Mike Cary’s tale of Tom Taylor, the adult son of a famous author who based his grossly popular fictional hero “Tommy” on his own son, continues to build depth and speed. Drawn back to his childhood home, which is also the famous home of many other historic authors, Tom discovers a meeting of horror authors gathered for a weekend conference.
Author Mike Carey is successfully creating an engaging world and smart characters to dwell in it. Along with Lizzie Hexam, who is searching to uncover the mystery about his origin, Tom delves into his childhood home’s secrets and recalls the last time he saw his dad before his mysterious disappearance. Tom finds more clues into his father’s secret life and hopefully, it will led to learning more about himself. Unknown to Tom, Mister Pullman is hot on his heels. Mike Cary writes with a confident direction and firm grasp of his plot.
Artist Peter Gross draws a simple and crisp book. He achieves a great balance between a straightforward cartoonish style and sparse but effective details. With uncluttered backgrounds, the characters pop off the pages.
Carey delivers a good fright towards the end of this issue. So far, this has been a great read with no sign of slowing down.
4 out of 5
Firstly, kudos and thanks for the double sized issue for a buck! Vertigo has been advertising the heck out of this issue, hoping to lasso in as many readers from the start as they can. The big question…was “Unwritten” any good? The answer, in short, is “Yes.”
Tom Taylor is our protagonist, a celebrity by virtue of his father’s success. His dad Wilson Taylor wrote 13 Harry Potter-esque books that are international mega best- sellers. Tom’s fame is that his father based the book’s hero after him. Tom’s livelihood is traveling to conventions signing his father’s books. The world is in love with Tommy Taylor, even if the real Tom is a nice guy loser who likes to hit the bar.
During a Q&A panel at a convention, a female reporter type hits Tom with a barrage of questions that he cannot begin to answer. Unbeknownst to Tom, his identity is in question. Is he really Wilson Taylor’s son? Why did his father suddenly disappear? Who is Tom Taylor? Why are people closet to Tom trying to hide the truth from him?
Author Mike Carey unveils just enough of the mystery to get the reader started. A mysterious woman who knows more about Tom than Tom knows about himself. Count Ambrosio, the book’s antagonist, confronts Tom in real life. Is this guy a nut or something more menacing? Carey begins to blur the line between the fictional and real worlds without spelling it out for the reader. He also establishes Tom as a likeable character. The poor guy could didn’t even get cast as himself for the movie adaptation of his father’s book. He’s a young man that doesn’t have much going for him when his life suddenly takes a dramatic turn. You want to root for the poor guy.
Peter Gross’ art is sharp and uncomplicated. The fiction and real life panels are drawn in the same style, a clever tool to bridge these two worlds.
This issue could not do more to set up a good story. It’s not perfect, but I am intrigued to enter further into this world. I am willing to pay full price for issue two; you win Vertigo.
4 out of 5
