Trying to find a comic series to read can be fairly daunting. Comic stores are filled with a nearly endless number of comics, ranging from mini-series to titles that have been ongoing since the 1930s. And as college students it can be especially frustrating to try and find a series that is entertaining and intellectually stimulating enough that you’re not embarrassed to read it in front of your friends.
Well, worry not dear readers, because I have just the series for you: The Unwritten.
Published by Vertigo Comics, the edgier imprint of comics juggernaut DC, The Unwritten is an ongoing series by Mike Carey with art by Peter Gross that just reached issue 36. The series is about the story of Tom Taylor, a man who grew up in the shadow of his eccentric father’s literary success: the Tommy Taylor fantasy books. Think Harry Potter with a dash of Narnia and Lord of the Rings (though Carey revealed that much of his inspiration for Tom came from Christopher Milne, the basis for Winnie-the Pooh’s Christopher Robin, who grew into a man bitter over his father having “stolen” his childhood).
Tom’s dad disappeared at the height of his popularity, leaving his son in the spotlight of his global phenomenon namesake. When the series begins, Tom is living off of his tangential fame, appearing at Tommy Taylor conventions while still adamantly assuring the rabid fans that he is not actually Tommy. But when questions about his past and his father’s whereabouts and possible shady dealings begin to come to light, Tom is faced with the realization that his life is not what he first thought, and that he has a lot more in common with Tommy than he ever wished to have.
So, why should you read The Unwritten? Because it is one of the most intricate and well-written comics I have ever come across. Carey combines an extreme knowledge of literature and the story-telling tradition to weave a complex and compelling narrative about the very nature of stories and what they mean to mankind. Their literary allusions and use of the collective subconscious would make any English professor or Joseph Campbell devotee proud.
Philosophy combines with comparative literature in a mystery that rivals Lost (but with actual answers and practically no loose ends). The philosophical mysteries begin when Tom is faced with the question, “who are you?” and the terrifying notion that he not be a “real” person, but is instead actually a fictional character. Soon the reader is engrossed with Tom and his allies’ journey of discovering who and what he is while facing a shadowy Cabal that seems to be controlling the world through stories.
As writer/creator Mike Carey explained, “We’re using Tom and Tommy as a tool to explore the role that popular fiction occupies in peoples’ lives and the amount of belief and emotional investment people make in fiction. This is very much a story about stories and the part that stories play in our personal lives and the life of cultures and civilizations.”
Carey’s writing is far beyond the average comic and his storytelling is clever and creative. Peter Gross’ art is strong and clear, but at times he wonderfully breaks the normal panel molds to create visual masterpieces that perfectly compliment Carey’s story. This series is so expansive, in fact, that after issue 30 they began half-numbered issues to help further fill in the gaps of the intricate world Carey and Gross have created. The Unwritten so far has been compiled in to five trade paperbacks and publishes monthly. Once you start reading you will not be able to stop. So go pick up a copy and fall down the rabbit hole that is the world of The Unwritten.