What do you think?
Rate this book
Low
Low, Vol. 1: The Delirium of Hope
Millennia ago, mankind fled the earth's surface into the bottomless depths of the darkest oceans. Shielded from a merciless sun's scorching radiation, the human race tried to stave off certain extinction by sending robotic probes far into the galaxy to search for a new home among the stars. Generations later, one family is about to be torn apart in a conflict that will usher in the final race to save humanity from a world beyond hope. Dive into an aquatic fantasy like none you've ever seen before, as writer Rick Remender (Fear Agent, Uncanny Avengers) and artist Greg Tocchini (Last Days of American Crime) bring you a tale mankind's final hour in the cold, deathly dark of the sea.
Collecting: Low 1-6
Collecting: Low 1-6
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2015
About the author
Rick Remender
1,175 books1,360 followersRick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Los Angeles, California. He is the writer/co-creator of many independent comic books like Black Science, Deadly Class, LOW, Fear Agent and Seven to Eternity. Previously, he wrote The Punisher, Uncanny X-Force, Captain America and Uncanny Avengers for Marvel Comics.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,062 reviews
August 22, 2015
I wanted to like this so badly, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I will say that the artwork is beautiful, but the story was lacking. I think too much was happening in the story and it was rather confusing at times. At this point, I will not be continuing on with this series.
October 18, 2015
The artwork was really pretty, but that about covers all the positives. The story had a lot of problems: gendered language, didn't care for the treatment of the female characters (why must they always be half naked while the men get clothes??), the plot relied heavily on shock value, and it just wasn't very interesting.
I found most of the characters to be annoying, especially Marik and his complete 180 personality flip at the halfway point. He goes from being a super pessimistic loner to someone who could rival Spongebob's "I'm ready!" mentality, and I just didn't buy that.
The plot was a jumble of ideas that never really found its purchase with me, floundering around in an ocean listlessly. Where did the plot want to go? Was it lost? I think so. The running theme of "keep hope alive" was cute, but became tiring as the book went on. It's almost like this story was written on the "hope" that it would be good. Sadly, that's not how writing works.
Underwhelming and unsatisfying.
I found most of the characters to be annoying, especially Marik and his complete 180 personality flip at the halfway point. He goes from being a super pessimistic loner to someone who could rival Spongebob's "I'm ready!" mentality, and I just didn't buy that.
The plot was a jumble of ideas that never really found its purchase with me, floundering around in an ocean listlessly. Where did the plot want to go? Was it lost? I think so. The running theme of "keep hope alive" was cute, but became tiring as the book went on. It's almost like this story was written on the "hope" that it would be good. Sadly, that's not how writing works.
Underwhelming and unsatisfying.
April 24, 2015
In his foreword (or “forward” as Marvel’s AVX would have it - I know, I know, let it go, let it goooOoOOoOoO), Rick Remender talks about his years in therapy and discovering how positive thinking changed his life. Once he started having a sunnier outlook he says he became a happier person, a better husband/father, and a better, more productive writer (the latter is certainly true - SO many comics!). The power of positive thinking.
Good for him. But I would argue that he doesn’t need to write the following comic because it basically repeats everything he said in the foreword, to the letter! It informs the story far too much and should’ve been an afterword instead.
Low is a dystopian sci-fi adventure (does Remender write any other kind of comic?) based around the inevitability of our sun eventually degrading and swallowing up the entire solar system. After tens of thousands of years, mankind has been forced to get LOW, hiding out in underwater cities as the air and environment on the surface became too toxic to sustain life. Meanwhile, probes were sent to every corner of the universe to find a suitable new world to colonise.
Stel is a married mother of three and an eternal optimist. Her city has a handful of years left before the recycled air becomes unbreathable and kills them all but she holds out hope that one of the probes will send back the vital news that a new Earth has been discovered. Then she and her husband take their two daughters out - leaving their son home to tinker with some tech - to recover a probe that might hold the key to their salvation. Wouldn’tcha knowit, a dang pirate (yup, got pirates in the future too!) kills her man and steals her two daughters!
Fast forward 10 years.
Her son’s a pessimist (he’s got a LOW mood) but Stel remains an optimist (she’s got a HIGH mood) - together, they will save her daughters, find the probe for a new Earth, and save the world. The power of positive thinking. Is that phrase becoming repetitive? That’s LOW for you!
Did you know if you thought positively, you can overcome anything? Even the end of the world? Even personal tragedies like losing your family in a day? This is the message of the book, first stated in the foreword and then repeated throughout with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. This is the structure of the comic: Stel is optimistic, talks about the power of positive thinking, and then someone throws pessimism/cynicism/realism in her face - and she overcomes it, continuing her mantra of positive thinking. Repeat ad nauseam.
There’s a lot of weird beats to the story (and some might be considered spoilers so consider yourself forewarned). Stel has the body of an 18 year old rather than a middle-aged mother of three. I’m not saying it’s impossible but it’s crazy how she and her teen daughter - both in very revealing bikinis, a major, ahem, “theme” in Low - look like siblings rather than mother and daughter. Not sure if that’s down to future tech or underwater living or the power of positive thinking, but things seem to be good for ladies in the far future - unless you want to wear sensible clothes like the men and not pieces of tactically-positioned cloth!
Instead of cocaine, the popular drug to snort is something called cream. Not having been much of a casual drug user I can’t say this with authority, but doesn’t powder seem better than snorting some thick glob? And then there’s the effects: besides the euphoria, it makes you think you’re a Roman centurion or something - why?! What a bizarre side effect to have!
I’m not really sure why Remender keeps referring back to the ancient world throughout the book. The orgy scene with the senator and the gladiator scene at the end all reference the Romans because, I suppose, he’s comparing this doomed culture to the fall of the Roman Empire? I’m not sure why this society - set tens of thousands of years in the future - is so obsessed with the Romans! It’s just another peculiar detail.
Who’s the dude with the Rapunzel hair floating in the white void - Stel’s therapist? How does the pirate king survive being stabbed several times at once without dying or even being hurt?!
The characters are really difficult to root for because they’re so poorly created and unlikeable. Stel is a manifestation of Remender’s belief in positive thinking, an irritating hippy protagonist, rather than an even semi-real character while her kids are such little shits you don’t want them to be saved. Everyone else, including the pirate king, are all one-dimensional non-entities.
Greg Tocchini’s art is pretty for the most part. The thick, painted pages can sometimes look a bit too marzipan-y for my taste, and he can’t do faces very well at all making it difficult to distinguish characters’ appearances unless they’re referring to one another by name. But sometimes you’ll get some pages, like when Stel and her son are swimming underwater taking in the colourful wildlife, that look simply amazing.
Ultimately I wasn’t won over by Low because it’s more of an expression of Remender’s newfound belief in the power of positive thinking, above all else - character, story, etc. are mere afterthoughts to his near-dogmatic love of positive thinking. I didn’t think much of the uninspired world he created and never found myself sucked into Stel’s quest. Most of the time I was very, very bored with whatever was happening on the page. If you’re hoping for the same action-pacing of Black Science, be prepared for a much-less exciting read in Low.
I give it a LOW rating, ha… ha… (head explodes from not enough positive thinking)...
Good for him. But I would argue that he doesn’t need to write the following comic because it basically repeats everything he said in the foreword, to the letter! It informs the story far too much and should’ve been an afterword instead.
Low is a dystopian sci-fi adventure (does Remender write any other kind of comic?) based around the inevitability of our sun eventually degrading and swallowing up the entire solar system. After tens of thousands of years, mankind has been forced to get LOW, hiding out in underwater cities as the air and environment on the surface became too toxic to sustain life. Meanwhile, probes were sent to every corner of the universe to find a suitable new world to colonise.
Stel is a married mother of three and an eternal optimist. Her city has a handful of years left before the recycled air becomes unbreathable and kills them all but she holds out hope that one of the probes will send back the vital news that a new Earth has been discovered. Then she and her husband take their two daughters out - leaving their son home to tinker with some tech - to recover a probe that might hold the key to their salvation. Wouldn’tcha knowit, a dang pirate (yup, got pirates in the future too!) kills her man and steals her two daughters!
Fast forward 10 years.
Her son’s a pessimist (he’s got a LOW mood) but Stel remains an optimist (she’s got a HIGH mood) - together, they will save her daughters, find the probe for a new Earth, and save the world. The power of positive thinking. Is that phrase becoming repetitive? That’s LOW for you!
Did you know if you thought positively, you can overcome anything? Even the end of the world? Even personal tragedies like losing your family in a day? This is the message of the book, first stated in the foreword and then repeated throughout with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. This is the structure of the comic: Stel is optimistic, talks about the power of positive thinking, and then someone throws pessimism/cynicism/realism in her face - and she overcomes it, continuing her mantra of positive thinking. Repeat ad nauseam.
There’s a lot of weird beats to the story (and some might be considered spoilers so consider yourself forewarned). Stel has the body of an 18 year old rather than a middle-aged mother of three. I’m not saying it’s impossible but it’s crazy how she and her teen daughter - both in very revealing bikinis, a major, ahem, “theme” in Low - look like siblings rather than mother and daughter. Not sure if that’s down to future tech or underwater living or the power of positive thinking, but things seem to be good for ladies in the far future - unless you want to wear sensible clothes like the men and not pieces of tactically-positioned cloth!
Instead of cocaine, the popular drug to snort is something called cream. Not having been much of a casual drug user I can’t say this with authority, but doesn’t powder seem better than snorting some thick glob? And then there’s the effects: besides the euphoria, it makes you think you’re a Roman centurion or something - why?! What a bizarre side effect to have!
I’m not really sure why Remender keeps referring back to the ancient world throughout the book. The orgy scene with the senator and the gladiator scene at the end all reference the Romans because, I suppose, he’s comparing this doomed culture to the fall of the Roman Empire? I’m not sure why this society - set tens of thousands of years in the future - is so obsessed with the Romans! It’s just another peculiar detail.
Who’s the dude with the Rapunzel hair floating in the white void - Stel’s therapist? How does the pirate king survive being stabbed several times at once without dying or even being hurt?!
The characters are really difficult to root for because they’re so poorly created and unlikeable. Stel is a manifestation of Remender’s belief in positive thinking, an irritating hippy protagonist, rather than an even semi-real character while her kids are such little shits you don’t want them to be saved. Everyone else, including the pirate king, are all one-dimensional non-entities.
Greg Tocchini’s art is pretty for the most part. The thick, painted pages can sometimes look a bit too marzipan-y for my taste, and he can’t do faces very well at all making it difficult to distinguish characters’ appearances unless they’re referring to one another by name. But sometimes you’ll get some pages, like when Stel and her son are swimming underwater taking in the colourful wildlife, that look simply amazing.
Ultimately I wasn’t won over by Low because it’s more of an expression of Remender’s newfound belief in the power of positive thinking, above all else - character, story, etc. are mere afterthoughts to his near-dogmatic love of positive thinking. I didn’t think much of the uninspired world he created and never found myself sucked into Stel’s quest. Most of the time I was very, very bored with whatever was happening on the page. If you’re hoping for the same action-pacing of Black Science, be prepared for a much-less exciting read in Low.
I give it a LOW rating, ha… ha… (head explodes from not enough positive thinking)...
Read
February 9, 2017Rick Remender is a pretty popular creator in the graphic novel community, so I thought I'd try out Low: The Delirium of Hope to see how I felt about it and if I wanted to try out anything else by him. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me, and I knew that within a few pages. I maybe made it through one issue before deciding to DNF. In the first few pages, there is so much gratuitous female nudity, with no male nudity to match it. So it felt very "male gaze" to me. Also, I did not like the art style. Couple that with the fact that the series is over the top disturbing for the sake of being gross, and I wanted nothing to do with it. This is not the series for me, and after hearing more about Remender's other series, I don't think I'll be trying out anything else by him either. This review was originally posted on Thoughts on Tomes
April 20, 2017
The artwork in Low is outstanding - all watercolor - but it is a bit hard to read the text sometimes. The story is pretty original - post-apocalyptic society where humans are living under the ocean because the earth's surface became inhabitable. The spirit is rather morose as some tyrants have usurped power and created harems out of the living spaces. There are, of course, a few people that aspire to escape the oppressive atmosphere when they receive word that a satellite that was sent out to seek a habitable planet has returned. The race is on...So like I said, the premise is interesting but sometimes the over-the-top artwork makes it hard to follow the story itself.
Read
July 4, 2018I'm a sucker for books about characters who are unflinching optimists, but this book was far too confusing to follow and weighed down by sci-fi jargon. the art and world was just too hectic, i gave up after 2 issues.
October 13, 2015
This is a pretty excellent example of how great illustration is not the same thing as great comics. Tocchini's art is *beautiful*, almost every panel its own exquisite gesture of light lines and deep color, but... a fair number of those panels barely make any visual sense, and some make none at all. Tocchini also seems totally uninterested in facial expressions, which, in a tale about families torn apart and the world ending, you'd think would be kind of a requirement. He's basically just got the whole European fantasy comic vibe going on: an endless series of half-naked women, who are naked for pretty much no reason for 90% of the story and (along with the more clothed men) have the emotional range of an end table.
All of which is kind of a shame, because this is actually a pretty fun, simple adventure story that could work well if it could convince you the characters were actually people. Despite the exploitative art, women drive a lot of the plot, and I actually kind of want to know what that probe found. I just don't want to know enough to endure more of the artwork.
All of which is kind of a shame, because this is actually a pretty fun, simple adventure story that could work well if it could convince you the characters were actually people. Despite the exploitative art, women drive a lot of the plot, and I actually kind of want to know what that probe found. I just don't want to know enough to endure more of the artwork.
December 3, 2016
"Consciousness determines the design of the universe."
Low is several things: a little steampunk, post-apocalyptic, futuristic, otherworld, sci-fi, drama. Actually reminds me of Saga a bit. But what it really feels like is a metaphor for therapy. Say what?
Remender says in his introduction that he started going to therapy for his soul-crushing pessimism and nihilism. He talks about how his wife was the eternal optimist who held his family together. He also realized he'd never written an optimistic character. This is all highly relevant, because most of the characters are pessimistic nihilists, except for Stel, the wife and mother. Interesting, right? Other than Remender's work, I don't know if I've ever read a story so allegorical for an author's philosophical life. It's brilliant. And it makes for brilliant reading.
Allegory and biography aside, the story is actually pretty cool and has several twists and turns I didn't anticipate. Like all of his stuff, it's a very dark story with some very sad things, but that's Remender for you.
I've read quite a few post-apoc comics and I'm pretty happy with Remender's designs. It's not every day you see underwater rigs that hold millions of people. Samurai pirates. You can never have too many of those. I also really enjoyed the bohemian nihilism also present in Tokyo Ghost. I see that as probable behavior and it makes for very visually "stimulating" and dynamic backgrounds.
Funny enough, I kept thinking of Tokyo Ghost while reading this. Like that, this is dark, nihilistic, violent, apocalyptic, but there's one shining ray of hope, just enough to hold onto, which is nice. It's sometimes unusually funny with the occasional offhand or background joke. And the prolific sex and crude language is just absurd. Cunt this, cunt that. Just like Tokyo Ghost.
I have only two minor complaints. On my reread the dialog can be somewhat strained, like the pulp melodrama feel of Mad Max or Water World. It tends to be what you'd expect characters in a story like this to say, while working within the narrative. It's well written, just predictable and not overly realistic.
Greg Tocchini's illustrations and colors (with color assistance by Marianne Gusmao) are generally incredible and have a deep painterly quality. The machinery, cities, submarines, nudity, characters and their expressions, twisted and tentacular-like subterranean world. The blues and greens and reds and oranges. It's very elemental. However, sometimes there isn't enough color or depth variation and details wash together like paint. Like there need to be bolder outlines or more color subtlety. I don't know, I'm not a visual artist, but it didn't work 100% of the time. I found myself thinking that Tocchini was illustrating similar to Sean Murphy (with Matt Hollingsworth's colors), but I didn't enjoy the artwork as much as theirs.
So this doesn't quite reach that transcendental level like Tokyo Ghost or Deadly Class, but it's nice to look at, has solidly good dialog, and most of all an exciting story that keeps you guessing. If you're a fan of Remender, sci-fi or otherworld stories, this is worth checking out.
September 16, 2019
[4 Stars] I enjoyed this one more than I was expecting to after all of the mixed reviews. I'll start off by saying yes this is a tad confusing at first, but after you get into the story everything begins to fall together a bit at a time. That is probably my only qualm though, the confusion. I also wish we had a touch more detail in the artwork. Apart from those things I enjoyed the writing, the colorful pages, and the themes. I particularly enjoyed how this actually made me feel for the characters. That being said, this could definitely have been better which is why it didn't get higher than 3.5 stars.
December 16, 2015
This one, it wasn't for me.
It gave me a headache, quite literally.
I didn't like the art because it fades off into itself and I'm a more solid-lines type of viewer.
I didn't like the storyline because it's every fantasy storyline ever mashed up together (ok, not really, but everything is super recognizable if you watch or read even a modicum of Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
I didn't like the writing because it kept pushing me out of the story either via confusion or my own inability to suspend disbelief.
What did I like? The cover. The cover is phenomenal. Just don't open it.
I only actually read the first and last quarters, skimming through the rest because it was all too difficult for me to concentrate on. I still got the gist of the story (what story there is), though: Hopeful Mom Stel, married to the guy who captains the undersea town/ship/thing, believes their lives are not about to end from suffocation and is making plans to rescue humanity from its watery, de-oxygenated demise. Things don't go as planned when her husband and two girls get pirated and only her wishy washy son is left. Politics happen. Crazyass undersea creatures happen. Sex happens. Big fight scenes happen. Skimpy costumes for enslaved women happen. Death, unification, reunification, it all happens. Despite the main character being a "strong woman" type, this is very much a boy's comic, full of all the wish-fulfillment you could want as well as the power of positivity! Yay, happy thoughts!
There's an orgy scene in here that reminded me of an orgy scene in Saga (there's a lot in here that felt like it was riffing from Saga, actually) In Saga, orgy scenes are interesting because they display so many facets of humanity (and alienanity?) and very few of those facets are sexy. Some are sad, some are hilarious, some are horrid, some are ridiculous, some are desperate. The orgy scene in this book supposed to show revelry as a byproduct of despair and it looks more like something sketched out for Penthouse Forum (is that still a thing?) The actual desperation to exist fully before dying out isn't there, it's just titillation and, apparently, not even that for Mom Stel, purveyor of hope and determination and a fierce drive to put her family back together and flee to safety, who just walks through the room ignoring everything. My eyes, they rolled.
This is how most of the story entered my brain, through rolling eyes.
Others may enjoy this one but I am not among them.
It gave me a headache, quite literally.
I didn't like the art because it fades off into itself and I'm a more solid-lines type of viewer.
I didn't like the storyline because it's every fantasy storyline ever mashed up together (ok, not really, but everything is super recognizable if you watch or read even a modicum of Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
I didn't like the writing because it kept pushing me out of the story either via confusion or my own inability to suspend disbelief.
What did I like? The cover. The cover is phenomenal. Just don't open it.
I only actually read the first and last quarters, skimming through the rest because it was all too difficult for me to concentrate on. I still got the gist of the story (what story there is), though: Hopeful Mom Stel, married to the guy who captains the undersea town/ship/thing, believes their lives are not about to end from suffocation and is making plans to rescue humanity from its watery, de-oxygenated demise. Things don't go as planned when her husband and two girls get pirated and only her wishy washy son is left. Politics happen. Crazyass undersea creatures happen. Sex happens. Big fight scenes happen. Skimpy costumes for enslaved women happen. Death, unification, reunification, it all happens. Despite the main character being a "strong woman" type, this is very much a boy's comic, full of all the wish-fulfillment you could want as well as the power of positivity! Yay, happy thoughts!
There's an orgy scene in here that reminded me of an orgy scene in Saga (there's a lot in here that felt like it was riffing from Saga, actually) In Saga, orgy scenes are interesting because they display so many facets of humanity (and alienanity?) and very few of those facets are sexy. Some are sad, some are hilarious, some are horrid, some are ridiculous, some are desperate. The orgy scene in this book supposed to show revelry as a byproduct of despair and it looks more like something sketched out for Penthouse Forum (is that still a thing?) The actual desperation to exist fully before dying out isn't there, it's just titillation and, apparently, not even that for Mom Stel, purveyor of hope and determination and a fierce drive to put her family back together and flee to safety, who just walks through the room ignoring everything. My eyes, they rolled.
This is how most of the story entered my brain, through rolling eyes.
Others may enjoy this one but I am not among them.
July 4, 2016
Nah. Although this has a "strong female main character", the tendency to find any excuse to put female characters in bikinis as well as using a sex worker character's death to further a guy's story line made me feel like this isn't really for women. The main character is relentlessly optimistic, but she is constantly having everyone she loves tortured, kidnapped, and/or killed in front of her. It began to feel like emotional torture porn or something. Not a fan.
May 2, 2022
4.8/10
DNF
For some reason, i didn't like it. It's quite strange, because if you ask me why the low rating and why i didn't like it, i won't be able to provide a good answer.
DNF
For some reason, i didn't like it. It's quite strange, because if you ask me why the low rating and why i didn't like it, i won't be able to provide a good answer.
November 3, 2015
This was way to confusing to follow. And I didn't like the art style.
December 3, 2016
I read this because a guy in one of my area comic stores said he was his fave comics guy. This is my first encounter with Remender, I think, and I was underwhelmed. Good concept, in a way. Where do we go as earth's resources peter out? New planets? Not likely, but how about undersea, deep undersea, while we explore the universe. . . I thought of Mat Kindt's Dept H, where a group of scientists have given up on space exploration and are investigating the deep sea as a place for possible living. Remender's intro makes it clear that he is influenced in this project by therapy that has helped him through some dark issues, and by his optimistic wife, so Stel, the main character, is modeled after her. But unfortunately I am not convinced that we all should be singing "Sunshine, Lolllypops and Roses."
It's a time in the future when the sun will most likely burn up the earth, and in this dystopian time, it's seems we need positive thinking, not despair, and Stel is our Norman Vincent Peale (look it up, kids) here, but the problem is that we have no real reason to believe her. She has lost her family and has no basis for hope it seems beyond just keepin' on keepin' on. It may be the recent election and reading Bill McKibben that has me in the dumps on this hopey changey thang, but give me some specifics, Rick.
In the meantime, things look dystopianly grim in Remender's world of the future, but to pass the time there's a lot of gratuitous sex and nudity and bad dialogue to keep you going. And okay, good art from Tocchini but if the story is just okay, who cares about how things look? Does this get better after the grim first volume? I am not encouraged. Maybe 2.5 for the story so far, bumped up to 3 for the art?
It's a time in the future when the sun will most likely burn up the earth, and in this dystopian time, it's seems we need positive thinking, not despair, and Stel is our Norman Vincent Peale (look it up, kids) here, but the problem is that we have no real reason to believe her. She has lost her family and has no basis for hope it seems beyond just keepin' on keepin' on. It may be the recent election and reading Bill McKibben that has me in the dumps on this hopey changey thang, but give me some specifics, Rick.
In the meantime, things look dystopianly grim in Remender's world of the future, but to pass the time there's a lot of gratuitous sex and nudity and bad dialogue to keep you going. And okay, good art from Tocchini but if the story is just okay, who cares about how things look? Does this get better after the grim first volume? I am not encouraged. Maybe 2.5 for the story so far, bumped up to 3 for the art?
August 18, 2016
I put this off for a looooong time after seeing a bunch of negative reviews, but I actually quite liked it.
There was a lot more depth (heh.) than I expected but I did have some issues. Marik's abrupt 180 in character threw me off a bit, and I just...do the women in this world just not get clothes? What's going on here?
There was a lot more depth (heh.) than I expected but I did have some issues. Marik's abrupt 180 in character threw me off a bit, and I just...do the women in this world just not get clothes? What's going on here?
February 10, 2016
Some points:
-A very good idea, but not very well developed. The earth is dying and society lives underwater, and the main female character has hopes to encounter another planet or a way to survive.
-Filled with porn, don't lie to me, if it is porn then label it porn rather than as a story with sexy times in it.
-This format seemed like the perfect little way to share the story, but it was poorly executed, one can barely tell what is going on because the art is way too messy.
- Weird theme of Roman Empire here, the drug (cream, yes that is the name) makes you think you are a centurion. Then we get orgy scenes depicted as if in Roman times. I do not know if he was comparing this doomed society of the future to the doom of the old empire, but it simply made no sense, the connections were seriously lacking, as I am quite sure the same reasons that ended the empire are nothing like those ending our earth.
-To quote Hermione Granger, the characters in this story have "the emotional range of a teaspoon."
- Exploitation of females, sort of, it is there but I don't want to go in depth.
-A very good idea, but not very well developed. The earth is dying and society lives underwater, and the main female character has hopes to encounter another planet or a way to survive.
-Filled with porn, don't lie to me, if it is porn then label it porn rather than as a story with sexy times in it.
-This format seemed like the perfect little way to share the story, but it was poorly executed, one can barely tell what is going on because the art is way too messy.
- Weird theme of Roman Empire here, the drug (cream, yes that is the name) makes you think you are a centurion. Then we get orgy scenes depicted as if in Roman times. I do not know if he was comparing this doomed society of the future to the doom of the old empire, but it simply made no sense, the connections were seriously lacking, as I am quite sure the same reasons that ended the empire are nothing like those ending our earth.
-To quote Hermione Granger, the characters in this story have "the emotional range of a teaspoon."
- Exploitation of females, sort of, it is there but I don't want to go in depth.
May 17, 2018
I did not like this. Set in a really interesting world, but without the foreword I would not have had a clue what was going on.
Diffuse, undefined artwork that was sometimes almost impossible to decipher. I kept looking at some frames, unable to figure what I was supposed to be seeing. The only part I truly liked was Stel and her son swimming underwater in their suits, looking at water creatures.
The story was not uninteresting, but felt disjointed. A lot of deep-sounding thoughts and and pop philosophy, that made me feel as if someone had robbed the self-help section of a bookstore and had regurgitated it all onto these pages. I found it very tedious to read.
Plus I didn‘t like any of the characters. One-dimensional. And some of them were difficult to tell apart. Old-fashioned depiction of scantily clad women—as another review put it, why must the women always be half-naked, while the men get clothes? And why do Stel and her daughter look alike in their three tiny triangles of fabric,, with one of them presumably being twice the age of the other?
So, not going to continue this series. 2 low points...
Diffuse, undefined artwork that was sometimes almost impossible to decipher. I kept looking at some frames, unable to figure what I was supposed to be seeing. The only part I truly liked was Stel and her son swimming underwater in their suits, looking at water creatures.
The story was not uninteresting, but felt disjointed. A lot of deep-sounding thoughts and and pop philosophy, that made me feel as if someone had robbed the self-help section of a bookstore and had regurgitated it all onto these pages. I found it very tedious to read.
Plus I didn‘t like any of the characters. One-dimensional. And some of them were difficult to tell apart. Old-fashioned depiction of scantily clad women—as another review put it, why must the women always be half-naked, while the men get clothes? And why do Stel and her daughter look alike in their three tiny triangles of fabric,, with one of them presumably being twice the age of the other?
So, not going to continue this series. 2 low points...
August 7, 2015
The artwork here grows on you a fair bit, especially when you realize it's like Heavy Metal crossed with Conan the Barbarian set in Waterworld.
It's no secret to any of the Shallows gang, RR is one of my faves. The intro talks about his pessimism and how therapy helped him be optimistic and how it changed his whole world. I'm happy for him, but I can see how sometimes tortured artists produce better work.
This is not a bad book at all, but the one thing Remender usually had going for him in spades was his humour. Never did I worry he was going to go write for DC...however, Low is lacking any sort of humour. This is a major problem. For a book about optimism and positive thinking and hope, it was devoid of humour. Does this mean that humour is tied into being negative or pessimistic? I wonder, because people think I'm funny, and I'm not a wild optimist. I'm a defeated idealist who uses sarcasm to gloss over how much humanity disappoints me. However, my misery usually makes others laugh?
Either way, without the humour, this is just another slightly above average dystopian sci-fi book.
Humanity lives in cities under the ocean, as the sun expands and ruins the Earth...one woman is optimistic and full of hope...so,naturally all the bad shit happens to her and her family.
Her hubby dies, kids kidnapped, and her son descends into depression. Then a glimmer of hope 10 yrs later, and we are off on our merry or not so merry way...
For a book about optimism, it sure wasn't happy. Ironic, no?
That being said, it is interesting enough to pursue, but not aggressively.
Thanks for the free copy NetGalley!
It's no secret to any of the Shallows gang, RR is one of my faves. The intro talks about his pessimism and how therapy helped him be optimistic and how it changed his whole world. I'm happy for him, but I can see how sometimes tortured artists produce better work.
This is not a bad book at all, but the one thing Remender usually had going for him in spades was his humour. Never did I worry he was going to go write for DC...however, Low is lacking any sort of humour. This is a major problem. For a book about optimism and positive thinking and hope, it was devoid of humour. Does this mean that humour is tied into being negative or pessimistic? I wonder, because people think I'm funny, and I'm not a wild optimist. I'm a defeated idealist who uses sarcasm to gloss over how much humanity disappoints me. However, my misery usually makes others laugh?
Either way, without the humour, this is just another slightly above average dystopian sci-fi book.
Humanity lives in cities under the ocean, as the sun expands and ruins the Earth...one woman is optimistic and full of hope...so,naturally all the bad shit happens to her and her family.
Her hubby dies, kids kidnapped, and her son descends into depression. Then a glimmer of hope 10 yrs later, and we are off on our merry or not so merry way...
For a book about optimism, it sure wasn't happy. Ironic, no?
That being said, it is interesting enough to pursue, but not aggressively.
Thanks for the free copy NetGalley!
September 13, 2021
Εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον ο πρώτος τόμος!! Το διάλεξα γιατί μου άρεσε το σχέδιο, χωρίς όμως να γνωρίζω το οτιδήποτε για την πλοκή και εντυπωσιάστηκα και από τα δύο.
Οι άνθρωποι για να γλιτώσουν από την ακτινοβολία ενός ήλιου που όλο και μεγαλώνει και απειλεί να καταπιει τα πάντα έχουν μετακομίσει στα βάθη της θάλασσας ενώ ταυτόχρονα έχουν στείλει ανιχνευτές προς αναζήτηση ενός κατοικήσιμου πλανήτη. Χρόνια αργότερα κανείς δεν πιστεύει πως υπάρχει πιθανότητα σωτηρίας, εκτός από την Stel που ακόμη ελπίζει. Την Stel που τώρα ήρθε η ώρα να μαζέψει τα κομμάτια της διαλυμένης της οικογένειας και να αναλάβει μια αποστολή αυτοκτονίας που θα δοκιμάσει τις αντοχές της πίστης και της αισιοδοξίας της με σκοπό την επιβίωση της ανθρωπότητας.
Το σχέδιο και τα χρώματα μου άρεσαν και τα βρήκα πολύ ταιριαστά! Στο πρώτο μισό γνωρίζουμε πιο πολύ τους χαρακτήρες και ερχόμαστε σε μια πρώτη επαφή με τον κόσμο ενώ στο δεύτερο μισό ξεκινάει ουσιαστικά η πλοκή. Αρκετά σκοτεινό θα έλεγα και κάπως βαρύ εξαιτίας κυρίως της διάχυτης απαισιοδοξίας και απελπισίας και ήδη από τον πρώτο τόμο οι δημιουργοί φαίνεται πως δεν είναι από αυτούς που λυπούνται τους χαρακτήρες τους. Μου αρέσει όμως που η πρωταγωνίστρια έρχεται σε αντίθεση με όλα αυτά με την πίστη και την ελπίδα που την διακατέχει και είμαι περίεργη να δω π���ς θα συνεχίσει
Γενικά είδα ότι οι απόψεις διίσταται αρκετά, εμένα όμως μου άφησε θετικές εντυπώσεις, θα συνεχίσω και θα δούμε πώς θα πάει.
Σε περίπτωση που ενδιαφέρεται κάποιος υπάρχει το πρώτο issue στο σάιτ του κόμικ δωρεάν:
https://imagecomics.com/comics/series...
Οι άνθρωποι για να γλιτώσουν από την ακτινοβολία ενός ήλιου που όλο και μεγαλώνει και απειλεί να καταπιει τα πάντα έχουν μετακομίσει στα βάθη της θάλασσας ενώ ταυτόχρονα έχουν στείλει ανιχνευτές προς αναζήτηση ενός κατοικήσιμου πλανήτη. Χρόνια αργότερα κανείς δεν πιστεύει πως υπάρχει πιθανότητα σωτηρίας, εκτός από την Stel που ακόμη ελπίζει. Την Stel που τώρα ήρθε η ώρα να μαζέψει τα κομμάτια της διαλυμένης της οικογένειας και να αναλάβει μια αποστολή αυτοκτονίας που θα δοκιμάσει τις αντοχές της πίστης και της αισιοδοξίας της με σκοπό την επιβίωση της ανθρωπότητας.
Το σχέδιο και τα χρώματα μου άρεσαν και τα βρήκα πολύ ταιριαστά! Στο πρώτο μισό γνωρίζουμε πιο πολύ τους χαρακτήρες και ερχόμαστε σε μια πρώτη επαφή με τον κόσμο ενώ στο δεύτερο μισό ξεκινάει ουσιαστικά η πλοκή. Αρκετά σκοτεινό θα έλεγα και κάπως βαρύ εξαιτίας κυρίως της διάχυτης απαισιοδοξίας και απελπισίας και ήδη από τον πρώτο τόμο οι δημιουργοί φαίνεται πως δεν είναι από αυτούς που λυπούνται τους χαρακτήρες τους. Μου αρέσει όμως που η πρωταγωνίστρια έρχεται σε αντίθεση με όλα αυτά με την πίστη και την ελπίδα που την διακατέχει και είμαι περίεργη να δω π���ς θα συνεχίσει
Γενικά είδα ότι οι απόψεις διίσταται αρκετά, εμένα όμως μου άφησε θετικές εντυπώσεις, θα συνεχίσω και θα δούμε πώς θα πάει.
Σε περίπτωση που ενδιαφέρεται κάποιος υπάρχει το πρώτο issue στο σάιτ του κόμικ δωρεάν:
https://imagecomics.com/comics/series...
April 8, 2018
I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would. The rating for this graphic novel isn't very high, and many of the reviews aren't glowing, which is why I'm kind of surprised that I'm giving it a 4. The artwork was pretty cool and I liked the coloring. The storyline seemed quite original, if a tad dark (which I tend to lean towards - so I guess no complaints there). My biggest annoyance, as I stated in an update, is that the mother's optimism seems forced due to how often it is mentioned. It is excessive, and kind of annoying. I think I can connect the dots without it needing to be spelled out every few pages. Overall, I liked this enough to want to read the second, so that's what I'm gonna do. B-)
January 17, 2016
Liked the art style. But that's it.
July 13, 2017
Dear comic book artists, if you want to draw porn, just fucking draw porn, okay, don't dress it up and call it a comic book. Read this book if you're looking to see naked or mostly-naked women on every page. Otherwise, skip it, because it's a pile of trash. The art is gorgeous, but so sketchy and messy that it's almost impossible to tell what's going on half the time; the only thing the artist puts effort into is tits and ass.
August 30, 2017
It's been a while since I've had to write a review like this. So let's all strap in a bit and know this is full spoilers.
Low is a creator owned comic book from Image Comics. It is written by Rick Remender (who also wrote Strange Girl, Fear Agent, and various Marvel superhero comics). It is drawn by Greg Tocchini. It is a book set in the far, far future, starring humanity staring down the barrel of the very real (but distant to us, not them) threat of the sun expanding and obliterating the earth from existence. As a concept, it's ripe premise for exploring questions about people and humanity under pressure. An apocalypse so final that it leaves people bereft and at a loss for what to do with their existence.
This book is gobsmackingly awful. It is offensive. It is so bad I literally don't know where I could possibly start. There are just so many choices.
The best is probably the foreword, written by Remender himself (rarely a good sign; typically you get people who like the book to write a nice little thing about it, but in Remender's defense this is personal for him so it almost gets a pass?) talking about how this book's premise comes from his childhood and the existential worry we all have when we realize that in millions of years the sun will expand and will obliterate the Earth and all of everything will be 100% gone and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Now that he's an adult he tied that premise to his own therapy and his resultant attempts to taking a more positive outlook on life, one that is optimistic, hopeful, etc. He filled up his "main" character Stel with all that optimism and hope because if there's ever a time to test that sort of character it's in the face of inevitable and sure obliteration.
Good. I mean, honestly. There's something perfect about a marriage of personal struggle with brilliant concept.
Here's the problem. Remender can't write women. Or at least, in all of the work that I've read of his I truly can't tell you where there's a woman he's written that I actually believe. Stel is a character who registers in this book as a wholly one-dimensional character whose only feature is "hope" or "optimism", which we only really know because people CONSTANTLY bitch at her for being so optimistic and that she should just give into her baser instincts and die in debauchery with the rest of them. Over six issues the only thing I know about Stel is that she's optimistic and people hate her for it.
For a book about a woman there sure is a lot of unapologetic female nudity and sexualization in a way that is meant to be titilating rather than sensual, lived-in, or, hell, relating to character or theme in any way. It's as though now that we're at Image Comics and so we can do boobs because naked boobs are things that are meant for adults.
The main character of the first issue is Stel's husband, and when he talks to Stel it's clear he idolizes her because of who she is to him and how she is this ideal he will never live up to. For the last two issues at the end of this book the main character is Stel's absolute shit stain of a son who.... No. Wait a minute. Let's back up.
Stel's son, Marik is a son of a bitch. He's hardcore and badass because he's a cop(?) who within the span of six pages will have sex with a prostitute, not pay her for her services, hit her when she asks to get paid, run out on her (because fuck it the world's gonna end someday, I guess), pull a gun on her pimp (because the pimp gets in his face about NOT PAYING FOR SEX WITH HIS EMPLOYEE), and then SHOOT THE PROSTITUTE DEAD. And then feel remorse about it because... I guess you would feel remorse about this. And it would inspire you to maybe need to clean up your drug-addict act (did I mention he also does basically heroin?).
To say nothing of fridging a battered prostitute, I guess it makes sense for a really important character to start from a really LOW (and no I'm not being clever here because Remender LITERALLY uses the word "low" in this context multiple times throughout this book) place so you can build him into something new. And for about a THIRD of this book it looks like Remender might do that (but at a long-game pace)... but fuck character development we have to time jump so Remender jumps the book forward four months so that Marik has been a gladiator for four months and is now a champion of optimism and hope and has mass converted everyone to his way of thinking.
I mean... Really?
Like... you have the opportunity to build a character and he goes through his entire development off screen? Are you serious? Are you fucking serious? Like... if we're going to really just spend our time missing out on actual, real character development what is the point of anything? I guess it's gotta happen because fuck that we have to kill him at the end of the book so that Stel can have more hope crushed out of her and we can see that she's still, for some bloody reason, optimistic (but about what...?) and hopeful.
I mean... I honestly look at the end of this and think that this is a book about Marik because the only people Remender seems interested in here are Marik and the evil pirate bad guy Rohln. And yet Stel is the main character? Is he kidding? She's barely in this book. She hardly registers.
Also her daughter is in this, but she also barely registers because she's kinda been reconditioned and is vaguely catatonic until the very end when fuck it she's turning on Rohln and she's gonna fuck shit up. Because... we earned that too.
This book is a disaster. It's a complete cluster fuck from beginning to end, filled with artwork that is objectively quite pretty (in places) alongside absolutely horrific casual misogyny.
I've known and said this for a long time, but this was the book that made my girlfriend realize that comics are a boys' club in every pejorative sense of the term.
To make matters worse is that this series is still getting published and released, and so long as books like this keep getting interest, appeal, and sales to keep going comics are almost assuredly going to stay this way.
A small writeup on Vol 2 can be found here.
Low is a creator owned comic book from Image Comics. It is written by Rick Remender (who also wrote Strange Girl, Fear Agent, and various Marvel superhero comics). It is drawn by Greg Tocchini. It is a book set in the far, far future, starring humanity staring down the barrel of the very real (but distant to us, not them) threat of the sun expanding and obliterating the earth from existence. As a concept, it's ripe premise for exploring questions about people and humanity under pressure. An apocalypse so final that it leaves people bereft and at a loss for what to do with their existence.
This book is gobsmackingly awful. It is offensive. It is so bad I literally don't know where I could possibly start. There are just so many choices.
The best is probably the foreword, written by Remender himself (rarely a good sign; typically you get people who like the book to write a nice little thing about it, but in Remender's defense this is personal for him so it almost gets a pass?) talking about how this book's premise comes from his childhood and the existential worry we all have when we realize that in millions of years the sun will expand and will obliterate the Earth and all of everything will be 100% gone and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Now that he's an adult he tied that premise to his own therapy and his resultant attempts to taking a more positive outlook on life, one that is optimistic, hopeful, etc. He filled up his "main" character Stel with all that optimism and hope because if there's ever a time to test that sort of character it's in the face of inevitable and sure obliteration.
Good. I mean, honestly. There's something perfect about a marriage of personal struggle with brilliant concept.
Here's the problem. Remender can't write women. Or at least, in all of the work that I've read of his I truly can't tell you where there's a woman he's written that I actually believe. Stel is a character who registers in this book as a wholly one-dimensional character whose only feature is "hope" or "optimism", which we only really know because people CONSTANTLY bitch at her for being so optimistic and that she should just give into her baser instincts and die in debauchery with the rest of them. Over six issues the only thing I know about Stel is that she's optimistic and people hate her for it.
For a book about a woman there sure is a lot of unapologetic female nudity and sexualization in a way that is meant to be titilating rather than sensual, lived-in, or, hell, relating to character or theme in any way. It's as though now that we're at Image Comics and so we can do boobs because naked boobs are things that are meant for adults.
The main character of the first issue is Stel's husband, and when he talks to Stel it's clear he idolizes her because of who she is to him and how she is this ideal he will never live up to. For the last two issues at the end of this book the main character is Stel's absolute shit stain of a son who.... No. Wait a minute. Let's back up.
Stel's son, Marik is a son of a bitch. He's hardcore and badass because he's a cop(?) who within the span of six pages will have sex with a prostitute, not pay her for her services, hit her when she asks to get paid, run out on her (because fuck it the world's gonna end someday, I guess), pull a gun on her pimp (because the pimp gets in his face about NOT PAYING FOR SEX WITH HIS EMPLOYEE), and then SHOOT THE PROSTITUTE DEAD. And then feel remorse about it because... I guess you would feel remorse about this. And it would inspire you to maybe need to clean up your drug-addict act (did I mention he also does basically heroin?).
To say nothing of fridging a battered prostitute, I guess it makes sense for a really important character to start from a really LOW (and no I'm not being clever here because Remender LITERALLY uses the word "low" in this context multiple times throughout this book) place so you can build him into something new. And for about a THIRD of this book it looks like Remender might do that (but at a long-game pace)... but fuck character development we have to time jump so Remender jumps the book forward four months so that Marik has been a gladiator for four months and is now a champion of optimism and hope and has mass converted everyone to his way of thinking.
I mean... Really?
Like... you have the opportunity to build a character and he goes through his entire development off screen? Are you serious? Are you fucking serious? Like... if we're going to really just spend our time missing out on actual, real character development what is the point of anything? I guess it's gotta happen because fuck that we have to kill him at the end of the book so that Stel can have more hope crushed out of her and we can see that she's still, for some bloody reason, optimistic (but about what...?) and hopeful.
I mean... I honestly look at the end of this and think that this is a book about Marik because the only people Remender seems interested in here are Marik and the evil pirate bad guy Rohln. And yet Stel is the main character? Is he kidding? She's barely in this book. She hardly registers.
Also her daughter is in this, but she also barely registers because she's kinda been reconditioned and is vaguely catatonic until the very end when fuck it she's turning on Rohln and she's gonna fuck shit up. Because... we earned that too.
This book is a disaster. It's a complete cluster fuck from beginning to end, filled with artwork that is objectively quite pretty (in places) alongside absolutely horrific casual misogyny.
I've known and said this for a long time, but this was the book that made my girlfriend realize that comics are a boys' club in every pejorative sense of the term.
To make matters worse is that this series is still getting published and released, and so long as books like this keep getting interest, appeal, and sales to keep going comics are almost assuredly going to stay this way.
A small writeup on Vol 2 can be found here.
October 25, 2016
The last Rick Remender graphic novel I read had been actually scheduled as the last X-Men series I read earlier this year for my X-Men comics diet. Suffice to say, I wasn't charmed by it so I only got to finish the first volume because I lost interest easily in the way the story was told. It just didn't click for me, is all.
Now that was back in April or so, and now here I am just a few months later reading another work of his. As soon as I finished this, I have to say that this is comparably an improvement from Uncanny Avengers. That comparison would be unfair though, since they are of different genres, and I could tell (given the Afterword for every issue of this series) that Remender is quite passionate and proud about this work. I do think he should be.
LOW is a sci-fi comic book story set in an underwater world. It's also billions of years into the future, where our sun in the solar system has expanded to a toxic level of radiation, so it is more or less about to wipe out the world. The human race and other creatures migrated to the deep levels of the ocean and have made their homes there. One such place is Salus, and this is where the protagonist family of the story lives. Low is more or less about the mother Stel and her unabashedly stubborn positive way of thinking no matter the dreariness of her circumstances. Bundled into six issues, the series' first volume The Delirium of Hope is a thematic examination of what it's like to be an optimist in an often nightmarish landscape filled with despair. Over the course of said issues, Stel lost her husband, had her two daughters abducted, and her only son estranged to her because he resents her for being so inconceivably 'hopeful'. The conflict is more or less about Stel overcoming difficulties with the power of positive thinking. In a sense, I have to admire the tenacity of her self-belief.
Stel is a mother who never loses hope which in a hopeless world should be a commendable thing. Or is it? I think that's the challenge being presented for Low's narrative. Should a person always choose to believe in the adage that one is responsible for his or her own attitude when it comes to dealing with the universe, and that attitude will certainly shape the course of their destiny? Or is the universe truly a place without order and more leaning towards chaos, so however the person feels he or she has any control over how they would react, the universe finds a way to take them by surprise or overwhelm them anyway?
Based from this volume so far, the universe is not only winning, but s also being a dick about it. Although Stel has faith that her endeavors to rescue her daughter would not be for naught, and that her efforts will not be wasted so long as she keeps up her positive attitude, certain situations tend to disprove it otherwise. I actually do like this kind of story Remender has weaved because it feels very personal and heartfelt in a lot of ways. I enjoyed this for what it is in spite of not sharing the writer or his lead character's way of living their lives. I'm more of a pragmatist myself, right in that sweet spot between optimism and pessimism. There are advantages to forcefully clinging onto positivity because hope does spring eternal, but being too fixed about this perspective is just as damaging as being nihilistic and negative. Too much of anything is always a bad thing after all.
In addition, Stel reminds me a lot of Catelyn Stark from the first three books of A Song of Ice and Fire series. Much like Catelyn, Stel is a mother struggling to unite her family, only to find that her will and efforts are constantly tested. I suppose I would read the next volume after this just to see how Remender handles the next arc of the series because once again another blockage is impeding Stel's way and I know there are possibly more to come, and I want to see how she would move past them with her power of positive thinking which Remender apparently is determined to campaign and drive home to the readers. I don't find it annoying because touchy-feely things okay for me since they have little impact on my own perspective anyway as a pragmatic. Besides there are quotable moments I did agree with. Like this:
I think Greg Tocchini is worth crediting alongside Remender (if not more so) because as the artist of this series, he has made the reading experience an exceedingly amazing one because of his lush sceneries of the aquatic disquiet present in the panels and specific scenes. I truly loved looking at the breadth of his illustrations and I believe that if another artist had drawn for Low, it would have changed the way I looked at this series altogether, and I may not be more forgiving of its story's flaws and its writer's ultimate bias about his heroine's personality and personal beliefs. His art style is just gorgeous:
In a nutshell, Rick Remender's Low is a commendable work I wouldn't mind speaking good things about, but Greg Tocchini visual contribution is the one thing I would probably give more praise. Whatever opinions I may have that contrast Stel's, I still think she was a character I can find myself caring about, and I'm interested to see how well she would fare, or how much she might change as the story progresses. I'll pick this series again soon enough.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
READ MY REVIEWS AT:
Now that was back in April or so, and now here I am just a few months later reading another work of his. As soon as I finished this, I have to say that this is comparably an improvement from Uncanny Avengers. That comparison would be unfair though, since they are of different genres, and I could tell (given the Afterword for every issue of this series) that Remender is quite passionate and proud about this work. I do think he should be.
LOW is a sci-fi comic book story set in an underwater world. It's also billions of years into the future, where our sun in the solar system has expanded to a toxic level of radiation, so it is more or less about to wipe out the world. The human race and other creatures migrated to the deep levels of the ocean and have made their homes there. One such place is Salus, and this is where the protagonist family of the story lives. Low is more or less about the mother Stel and her unabashedly stubborn positive way of thinking no matter the dreariness of her circumstances. Bundled into six issues, the series' first volume The Delirium of Hope is a thematic examination of what it's like to be an optimist in an often nightmarish landscape filled with despair. Over the course of said issues, Stel lost her husband, had her two daughters abducted, and her only son estranged to her because he resents her for being so inconceivably 'hopeful'. The conflict is more or less about Stel overcoming difficulties with the power of positive thinking. In a sense, I have to admire the tenacity of her self-belief.
Stel is a mother who never loses hope which in a hopeless world should be a commendable thing. Or is it? I think that's the challenge being presented for Low's narrative. Should a person always choose to believe in the adage that one is responsible for his or her own attitude when it comes to dealing with the universe, and that attitude will certainly shape the course of their destiny? Or is the universe truly a place without order and more leaning towards chaos, so however the person feels he or she has any control over how they would react, the universe finds a way to take them by surprise or overwhelm them anyway?
Based from this volume so far, the universe is not only winning, but s also being a dick about it. Although Stel has faith that her endeavors to rescue her daughter would not be for naught, and that her efforts will not be wasted so long as she keeps up her positive attitude, certain situations tend to disprove it otherwise. I actually do like this kind of story Remender has weaved because it feels very personal and heartfelt in a lot of ways. I enjoyed this for what it is in spite of not sharing the writer or his lead character's way of living their lives. I'm more of a pragmatist myself, right in that sweet spot between optimism and pessimism. There are advantages to forcefully clinging onto positivity because hope does spring eternal, but being too fixed about this perspective is just as damaging as being nihilistic and negative. Too much of anything is always a bad thing after all.
In addition, Stel reminds me a lot of Catelyn Stark from the first three books of A Song of Ice and Fire series. Much like Catelyn, Stel is a mother struggling to unite her family, only to find that her will and efforts are constantly tested. I suppose I would read the next volume after this just to see how Remender handles the next arc of the series because once again another blockage is impeding Stel's way and I know there are possibly more to come, and I want to see how she would move past them with her power of positive thinking which Remender apparently is determined to campaign and drive home to the readers. I don't find it annoying because touchy-feely things okay for me since they have little impact on my own perspective anyway as a pragmatic. Besides there are quotable moments I did agree with. Like this:
I think Greg Tocchini is worth crediting alongside Remender (if not more so) because as the artist of this series, he has made the reading experience an exceedingly amazing one because of his lush sceneries of the aquatic disquiet present in the panels and specific scenes. I truly loved looking at the breadth of his illustrations and I believe that if another artist had drawn for Low, it would have changed the way I looked at this series altogether, and I may not be more forgiving of its story's flaws and its writer's ultimate bias about his heroine's personality and personal beliefs. His art style is just gorgeous:
In a nutshell, Rick Remender's Low is a commendable work I wouldn't mind speaking good things about, but Greg Tocchini visual contribution is the one thing I would probably give more praise. Whatever opinions I may have that contrast Stel's, I still think she was a character I can find myself caring about, and I'm interested to see how well she would fare, or how much she might change as the story progresses. I'll pick this series again soon enough.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
READ MY REVIEWS AT:
August 25, 2016
This is the story of hope that never fades. Even in the face of the unimaginable horror a woman faces. The power of her hope keeps her children seeking a future that is safe and free from the poison sun that is slowly extinguishing life on the planet.
This book was really depressing. While I liked the message of optimism and never giving up, I don't like the fact that this woman's hope was dragged through deeper and ranker mud each time. It's almost like a slap in the face to the reader. This is what believing and hoping gets you. Nothing but sorrow and anguish.
I don't know if I would call myself an optimist. I believe in the power of good and power of love. I'm a Christian, after all. But I also believe that people will suffer in this life and that sometimes their hopes aren't realized in this life, but in eternity. It says in Proverbs 13:12, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." That's my approach to fiction. I know that bad things happen in life, and the same in books, but I need to have some good with my bad when I read a fiction story. I don't like reading books where I feel worse about life after I finish it than I did when I started. This probably my major problem with this book.
The artwork was well done, and the story itself is suspenseful and exciting. It's just so very depressing. Since this is the first book in the series, I hope that hope does stay alive in this poor woman's heart, despite all that she's suffered.
This book was really depressing. While I liked the message of optimism and never giving up, I don't like the fact that this woman's hope was dragged through deeper and ranker mud each time. It's almost like a slap in the face to the reader. This is what believing and hoping gets you. Nothing but sorrow and anguish.
I don't know if I would call myself an optimist. I believe in the power of good and power of love. I'm a Christian, after all. But I also believe that people will suffer in this life and that sometimes their hopes aren't realized in this life, but in eternity. It says in Proverbs 13:12, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." That's my approach to fiction. I know that bad things happen in life, and the same in books, but I need to have some good with my bad when I read a fiction story. I don't like reading books where I feel worse about life after I finish it than I did when I started. This probably my major problem with this book.
The artwork was well done, and the story itself is suspenseful and exciting. It's just so very depressing. Since this is the first book in the series, I hope that hope does stay alive in this poor woman's heart, despite all that she's suffered.
February 28, 2017
2,5 o 2,75
Me hubiera gustado que me gustase más, eso es seguro. El mensaje de la historia es muy lindo: "nunca perder la esperanza" pero la historia carecía de argumento en mi opinión más allá de que el curso de la historia estaba marcado.
La protagonista, está mujer extremadamente optimista (que rallaba en la "grandiosidad") no conectó conmigo.
La manera en que las viñetas y los diálogos estaban armados no me gustó tampoco, eran cambios de secuencias muy "violentos" y no dejaba que lo que ocurría fluyera agradablemente.
El arte pensé que me iba a gustar más pero a veces se volvía confuso.
Reseña completa próximamente
Me hubiera gustado que me gustase más, eso es seguro. El mensaje de la historia es muy lindo: "nunca perder la esperanza" pero la historia carecía de argumento en mi opinión más allá de que el curso de la historia estaba marcado.
La protagonista, está mujer extremadamente optimista (que rallaba en la "grandiosidad") no conectó conmigo.
La manera en que las viñetas y los diálogos estaban armados no me gustó tampoco, eran cambios de secuencias muy "violentos" y no dejaba que lo que ocurría fluyera agradablemente.
El arte pensé que me iba a gustar más pero a veces se volvía confuso.
Reseña completa próximamente
September 12, 2015
3.5 stars.
Very similar to black science in several ways. I enjoyed the artwork, but at times it was undetailed during action scenes and that made it difficult to see what was happening.
It's a good enough story, but a bit too depressing for me, something remender is good at. It reminded me of the original Total Recall film where they are all running out of air and then you see a girl with three boobs. That's right Lono, stuck that in there for you.
I haven't decided if I'll check out the next volume, I read this because it was on sale so maybe if the next one is on sale I'll check it out.
"See you at the party Richter!"
Very similar to black science in several ways. I enjoyed the artwork, but at times it was undetailed during action scenes and that made it difficult to see what was happening.
It's a good enough story, but a bit too depressing for me, something remender is good at. It reminded me of the original Total Recall film where they are all running out of air and then you see a girl with three boobs. That's right Lono, stuck that in there for you.
I haven't decided if I'll check out the next volume, I read this because it was on sale so maybe if the next one is on sale I'll check it out.
"See you at the party Richter!"
July 27, 2015
This is more of a new age propaganda pamphlet than an actual story, which is probably why I was left disappointed.
The over arching theme is that there is power in positive thinking and that hope is all you need...
Unfortunately, I would argue that whole hopeful positive thinking thing doesn't really work out all that great for the main character Stel, but that doesn't stop the author from slapping you in the face with his personalbullshit dogma over and over again. Plus as a bonus he makes sure that he uses the title word about 20 times...maybe it was just me but I saw him giggling and patting himself on the back every time he worked LOW into a sentence.
The power of positive thinking aside, this really was a pretty average story with some strange/incomplete world building. Not a whole lot is explained which would normally be fine if the art wasn't quite sougly different. Don't get me wrong there are some beautiful images with a few shots that will take your breath away, and the color pallet is absolutely stunning. Some of these panels are frame worthy, but as a storytelling medium they fail. Characters are difficult to distinguish (with some truly awful faces) and the background is often a mess of swoops and vague shapes that look cool. It seems like a case of form over function to me.
It was pretty obvious that this was crafted by a dude, the women wear little to no clothing. In fact they wear such skimpy clothing that I was distracted trying to figure out how the strips of fabric stayed put. I guess in the future they use a lot of double sided tape. Speaking of inappropriate clothing choices for female characters, the mother wears less than a prostitute despite being in her 40's or 50's and the fact that she is running around with her son! It was weird.
Overall pretty average and slightly confusing.
The over arching theme is that there is power in positive thinking and that hope is all you need...
Unfortunately, I would argue that whole hopeful positive thinking thing doesn't really work out all that great for the main character Stel, but that doesn't stop the author from slapping you in the face with his personal
The power of positive thinking aside, this really was a pretty average story with some strange/incomplete world building. Not a whole lot is explained which would normally be fine if the art wasn't quite so
It was pretty obvious that this was crafted by a dude, the women wear little to no clothing. In fact they wear such skimpy clothing that I was distracted trying to figure out how the strips of fabric stayed put. I guess in the future they use a lot of double sided tape. Speaking of inappropriate clothing choices for female characters, the mother wears less than a prostitute despite being in her 40's or 50's and the fact that she is running around with her son! It was weird.
Overall pretty average and slightly confusing.
March 2, 2015
Well-done, intriguing sci-fi/adventure book. Wild concept, pulpy, and the art is very pretty. It almost reads like the flip-side of Black Science. Remender is always going for the heartstrings though, which can get a bit overwhelming. How many stories about family, loss, and hope can the guy write? Overall, a really enjoyable read.
January 10, 2016
"To Resist the depths
of the world's sorrow,
the truth of one's heart
must be honored."
That's a quote from the final issue in this volume and pretty much sums up the theme of the book.
In fact, the whole 'have a positive attitude and be optimistic' message is pretty much hammered into your skull every single page of the entire book. It got a little tiring after awhile, I admit.
The artwork? From the reviews here, it's pretty much split. People either love it or hate it. Me? I thought it was a slice of awesome! While I can see that it might not be for everyone, it definitely drew me in. I found myself taking way longer to read this book then it should have taken because I was so captivated by every page. It has a very Frank Frazetta/Heavy Metal approach and, not gonna lie, it's a great book to flip through and look at while smoking a joint.
What?
Don't judge.
I'm not sure (yet) exactly how I feel about the story. It feels somewhat generic and I can see Remender going for the whole 'character development/slow burn' approach, I only fear that he's kind of missing the mark. I'm digging on the whole post-apocalyptic underwater thing, though, and enjoyed this book enough that I am going to continue on with the next volume.
That said, whenever I read this, I kind of wish I was just reading Remender's other book, Black Science, instead.
I've been enjoying that one a heck of a lot more.
of the world's sorrow,
the truth of one's heart
must be honored."
That's a quote from the final issue in this volume and pretty much sums up the theme of the book.
In fact, the whole 'have a positive attitude and be optimistic' message is pretty much hammered into your skull every single page of the entire book. It got a little tiring after awhile, I admit.
The artwork? From the reviews here, it's pretty much split. People either love it or hate it. Me? I thought it was a slice of awesome! While I can see that it might not be for everyone, it definitely drew me in. I found myself taking way longer to read this book then it should have taken because I was so captivated by every page. It has a very Frank Frazetta/Heavy Metal approach and, not gonna lie, it's a great book to flip through and look at while smoking a joint.
What?
Don't judge.
I'm not sure (yet) exactly how I feel about the story. It feels somewhat generic and I can see Remender going for the whole 'character development/slow burn' approach, I only fear that he's kind of missing the mark. I'm digging on the whole post-apocalyptic underwater thing, though, and enjoyed this book enough that I am going to continue on with the next volume.
That said, whenever I read this, I kind of wish I was just reading Remender's other book, Black Science, instead.
I've been enjoying that one a heck of a lot more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,062 reviews