Comic Book Review - Vicarious #1

What would you do if you could experience life as someone else? 

Fresh from his writing duties with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Rogue Sun, Ryan Parrott takes us away from superheroes with the dark sci-fi tale Vicarious. Set within a near-future San Francisco, Vicarious takes us to a world where Proxies exist for the entertainment of the rich and famous.

Teaming up with artist Eleonora Carlini, Parrott takes us into the mind of twenty-something; Justin Bright. Down on his luck and needing a way to make ends meet Justin soon finds himself drawn into the world of Proxies - humans who are implanted with technology that allows anyone to live through them. It isn’t long before Justin is experiencing his first encounter as a proxy and it’s one that’ll open his mind up to a new form of excitement and danger. 

Straight from the off Parrott throws us into Justin’s life. We see his unsuccessful attempts at gaining employment, to being chased up by his landlord for his rent arrears. It’s a situation thats relatable to so many people and shows why Justin ultimately decides to become a Proxy. The rest of this issue then takes us through Justin’s journey to becoming a Proxy, as well as dealing with his first customer as he attempts to sell the “Justin experience” It’s all written exceedingly well (did you expect anything less?) and by the mid way point you’ll be fully invested in Justin and his world. 

Diving deeper, Vicarious is poignant piece of social commentary that explores our fascination with other people's lives. It takes the notion of status updates and celebrity gossip to the extreme by letting people physically and mentally experience life as you. The world of Vicarious gives its daydreamers the opportunity to be a hot shot playboy, or in Justin’s case - a plain average Joe. Obviously this could also come with its own set of unique dangers further down through road as those paying could seek more thrills from their Proxies. 

Eleonora Carlini brings a flair to proceedings with some gorgeous and very vibrant artwork. With Vicarious, Carlini adopts an anime style that plays heavily on each character’s emotions. Expressions are big and bold which help to bring across the gravity of each situation whether it’s Justin trying his luck at the start, or getting involved in back alley brawls. Action sequences are also of a similar quality with plenty of detail given to building up the environment whilst keeping us focused on what the narrative is portraying. 

The art work of Vicarious is also, in a way quite haunting. Each Proxy has a distinguishing characteristic which is shown as a glowing panel on their chest. Colourist’s Mattia Iacono and Luca Mattoni focus on this with a haunting shade of red that contrasts with the background to give a sense of unease. Likewise, the environments of San Francisco are a curious mix of dull urban grey, that’s mixed with the vibrant neon lights of a cyberpunk city. Again, it contrasts well to show that while we may know San Francisco, this isn’t the same city as our San Fran. 

Overall and Vicarious #1 is an engaging comic that jumps straight from the starting block. Long time fans of Ryan Parrott will get a real kick out of what the veteran writer is building here with a quintessential body horror sci-fi story. With plenty of room to fully explore the dark places people go to get their next fix, Vicarious has the ability to go to some very dark places. 

Rating 8/10 

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