LOW #3

By Rick Remender & Greg Tocchini

“I wasn’t trying to hide from reality… I was trying to reshape it.”

Rick Remender, alongside Greg Tocchini, delivers another excellent issue to this series. Stel, the story’s protagonist, continues on her search for a better future overwhelmed by her insatiable optimism. While everyone seems to be accepting the harsh fate of humanity, she’s the only one still searching for answers, still relying on hope to guide the way.

Remender has paired Stel with her son Marik, and for good reason. They’re complete opposites! However, she needs him for her journey and someone with her attitude is sure to make anyone smile no matter how hard they try and fight the urge. He’s creating a big story set around the idea of overcoming obstacles, depression, and loss of hope, and everyone but Stel seems to be lost in this notion of hopelessness.

Greg Tocchini, the artist on this series, depicts the world these two have created as saturated with color as he’s done before. Deep oranges and blues overwhelm the pages as his characters, though limited in detail, remain active and exploding with intense facial expressions. He depicts imaginative creatures and settings beautifully rendered. A full page taking place in the ocean covers the deep blue-green background with orange and various shades of purple sea creatures. The experiences of the characters become the experiences of the readers as, for the first time, we’re also seeing this surreal world come to life.

Some of the things expressed in this issue are dark, but that’s what this series is about – overcoming the darkness. Stel is on a journey to save everyone as well as rekindle her relationship with her son Malik. She’s optimistic in a very dreary time for humanity and is the perfect candidate to get the job done.