It’s an ultra insane week, with no trade waiters and a bazillion graphic novels I’m into. Let’s get into those and more in this week’s edition of The Pull.

Comic of the Week: G.O.D.S. #1

This was a very, very tight battle for the top spot, and it ultimately was between Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer’s The Transformers #1 and Jonathan Hickman, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia, and Travis Lanham. The deciding factor was that even if both are great, I have a general idea as to what The Transformers will be like. I have legitimately no idea what G.O.D.S. is going to be. It could be incredible. It could be a disaster! I appreciate the variance. That makes it the winner, and certainly the first comic I will read in an unbelievably competitive week.

Trade/Graphic Novel of the Week: Parasocial HC

In another fierce showdown, this pick came down to the fact that I’ve talked less about Alex De Campi and Erica Henderson’s new Image Comics graphic novel Parasocial than I have Faith Erin Hicks’ latest First Second release, Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy. There are no losers here, but Parasocial is the pick, and for good reason. It’s a remarkable work, one that features two prodigious talents doing what they do and somehow delivering a book that is greater than the sum of its parts. The obvious comp for this is Stephen King’s Misery, one where a superfan and her favorite star from a SyFy like series get up close and personal.

The big difference here is the social media and fan convention angle, and the fact that neither of its leads are purely sympathetic. Those each make a major difference, and are a reflection of creative team with real insight and bite to their approach. Parasocial is a good one.