Low #1 Review: What lies below?
Reading time: 3 minutes
Author - Rick Remender
Illustrator/Cover - Greg Tochini
Letters - Rus Wooton
Low #1 by Rick Remender, Greg Tochini, and Rus Wooton is that streak of hope at the end of the tunnel that some of his books have seemed to have lacked from the past couple of years. At the end of the issue, the author says as much when he reflects on his body of work. Like the best couple of debut issues from publisher Image Comics over the past couple of years, this series has something that many other comics do not--two feet grounded in reality. It's hard to stress how important it is for something to stay firmly rooted in something familiar. Without an established premise to build off of, the end of Low wouldn't resonate with readers. It's hard to take this comic in the context of a vacuum, it exists in the shadow of some of Remender's other work which has toyed heavily in the notion of Sci-fi comics. Black Science, in particular, is likely a big inspiration for the existence of these comics. One of the leads in this issue pulls a hard and fast differentiation between that comic and this one. Where Black Science can be one of the darkest tainted Sci-fi stories that Image is publishing right now, Low injects itself with optimism. The problem here is that the book does more showing then telling in that department. It would have been nice to have actually seen her reaction instead of being told on three separate occasions that our lead character is an optimist in a horrific setting. This is something that can likely be established with ease later on in the book's lifetime. However, it is slightly annoying and invasive to have this notion shoved down the reader's throat.
The stormer stunned critique of the comic stands is a stark contrast towards what this issue actually develops in a short span of pages--a wonderful and epic Sci-fi landscape. Low takes notions that we are acutely aware of and attributes these ideals toward an undersea setting with a futuristic technological lens. This is continually impressive to experience on the page no matter which degree of actual accuracy the technology is based off of. More importantly, it gives this series a personality to make the action engaging. Even with a sprawling technologically vast landscape, Low never feels alienating. Once again, the comic is based off of that important premise that grounds the technology into an easily chronicled world.
As good as the script is, illustrator Greg Tocchini's art is even better. It is hard to even classify him as a pencilled, as this comic is undoubtedly painted. The way in which he illustrates the story allows him to fully flesh out the universe that Remender has thought out via his cranium. Watching Tochinni go through the motions of crafting an entirely new world is exhilarating, and will even excite those that are eagerly attempting to stay away from comics. Even after paying full price for this book, it is still tempting to take the staples out and hang these pages on your wall. This feeling is perfectly exemplified in the first double-page spread in the issue which perfectly captures the opening credits’ sequence.
There is a lot to like in Low #1. Even if readers have not been satisfied with the recent work of author Rick Remender, this comic is still worth taking a look at. Greg Tochini and Rick Remender should be proud of the work they crafted here. This world feels perfectly realized, and is gorgeously illustrated. Fans need to check their expectations at the first wonderfully illustrated page.
Low #1 is a 9 out of 10.
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