This could just as easily go in the "Recommend the latest comic or TPB you have read" thread, but considering the subject matter...
Swordquest was an ambitious series of video games released in 1982 for the Atari 2600 system, each set in a different elemental world (Earthworld, Fireworld, Waterword, & Airworld), and consisting of tasks and puzzles. The plan was that your solving a game entered you into a contest for a specific prize (talisman, chalice, crown, or philosopher's stone), and then the winners of the four prizes would face off to win "The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery". Due to Atari's collapse in '83, Airworld was never released, and the third and fourth contests, plus the finale, never happened.
Following up on their beautiful
Art of Atari, Dynamite Entertainment has several comic series based on Atari properties in the works, and to my surprise, Swordquest is quite a debut. Rather than simply continuing the storyline from the clue-laden minicomics that were included with each game, creators Chris Sims, Chad Bowers, and Ghostwriter X have tweaked some historical details and cranked up the "meta" with a story that takes place (mostly) in the real world... in fact, that's the name of this collection.
Much like Peter Case, the reluctant hero of the story, I played the Swordquest games in the hopes of winning one of those gaudy prizes; however, I didn't get nearly as far as he did. Still, in many ways, I'm better off, as grown-up Peter is now stuck in a routine job, his apartment has burned down, and his doctor estimates he has only 6 months to live. Forced to move back in with his mother, Peter rediscovers the Swordquest games, reconnects with his old gaming buddies, and decides that he's going to go out with a bang by stealing The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery. Putting his plan into motion, he comes to realize that these are more than just simple games, and some serious childhood wish fulfillment ensues.
Sims and Bowers threw me for a loop with this story, as the direction was completely refreshing. As Patton Oswalt is quoted on the cover of this collection: "I CAN'T believe an Atari tie-in is this well-written, funny, touching, and smart." I found
Swordquest: Realworld to be a lot of fun, but then I'm a prime example of the type of reader it was made for. It may not click with a wider audience, but if you played these games or are familiar with them, you should check it out.