LOW #1 Review

Has Image and Rick Remender struck gold with yet another series or will this fail to excel? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

In the far distant future, the sun’s premature expansion has irradiated Earth, sending humanity to the lowest depths of the seas, hidden within radiation-shielded cities, while probes scour the universe for inhabitable worlds to relocate to. After tens of thousands of years, a single probe returns, crashing on Earth’s surface, a now-alien place no human has seen for many millennia. Frequent collaborators RICK REMENDER (BLACK SCIENCE, Uncanny Avengers) and GREG TOCCHINI (Last Days of American Crime, Uncanny X-Force) dive into an aquatic sci-fi/fantasy tale following two teams from the last remaining cities undersea as they race to the most unexpected alien world of all—the surface of Earth. Special introductory issue features 30 full pages of painted art!

Under the sea. Under the sea…. Wait a minute this isn’t the Little Mermaid, far from it. What Low is however is a great look into how the world might handle the suns expansion, with them moving under the sea to avoid the radiation. This gripping insight into future technology on an apocalyptic level is simply amazing, with the character building and enticing plot development making it easy to soar through.

Rick Remender has really been firing on all cylinders as between his Captain America and Uncanny Avengers run, and his independent series he’s been producing some of the best comics out the now. Low falls in line with his previous work, as though it’s something completely different it’s extremely focused, having a lot of thought behind it. What impressed me about Remender’s writing however is that he focused solely on the characters, as despite the world being turned upside down he allows artist Greg Tocchini to showcase that side.

Talking of Greg Tocchini‘s art, never have I seen such a lavish world artistically come to life before my eyes. This attention to detail coupled with Tocchini’s ability to build and sustain atmosphere makes Low a visually wonderful series that I could stare at for ages. Not stopping here Tocchini manages to deliver some stunning action near the end of the issue, with the explosive layouts really adding to the intensity. Rounding things off he also gives us sensational painted colours, with the final look being purely phenomenal.

Remender has yet again pulled it out the bag proving to be the creator owned writer to watch. Despite it’s slow pace Low‘s underwater extravaganza kicks off in a sensational way with the character depth and action being truly captivating. Highly recommended.