The Unwritten: Volume 11 (2015)

Apocalypse (2016)

Authors: Mike Carey / Bill Willingham | Illustrator: Peter Gross | Page Count: 174

"You walk the path, and at the end the blessing comes."

After 71 issues The Unwritten came to an end; the numbering of the individual monthlies doesn't reflect that figure, but that's how many were published in total. Vol 11: Apocalypse collects the last of them.*

Even though I’ve been posting about the series for eleven months now, I read the volumes themselves in quick succession. It's been a while since I actually finished it all, so I may have forgotten a few things. For example, I don't know if everyone who mattered and/or had a direct influence on events got a worthy resolution, but I know the ones that I personally cared about did.

The ending isn't as monumental as I was hoping for, but it's extremely satisfying and in-keeping with the overall concept, exiting with a thoughtful and lingering aspect.

Acting on information provided by Madame Rausch in Vol 10, Tom and his friends search for what they believe will permanently end Pullman's plans.

Essentially, what follows takes the form of a quest, very much like an Arthurian grail quest. Author Mike Carey even goes so far as to write in a courtly epic style. Medieval poetry isn't exactly common in the comic book medium, so it really stands out as being something quite special; unless you happen to have an aversion to blank verse narratives, of course.

Sometimes entire scenes play out split between modern and medieval fashion. I know not everyone will appreciate what Carey did, but for me the reworked style adds additional depth even to conversational scenes; e.g. a question in one style will receive its answer in the other.

The romance side of the Chivalric genre isn't ignored, but it doesn't get in the way of the drama. The quest remains paramount at all times. The seekers know they must stick to the script if they are to succeed, but with no script in existence they rely instead on the story model, which makes the grail quest immensely relevant. Knowledge of Arthurian legends will be most beneficial.

Carey also weaves in The Inklings, a literary discussion group that were based in Oxford in the 1930s and 40s. You may not know the group by name — it's not often discussed outside of creative writing circles — but it's very likely that you know the names of some of its members, the most notable of which are probably C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Lesser known in the wider world but of extreme importance to the two authors named previously is influential thinker Owen Barfield. Together, they're three men who shaped the modern model of fantasy literature.

The Unwritten has its own trio, three myth-makers who through writings shaped the lives and thoughts of many. Wilson Taylor is obviously one of them, but I'll not reveal the other two.

While the story of Tom could end conceivably in any number of ways, it could be argued that the essential core of the work could only really resolve itself in one way. And even when events tethered to that are rewritten by Carey, the core remains intact, meaning the changes never feel like convoluted ret-conning. Like I said above, I feel The Unwritten's end is extremely satisfying.

The book collects together The Unwritten: Apocalypse, issues 06-12.

*Due to some half-numbering and a relaunch the numbering of the individual issues doesn't go up to 71, but that's the actual total (59 original volumes + 12 Apocalypse). In addition to that a standalone comic book prequel that tells the origin stories of both Tom and Tommy Taylor™ was published in 2013. It's not necessary to have read it to enjoy the eleven volume series. I'll post some thoughts on it next month. It's called Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice.

Individual covers. Click for FULL size: