Thanks to NetGalley & Image Comics for the ARC!

Parasocial is another look at the dynamic between fandom and creators through the lens of a genre-TV actor approaching his potential "has been" years getting off his publicity shift at a convention when he gets into a wreck on his way to a friend's house and is kidnapped by the fan who unintentionally orchestrated it. It's very Misery meets every Lifetime stalker-kidnapping movie.

There were critiques of fandom a plenty (all of them valid in their own right), but one of the critiques made by the author and artist leaned so heavily into homophobic caricature that it ruined the entire graphic novel for me.

A gritty take on the parasocial relationships of famous stars and their fans. Parasocial was a quick and electrifying read that left me both excited and also disappointed. The story is fast paced and high stakes but I felt it needed a little more slow-burn to let the drama really soak in. I would have loved just a liiiitle more dialogue and danger between the characters.

The focus on how fans can become crazy stalkers is done in a way that is fairly accurate (the way they talk in the text messages, the AO3 stories, the excess spending on a nerdy hobby when they shouldn't) but I'm always wondering why the perpetrator of this is always an overweight female. It hit a weird misogyny alarm in my mind when I saw Lily.

The art is dynamic albeit seemingly needing some polishing up. Overall, an interesting read.

The main problem I had with this narrative is that it is short-lived. Lily and Luke are the main characters, both of whom have inherent flaws and are portrayed sympathetically yet realistically; There could have been a lot more discourse concerning parasocial relationships and modern society.

Parasocial offered a unique and modern graphic novel reading experience. The story was compelling and the art did a great job establishing and maintaining tone throughout. If anything, I would like more backstory and character development, which I suppose would make great material for a possible series.

Parasocial is a timeless tale that feels especially poignant in our constantly online culture. We follow the nightmare scenario of a fading TV actor who encounters an obsessive fan on the side of the road. Things quickly go wrong when the fan kidnaps him and takes him on a Misery-inspired ride he'll never forget.

While there are several parallels with Misery, Parasocial manages to stand out with its artwork that gets messier and wilder the crazier the story gets. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat especially as things get increasingly uncomfortable and it starts to look like the beginning of the end for this helpless celebrity.

If you're a fan of thrillers and horror, I'd recommend giving this one a read.

This book was a thrill ride. I saw some parallels with Stephen King’s “Misery”, with a modern feel. The artwork is what made this comic. The different art styles characterizing each moment made me go through a series of emotions. The antagonist Lily, could be any one of us who obsess over a character in a show. The attachment felt like a real relationship to her. I felt more sorry for her then Luke, who is not very much a likable character.

Parasocial is a short graphic novel that tells the story of an obsessive fan who kidnaps her favorite celebrity that she's met at comic con events. It reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Misery, but on a much shorter scale. I would have preferred it to have been a bit longer, but I did enjoy what was there. I'd recommend this to fans of suspenseful thriller stories. I really enjoyed the final pages that gave insight into both the artist's and writer's creative process while creating this book. It was interesting to read how it all came together.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for accepting me to read this graphic novel.

I couldn’t understand it like I just felt the pacing was pretty rushed and the art just didn’t have character to it. I only loved the cover unfortunately;/

This book is a nightmare. As a fan that frequents autograph alley at conventions, this was a really fun, fresh take on King’s well-loved Misery. The aspect of perspective is really well-timed and all the nerd culture references spread throughout were exciting to find. I just wish it had been longer!

Something Supernatural coded is happening here...

I think this is supposed to seem outlandish and out there the same way that Misery did once upon a time, but I think it's almost more frightening how real it does actually feel. I'm sure both the author and the artist have spent some time in the trenches based on some of the references scattered throughout, and it really makes the book shine. It wouldn't have been improved by being longer, but I would have read another fifty pages of this.

An underrated element of the relationship dynamics here is really in the group message chains. There's the obvious horror of the actual parasocial relationship celebrity abducted by obsessive fan, but I think anyone who has met a former boy band stan or SPN RPF author is familiar with that kind of fear. But the way this explores the way relationship ties are made in fandom spaces is really interesting. Where you might be able to talk ad nauseam about one thing and even share certain deeply personal details about your life while ultimately knowing nothing about the people your talking to. It builds to a really clean conclusion that I really enjoyed.

We aren't exactly re-writing the playbook or anything here but classics are classics for a reason.

A modern twist to King's Misery. It was fun with really good artwork. The only con I have is I wish it was much longer! Goodreads Review sent.

A link to my video review to come!

As someone who goes to conventions to sometimes meet my favorite celebrities, I often wonder what they think of us fans and what they do if they encounter EXTREME fans. This book shows a case in which a fan is seemingly harmless but then the obsession rears its ugly head and the celebrity with whom the fan is obsessed with becomes a part of a "Misery" sort of situation.

4 stars

Parasocial uses the graphic format to take a hard look at celebrity and fandom, and it seriously works, y'all. Employing a blend of styles and colors to perfection and including perfectly placed social threads, fan fic, and a curated playlist, this graphic novel had me hooked from the cover on. My one complaint, and the reason I gave this one four stars instead of five, is that the pacing is just too fast. Sure, it was a quick read, and intentionally so. Still, every plot turn felt too abrupt, like the reader was being pushed ahead in some sort of effort to rapidly reach the end. Even ten more pages could have evened the pacing and made it feel more fully developed.

Overall, an excellent read that is more than discussion worthy.

If you like misery you’d definitely love this book. Lily is definitely unhinged but I love how they made the “victim” a villian in his own right. It made him seem more realistic and the story more enjoyable over all

Parasocial is a word thrown around a lot these days for many reasons and with many connotations. Played out here in comic form is an interesting, if a bit common, look into what ‘parasocial’ can be in the context of fan culture and pop culture. I liked that there was very much a soundtrack to this story (with a Spotify QR code at the end!) and the clear affection the creators have for fan spaces and culture. The art style is so good. I think it could have been just a little longer, with just a bit more plot but the ending was satisfying and left me thinking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Image Comics for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Parasocial is an all too familiar story- the crazed fan that goes after the poor, tortured artist, thinking that their relationship is more than just artist and observer– or is it?

The characters in this beautiful graphic novel are not the cliche rabid fan and the tortured artist, but rather, something more unnerving– they’re human. Both are flawed and both have their reasons for doing the things that they do. While the story makes it clear that the lengths our fan will go to in order to get what she wants are wrong, there is a part of all of us that understands the feeling of loving something and thinking that there was more when there just wasn’t and how painful it is when the fires of our passions are doused in cold, harsh reality.

The art is amazing. I really loved the use of color and abstraction. I especially loved the afterward where the writer and artist talk about their process and inspiration. That is something I always enjoy hearing about as an artist myself. How lines and tones and composition can make us feel emotion and tension just with different shades of color. And there was a lot of tension and emotion in this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see more from this team! Thanks to Netgalley and Image Comics for allowing me a digital ARC for my honest opinions!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this work.

I really enjoy this "Misery"-style trope when it does the unexpected. As the author noted themself, this is a side of horror that has been washed and hung out to dry many times. Luke Indiana, bearing a name mash-up from George Lucas's film franchises, is a successful actor nearing the conclusion of his role in a long-running sci-fi series. On his way to a comic con, he has an accident that will lead him to a night filled with horror. Let me tell you, this night practically lasted two seconds.

The main problem I had with this narrative is that it is short-lived. Past mistakes are revealed too quickly. Scenes with his abductor move too quickly. Everything moved too quickly. If the intent is to scare me, I need more time with the characters and in the atmosphere itself. In many ways, the author's comments at the conclusion of the ARC made me respect it more, but that doesn't change the initial--nothingness--I felt at the story's conclusion.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

Luke Indiana is a fading actor who gained minor fame on a scifi TV series that's now finished. His aging and worried about her career. One night, exhausted after a fan convention, he drives into the desert and his past comes back to haunt him in a way he never expected. A contemporary (and acknowledged) take on Misery, complete with social media.

Gorgeous art which carries you along on a wave of colour that changes depending on what's going on in a specific panel. So much thought and skill went into this comic. I particularly enjoyed how much personality and emotion the artist was able to convey though the characters' expressions. Not just happy/sad, but specific things like "mean enjoyment" and "I believe myself to be oh so incredibly clever".

The portrayal of fan culture and fandom in general was spot on and I loved seeing the fans at the convention interacting with Luke, etc. I've been there, I've seen it, the portrayal was real. I felt see and judged and I loved it. Both Luke and Lily felt real, deeply flawed, but understandable... to an extent. The story was very linear, very simple, but it held me. I liked the ending. Was glad it ended how it did, although a darker ending could have worked too.

Parasocial relationships in the age of social media are something that I'd love to see explored even more. Fandom has had an enormous effect on media and culture, in good ways and in lots of bad ways, so it was nice to see this touched on in this comic.

The graphics and general story excited and captured me! I think the attempt at a slow paced horror with tension was choppy with how quick and fast paced this became, leaving no room for tension or build up. I loved the Misery vibes with it being an obsessed fan and I think if this was more broad it would be wonderful!

What a dark story, and yet - completely believable, knowing some of the toxic behaviors in fan culture. The art supports the story absolutely beautifully: shifting color palettes, styles, even genres as it adds more virtual layers to the experience that is largely about virtual selves. The lead characters are not exactly sympathetic, but the nuance renders them impossible to hate. (I did cringe a fair few amount of times, but that’s my default reaction to toxicity of parasocial relationships in reality as well as fiction). Reads in one go, holds the attention like a good thriller — recommend for both folks inside and outside fandoms. I will definitely keep the writer and artist both on my radar.

Thank you #Netgalley for an advance copy of #Parasocialgraphicnovel.