The Unwritten, vol 1, by Mike Carey

The Unwritten, vol 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey (writer) and Peter Gross (art); graphic novel; 144 pages

I kept seeing adds for this in Library Journal, so I finally broke down and read it. I really like the concept: Tommy Taylor is the equivalent of Harry Potter: a successful fictional character who's spawned a whole empire. Tom Taylor, the author's son, is the real-life inspiration for the series, and a celebrity in his own right. But is he really who he thinks he is? As the story goes on, fictional characters start popping up, and the lines between fiction and reality start to blur. There's some pretty graphic horror in the last chapter, and a killer twist that's really going to leave me wanting more. This collection also included a one-shot about Rudyard Kipling and the price of his stories that reminded me strongly of one of the subplots in Gaiman's Sandman (only more sinister). Overall, I loved the idea behind this, and the importance on stories throughout. It took me about a chapter for the writers to hit their stride, but once they do, it turns into a good series.