okay, we're feeling a bit better now

page thirty-one

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-31

nice page layout here, with a horizontal strip in the middle used to illustrate a flashback

Lomax is at wit's end. they try to pull off the strange new outfit and it won't come off (I always wonder about that stuff, with tokusatsu outfits...like, do the clothes even come off?)

in the bathroom mirror they look at the glowing pink lozenge now in their forehead, baffled

flashback time: Lomax remembers Prof. Rodgers holding out the little wooden box and saying, "if you really want to change, this might be useful. you can talk to me."

hm

"Mr. Rogers!" says Lomax. ("Rogers", note, not "Rodgers". another slip?) unsteadily the kid fumbles for the slip of paper with a phone number

(btw I double checked the number, it's not a legit one, too many digits and the first digits don't match a known country code)

page thirty-two

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-32

Lomax hides in the bathroom again, squatting with both butt and feet on the toilet bowl lid (you know I don't think any of us has ever done that, sat on the toilet completely off the ground, but I won't swear to it)

Lomax looks like utter hell

they dial the number (which I DID dial myself btw, although I was pretty sure it was invalid, and it was)

"Mr. Rogers?" (again it's wrong) "I need help"

ok, we're at a title card, basically

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/end-of-chapter-one

"end of chapter one" although the subtitle says "0: Up Is The Only Way" so maybe that was really chapter zero? haha

a signature says "M. Falke". got no idea who that is even though I've met at least a couple of the people who've worked on this

we've all had like, twenty names apiece at least

all of us in involved in this goddamn tire fire

bleh, anyway

central figure is the new improved Lomax, in anime garb, the lozenge sending rays of light out in the form of an X, dividing up the page

to their left, Prof. Rodgers with the wooden box

to their right, two figures...parents perhaps? the better-seen figure definitely looks like mom. (we've got a weird memory when it comes to faces cos of the aphantasia thing)

oh, THIS is page thirty-three. the previous page doesn't count as having a page number I guess

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-33

unknown distance later in time and space. it's outdoors, it looks like anyway, and we're in some forested place. the crescent Moon is in the sky in a manner that's either highly stylized or meant to be alien *shrugs*

Lomax has fallen to the forest floor amid the pine cones. they're bleeding superficially.

hrm, what's next is difficult easily to describe. Lomax appears to have fallen among a population of some vaguely humanoid creatures, taller than Lomax by far, and bearing dark cubes for heads and other cubes incorporated into their bodies in other places. there seem to be a number of them about

a frame shows us, slightly surprisingly, Prof. Rodgers. he's shouting: "Lomax, you gotta move! LOMAX!"

Lomax seems not to hear. they look sweaty and sick

page thirty-four

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-34

Lomax looks up to see one of the cube-headed figures looming very tall over them. they dash away just as the creature aims a blow

Lomax sprints away through the forest in desperation. from an unknown distance away Prof. Rodgers shouts, "good! get some distance and--"

"then what!" retorts Lomax

bleh. let's keep playing this ridiculous game, what else is there to do

(if all this ends up being even remotely close to what I think it's really all about, there's a whole lot of RL people I'm gonna wanna kick in the fucking 'nads...*sighs* I shouldn't talk that way but goddamn I don't like being jerked around.)

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-35

one of the cube-headed creatures gets a bead on Lomax and starts charging for them

there's hints of "digitization" in the way the creature is drawn, like maybe we're in a simulation, or the creature is not completely in Lomax's world, or something. impossible to tell

Prof. Rodgers shouts a warning to Lomax from behind a tree

Lomax tries to outrun the creature but it manages to get a good one in--or possibly a different creature gets the jump on them

we see cloth tear across Lomax's abdomen, and Lomax grits their teeth in pain

it's bad. page thirty-six

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-36

whatever creature has managed to hurt Lomax has drawn blood. Prof. Rodgers watches impotently from a distance, able only to say Lomax's name

the creature backhands Lomax away from themself, flinging Lomax's body hard into a tree

Lomax falls limp to the ground. some bone is broken

Rodgers shouts desperately "you can do this!" DO WHAT

page thirty-seven

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-37

Lomax lies face-up on the ground. they can't move their body. they're crying, fear has a tight grip on them

some distance away they see one of the cube-headed creatures giving a loud call, as it seems. "I'm going to die," thinks Lomax

Prof. Rodgers keeps shouting "encouragement". "you're wearing the raiment! you can do this!" (FUCK OFF Rodgers why is this even _happening_)

it's no good. Lomax is paralyzed. their eyes swim with tears as Rodgers shouts uselessly and one of the cube-headed creatures looms over them. the last frame shows the creature's reflection in Lomax's staring eye

and we cut...to breakfast

ugh

page thirty-eight

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-38

Lomax looks as they did before, red shirt, brown hair. they also look completely wasted

mom greets them in customary fashion. Lomax is sick and hungover and is barely keeping up with the morning routine

finally, a good look at dad. young-looking guy, with a moustache

mom is worried. "you don't have a fever do you?"

dad says something about Lomax missing their favorite show

"what's it called? 'Anthrax'?" says mom

"Panthrax", Lomax corrects. they're clearly put out by having missed it, whatever it is

porridge (porridge?? not oatmeal? who literally eats porridge these days) is served

and everyone shushes everyone else to listen to some news bulletin

bleh

whatever else is true, I gotta keep going forward through this. if nothing else it's breaking us of the long-standing habit of never reading comics for more than a little bit before dropping them. maybe we actually stand a chance of getting through "Gunnerkrigg Court", after all this is done, whatever "this" even is

okay, the thirty-ninth step

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-39

oof, the TV news is bad. a seven-year-old (seven!) girl has been found dead

apparently there's some kind of archaeological site west of the town of "Silverdalen" (again, that's just an odd name to me, and reminiscent of Silverdale, WA) and the body was found there. no sign of physical trauma

Lomax suggests the news is almost teasing people into checking out the site for themselves. "don't do that," says dad from the couch. Lomax is on edge and wonders to themself why dad would even bring the idea up. "I've never been a troublemaker."