This deserves the Top Cow 2010 Pilot Season crown.

If you’re hemming and hawing over whom to vote for in Top Cow’s annual Pilot Season contest, let us help. G3’s unequivocal, unanimous choice is 7 Days from Hell, the Bryan Edward Hill/Rob Levin-penned story of a former mercenary who escaped death (and hell) at a terrible price. Protagonist John Bishop is now a puppet of a demon, the innocuously named Mandy. On her orders, he must kill a specific villain within a one-week period, and Mandy appears to have a long list of marks. If he fails or is killed a second time, he gets a one-way ticket to the ultimate bonfire. How’s that for high stakes?

It would be easy to go way overboard with such a juicy concept, but Edwards and Levin make the story riveting while showing some restraint. And boy, does 7 Days From Hell have some good-looking art. If that luscious Brian Stelfreeze cover doesn’t grab you, Phil Noto’s modern, eye-popping interior images surely will. It’s impossible to read this book without wanting to know what happens next, and even when measured against some strong competition, 7 Days from Hell emerges as the crystal-clear champ. The Top Cow polls are now open, so head here to cast your vote.