First Impressions is a column where we review comic books that meet two criteria: they must be Comixology Submit titles (self-published digital books) and they must be a first issue. The comic book genre is a treasure trove of creativity even outside established publishers–you owe it to yourself to check out some of these gems. This time we’re reviewing Parallaxium.
Parallaxium is a comic book that shows an incredibly amount of effort went into its creation. So much so that when the quality starts to dip towards the end of the first issue you wonder if it was because of an increasing desire to get the book out there for people to see. The cover itself, seen to the right, is actually a panel from one of the early pages and shows a stunning black and white technique that is used for most of the early pages. There is no other way to put it–these pages by Termian are stunning. The story, by Mark R Bernal (who may or may not also be Termian–it’s hard to tell) isn’t as strong as the art but does have some good beats.
The story in the first issue is a bit confusing but interesting enough if it delivers in later issues. A fisherman is abducted and taken to a research facility. He’s connected to some vague devices and subjected to an audio recording made to convince him he is researching parallel universes. I figured this was a set up for some other story and they would use his blank mind for some other purposes, instead the researchers show up with some alien creature and that’s when things start to get a bit odd. Okay, odder.
The artwork really drives the first part of the book. In addition to that cover which first drew me to the book, here’s another amazing interior panel:
The quality does drop by the end but it is still a compelling book with a unique look and feel. It’s worth checking out and fingers crossed it can continue to deliver in future issues.
Score: 7.5 out of 10 brainwash sessions
Gabbing Geek 
Gabbing Geek and Ryan Garcia, Thanks for the reviewing my book! I really enjoyed your review! The art at the end of the book did begin to fall off the higher standard that I had set in the earlier part of the book. As the series goes on I expect the art quality will continue to ebb-and-flow as is common in most series though I hope it will stabilize as I work to find my artistic style for the series. Regarding the story, it may help readers to know that Parallaxium issue #0 serves as a bit of a primer for the series. Issue #0 in itself was meant to be a one-shot poetic journey though it may shed some light on the story from another angle (literally). Thanks again for your review! Mark R. Bernal (aka Termian)
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