Raycevick's Recommendations: February, 2017

Low by Rick Remender & Greg Tocchini

Graphic novels are one format of many that has steadily moved into the digital realm. Websites like Comixology have proven the viability of digitized panels that are cheap and reliable. And to Manga readers who don't want to wait for months or years for the next volume in their favorite stories to be printed, digitized comics aren't new.

But digitized comics often don't capture the absolute beauty and elegance of the medium's best artists, and Low is one of those comics that should only be read in print. The comic's underwater setting will certainly appeal to Bioshock fans, but truthfully this Graphic Novel is more akin to a Mature Adventure flick. Star Wars with nudity, blood, and questionable morals. Low's characters are delusional, desperate, and demotivated, which is what makes its protagonist, Stel, so fascinating. 

Currently at #15 issues, across three volumes, Low is taking its sweet time, and with such beauty in visuals and storytelling, it's well-worth it.

Lethal League by Team Reptile

During my first job, working for a gaming company, it's not much of a surprise that the employees would spend lunch playing games. One of which that got people in the office riled up was a title that I picked up in a Humble Bundle, Lethal League. 

Elements of Pong, Baseball, and Street Fighter combine to make a game that's able to make you jump in your seat within minutes. Rounds are lightning fast as each player is simultaneously trying to avoid and hit the only ball in the level that's capable of killing your opponents.

It's always a spectacle when two players are fighting one on one to the death, not just for the players but those who watch. Dying in this game isn't a burden, as you're able to observe the chaos on-screen in detail. I'll never forget how my corner of the office became a rupture of noise whenever this game was being played. Lethal League does run out of steam relatively quickly, but the opening matches are an absolute riot.

Blue by Sonoio

When investigating the names behind entertainment, you start to see just how much overlapping there is. Whenever I stumble upon to a piece of work whose quality catches me off guard, it's common for a single google search to make me go "Oh, I see now."

Sonoio was an artist recommended in my Spotify account, and by the opening track, I hit up the big brother search engine to find the master behind this project. Alessandro Cortini, who happened to be a part of Nine Inch Nails for years.

The beats are simple but infectiously catchy, and the album's pattern of using said beat to setup an intimate atmosphere that becomes expansive and liberating is one that never gets old. Each time I listen to it, I want to get to work and make the most of life, no matter the darkness faced. The album's penultimate track, Houdini gives me chills every time.