Snowpiercer: The Prequel, Part 2 — Apocalypse

The smart thing to do after reading the first “Snowpiercer” prequel volume would’ve been to cut my losses.  I didn’t think Jean-Marc Rochette and Matz’s additions to the series added a whole lot, which left the story feeling like an unnecessary addition to the original trilogy.  Yet because I didn’t hate the first volume, and found this one was part of Amazon’s latest “Buy Two, Get One Free,” sale, I figured I’d check this out to see if vol. 2 could improve on vol. 1.  Much to my surprise, it did.

The story picks up with the Apocalypsters (ugh) plan to lower the temperature of Earth enough to kill off all life having worked.  With the thermostat falling, people are making their way to the only places that offer hope for the future:  The advertised stops for the Snowpiercer.  Its creator, Zheng, has envisioned an orderly way to get as many people as they can onto the train, but each stop they visit is more chaotic than the last as people start to realize that the end really is coming for them.  Well, except for the stations they can’t stop at because they’ve already frozen over.  Yet as Zheng and his crew approach the final stop, they have to consider whether to compromise on their plan for survival by letting on everyone they possibly can, or to enforce their practicality by ruthless means.

This volume may not have any likeable scumbags, but the other trademark of Matz’s style, his unfiltered cynicism, is on full display here.  “Apocalypse” is filled with people who want to do the right thing, yet find themselves compromised in the face of the imminent end of life on Earth outside the Snowpiercer.  Even actions that seem like mercies wind up foreshadowing greater tragedy down the line.  This is not a happy read by any means, and the downbeat tone is exemplified by Rochette’s art which communicates the slow, chilly death of this world effectively.  We probably could’ve done without checking in on the Apocalypsters and their predictable end, and the volume actually wraps up quite satisfyingly even with a third one forthcoming.  Rochette and Matz could still stumble over the finish line, but I’m left feeling that vol. 3 could wind up justifying this whole prequel storyline.  Especially if it winds up being the feel-bad read of the year as this volume implies it could be.