Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Greg Tocchini
Release Date: 26th August, 2015
There’s a tendency to define sci-fi fans into two neat camps. The ‘Wars fans like things grubby, rough and ready, and rebellious against a totalitarian authority. The ‘Trek fans, on the other hand, like shiny, high tech optimism that attempts to ask big questions. This is a gross over-simplification of course, but where Low truly triumphs is to draw all of these skeins of sci-fi together into a package that’s both extraordinary and original.
Tajo, having so bloodily escaped her pirate captors, sets off on her quest to find her twin Della, an inquisitor with the Ministry of Thought in a city that has outlawed hope in all its forms, art most especially. Della, having killed her artist lover in the previous issue, now covers her tracks desperately as news of a probe returned from a habitable alien world reaches them.
The art is beautifully visceral in this issue, with arguably the best action sequence of the series so far culminating in an angelic reveal of the Helm suit that made me grin like a kid at Christmas. Equally, the flashback sequences are masterfully rendered, allowing you to fully appreciate the skill in illustrating the changes in the girls over the course of a decade. Dave McCaig’s colours deserve special mention in creating the distinctive feel of the comic, never more impressive than in this issue.
What are my criticisms of this issue? I would have liked more world building of the neo Soviet regime, and I think it seems a little simplistic in its depiction. Also, in having its elite inquisitors fight bare chested feels frankly a little gratuitous – which may seem odd as a comment given the graphic content of previous issues, but here it serves little meaningful purpose (is it a slightly contrived metaphor, or just an excuse for tits?) Despite this it remains spectacularly good, however.
Low is unmissable. There are serious contenders for the sci-fi crown just now – Saga, Roche Limit – but Low trumps them in its breathtaking scope, style, and above all its humanity.
Rating: 5/5.
The Writer of this piece was: Sam Graven
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