Low #1
Writer- Rick Remender
Artist- Greg Tocchini
Review by Justin Townson
From the moment I heard about Low, the new series from Image Comics, I was on board. The concept of a future humanity being forced to flee to the bottom of the ocean to avoid the suns radiation is totally up my alley. I may as well post that Fry shut up and take my money meme here. I knew I was going to read this series well before I knew Rick Remender was going to write it. As our editor in chief Bobby Shortle would put it, I’m the Remender guy and as thus, my anticipation for this first issue was about as high as I’ve ever felt for a comic. After reading it, I’ve decided to forgo my usual trade waiting formula for Image books and buy this issue to issue. To say I loved it would be a serious understatement.
While the advance solicits of Low laid out the need to return to the surface and retrieve a probe searching for planets humanity could flee to, this first issue surprises with very little of that. There’s much more to this world that I hadn’t even thought of. Underwater pirates? Yes please, I’ll take that any day. The family dynamic of our main characters was the best part of the book in my opinion. The wonderfully real conversations/joking between husband and wife and parents and children were really interesting to read. It’s one of those things you might not notice in a comic unless it’s really good, but when it is you take notice. It gave the characters life and a sense of realism which adds to the overall enjoyment of the story.
While the exposition of the family was laid out really well, we only get a small taste of the world and systems inside it. The incredible cover and some of the visuals and ideas briefly used reminded me so much of the world of Rapture from the Bioshock series. I’m excited to see what Remender has in store for us and want to see more and more of this world. One of the biggest reasons for that is the jaw dropping art.
This book is stunning looking. Greg Tocchini sets the standard right away with an incredible cover and the rest of the issue not only matches it, it passes it right by. I was blown away by the art here. The colors, the character models and the design are all fabulous. I thought Black Science had the best artwork I’ve seen over the past year but Low is going to give it a serious run for it money. I can’t praise the art enough; it’s worth you buying the book with alone.
Verdict
BUY, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BUY.
If you are a fan of any of the work Image has been putting out, this is for you. If you’re a fan of comics in general this is for you. If you’re into amazing art, this is for you. If you aren’t into any of those things, this is still for you.
