Tortured and humiliated at the hands of Roln, Pirate Lord of the Third City, Stel Caine has but a single chance to save what remains of her family and escape. How high is too high a price for tomorrow? Concluding the first arc of LOW, the seminal sci-fi epic from the minds of RICK REMENDER and GREG TOCCHINI.
Greg Tocchini was born in 1979, in São Paulo, Brazil.
Since 2002 his work has been published internationally by companies such as Marvel and DC Comics (USA) and Le Lombard (France). Some titles include, The Odyssey, Wolverine: Father, Fantastic Four, Thor: Son of Asgard, Captain America, Spider-Man, 1602: A New World, ION, Batman and Robin, Uncanny X-Force, Infinity Section and many others.
He was the artist on the mini-series The Last Days of The American Crime written by Rick Remender, with whom he recently co-created the Science-Fiction series LOW, currently being published by Image Comics. His independent Label Dead Hamster Comics published his graphic novel Sequence Shot as well as works by various other Brazilian artists.
Low has amazing concept I want to experience: underwater cities in a world with its sun going Red Giant. What odd and bewildering things are for us to find out? I am threading my way along the 1-6 collected version, so some of my criticism may be only warranted once I move a bit more forward.
This feels like the end of a TV show's season. It has weight, it has drama and flare and resolution, yet also leaves threads to follow with the next instalments. Marik's catharsis and ascension is complete, and its impact will change those around it, from the people of Poluma, to his mother and the future of mankind. If issue #1 feels like setting up the chessboard, this one is the endgame being played at breakneck speed, as the dominoes fall on one another. I smiled, I cheered, I "oh-no'ed", and I felt crushed. Yet, I remain hopeful in the end, as I turn the final page. It takes an effort to be hopeful... maybe when the sun's almost out, and hope almost gone, maybe only unwavering, fanatical obayssance to the core principal, even if taken as a fever-propelled delirium dream by all others, is the only way leading to a better future.
I still love Tocchini's artwork (with the same objection that all the females don't have to be dressed only in strips of fabric), although I didn't enjoy the warm color choices as much as the cool color palettes of previous issues' underwater scenes, but this makes sense, since it is supposed to be an angry, chaotic setting. Low is a slow burn of a comic built around character development, and although this issue had more action in it, I always find myself on the edge wanting more plot. If I could resist buying the issues, I'd probably be more satisfied consuming this series in trade paperback.
Somehow, Marik manages to emerge from the depths and starts an uprising among the Poluma folk. Roln challenges him to a fight which he loses selflessly trying to save his sister Tajo. And thus loses his life. Tajo wears the helm suit and is indestructible, she lays Poluma to waste and abandons her mother to go look for her sister.
Well, epic end to THE DELIRIUM OF HOPE. More hope, less delirium of course. But brilliant all the same. Looking forward to Volume two.
The conclusion of the first arc, Low #6 doesn't disappoint. With a surprise left hook, the issue's unpredictability left me, frankly, very uneasy and unsure what exactly the future holds for our perpetually optimistic female protagonist.