Graphic Novel Review: SNOWPIERCER, VOL. 2: THE EXPLORERS by Benjamin Legrand & Jean-Marc Rochette

Set in the same universe as the original story, SNOWPIERCER, VOL. 2: THE EXPLORERS is set several years into the future as the original SNOWPIERCER. Much of the plot of SNOWPIERCER, VOL. 2: THE EXPLORERS takes place upon this new train, The Snowpiercer 2, aka Icebreaker. This train is larger than the first, runs even faster, and is even capable of stopping for short periods of time. Snowpiercer 2 runs along the same track as the original train did and the people on board are fearful that the two trains will eventually collide. It is during the brief stops the train makes that a particular group of individuals, called Explorers, set out to survey the landscape and see if they can find any signs of the original train, signs of a thaw, etc. The protagonist of SNOWPIERCER 2 is an Explorer named Puig. Puig is kind of a rebel and gets in trouble. As a result he ends up being selected for a suicide mission, he ends up surviving the mission. He becomes a hero, and as a result, and life aboard Snowpiercer 2 completely changes for everyone. SNOWPIERCER 2 ties into the original story, but it’s a much different story. Instead of a social commentary on the haves and have-nots of the world, SNOWPIERCER 2 is more a commentary on how governments can control large populations of people and make them believe things that aren’t really true. It’s still a social commentary, but just a different type of one. If you read the original SNOWPIERCER, then you will want to check out Vol. 2.

What Is Truth?

It's weird how much my life has changed in the past several years. In some ways it hasn't changed at all. I've been working at the same job now for over 5 years consecutively and living in the same place for 3 1/2 years. However, those things are kind of new in and of themselves: for my entire adult life until a few years ago, I had been working at different jobs, moving to different places, and never staying anywhere for very long. The world has definitely battered me over the past decade. Truths that used to be universal, I now know are not universal for everyone. I no longer have certain desires that for most my life I had always wanted (for instance, I used to want to have children, but that is no longer the case). The world might be black and white, but it's made of a bunch of black and white dots that when looked upon with human eyes often looks grey.

Despite this, there are some things that are just as steadfast and true as they have ever been. The hero dies in the end and the sidekick never gets his due, but good is stronger than evil. Laughter is often looked upon as a mark of madness, but it's really a powerful tool and weapon. Pride really is the root of all evil. Hope really is one of the best of things. No matter how crazy the world gets, no matter how much you change, no matter how much this ole world batters you about, hold on to the things that really are true. Truth is eternal and things that are truly True will always remain so.