Low, Volume 3: Shore of the Dying Light

Difficult to categorize, writer Rick Remender and artist Greg Tocchini’s series about humanity’s struggle to survive under the sea after an overheating sun renders the surface uninhabitable is part post-apocalyptic dystopian sci-fi, part fantasy, and up until now, entirely subaquatic. In the third collected volume of the Low series, the story moves to the surface for the first time, with mixed results: Tocchini’s art is sloppier and less detailed than usual (although still spectacular at times) and Remender has piled on the adversity faced by the characters until their formerly bleak situation now appears completely hopeless. However, colorist Dave McCaig offsets the dark narrative with surprisingly vibrant tones, and Remender continues to explore the theme of courage in the face of despair, leaving an opening for a redemptive arc in volume 4.