In Fallen World #4, Rai’s greatest enemy has returned in a whole new form, and he’s got an army with him!

Can the cyborg samurai save innocent people from the powerful foe?

What roles will fan-favorite characters Eternal Warrior, Geomancer, and War Mother play in the battle?

Fallen World #4, written by Dan Abnett, featuring art by Adam Polina, colors by Ulises Arreola and letters by Jeff Powell is the penultimate issue in the series that follows the events of 4001 A.D. and War Mother. It also serves as the first time we see War Mother interact with another character from New Japan, the new Geomancer, and the Eternal Warrior.

Unfortunately, it’s also the weakest book so far in the series.

Gone are the allegories to the present day and our current struggles, replaced by an issue of combat and action that does little to provide any real excitement (which feels odd to say).

Regarding those allegories…

My love for this series is, in part, due to the analogs to our current world. There are clear problems between humans and their former slaves, the artificially intelligent positrons. This leads to some powerfully haunting moments in the first issue. The second issue introduced us to a religious sect that worship Father – or rather their idea of Father, crafted to suit their needs. It’s a series of undertones that add what all great science fiction has. That’s a powerful modern relevance despite the book being set two thousand years in the future. The third issue has added an interesting commentary on a foreign body trying to impose its will on the existent population. It’s a population that is less than thrilled with the proposition being offered by the foreign body.

From the review of Fallen World #3 I wrote last month.

Whereas the fourth issue has a throwaway line that infers people are willing to surrender far too much for the easy way out. It is a powerful line, but it’s lost amidst the rest of the issue and isn’t really revisited in any great detail, which is a shame.

Once again, the comic is split between two different plotlines; following Rai and the Eternal Warrior, the Geomancer and War Mother. Rai’s story is mostly focused on his impending confrontation with Father, and how the supporting characters try to help make such a thing a possibility in the finale of the miniseries. I’d love to say that the action of screen and the story itself are exciting, but it feels almost routine. Fallen World #4 is a by the numbers comic that is entirely at odds with the first two issues in the series – and as a person who was deeply enjoying the direction of the story, that’s a disappointing thing to say.

At this point, it would be nice to say that the diverging tale brings enough to the comic to save it, but there’s something a flatness in the way the Eternal Warrior, the Geomancer and War Mother interact; any of the emotion and humour from the previous issue seems to have drained away to be replaced with mostly forgettable dialogue (though there are highlights – for the most part it’s just “okay”).

I am aware that art is subjective, which makes talking about it tricky at times because this series has once again fallen below expectations for me. There are some wonderfully descriptive pages, and then you look at Gilad’s face and you wonder if it’s the same character that we saw last issue because he seems to have had an impromptu hair cut (which he seems to keep refreshing after every page or so), and the scars across his face have pretty much all but disappeared. Now while some of my misgivings can be attributed to the review pdf, there’s more than I can reasonably sweep under the rug.

That said, this series is still buoyed by two remarkable issues at the outset of the series, and another pretty good one right in the middle. While there has been a downward trend appearing, we’ve still got an issue left that will allow Abnett, Pollina and co to course correct for a much better finale than the fourth issue implies we’ll get. But, after a disappointing fourth issue, I’m still cautiously optimistic about the fifth.

Story: Dan Abnett Art: Adam Pollina
Colors: Ulises Arreola Letters: Jeff Powell
Story: 6.8 Art: 7.1 Overall: 7.0
Recommendation: Buy if you’ve come this far

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

In Fallen World #3, the mind-controlled Bloodshot enlists the help of the Church Fallen to further his nefarious plans!

Rai comes face-to-face with the animalistic hybrids of the Kor’Tunga clan! Can Rai stop the resurrection of Father, his greatest enemy, before it’s too late?

Fallen World #3 follows two main plot threads. The first features Rai and Noah as the pair race back to Sontaku Sector to warn them about Father’s impending return. The second finds Gilad and the Geomancer as they’re introduced to War Mother and her sentient gun. The second plot thread is one of the first times we’ve seen War Mother interact with another character from a series other than her own in Valiant’s future timeline. It makes it a momentous occasion. The meeting of War Mother, the Eternal Warrior, and the Geomancer provides some oddly humourous interactions.

The comic expands upon the denizens of the Earth in the year 4002 A.D. It reveals a little more about the state of the world beneath New Japan and their feelings about the fallen city.

Written by Dan Abnett with art by Adam Polina and colors by Ulises Arreola Fallen World #3 is a solid entry in the series. Though it’s not quite as good as the previous issue. That ultimately isn’t a huge deal given the quality of the series as a whole thus far.

My love for this series is, in part, due to the analogs to our current world. There are clear problems between humans and their former slaves, the artificially intelligent positrons. This leads to some powerfully haunting moments in the first issue. The second issue introduced us to a religious sect that worship Father – or rather their idea of Father, crafted to suit their needs. It’s a series of undertones that add what all great science fiction has. That’s a powerful modern relevance despite the book being set two thousand years in the future. The third issue has added an interesting commentary on a foreign body trying to impose its will on the existent population. It’s a population that is less than thrilled with the proposition being offered by the foreign body.

If there’s any flaw here, it’s in the presentation. As art is often subjective the issues I had with the art, minor though they are, aren’t really worth bringing up. But I will to explain what I mean. There are going to be so many people out there who love the artwork in this comic – and they’re not wrong to do so. Art’s subjective. Just because the style of this issue didn’t resonate with me, doesn’t mean that it’s bad. It’s actually technically very good; the lines are clean, the colors are vibrant and the layouts are interesting. But certain parts of the style just don’t quite work for me.

That said, this comic is still remarkable in what it achieves. Abnett and Pollina build upon everything they’ve laid out in the first two issues. Whether it’s a doubling down on the themes and commentary within the comic, or establishing the direction for the final two issues (and the inevitable confrontation between our heroes and Father), Fallen World #3 is a solid entry in the series.

Although Fallen World #3 didn’t quite grab me the same way the other two issues did, this is still a solid comic by a creative team who are for the most part firing on all cylinders. This event is shaping up to be something special.

Story: Dan Abnett Art: Adam Pollina
Colors: Ulises Arreola Letters: Jeff Powell
Story: 8.6 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

Get ready for Fallen World #2, the second thrilling chapter in Valiant’s explosive event series!

Rai’s creator and most dangerous foe has returned! The cyborg samurai faces an impossible challenge. Can he stop his greatest enemy from gaining even more power? 

Fallen World is series that uses the building blocks established in 2016’s 4001 A.D. and the final arc of Rai that was published concurrently. Although you can still enjoy the current series without having read the 2016 books that laid the ground work, you may very well miss the weight of some of the connections between characters (re)introduced in this issue – and possibly some of those yet to come. It isn’t the end of the world, however, to not fully grasp the intricacies of those relationships and the back story that you’ve missed if you’re starting with Fallen World. Valiant’s propensity for ensuring that new readers are able to start (almost) anywhere is on full display here, and you’ll get the bare bones of the previous events – and that’s honestly all you need.

Written by Dan Abnett with art by Adam Polina and colours by Ulises Arreola Fallen World #2 is every bit as good as the previous issue.

My love for this series is, in part, due to the analogues to our current world. There are clear problems between humans and their former slaves, the artificially intelligent positrons, leading to some powerfuly haunting moments in the first issue. The second issue introduces us to a religious sect that worship Father – or rather their idea of Father, crafted to suit their needs. It’s a series of undertones that add what all great science fiction has, and that is a powerful modern relevance despite the book being set two thousand years in the future.

In terms of the characters themselves, the plot is rather straight forward as Abnett focuses on establishing some pieces that will play out deeper into the series; the threat of Father’s new body, the possible solution to that and the end page reveal. All pieces to the tapestry that he and Pollina are weaving with the story.

My expectations were pretty high coming into the second issue, especially given how I felt about the first (as a side note, Fallen World #1 was the first comic I bought two copies of because I liked the covers – usually I buy a couple copies if one is a blank sketch variant). This issue is one of those comics that narrows down the scope and focus of the story, and ends up making the entire premise that much stronger.

Story: Dan Abnett Art: Adam Pollina
Colors: Ulises Arreola Letters: Jeff Powell
Story: 9.1 Art: Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.