Congratulations on making me so viscerally uncomfortable (in the way the best horror does) in broad daylight that I just contemplated living in the shower until I felt clean enough to exist again. Also major props to Erica Henderson’s constantly shifting art reflecting the constantly shifting mental states in this. Highly recommended; pick this up as soon as you can.

Parasocial is a twisted, psychological thriller with some incisive observations about current fandom culture, the nature of fame, and of course, prosocial relationships. On first glance it’s easy to see this graphic novel as simply a millennial update to Stephen King’s Misery, an observation that while neat and concise, fails to capture the ways Parasocial is another animal all together. The nature of being famous and of being a fan has changed radically since Stephen King’s day, with social media, smart phones, and conventions, the modern fan girl has possibilities Annie Wilkes could only have dreamed of. What all this access serves to do is seemingly heighten a cycle of exploitation between star and fan and it is that cycle that Parasocial explores so well. The characters are solid and well written and the art style helps make this brief story feel impactful and dramatic far in excess of its limited page count.

Without giving away any spoilers I will say this graphic novel was gripping, taught, and intelligently written from start to finish; interspersed with moments of genuine humor and heart it is a dark story about what happens when celebrities try to cultivate a personal relationship with their fans and one of those fans takes that relationship far too literally.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Image comics for providing me with an eARC!

I read this entire book in one sitting, because it captivated me. Because we are in a time with so many parasocial relationships, it feels like an updated version of a number of other stories. That, however, is not necessarily a bad thing! The familiarity of the story makes it quick to read. I will say, however, I would like a bit more development of the characters involved, because while you can clearly get a sense of them, this book feels too short! I genuinely wanted to see more and more as the story went on.

Beyond the writing, the art in this book is beautiful. The use of color to provide emotional context to the scene stands out strongly, and the way that the lines shift and change to reflect the characters' situations adds an emotional depth beyond just the writing. I genuinely recommend this book to anyone who loves a quick thriller, and I am absolutely going to come back to it to read again.

*I also appreciate the two essays in the back from the authors. I love getting insight into the creative process and the essays provide an extra layer of context that made the book stand out even more!

A really interesting idea for a rehash of Stephen King’s Misery but ultimately left a lot to be desired. There could have been a lot more discourse concerning parasocial relationships and modern society.

Ultimately it didn’t offer anything new or exciting and the story was so fast paced that we only got to skate across the social issues that the author and illustrator wanted to portray.

Enter a story we have all heard before, the fan horror. I went in with no knowledge of this book, and it was easy reading. A comic con, compared to Stephen Kings Misery, does seem a much more likely place for this kind of hero worship to happen. Fandom is a big thing now. It takes over people’s lives.
What does that tell us? Let the psychologists and sociologists figure it out. But singers, actors, writers, musicians, dancers – everybody who is anybody and even people who aren’t ‘famous’ in the generic sense, can all have fans. Because these people in the ‘limelight,’ they are there because of the people who put them there, the audience. If nobody came to watch their show, or listen to them sing, or watch them play football, then they would be nobody.
Fame is a two sided relationship, the player and the audience, but only one side is seen. But what does that mean? Does that mean the audience own these people? That these people should submit and bow down to anybody and everybody that is a fan? There are several notorious cases of how lives of celebrities have been turned upside down by such dilemmas. They can’t take it. After all, however much money these people have, however much fame sticks to them, they are still people. But sometimes fans forget this. They see the actors on the screen, the singers on the stage, the personalities.
But who else are people? The fans. The fans aren’t these all-consuming, idiots. Like everything in life, there are always those who take it too far, but some fans just enjoy being fans. Enjoy supporting people. Especially if you have been there from the beginning. Youtube gives people the opportunity to start from the very bottom, but there will always be people who take it too far.
There’s rewriting, reinventing and then reimagining’s, even homages, but this skirts the lines too close to Misery. The comic even talks about Stephen King. But the redeeming factor, if you make it to the end, is the writer acknowledges this, calling the road that’s travelled in this story a “highway.”
Delving into the writers thoughts at the end was the best bit for me. I enjoyed reading what they told me they were trying to do. In a previous paragraph I talk about fandom, but fandom has changed since I was younger. Now you can get videos of your favourite celebrity saying your name. Sometimes, for a special occasion, sometimes if there is something tragic happening in your life, or sometimes if you pay them. Twitch, Only fans, what’s the difference? There are the actors, and the audience. The writer talks about the parasocial behaviour of these things, but then also delves into the fans psyche too and describes how fans make these actors into the perfect people. I found the explanation at the end more interesting than the comic, but the graphic novel was an easy read.
There was one thing I did not like, the music soundtrack at the beginning. But it redeemed itself, because at the end, there is a QR code with a spotify playlist on it. Whether you are a fan of the actual songs, or not, I was impressed for one reason. Immersion. Maybe you have seen this before in a graphic novel, I have not. What I would suggest to the editors, is to put this qr code next to the songs at the top of the pages, or have a foreword talking about this and then in the afterword, explain the reasons behind each song.
This comic was easy reading, the art was simple and I enjoyed the addition of mobile phone texts which were in the pages. It did remind me so much of misery. Except without the snow. I guess the writer must be a fan.

This was an interesting retelling of misery, set on the contemporary scene of tv female fandoms, queer baiting male to male ships and parasocial relationships, with a somewhat unsatisfying ending.

Parasocial takes the reader on a harrowing ride in the dangers of fame... It was dark, gritty, and unexpected!

Parasocial follows the toxic celebrity, Luke Indiana. It isn't a spoiler to say that he might not be the best human but his public image is still celebrated and enjoyed in the convention setting. However, it is upon leaving this convention that one of his fans takes an opportunity to have a private moment with this celebrity.

I really enjoyed this story from start to finish. First and foremost, the artwork is absolutely exceptional! The way that the art reflects emotions that the characters are trying to convey, I thought was really creative and it is done so well. When Luke puts on his charm the color scheme and the art style softens, however when things get dark, the art reflects those dark moments as well. I can't speak highly enough of the art and the illustrations here.

The story itself is also super creative I thought. I love that the story follows Rogue Nebula at times, the mention of the CSI show creates some fun elements and then there is the gut-wrenching real world all at the same time. Additionally, the author and artist notes at the back gave even more insight into this story and made me love it even more.

This is perfect for fans of Stephen King's Misery, the Castle Rock show, and Black Mirror!