The final month of the year begins here, and it begins with an intriguing mix of returning favorites, an original graphic novel, and the second issue to an ascendant star. Let’s look at those and the rest of my buys, recommendations, and curiosities from the week of comics in this edition of The Pull.

Comic of the Week: Snotgirl #16

The prophesied return of Snotgirl is here, as Bryan Lee O’Malley and Leslie Hung’s long-running (in a modern sense) Image Comics series returns for more brunch, besties, and betrayal, with assuredly a fair amount of paranoia within as well. It’s been quite a while since the previous issue of this — it preceded the pandemic! — but this is a singular comic that looks at social media influencer culture in a way no other comics do (or really try to). Its floor is high because of Hung’s art, at the very least, so I’ll be welcoming this series back with open arms (when its next trade paperback hits, of course, as it’s a trade waiter).

Trade/Graphic Novel of the Week: Backflash GN

This sounds like an interesting take on the time travel concept, one that blends science fiction (in a sense) with personal drama. It’s also a Berger Books release, which is nice to see, with this graphic novel being the latest release from Karen Berger’s Dark Horse imprint. Most of all, though, I’m intrigued by this release because one can never get enough of Steve Lieber’s art, someone who can wring all the tragedy and humor out of a concept like this while impeccably telling the tale throughout.