Usually, I don't push comic titles -- unless it's the Wolverine: Old Man Logan run (which has one issue left to go!) -- so I really try to make it mean something when I mention a certain book."The Unwritten" by Mike Carey and artist Peter Gross from Vertigo is one of the most engaging new series on the racks. After reading issue number three last weekend I am even more enthusiastic to stay on board with no expectation of jumping ship.
The story follows an adult named Tom Taylor, the son of the author of the famous Tommy Taylor books that feature a boy-wizard reminiscent of Harry Potter. It's a bit of novelty for the book's fans that Taylor's father has written a fictional character based on his son.
The thing about Tom is that the details of his true origins are hazy. With his life in danger and a host of strangers appearing to know more about Tom than Tom himself, the question is raised: what came first, the fiction or the man?
Peppered with literary references and a healthy dose of mystery, "The Unwritten" offers something fresh and an alternative for readers who enjoy comic book storytelling without the weight of continuity bogging it down.
Of course, that has always been the case with the Vertigo line. One may not love everything the imprint offers but what is served can rarely be described as the status quo.
A veteran of the Vertigo Comics imprint, writer Mike Carey has entertained readers with his vivid imagination and storytelling ingenuity in Lucifer and Hellblazer. Carey has found a terrific co-creator in Peter Gross. Gross illustrates Tom Taylor's posture and expressions with the world-weary angst of an over-the-hill former child celebrity and a touch of vulnerability for a character who is discovering who he really is.
An Illustration of the cover to issue #1 of "The Unwritten" by artist Yuko Shimizu courtesy of DC Comics/Vertigo.
Leave a comment