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‘Snowpiercer Volume 2: The Expolorers’ – Hardcover Review

Do not be deceived by the title of this hardcover from Titan Books.  Snowpiercer Volume 2: The Explorers is actually Snowpiercer 2: The Explorers AND Snowpiercer 3: The Crossing collected in a single edition.  It is the sequel to the original graphic novel (You may have seen my review.), and, like the first, it is drawn by the talented Jean-Marc Rochette; however, these new adventures, chronicling the plight of the last remnants of humanity on an unending journey aboard the ice-breaking behemoth Snowpiercer perpetually circling the frozen globe, are penned by a different writer, Benjamin Legrand.  Legrand continued the series when the original writer, Jaques Lob, passed away in 1990. 

Volume 2 takes place years after the original Snowpiercer and follows generally the same plot as the first book.  A lower-class grunt bucks the system and falls for a woman above his station.  Legrand opens the world up a little more in these new installments, revealing things about the past, pushing the story into the future, and offering fresh insight and commentary into the nature of societal castes, power, and humanity itself.
The writing feels derivative, at times, and even clunky (but that might be the translation from French to English), and, in many ways, it is Rochette’s art that is the star of this series.  Rochette’s blue and grey painted covers convey a sense of innocence and mystery that pervade this title.  The interior art, while less refined, is nonetheless potent, detailed, and expressive.

If you enjoyed the first installment, you need to check out Snowpiercer Volume 2.  This is a powerful and penetrating look at Western culture and an excellent follow up to the original series. 

Sam Rhodes

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Favorite MovieYojimboFavorite Game:  The newest version of HaloFavorite Beverage:  Ballast Point's Big Eye IPA

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