My husband and I are intensely involved in the sci-fi convention scene. I’ve had a lot of cool interactions and experiences with celebrities in all my times at conventions. But it’s also weird, right? At the end of the day, it’s an odd exchange of money and time and smiles. Enter the masterpiece that is Parasocial.

Amazon / Goodreads

Synopsis:

In the middle of the pandemic a fading genre-TV actor fresh from his long-running series’ cancellation collides with an obsessive fan at a Texas convention. When she lures him to her home he’ll have to put on the greatest performance of his life simply to survive until morning. Unless of course he’s the real monster…

Bestselling critically acclaimed duo ALEX DE CAMPI and ERICA HENDERSON (DRACULA MOTHERF**KER!) reunite for another stylish horror reinterpretation-this time the psychosexual thriller.

Review:

Let’s start with the fact that the main character’s name is Luke Indiana. Luke. Indiana. With a name like Luke Indiana, and all the pop culture history behind such a name, readers are already geared to like his character from the very beginning. Luke is an actor reeling from the fact that his popular sci-fi television show was canceled due to the pandemic. That long-running show had all the hallmarks of a cult-classic show: homoerotic undertones that are never actually explored, different character “ships,” and, most importantly, it was canceled too soon. 

Luke travels to a convention where he meets Lily, a fan who is more than a little obsessed with him, though she hides it well at first. What follows is a heavy-hitting horror that’s not too far from Stephen King’s Misery, though it’s been modernized for the social-media age. Lily interacts with Luke at the convention and begins to appear suspicious and obsessive. Here are some of the things she says. 

“I just finished [my photo op] and he was fine?! A little tired maybe[.]”

“That’s the same t-shirt you wore to RogueCon Kansas City in 2015.”

“I really want to find a way to end up at the same bar as him tonight.”

If you’ve been in the convention space, you’ve probably heard similar. I’ve honestly heard worse. While Parasocial is a commentary on behavior like this, it goes a bit further. Sarah Gailey called Parasocial “A horrifyingly compelling portrait of loneliness and obsession.” But Lily isn’t the only one who’s lonely. Luke is lonely too. Lily isn’t the only scary one. Luke is too. If there’s one thing I learned from Parasocial, it’s that social media is unreliable. Narrators are unreliable. Beware whose story you trust. 

Art:

The art in Parasocial is bold and clear. At times the colors are blood red or monochromatic. There is great use of white space, which I loved. Parasocial is made for nerds who’ve spent their lives deep in fandoms. Group chats, AO3, fandom Twitter, Cameo, Instagram, and convention halls all make appearances in the art. The art changes depending on the mood of Lily and Luke. Anime and CSI-like theming both appear in fun ways. While it’s not quite a love letter to fandom, it is a love letter to shared experiences.

Final Thoughts: Parasocial is engrossing, thought-provoking, and still wickedly fun. As someone who often feels a bit powerful at Star Wars Celebration each year, Parasocial hit hard. If you find me at a convention in 2024, expect me to recommend this graphic novel.

Rating: 5/5 stars. If not for the twist ending, this would have been a 4/5 star book. If you attend conventions, are involved in a fandom, or if you just like the idea of a modernized version of Misery, Parasocial is for you.

Thanks to Image Comics for the advanced review copy. All the above thoughts are my own. All art belongs to the publisher.