The Unwritten: Volume 02 (2010)

Inside Man (2010)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrator: Peter Gross | Page Count: 168

"Sometimes... even if it's a game... it's real, too. Sometimes, it's not up to you to choose."

Tom Taylor, son of the famous author Wilson Taylor, shares a name with his father's most famous creation, the boy wizard Tommy Taylor™. But, in light of recent events, some fans of the books are beginning to believe that Tom is in fact the living incarnation of his fictional counterpart, and not the other way around.

The social media websites, chat rooms and internet forums are alive with activity, discussing the possibility.

For Tom, life goes from bad to worse. There are people who want to kill him and people who want to keep him alive, but he doesn't know why that is. What does seem clear, however, is that the 'literary geography' that Wilson drummed into the boy's head is proving to be even more of a curse as the days go on.

In Volume 02 author Mike Carey answers some questions and further develops The Unwritten's core themes. In doing so, he opens up the narrative to ever stranger happenings and heaps more layers of intrigue on top, which, naturally, brings with it new questions to be answered.

The glue that binds Inside Man together is the notion that belief changes people, an axiom that's explored in many different ways, including by location, in colouring, and even timing. Further to that, the notion that literature — in this instance, children's fantasy literature — can have a powerful affect on the development of young minds plays a vital role. (It's worth noting that the medium through which we encounter the commentary is a fantasy literature for adult minds.)

The theme continues into the next storyline, Jud Suss (Jud Süß), a tale set during real world events from yesteryear. This time it's the adult mind that's under threat, from an evil propaganda.

The volume ends with a peculiar single issue, Willowbank Tales, which has a very sweary rabbit.

The book collects together The Unwritten, issues 6-12.

Individual covers. Click for FULL size: