Exclusive: Dan Abnett On Writing Rai And What’s To Come – Screen Rant

Veteran writer Dan Abnett talks about working on Valiant's Rai, his love of the science fiction genre, and what it likes building worlds.

Debuting back in November, the latest Rai on-going series from Valiant has been a wild ride so far. Writer Dan Abnett and illustratorJuan Jose Ryp have created a rich worldfull of action, humor, anda surprising amount of heart.WithRai's first collected volume set to arrive on August 5th and the series resuming on August 19th with the release of Issue 6 now's a good time to get in on the ground floor.

Dan Abnett spoke with Screen Rant about his love of working in the science fiction genre, what it's been like to work with Juan Jose Ryp, and what fans of Rai can expect in the future.

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This series is a continuation of your previous mini-series Fallen World, which also starred Rai. What made you want to get involved with the character initially?

Dan Abnett: I was actually invited to do it by Valiant. Lysa Hawkins, the editor, knew my enthusiasm for science fiction and world-building and asked me if I would be interested. I was already working on the Rai series when Valiant then asked me if Id like to helm the Fallen World series which would form the foundation, and that made a lot of sense. Lysa clearly knew me well, because these are exactly the sort of characters and situations that appeal to me.

In the first volume of Rai we encounter everything from techno-dinosaurs to roving gangs of post-apocalyptic scavengers to data-stealing virtual monsters. What kind of freedom does the science fiction world of this book offer you and Juan Jose Ryp creatively? Does the genre present any unique challenges?

Dan Abnett: Well, a great deal. I actually love - genuinely - writing within restricted parameters, like writing stories to fit in a pre-established universe. I enjoy the challenge of trying to tell the best possible story in a world that's already created, and in comics you get to do that a lot because there are several, notable big universes out there. This series is set in the wonderful Valiant Universe, so those rules certainly apply - but theres also the exhilarating free rein of it being the future of that universe, with lots of room to invent and establish new things. Weve created, as you say, a lot of very wild and wide-ranging concepts and characters. We did it because its fun, but it wasnt just a matter of using our creative freedom with abandon. We wanted, as quickly as possible, to establish the future world, to show its range, diversity and potential. So the variety is part of the essential storytelling.

Your words and Juan Jose Ryps artwork are gelling together fantastically in this series. Whats the collaborative process like between you two?

Dan Abnett: Thank you. I think Juanjos work is truly great. When we started, it looked like everything was going to be pretty straightforward - Id write scripts and Juanjo would draw them. But very quickly, I realized how much he had bought into the world too, as much as me, and how much effort he was putting into realizing it: not just inventing cool looks for some of the ideas, but rendering them in staggering detail so they became utterly believable. So his art started to push my writing: I felt confident to come up with things knowing that he would deliver them brilliantly and that nothing would fall flat or seem throw-away. I cant praise him enough.

Rai takes place in a world that has some fairly bleak aspects to it yet theres a lot of humor throughout each issue. Was finding a balance between action and humor a conscious decision?

Dan Abnett: Yes, and I thought it was necessary. You can be as inventive as you like, but after a while it becomes just an exercise in impressive ideas. A storys got to have a heart, and to me the heart is always character. Rai and the rest of the cast have got to have their own voices, so we feel they are distinct people. Thats what makes you care and keep reading. And humors a very important part of personality. Its a natural human function, it makes us warm to people, and its very effective cutting or off-setting darker moments and bleaker events. Having a character like, say, Raijin, be quite funny is entirely in keeping with who he is and how his personality works, and it also counterpoints the harsher action to great effect.

While part-synthetic, Rai is also striving to fulfill his human potential in attempting to de-weaponize himself. Is the question of what it means to be human something youre trying to explore in Rai thematically?

Dan Abnett:I guess so, in simple terms. There are a lot of characters in this series who arent strictly human - they are post-human, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt get to explore their humanity, or find out how they identify with the species that they derived from. But I also think this is about technology - we live in a world that already worries about the consequences of truly sophisticated technology. Rai is a product of technology too, so he is - in effect - a piece of hyper-sophisticated tech taking responsibility for itself, and exploring the positives and negatives of tech at that sort of level. The moment we build technology that is, to all intents and purposes, self-aware and capable of its own decision-making, there is an obligation to make sure it is capable of taking responsibility for its activities. Technology is a tool, and when the tool can use itself, it had better know why.

It feels like the heart of the series is the relationship between Rai and his (technically older) brother Raijin. Whats it been like exploring the dynamic between those two characters?<

DA:Yes, that really is the core - that and the relationship of the two brothers to their AI father. Its all about family! The relationship between the pair is really interesting and rewarding. They are very similar, but they dont see eye to eye. Despite the way he looks - like a pre-teen child - Raijin is, of course, older than Rai. Hes an earlier model, and effectively Rais big brother. Rai outclasses him in his size, power and abilities, so Raijin compensates with his experience, his maturity, acting almost as a conscience, or at least a better angel, trying to influence Rais sometimes bleak and singular world view.

On top of writing for comics, youre also a novelist. Whats it like going between the two mediums? What are some of the challenges/advantages?

DA:I enjoy both very much. I suppose its the same imagination, its just being channeled into different formats. There are things I would do in a novel that I wouldnt attempt in a comic, and vice versa. There are some ideas that come along where I think, thats definitely got to be a comic, or that would work much better in proseand to be honest, I have no difficulty switching between the two (three, actually, because I sometimes write games too!). I often, for example, spend the morning writing the next chapter or two of my latest novel, then switch to comic scripting in the afternoon. I find just that change in technical format keeps me fresh and engaged, and benefits both. It also helps ease the inevitable exhaustion of staying in the same place for too long. No matter how much you like something, the creativity can begin to dry up unless you keep things moving. I once said, in all innocence, I dont like to stay in the same universe for very long and people laughed, but I was completely serious. It works for me.

Can you say anything about what fans can expect as the series moves forward?

DA:Theres lots of great stuff coming, including the introduction of two major threats, and a new main supporting character. As I said, this is really about Rai and Raijin, so well see their relationship develop, and their ideas about the world and what they should be doing evolve. But people are also really enjoying the flashes of present-day Valiant Universe that are cropping up in this future iteration, and I have to say weve got a couple of staggering examples of that on the way.

A big thanks to Dan Abnett for taking the time to talk with us.Rai's first collected volume will be released August 5 and the series sixth issue resuming soon after on August 19.

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Patrick Brennan is a writer and critic who loves horror, comics, and horror-comics. In the past he's written for publications like Rue Morgue, Talking Comics, and Under The Bed magazine. He lives in New Brunswick with his wife, son, and very needy cat.

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Exclusive: Dan Abnett On Writing Rai And What's To Come - Screen Rant