Effigy. Vol. 1: Idle Worship

A former child TV star tries to escape a past that was foisted upon her by her ambitious mother by returning to her Podunk hometown and becoming a police officer. However, neither past, present, nor future will grant her peace, what with her cult series' rabid fan base, including her transgendered best friend from childhood, a mummified murder victim tattooed with her show's catchphrase, and the bizarre, body-snatching exploits of the author whose work inspired her TV show. Effigy presents some stimulating insights about determinism, celebrity worship, and religion as the original, ultimate fandom while remaining entertaining and brisk rather than ponderous and confusing. The story doesn't get seriously tangled until the final two of the seven issues collected here, but by then it's getting literally out of this world.