Cheesecake Art with Serious Narrative: Grimm Fairy Tales #34 and #35

So, if you are trying to repackage classic stories for a modern audience, what ingredients do you add? How do you make great stories from the past irresistible to today's readers? The folks at Zenescope clearly know the best possible answer to this question: boobies! If you've ever caught a glimpse of the covers to Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales series, you know they can deliver beautiful women and great cheesecake art, what you may not know is that there is some pretty nifty storytelling going on underneath those eye-catching covers.

Grimm Fairy Tales # 34 and 35, written by Dan Wickline with art from Marcio Abreu and Axel Machain, have a ton of clever plotting packed between the covers. These issues each tell two complete stories, while also working together to create a larger epic. In an era where many comics no longer provide a satisfying chunk of story in one issue, this dense narrative makes a nice change, and gives you a little more bang for your comic-buying buck.

Issue #34 brings some new twists to the tale of Puss in Boots, as the kitty of the title becomes an ancient Egyptian statue. Of course, this mysterious, booted, piece of pottery is no mere artistic relic. It is an evil, powerful, totem that offers its owners wealth, youth, and power, but at a terrible cost. As the story begins, adorable young Stephanie is unexpectedly asked to hold on to Auntie Claire's creepy old statue for a few days. A mysterious, red-haired stranger tells Stephanie about the statue's value, and its dark past. It isn't long before Steph starts getting some dangerous ideas about what to do with this evil knick-knack, but Aunt Claire may be more than she seems...

This issue does tell a complete story, but #35 offers up a sequel in which we discover the ultimate fate of Claire and her devilish statue, while also giving us an intriguing update of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Whether or not Wilde's classic novel counts as a fairy tale is possibly in question, but the story fits perfectly into the Grimm world Zenescope has created with this series. When a rock super-star starts to realize that his friends are aging while he stays eternally 25, he begins to wonder what is up with his wife's creepy statue, and the painting she has proudly hanging in their home. And why is that painting starting to resemble a much older man?

The cheesecake may be what catches your eye, but Grimm Fairy Tales # 34 and #35 may surprise you if you look past the covers and check out the stories within. Try these books out now, while they are guaranteed Books of the Week at Four Color Fantasies! You'll enjoy some great comics while also helping to support the lovely ladies of Zenescope. Let's face it, they must have some terrible chiropractic bills to pay.

An unusual look at the world of heroics: The Mighty #1

Being a super-hero is certainly a stressful and challenging job. The hours are terrible, you are pummeled, zapped, and blown up on a daily basis, and there's always an alien invasion just around the corner. The only thing that could possibly be more dangerous than being a hero is working for one. At least heroes have super-powers, their employees just have targets on their backs.

DC Comics' The Mighty #1, by Peter Tomasi, Keith Champagne, and Peter Snejberg, introduces the world to Superman-like hero Alpha One. According to the newsreels, atomic testing in 1952 accidentally turned an unnamed sailor into the world's first real super-powered hero. Alpha One has spent decades saving the world, but this book isn't really about Alpha One. It's about the people who clean up after him.

Heroically saving a runaway train is great, but someone has to deal with the mess, talk to the press, and make sure all the victims are accounted for. Since the guy in tights doesn't generally stick around for the paperwork, Alpha One has Section Omega. Paid for by Alpha's massive merchandising profits, the people who work for Section Omega are there to handle the bureaucracy of saving the world. It is not an easy job.

When the current leader of Section Omega, Captain Michael Shaw, turns up mysteriously dead, his replacement is faced with some pretty tough decisions. Almost every leader of Section Omega has ended up similarly dead, with the exception of one who went completely crazy under the strain. It is not surprising, then, that the wife of young Lieutenant Gabriel Cole is not totally thrilled when he is offered the promotion. Gabriel, however, has worked his whole life for this opportunity, and he's not about to pass it up now. Besides, what could possibly go wrong...

Excellent writing and great art make this unusual look at the world of super-heroics well worth a spot in your reading stack. With the mysterious Alpha One kept in the background, it is unclear exactly who can be trusted in Section Omega. Who killed Captain Shaw? Is Gabriel's promotion really such a good thing? And just what is Alpha One's role in this whole business? If you want to find out the answers to any of these questions, you'll have to start reading The Mighty. Lucky for you, the first issue is guaranteed all week as Four Color Fantasies' Book of the Week! (Of course, it might just have been the diet of salted Milk Duds that killed Shaw. Ick.)

Need a little mystery? Check out Mysterius the Unfathomable

Do you enjoy a little mystery in your life? Are you bored with everything making sense all the time, and being so, um, fathomable? I'm going to go ahead and assume you're saying yes to both questions. So today is your lucky day! There is a new book on the stands that has the answer, or maybe I mean the lack of answers, to your dilemma. It's mysterious, it can't be fathomed, it's Mysterius the Unfathomable!

Mysterius the Unfathomable #1 comes from the brilliantly warped mind of Jeff Parker, who may be best known for the excellent Agents of Atlas from Marvel Comics, with art from the equally amazing Tom Fowler. This creative team is a perfect fit for this unusual book, which blends a modern setting with a retro vibe, pulp storytelling, and a heaping helping of 1920s style mysticism. Parker's characters have strong "voices" right from the start, and Fowler's unique, almost caricature-style art gives them a distinctive appearance to match. This book immediately seems different from most comics on the shelf.

To start things off, our snarky, young, heroine, Ella, attends a trendy seance at the home of trendy socialite Vic Chesnea. Vic has hired Mysterius the Magnificent to conduct a seance. Vic either wants to contact his dead mother, or make his little party the talk of the town, whichever one will get him more attention. Once they get Mysterius out of the closet with Vic's buxom personal assistant, the seance begins. I won't give too much away here, but let's just say things don't go as planned.

One thing leads to another, and Ella finds herself pulled in to Mysterius's wacky world. The mystic clearly has amazing powers, but he sure isn't your typical square-jawed, handsome, exotic and heroic magician type. He's kind of a dumpy guy, in a suit that may well have been made in the 1940s. He's a bit of a jerk, his personal hygiene seems a little suspect, and he doesn't treat his employees very well. His powers seem to be used for his own personal benefit, rather than for any particularly noble ends. Despite all these failings, Ella finds herself working for him as the latest in a long line of assistants named Delfi. Weirdness and, umm, "unfathomableness" ensues!

Don't take my word for it! Experience the uncanny and amazing world of Mysterius the Unfathomable for yourself. The first issue is guaranteed all week at Four Color Fantasies, so I can't fathom why anyone wouldn't give it a try.