Review of The Unwritten, vol 6

The Unwritten, volume 6: Tommy Taylor and the War of Words, by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and M.K. Parker. Graphic novel collection, consisting of issues 31-35 and 31.1-35.1.

What if JK Rowling had a son named Harry Potter Rowling, whose life was made miserable by his famous fictional namesake? That could be dramatic enough, but what if this Harry learned later in his life that he was in fact a wizard, and that the books in fact told the story of the coming apocalypse, and his role therein? In essence, that is the premise for the terrific comic series The Unwritten.

Novelist Mike Carey (whose The Devil You Know was reviewedhere) does a great job turning this crazy premise into a gripping and dramatic story. In this world, Tom Taylor is the chosen one, and he has to use clues found in his late father’s “Tommy Taylor” novels to save the world. Fortunately, he has a few allies, and legions of fans.

The theme of this arc is the power of words, and the power of the faith of readers. The theme is not original to Carey, but the execution here is interesting. The bad guys of the evil cabal weaken Tommy by hiring unknowing minions to read aloud Tommy Taylor stories of their own making. But by pulling together the power of fans and fandom, evil can be averted. At least for now.

Issues 31.1-35.1 tell an interesting backstory to the events of this story. This tells the tale of the immortals who formed the cabal, to keep the power of words from affecting their vision of the world they wished to create.

This is high-concept comics at it best, a great idea told well. The Unwritten continues to be among my favorite current comic series.

Source: public library