Many stories, especially in epic tales, seem to focus on the ideas of heroes and villains. And while the better-written stories will have villains with reasonable goals and desires, and heroes with flaws and weaknesses, there is still a perception of “good” versus “evil” going on in these stories. On a more fundamental level, however, these stories are about protagonist and antagonist… where the antagonist’s primary goal is as an obstacle to what the protagonist seeks. Thus an honest and honorable police officer can become the antagonist in that he or she may keep the protagonist from letting the end justify the means. And a protagonist can end up doing some truly villainous things in pursuit of an objective… and yet remain the focus of readers.

Catalyst is one of those stories that lurks in the shadows without an easily-identified hero or villain. Indeed, it is difficult determining just who the protagonist is, assuming that this duty is not shared by more than one character. It is the story of Kailin Anil, a young lady who was blinded at an early age, and was gifted with dreams that can foretell the future… or reveal the past. But it is also the story of Elei, a woman who (despite her youthful features) is over 30 years old (and I suspect may be far older than that), who is seeking the Gifts that Kailin possesses to undo an ancient wrong. And it is the story of Vul’Re, a Gifted fox who seeks to protect Kailin from those who would use her… yet who would not hesitate in striking down the young woman to keep her Gift out of the hands of humanity.

But who is protagonist and who is antagonist depends on how you look at the story. Each character has his or her own justifications and desires. And while it would be easy to just point a finger at Kailin (as the most innocent of the primary protagonists) and claim the status of “heroine” for her, doing so results in a loss of perspective. Catalyst is that rarity of epic stories that doesn’t blindly assume roles of villain and hero but instead tells a richer and fuller story, allowing for the fact that no one blindly runs around claiming to be a villain… but instead works to achieve their own desires, even if sometimes at the cost of others. Combined with vivid coloring and detailed artwork, Catalyst becomes an epic tale well worth the time needed to peruse the archives, and worth the wait to see where the story goes from here.