Low #9

By Rick Remender, Greg Tocchini, Dave McCaig

“See them alive in your mind. See them getting home safely and putting together a search party. Imagine us all back together.”

You need to stay positive in the world of Low, especially with all the negativity flying around, breaking into your ship, capturing you…just keep swimming? Dory’s advice works surprisingly well here…

Issue #9 of Low by gives us an upbeat story in a world where hope is forbidden, and it all begins ten years in the past with two sisters trying to hold on.

Writer Rick Remender uses this issue to focus on the relationship between sisters Della and Tajo. Even though they’ve been separated for years we see the ideals of their mother Stella still firmly within both of them. This is an issue Remender fills to the brim with action and even packs a solid emotional punch come the issue’s end (there was just….something in my eye…a raisin…or something).

Last we saw Tajo she had taken the Helm Suit to wreak havoc on her captors. Della finds herself in position of less power…but will Tajo be quick enough to help her sister?

Remender has made this a story about hope. He even makes references to the idea that creativity sparks the greatest feelings of hope – and of course there are those who wish to stifle it. With this issue he takes that idea and puts it through the wringer as we get a good look at what the impact of a hopeless world has had on Della.

The artists on this series are penciller/inker Greg Tocchini and colorist Dave McCaig (he recently took over on color duty). The images from page to page are once again vibrant and alive – this has been a great series so far in relation to the artwork just as much as the story.

An epic fight scene featuring Della becomes the standout of this issue as Tocchini and McCaig go wild with the images. First, her giant mechanical polar bear thing gets…wait…you’ll have to see that for yourself. Della’s retaliation on her attackers expands over a few pages, but it’s the first page where things kick off that we get a great sense of just how crazy badass of a fighter she really is. The top panel shows Della getting up (all dramatic like) as troopers cloaked in black descend from the ceiling. Hope looks lost…but this book is trying to teach us that isn’t the case…so stop moping and pay attention. Tocchini does a great job of moving Della around the page as she dodges gunshots and gets off some attacks of her own, all while McCaig covers the background into a dark orange as to make all the combatants stand out. It’s clear her attackers made some mistakes when choosing how to confront her…

Issue #9 of Low reaches a new level as Remender, along with Tocchini and McCaig, raises the stakes even higher. This issue makes it clear that hope is out there for everyone…you just have to fight for it (metaphorically fight for it…unless you’re actually trapped underwater). Wait…how many people can fit in a Helm Suit?