Review: Snowpiercer Vol. 3 – Terminus
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers:Â Oliver Bocquet
Artist:Â Jean-Marc Rochette
Translator:Â Virginie Selavy
Letters:Â Jessica Burton
Review: Tony Farina
Summary
On a future, frozen Earth, humanity has been packed onto self-sustaining trains, doomed to circumnavigate the globe until the end of the interminable ice age – or until the engines give out.
When a scrap of music piques their interest, the inhabitants of the Icebreaker take the ultimate risk and cross the frozen ocean, a vast expanse with no train tracks… and no way to return to them.
Positives
Snowpiercer Vol. 3 – Terminus is full of hope. I know, there are those scary rat faced creatures (more on that soon), but the idea that there is a chance for humanity comes to life in this third and final run of the original series. Oliver Bocquet steps in two pen this finale and he managed to fix almost all of the problems of the middle part. Not all of them, but many. There is a brilliant, compelling juxtaposition between the horrific way of life that exists for people in the terminus against the clear nod to the House of the Mouse. The happiest place on earth is seemingly also a nightmare. It is a nice touch.
Of course, Rochette is back and as brilliant as always. This time, he adds just a few hints of color. This is where the hope lives as well. Granted, many of the colorful images are terrifying, there is symbolism in the fact that the snow may be melting and things might be getting back to normal even if it means we see some of the grotesque things. We are asked if it is better to see some color or nothing at all.
Negatives
This volume asks the readers to take some pretty big leaps of logic. I am in this world and I accept a lot of the silly things that exist. Science fiction is rife with silliness. However, there are some Dues Ex Machina moments in there that just cheapen what is a really good ending.
Verdict
Snowpiercer Vol. 3 – Terminus ends on the most positive of notes that a story about climate change. It is brutal, as are the two predecessors, but in the end, this book series asks a lot about humanity and if it is worth saving. The answer at the end, seems to be yes, but even then, readers are left wondering. Science fiction is supposed to make us think and feel. This series in total and this finale in particular have, as the kids say, all the feels.
