ParAssassin begins with a plot that’s simple enough for anyone who’s seen Terminator—go back in time to stop one significant person from being killed. But there is more than one time-traveler, and while some are trying to stop the assassination, others are trying to cause it. Each new player brings a new vision of a disastrous future they are trying to prevent, but one man, who has selves split across the timelines, can unify them and bring them to a good future.
The over-the-top complexity of the different plots has a campy feel to it, but never gets too hard to follow. Overall, fans of time loops, fun action stories, and weird aliens will find this comic ticks all the boxes.
It is a bit odd that all the humans in the future look very white. There are a few background faces in crowd scenes that might be people of color, but in general everyone is the same shade of pale. The only depiction of any sort of diversity are the aliens, who are gaseous in nature and allegedly have 23 genders, though we only see two. Still, it’s always nice to see aliens that are actually weird and not just green humans. Also, though the cast skews heavily male, the female characters are interesting and dynamic; they clearly exist in the story for their personalities and actions, not for sex appeal.
The art favors colors and pastels, which keeps the tone lighthearted. The future technology is all bold and in-your-face cool-looking; after all, the apocalypse hasn’t happened yet.
This comic is suitable for adult or older teen audiences, as there is some blood and gore.
ParAssassin
By Jasper Bark
Art by Alfa Robbi
ISBN: 9781911243335
Markosia Enterprises, 2017
