Rai, Not So Good At His Job

...oh, hey... uh, I didn't think there'd be anyone here to check the blog today.  I mean, it's Labor Day, a time set aside specifically so that everyone can go out, be with family, and participate together in a day of intense, backbreaking labor.  I was just about to meet up with my parents and my sisters to lay down some asphalt, but since you've gone through the trouble of showing up, let me see what I can share with you today.  Hmmm... how about this:

It's a drawing of Rai, a comic book character from the early 90's.  He wasn't from Marvel or DC, he was with a smaller company called Valiant.  My dad bought me Rai issue #1 for Christmas and I was really into it.  Rai was supposed to be the spirit guardian of Japan.  The story was set way in the future and Japan had somehow detached itself from earth and was floating out in space like a moon.  Rai's job was to keep the country safe from all threats, foreign and domestic.  He could pull weapons out of thin air and he knew a lot of sweet Kung Fu moves.

...but Rai was really bad at his job.  Japan ended up being destroyed and Rai was dead by issue #7.  I, being a very young boy at the time, was devastated.  I kept on waiting to see if there'd ever be an issue #8 and it just never happened.  They eventually came up with another character that kind of looked like him except with a goofy goatee and ponytail, but it just wasn't the same.

Anyway, this is a drawing I did recently on a piece of scrap illustration board using ink and watercolors.  Rai is being bullied by several ninjas.  Look, he's killing one of them:

Rai, gone too soon...

Oh, and on the other side of the board is an old ink drawing of an ostrich.

 Is that good enough?  I hope so, because I'm about to go out and get to it.  It would be unconscionable to spend Labor Day, of all days, lazing about on the internet.

Cheers.