Written By Mike Carey
Art By Peter Gross
Vertigo
ISBN: 978-1401243012
Tom Taylor has accepted the fact that he is the boy wizard from his father’s bestselling novels and he is caught in a war that could tear the human imagination apart. He hasn’t accepted, however, that he’s just going to sit back and relax while the Leviathan, the embodiment of humanity ‘s imagination, spits out random pieces of literature. The Leviathan is wounded and Tom is the one chosen to heal it. As Tom journeys through literary worlds, where famous characters break from their cherished skeletons and cannibalize their plots, he must rely on his wits and friends to save the imaginary world and the real world.
Never doubt the phrase that ideas are given power when people believe in them, because The Unwritten really shows the truth in it. Tom has been through hell and back in past volumes, trying to figure out his past as well as coming to terms with his role. In volume eight, Tom finally comes into his own as a fabled hero, driven to beat the villains, save the world, and draw his friends out of peril. While Tom is a likeable enough character, he’s been a jackass in more than one volume. His friends the journalist vampire Savoy and Lizzie Hexam-girl adventurer turned into Tom’s guide, and the remarkable side character cast are the real draw for readers. Their support in time in unyielding, despite usual setbacks, and his loyalty to them turns out to be the driving force in this volume. The side characters and their stories is where all the comics’s good details are. Mike Carey has set up a world within worlds that Tom barely explores, but is fully experienced by the side characters and gives a greater scope about how the Leviathan affects reality.
Peter Gross’ art can’t get any better as he depicts the sweet and innocent along with the gruesome. He adds another level to the Unwritten that would leave the series in a weaker context if not for his skills.
Volume eight is setting up the series for an exciting conclusion, especially when a crossover is hinted at with another popular Vertigo series by Bill Willingham. The characters and plot build up the action, so when you get to the end you hardly know it.
