In this review of Terrorbytes #10, when a couple have marital problems, can a husband resist the temptation of a parallel life?
Terrorbytes #10
Writer: Mike Marts
Artist: Chris Panda
Main Cover: Dave Chisholm
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: September 23, 2026
This review contains spoilers
Nick and Shannon are a couple having a tough time with married life. Nick, currently jobless, sleeps in and puts off searching for a job, despite his wife’s requests to do so.
His tech friend, Trevor, has been trying to call Nick for days, wanting to invite him to a party to show him a new, exciting piece of tech he’s developed.
Nick goes to a coffee shop and meets a new worker, Molly, and is instantly attracted to her. That night, he finds her social media account, including pictures. He starts pleasuring himself, fantasizing about Molly, but is caught by his wife, who is furious.
When the night of Trevor’s party arrives, Nick is given a pair of Paraglasses that allow him to tap into the parallel lives of everyone around him. The glasses immediately give him information about that person, including the chances of romantic possibilities.
The next day, Nick heads back to the coffee shop and the glasses initially show him there’s a 82% chance of a meaningful romantic relationship between him and Molly.
When he instantly professes his love for her, Molly is taken aback and the percentages start to plummet. Nick scrambles to get her to understand they’re meant to be together, but Molly calls for her boss.
Out of sheer desperation, Nick assaults the boss and runs out of the shop. When he gets back home, the glasses show him that Shannon is actually pregnant, which is something he’s always wanted. She doesn’t want anything to do with him now, though, and kicks him out of the house.
In a fit of rage and sadness, Nick destroys the glasses, just as the cops arrive, placing him under arrest.
Analysis
Mike Marts is new to the series in the writing capacity, although he has served as editor since the first issue. He tackles an interesting idea in his first story as writer, taking on the concept of parallel lives. The technology in this one, a far advanced version of Meta Glasses, is a little more “out there” than other types of tech we’ve been presented in previous issues, but the glasses tie in nicely with the parallel lives concept.
We’ve probably all wondered about alternate versions of our own life and Marts gives us a glimpse of one example of that curiosity. This makes for a compelling, yet frightening, tale.
The main character, Nick, comes across as a terrible husband and is instantly unlikeable. He seemingly has no interest in getting a job and is quick to slip off his wedding ring at the first sign of Molly flirting with him. Rather than actually communicating with his wife, he’s more interested in living another life that the glasses say has a high chance of working.
Admittedly, this story is an extreme one, told in a tight 22 pages, but that’s usually the case with Terrorbytes. It’s meant to make us think about the fact that we have one life to live and that, most of the time, we don’t get a lot of second chances. We need to look at the realities that are right in front of us and make the most of them.
The illustrations and colors come to us from Chris Panda. He uses a clean, crisp style relying on basic panel layouts to keep the story straightforward and easy to follow. The pages are not overly detailed, but provide enough visual appeal to assist in telling the story.
Final Thoughts
Terrorbytes #10 examines the consequences of trying to live a different life. While the tech in this issue is completely fictional, the idea of wanting to escape reality is not. Have fun, comic lovers!
