Low #2

By Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini

Low writer Rick Remender expresses his take on this book as a look into optimism, even talking about (in a brief excerpt at the end of issue 1) how this book has brought optimism into his own life. Stel, in this issue, tries to cope with the past and seek out her optimism once more.

The premise of this book is that the world is coming to an end, the expanding sun has forced people to live at the lowest point of the ocean in order to escape radiation, but time is running out and a new inhabitable planet needs to be found. Stel is the one person still looking for that planet, the far away world where she and her family she’s determined to see again will find peace.

The artwork is done by Greg Tocchini and it’s excellent. He doesn’t so much as concern himself with fine details as he does to create surreal scenes blasted with popping colors – variations of green, red, purple, yellow, blue. A scene done well takes us back to the aftermath of an event from issue #1 where we see Stel lying next to her husband – he’s lost a lot of blood, an eye – and through her tears on the balcony the scene falls into the memory and we see his tears match her own. Tocchini exhibits Remender’s scene well and portrays the emotion that such a scene needs to convey.

Remender and Tocchini do a great job of creating this world and emerging you into this fantasy right from the start. Their take on the end of the world is one of optimism and hope as they’ve created a strong female lead to take us on a great adventure.