Copyright Carey and Gross
What’s the effect that stories have on our lives? If something fictional has a profound effect on humans, can’t we say that it’s, in a sense, “real?” Questions like this are by no means new, and have been addressed in all sorts of media, but one of the finer examples is the excellent comic series The Unwritten.
Written and illustrated by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, the team behind the acclaimed Lucifer, The Unwritten weaves a suspenseful tale that blends the worlds of reality and fiction and looks at the stories we tell as individuals, cultures, and as a race. In the world of The Unwritten, the most popular books are the “Tommy Taylor” series, a story about a young wizard that closely (and intentionally) mirrors that of Harry Potter. The worldwide phenomenon is further fueled when the series’ author, the reclusive Wilson Taylor, mysteriously disappears before finishing the series. His disappearance shifts focus to his unfortunate son, Tom Taylor, the namesake and basis for the books’ main character. Tom makes his living attending conventions and signing autographs, but nonetheless hates the attention and the way people associate him with the fictional Tommy Taylor. All this changes, however, when Tom is attacked by the main villain of the series (a vampire) and is later framed for a murder, forcing him, along with two companions, to go on the run and discover what exactly is happening to them. Along the way the three travel through various fictional worlds and start to discover the secrets of a dark organization that controls the world’s stories.
A big part of The Unwritten‘s appeal for me is the plethora of literary references scattered throughout the books. Many of them are just incidental and have no real bearing on the plot, but will definitely get a grin from those who are in the know. In some cases the references are a bit more central to the plot, but never enough to detract from the enjoyment of someone who’s unfamiliar with the allusion. There’s one instance in particular that had me laughing out loud, but I won’t say more than that; if you read this you’ll know what I mean. The writing as a whole is absolutely solid, and with plenty of twists that will surprise you every time.
To be honest, I’m still a little torn on the art. It definitely gets the job done, but there are some days I really like it, and some days I really don’t. The covers for the individual issues, though, are absolutely gorgeous, and while reading the trade paperbacks it’s always a treat to get to the next issue. One last bit about the art, because it’s so darn cool: the third paperback volume includes a really ingenious “Choose Your Own Adventure” portion, which works surprisingly well in a comic format, and seeing them pull it off so skillfully is as enjoyable as the story itself.
If you’re a book fiend, make this the one series you start reading this year. Even if you’re not, there’s still a lot here to like, and The Unwritten is absolutely worth your time.
Happy reading,
-Nate
Tired of Superheroes 