Rai #1 was awesome. We gushed about Rai #1 in episode 144.

Apparently, everyone else thought so too, because it is going back for a second printing. It will be available in stores the day that Rai #2 comes out.

The second printing will have a cover that uses the art from one of the interior pages, demonstrating how the interior art of Rai is as good, or better, than the cover art of most other comics.

Here’s the press announcement, plus a couple preview pages from Rai #2 at the very bottom.

RAI #1 Smashes into First Week Sell-Out; New Printing in Stores with June’s RAI #2!

Valiant is proud to announce that RAI #1 – the debut issue of Valiant’s newest ongoing series from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Unity, Mind MGMT) and superstar artist Clayton Crain (Carnage) – has rocketed through its 36,500 copy print run and is now completely sold out at the distributor level. A second printing – with a new cover featuring Crain’s stunning, digitally painted interior art – is now scheduled to arrive in stores June 4th, alongside the series’ next blockbuster issue, RAI #2.

The year is 4001 A.D. – led by the artificial intelligence called “Father,” the island nation of Japan has expanded out of the Pacific and into geosynchronous orbit with the ravaged Earth below. With billions to feed and protect, it has fallen to one solitary guardian to enforce the law of Father’s empire – the mysterious folk hero known as Rai. They say he can appear out of nowhere. They say he is a spirit…the ghost of Japan. But when the first murder in a thousand years threatens to topple Father’s benevolent reign, Rai will be forced to confront the true face of a nation transformed…and his own long-lost humanity…

On June 4th, pick up RAI #1 SECOND PRINTING and RAI #2 to discover why critics are calling Matt Kindt & Clayton Crain’s RAI the most daring new series of the summer:

“An immersive experience…unlike anything else in comics.” – Comic Book Resources
“Rai is off to a killer start… This is a book you really need to check out.” – Comic Vine
“Rai is just plain amazing… It’s impossible to overstate how great Crain’s work is here.” – IGN
“Maybe the best looking comic Valiant has produced yet, and a book that has nearly unlimited potential…” – Multiversity Comics
“A beautifully visualized, engaging artifact of future noir… [Rai] comes with the highest praise.” – PopMatters

The first title of the VALIANT FIRST publishing initiative, RAI is a series unlike anything else in comics today – and a perfect introduction to Valiant’s award-winning line of titles! With major new #1 debuts arriving all summer long, look to VALIANT FIRST each month to discover a whole new array of titles that will have you reading Valiant FIRST when you head home from the comic shop:

• MAY: RAI #1 by Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain
• JUNE: ARMOR HUNTERS #1 by Robert Venditti and Doug Braithwaite
• JULY: ARMOR HUNTERS: BLOODSHOT #1 by Joe Harris and Trevor Hairsine
• JULY: ARMOR HUNTERS: HARBINGER #1 by Joshua Dysart and Robert Gill
• AUGUST: THE DELINQUENTS #1 by James Asmus, Fred Van Lente, and Kano
• SEPTEMBER: THE DEATH–DEFYING DR. MIRAGE #1 by Jen Van Meter and Roberto de la Torre

For more information, visit Valiant on Facebook, on Twitter, on Tumblr, and at ValiantUniverse.com.

For Valiant merchandise and more, visit ValiantStore.com.

RAI #1 CRAIN SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (VALIANT FIRST)
Written by MATT KINDT
Art & Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN (MAR148327)
$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE 6/4/14 (FOC – 5/12/14)

RAI #2 (VALIANT FIRST)
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by CLAYTON CRAIN
Cover A by RAUL ALLEN (APR141423)
Cover B by MICO SUAYAN (APR141424)
Mask Cover by RIAN HUGHES (APR141425)
Variant Cover by BART SEARS (APR141426)
Variant Cover by PAOLO RIVERA (APR141427)
$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE 6/4/14 (FOC – 5/12/14)