A.D. in search of forgotten heroes like himself… on a mission to collect the last surviving legends of a broken planet…and to forge a rebellion with the power to bring the most advanced civilization in history crashing back down to Earth.

## Part One

### Appearances

**Featured Characters:**

* Rai X

**Supporting Characters:**

* Eternal Warrior
* Lemur
* Lula Lee

**Villains:**

* Father ***(Behind the scenes)***
	+ Rai XI / X-Eye

**Other Characters:**

* Dinosaurs
* Fish-Eyes ***(New Japan police)***
* Guide
* Hunter
* The Geomancer ***(Mentioned only)***
* Kids
* Lula Lee's father ***(unnamed)***
* Lula Lee's mother ***(unnamed)***
* New Japan Board of Directors ***(unnamed)***
* Rai's mother ***(Flashback only)***
* Spylocke ***(Mentioned only)***

**Locations:**

* 41st Century
	+ Earth
	+ New Japan
		- Lower Sectors / "Vestigial Sectors"
		- Sector 938
			* Hunting Sector
		- Sector 2555
			* Blackwater

**Items:**

* D.N.A. scanner ***(Mentioned only)***
* Komodo Protocol ***(First appearance)***
* Rehabilitation cubes

**Vehicles:**

* Flying pick-up truck
* X-O Manowar Mech-Armor Class
	+ Manowar One (of the *Giant Knights of the Great X-O War*)

### Credits

* **Writers:** Matt Kindt
* **Pencilers:** Clayton Crain, David Mack
* **Inkers:** Clayton Crain, David Mack
* **Colorists:** Clayton Crain, David Mack
* **Letterers:** Dave Lanphear
* **Cover Artists**: Clayton Crain, Tula Lotay, Ryan Bodenheim & Michael Garland, Clayton Henry, Ryan Lee & Allen Passalaqua, Ryan Sook, Matt Haley, Diego Bernard, Chance Butler, Clayton Henry, Jeff Piña, Clayton Henry & David Baron
* **Editors:** Warren Simons, Kyle Andrukiewicz (associate)
* **Editor-in-Chief:** Warren Simons

### Synopsis

Father, in the body of Rai XI, explains to the New Japan Board of Directors the reason why he has ejected 22 sectors in the space of a night, the most recent of which is sector 938, the hunting sector.

Lula Lee, now a fugitive, hurries to her parents home in Blackwater. Despite her desperate attempt to convince her parents of fathers faults, Lula was unsuccessful and left her parents as sector 2555 prepares to be ejected.

On Earth, Rai, Gilad and Lemur begin to make their way towards a mountain. They look up at the sky as sectors of New Japan fall towards earth. As they make their way inside the mountain, the trio finds Manowar One. Rai manages to awaken the armor and takes off to attack Father an save New Japan.

Rai attempts to prevent a sector from falling to Earth, but fails to as the momentum of the falling sector is too great.

As Rai, in the Manowar Armor, confronts Father, Father activates the "Komodo Protocol", killing the New Japan Board of Directors in the process. New Japan turns into a mecha dragon.

## Notes

* The "Komodo Protocol" turns floating city of New Japan into a giant space dragon that has the shape of the largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon.

## Quotes

 *Father is a liar. He's not even... he's not even really **real**. He's a program. Designed to keep us in line. Controlled. He's hurting the Earth and he's enslaving us. He's not human and we don't have to listen to him. We **can't** listen to him.*
-- **Lula Lee**

 *I will stop you, Father. I will cut you out of New Japan! And **I'll** hold the pieces together!*
-- **Rai**
## Gallery

### Cover Art

**Cover A** *by Clayton Crain***Cover B** *by Tula Lotay***Cover C** *by Ryan Bodenheim & Michael Garland***CGC Replica Cover** *by Clayton Henry***1:10 Retailer Incentive Design Cover** *by Clayton Crain***1:20 Retailer Incentive Interlocking Mega Cover** *by Ryan Lee & Allen Passalaqua***1:50 Retailer Incentive Connecting Cover** *by Ryan Sook***1:100 Retailer Incentive Connecting Black & White Cover** *by Ryan Sook***Blank Cover****Second Printing****Bulletproof Comics Retailer Exclusive Cover** *by Diego Bernard***Collector's Paradise Retailer Exclusive Cover** *by Matt Haley***Comic Collector's Retailer Exclusive "Action Figure" Cover** *by Chance Butler***ComicsPro Retailer Exclusive Cover** *by ???***ComicsPro Retailer Exclusive Preview Edition** *by Clayton Crain***Loot Crate Retailer Exclusive Cover** *by Clayton Crain***Most Good Hobby Retailer Exclusive Connecting Cover** *by Clayton Henry***New Dimension Comics/3 Rivers Comicon Retailer Exclusive Cover** *by ???***Phoenix Comicon Retailer Exclusive Cover** *by Jeff Piña***Space City Comic Con/Space Cadets Retailer Exclusive Cover** *by Clayton Henry & David Baron*
### Textless Cover Art

**Cover A Textless** *by Clayton Crain***Cover B Textless** *by Tula Lotay***Cover C Textless** *by Ryan Bodenheim & Michael Garland***1:20 Retailer Incentive Interlocking Mega Cover Textless** *by Ryan Lee & Allen Passalaqua***1:50 Retailer Incentive Connecting Cover Textless** *by Ryan Sook***1:100 Retailer Incentive Connecting Black & White Cover Textless** *by Ryan Sook*

## Related

* Rai
	+ *Rai* (Volume 1)
	+ *Rai* (Volume 2)
		- *Rai and the Future Force*
	+ *Rai* (Volume 3)
		- *4001 A.D.*
		- *Rai: The History of the Valiant Universe* #1
	+ *Fallen World*
	+ *Rai* (Volume 4)

## References

This section is for footnotes and citations.