It’s fairly early into Parallax’s run as a webcomic story, but as of now it isn’t so much a typical coming-of-age superhero story as it is a study in teenage isolation and loneliness. It’s not even accurate to call its protagonist Lomax Torchstone a reluctant hero, because “reluctant” implies he’s willing to give it some consideration.
When he acquires his powers for the first time it isn’t a moment of triumph or release, rather an overwhelming and painful sensation. And to be fair, confusion and fear of one’s superpowers isn’t unexplored material in comics- we’ve seen these themes explored with the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk, nor is an awkward high school lead character realizing his untapped potential. What makes these opening chapters of M. Falke’s strip stand out is how particularly harrowing an experience it paints around poor Lomax, where you’re able to genuinely fear and feel for him, but not yet to where he becomes a charity case.
Heck, Spider-Man, another teen superhero who moonlights as a shy nerd in his off hours is partially defined by his affection for his beloved New York City. But Lomax has little love for his current home town of Silverdalen, mentally and emotionally burnt out after a series of moves. Over time he’s gradually surrendered his sense of initiative, struggling with a school major he only selected to please his family. So one day his science instructor Mr. Rogers finally notices Lomax’s unhappiness and meets with him privately, eventually handing him a mysterious box and some vague words of encouragement.
After another night where he’s unable to escape his angst, Lomax’s curiosity gets the better of him and he opens his teacher’s present, and soon he’s battling mysterious black (as in actually black, not African-American) creatures that are threatening to destroy the town. Mr. Rogers explains to him that he was selected by the entity inside the box to guard Silverdalen, offering to train the scared out of his mind young man.
Visually, Parallax is pure westernized manga. Falke/Fightbeast’s art style uses a lot of bold lines and angular but still very expressive character designs. Interestingly there’s a studied use of more brown, earthier color schemes during scenes set in the school or more domestic settings, but the comic then switches to bolder, more shocking colors during the action sequences- most notably Lomax’s hair turning bright pink during his transformation.
So far it’s built up its storyline fairly simply, albeit in a rather intense fashion that puts its protagonist- one who was already pretty emotionally fragile- through what I’d imagine are some damn traumatic moments for him. If he’s partially inspired by Shinji Ikari in that sense, luckily for him Mr. Rogers is a much kinder and helpful father figure than Gendo Ikari. The moment when he eventually triumphs over his first foe- arguably his insecurity- and finally has a reason to smile and laugh a little is going to be quite satisfying. Click here and give him a badly needed hug.