Is this real life or just a fantasy? The Unwritten shoots for an answer

It's an age-old question: What if the characters beloved by millions stepped from their fictional pages to roam the earth? What if their fictional blood-feuds became part of reality? How would the fans react? How would the characters themselves react? Would the real world be a match for their fictional magic come true?

The Unwritten asks these questions through the character of Tommy, excuse me, Tom Taylor whose father Wilson Taylor mysteriously disappeared after penning the adventures of Tommy Taylor (who Tom admits bears strikingly resemblance to a certain Harry Potter). Tom wants to separate himself from the fictional character his father based on him (again, admittedly much like A.A. Milne's Christopher Robin). However, Tom is obligated to continue his father's legacy through marketing the movies based on his books and appearing at book signings and readings. Tom seems angry that his father left him, not believing that he just disappeared, and Tom is clearly searching for his own identity. But, his troubles really begin in Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity, when a fan appears at a panel discussion and questions whether Wilson Taylor ever had a son. Suddenly, everything about Tom Taylor seems manufactured and rumors are immediately printed that he is indeed a fake. Of course, fans demand the imposter's blood and seem about to get it when Count Ambrosio, who is either a nut-job fan or Tommy Taylor's fictional nemesis come to life, kidnaps Tom.

The cover by Sandman: Dream Hunters artist Yuko Shimizu is one of the most intriguing I've seen as Tom Taylor is held in a maelstrom of words spilling into (or is it out of?) a book. The internal art by Peter Gross evokes an old-fashioned style that helps add to the mystical feel and the story by Mike Carey immediately grabs the reader. Carey's alliterative names, Tommy Taylor and pal, Sue Sparrow, are evocative of a simpler comic’s era, but the mature readers label indicates that these stories will tread beyond the innocent. The team behind the multiple Eisner-nominated Lucifer cast a spell on me with their creative panel design and subtle dialogue.

Don't wait for Count Ambrosio to cast a spell on you! Take your magic carpet, I mean, drive your Toyota hybrid to Four Color Fantasies today where The Unwritten #1 is this week's guaranteed Book of the Week.

A Unique Story by Waid and Oosterveer: The Unknown

Everybody loves a mystery. Of course, some mysteries are more mysterious than others. Who was Jack the Ripper? Where do the socks that vanish in the dryer go? Why do people watch reality TV? All vexing questions, but none as mysterious as The Unknown! (Cue ominous organ music and maniacal laughter.)

Alright, The Unknown is actually Mark Waid's new 4 issue series from Boom! Studios, but it is pretty mysterious in its own right. The series stars Catherine "Cat" Allingham (Possibly named after mystery writer Margery Allingham?), America's Greatest Detective. Cat has a brain that always moves at full tilt, casually solving the mysteries that thwart the lesser minds of the police departments of the world. She doesn't have much patience for the slow pace the rest of us meander along at, so she can be a little abrasive at times. Oh, she also has 6 months to live, and seems to have a creepy spectre of death watching over her. Like you do.

After quickly solving another tedious case that is really beneath her notice, Cat runs into newly unemployed bouncer, and fan of her work, James Doyle (Named for Arthur Conan Doyle? Mr. Waid has been reading some mysteries, hasn't he?). Doyle is a hulking mass of muscle, but he also has a knack for reading people and an eye for details. The perfect sidekick for the detective on the go!

Cat and Doyle hop on a jet to Europe, where we get to the real puzzle, one that even Cat may not be able to solve. The Faderbauer brothers are super-genius physicists, and may be the victims of the world's first Quantum Crime. They built a box that is beyond priceless, meant to be the most accurate scale ever conceived. This scale could measure a trillionth of a trillionth of a gram. Of course, the experiment does not go as expected, havok is wreaked, and the box vanishes, possibly teleported away by some nefarious quantum thief. Of course, the real question is: just what exactly was in this box? What were the Faderbauers measuring? Cat has some unnerving suspicions...

If you read comics, you probably know Mark Waid's work. He can always be relied on to deliver an excellent story, and The Unknown is no exception. With amazing art from Minck Oosterveer, and a unique story to be told, The Unknown is all set to be a hit! The only real mystery is why you haven't bought a copy of the first issue yet. Maybe it's because you didn't know that this comic is Four Color Fantasies guaranteed Book of the Week! Now that you know, investigate the quickest way to get to the shop, and give The Unknown #1 a try. Case closed! (Though I still don't understand why people watch reality TV.)

Over-the-top violence drives The Destroyer

Keene Marlow is a pretty typical old man. Sure, he may come across as a little gruff and grumpy at times, but he's a loving husband, a great father, and he's very sweet with his grandkids. Oh, and he can rock a pair of suspenders like nobody's business. Unfortunately, like many men his age, Grandpa Marlow has heart trouble. He has to watch his sodium and cholesterol, and he has to be pretty careful when he's out jumping off exploding buildings and tearing bad guys heads off as the incredibly violent hero The Destroyer!

Destroyer is a limited series from Marvel's MAX imprint, written by Robert "Walking Dead" Kirkman with art from Cory Walker. These guys have collaborated before, to awesome results, and their work here won't disappoint their fans. The Destroyer is a mostly forgotten (Sorry Destroyer fans! I'd never heard of him.) Golden Age character from Stan Lee. Kirkman approached this project as if the character has been active, appearing in his own monthly series, ever since the '40s. By showing us the aged, cantankerous hero he has become, Kirkman and Walker have made Destroyer work for a new audience, without having to "re-imagine" him.

Of course, the MAX imprint allows them to make Destroyer over-the-top in a way that Stan could never have gotten away with durring the Golden Age. When Keene takes on the villainous hired goons of HORDE, he literally punches through a guy's head and leaves the rest of the HORDE minions in similarly mangled, very dead, states. He's also got an awesome repertoire of cranky old man banter, most of which can't be shared here. He's a salty one, that Grandpa Marlow.

When our hero finds out his own heart is going to be the villain that finally takes him down, he decides that he has to put some things in order before he dies. For most grandpas, that might involve making some adjustments to the will or deciding which grandkid gets your watch, for Keen Marlow it means tracking down and killing (with violence!) any bad guys who might cause trouble once he's not around to stop them. And he starts things off with a visit to his imprisoned older brother, Dicky....

If you like your comics with a heaping helping of ridiculous violence (I know I do!), then you will love Destroyer! Kirkman and Walker are on top form here, and they made me love this character I'd never heard of within the first two pages. Luckily, you can try it out with absolutely no risk of serious head trauma, because Destroyer #1 is this week's guaranteed Book of the Week at Four Color Fantasies. And, if you're really good, maybe we'll throw in a half-melted butterscotch candy with some pocket lint on it.