The Unwritten #17 – Review

by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (layouts), Ryan Kelly (finishes), Chris Chuckry & Jeanne McGee (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Lizzie/Jane’s past is revealed and Savoy and Tom make a daring rescue effort in a special “pick-a-story” issue.

What’s Good: Is have to give props to Carey and Gross for having the balls to even attempt a “choose-your-own-adventure” issue.  The experience of reading this comic is quite unlike anything I’ve experienced reading comics, the layouts are unique, and it’s all clearly the result of an extremely labor intensive creative effort.

Format aside, the story that Carey tells here is a good one, equally divided between exploring some of the series’ early moments in greater detail while also surprisingly trucking the plot forward.   The scenes detailing Lizzie’s past do a fantastic job of illuminating events from the Unwritten’s first issues that were clouded in mystery and completely puzzling at the time.  Now, Carey clarifies them, while also showing how much sense it all makes knowing what we know now, something that’s quite pleasant when recalling how mystifying these happenings were back when we read them.

Meanwhile, the present day events deliver a satisfying feel of the gang “coming together” as character relationships are stronger than ever.  Tom and Lizzie’s relationship has never felt more meaningful, even if it ends up being solidified by a fiction, while Savoy and Tom’s banter livens it all up.  An interesting parallel between these scenes and those from a Tommy Taylor novel also give everything a heavier and more significant tone.

The Unwritten #6 – Review

by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (art), Chris Chuckry & Jeanne McGee (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Tom Taylor is thrown in prison and Lizzie Hexam is tasked with breaking him out.

What’s Good: I’ve always enjoyed the beginning of every issue of the Unwritten, which often focuses on another text, whether a real world one (like this month’s “Song of Roland”) or a Tommy Taylor book.  It sets a certain tone and allows Peter Gross to stretch his legs and provide a different, more painted/static style to convey the different text.  More than in past, however, Carey does not just limit these shifts to an opening.  Rather, a couple of times, Carey switches to a frame or two from the “Song of Roland” or Tommy Taylor in a manner that is fluid and perfectly in synch with the events happening to the comic’s characters.  As a result, he gives a sense of this not only being a singular comic, but also a dialogue between several different texts.

I also rather liked the introduction of the decidedly satanic looking thief, Savoy.  I hope he sticks around past this arc.  While he’s definitely a character, Carey chooses to keep him realistic and relatively subdued.  He has just enough flare to provide a nice contrast with Tom, while still keeping Taylor foregrounded.

A scene with the jail warden, meanwhile, provides perhaps the best scene of the book.   Carey is able to once again show the impact of fiction, as the warden’s relationship with the Tommy Taylor books exposes the softer family man below the hardened exterior.  The sudden shift is touching and the scene also shows just how much we invest in literature, our favourite books, and the hope they provide, as well as the lengths we’ll go to protect the illusion and escapism.

On another note, I should also mention that this issue’s ending is awesome and is sure to raise eyebrows.

What’s Not So Good: This is probably Peter Gross’ weakest issue, art-wise.  That’s not to say that it’s bad, nor is it to say that he’s committed any terrible errors.  You won’t be wincing at all at anything in this book, and honestly, it’s pretty decent looking.  However, it’s just under Gross’ usual high standards.  Something about the issue just doesn’t give me quite the same sense of comfort and satisfaction as previous issues did.  I do feel that things look a little less detailed and a touch more scratchy at times, so perhaps that’s the problem.  Though maybe this is intentional, to reflect Tom’s miserable status and surroundings.

I’m also not sold on the introduction of the new “Inside Man” narrator.  While it is logical to add a colorful, self-aware narrator who directly acknowledges the reader to a comic so concerned with text and the metatextual, the presence does nonetheless jar at times.  It also removes some of the sense of foreboding and mystery that has defined the book thus far.  Perhaps this too is intentional, reflecting a shift in the series’ tone, in which case these are just growing pains.

Conclusion: Didn’t like the art as much as usual, but it’s still a great book.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

The Unwritten #3 – Review

by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (artist), Chris Chuckry & Jeanne McGee (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Tom Taylor begins to explore his memories and unlock the secrets of his father’s villa, which also happens to be the location of Frankenstein‘s conception.

What’s Good: Though it’s by no means a comedy book, I did find that dialogue-wise, Carey turns up the humor in this issue.  Taylor has said the odd line in past issues, but this month I really think he’s put in his best deadpan performance yet.  In fact, both Tom and Lizzie are starting to sound like protagonists out of a Brian K. Vaughan comic, and that’s never a bad thing.  What I didn’t expect, however, was for scythe-wielding bad-guy Pullman to make me laugh, but he managed to do just that.

I also really enjoyed the intertextuality this month, paralleling Frankenstein to the comic itself; the idea of Tom Taylor as a possible parallel to Victor’s monster is intriguing and Peter Gross’ rendition of Shelley’s novel at the beginning of the issue does perfect justice to the Gothic masterpiece.  It provided a great framing structure to this issue.

Again, metafiction plays a heavy part this month as a writer’s workshop of horror authors debate the nature of their genre. What ensues is humourous and accurate of the sort of scuffling that goes on in genre fiction and horror fans will no doubt have a blast. It’s great fun and Carey is clearly poking at some of his fellow writers.

Finally, it’s great to see Carey really rounding out the personality of his characters for another month.  After reading this issue, Lizzie only intrigues me all the more, while Tom’s memories only make him feel all the more human. With every passing issue, we feel a little closer to the characters just as we feel a little closer to the mystery. It’s still all cast in shadows, but we learn just enough to tantalize us for next month.  At the very least, a murderous Pullma guarantees action next month.

Meanwhile, I swear that Gross’ art is getting better with every issue.  I enjoyed it even more this month, as Gross seems to go for a “simpler is better” approach without ever feeling rushed, sloppy, or lacking.

What’s Not So Good: A minor quibble is Lizzie’s manner of dress.  I’m starting to wonder if she’s going to become a sufferer of “shrinking clothes” syndrome.  It’s all the more jarring due to the conservative dress of all of the other characters, as well as Lizzie’s own personality/character, which doesn’t exactly say “sex bomb.”  I’m not sure what Gross is after here.

Impatient readers may also be a bit frustrated that nothing is revealed this month in Tom’s explorations of the villa.  Even the sought-after maid isn’t questioned yet.  Pages of unintelligible, “overheard” dialogue return once more, this time from Tom’s dad. Although it’ll make sense once we find out the truth, it’s still a bit irritating at the moment, especially given that Carey has already done this to us before.

Conclusion: Carey and Gross go three for three in the best new series of 2009.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

The Unwritten #2 – Review

by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (art), Chris Chuckry & Jeanne McGee (colors), and Todd Klein (letters)

The Story: Tom Taylor begins his search for the truth, visiting his Dad’s lover and heading to Switzerland.

What’s Good: Around five pages in, I said to myself out loud, “goddamn, this comic is so good.”  It was a muttered statement and it wasn’t really brought on by any particularly shocking moment, but more of my reaction to this comic as a whole.  It really is a great book and is probably the smartest thing sitting on your comic shop’s new release racks.

In this issue, Carey continues to flex his literary knowledge, but does so in a manner that manages to amuse rather than intimidate (Alan Moore, I’m looking at you).  Tommy’s random facts regarding literary geography and history are still good fun, and certainly educational.

Perhaps more importantly, the Unwritten once again effectively demonstrates its postmodern, deconstructionist stance.  There is an absolutely fascinating scene regarding the nature of “truth” that simply MUST be read.  It’s an incredibly cool sequence backed up by critical ideas that effectively blur the line between the real world England of Tom Taylor and the magical fantasy dungeons of the Tommy Taylor subtext.  Much as Tom/Tommy are interrelated, the fantasy elements, like this scene, find themselves embedded in the “real world,” yet also carry a distinct presence.  It’s hard to explain.  I suppose I’m saying that I feel as though the fantasy and “real” elements of this comic feel like separate presences that are related to one another.

Carey also continues to effectively blend literary forms, mixing the comic with the prose of the Tom Taylor novels, while also including an ingenious page of “Tommy Taylor” internet search results. This technique only enhances what is coming to be an incredibly interesting dynamic in the comic: Tommy Taylor as Messiah and general religious figure.  I can’t wait to see how this develops.

Ultimately, the end result is an incredibly smart comic that creates an ever engaging mystery that reveals an increasing number of hints both of its character’s past and future. Certainly, this issue provides a mystery that deepens, and grows all the more interesting for it.  All the while, the book’s villains grow to be even more ominous and downright threatening.

Peter Gross continues to shine on the art.  In fact, I actually feel that his work has gotten better in this issue, feeling more refined, polished and perhaps a bit more “modern” as well.  I also can’t get enough of Chuckry & McGee’s dark work on the colours.

What’s Not So Good: I tried to think of something, but I just can’t what’s there to complain about.

Conclusion: Solid plot progression in an issue that yet again promises great things to come.  This is a smart, enjoyable mystery that literature buffs, philosophy geeks, and Sandman/Lucifer/Books of Magic fans need to get in on. This is quite possibly the best non-superhero comic out there right now. If you’re not reading this, you better have a really good reason. And no, an empty wallet is not an excuse!

Grade: A-

-Alex Evans