Low #4 Review

What will Stel and Marik find on their journey? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

On their journey to the Earth’s surface, Stel Kane and her son must travel through the Third City, a lost utopia, long abandoned and ruled by a tribe of villainous pirates. The very same pirates who killed Stel’s husband and stole her daughters many years ago.

Low has overall been an enjoyable series, as though leaving me on the fence with certain aspects, it has generally been a clever series. This issue leaves me with similar thoughts, giving us a rather underwhelming, and almost disappointing opening, only to then give us an awesome development. In an attempt to avoid spoilers all I’ll say is that Stel and Marik in their attempt to find a prob that shows signs of an inhabitable world, stumble upon something much more relevant to them personally.

Rick Remender has stated in interviews that he plans this series to be around for sixty issues or more. And that is obvious in his writing. Though we get some amazing moments, with the final sequence having me on the edge of my seat, I can’t help but find that he is delivering a slow burner, with there being pages with limited narration, and no dialogue. Despite this he somehow manages to turn the negatives into a positive, with the fresh new scenery, and latter developments themselves making this an extraordinary entry.

Greg Tocchini once again does a wonderful job of the artwork on this issue, creating some amazing visuals. I did however find some of his art to be a little underwhelming, with some panels feeling overcrowded. His choice of colours also didn’t help at times, with the finished article feeling saturated in orange and yellow. Despite this, the sheer detail of 90% of his art made all this worth it, with there being some breathtaking scenery that allows this underwater world to be really eye catching.

Low #4 is very much a mixed bag, having a shockingly disappointing start, but a phenomenal second half. The developments in this half leave the door open for some wonderful developments, with the final sequence having a shocking twist. Recommended.