The Unwritten

The Unwritten
Cover to The Unwritten #1. Art by Yuko Shimizu.
Publication information
Publisher	Vertigo
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing series
Genre	Contemporary fantasy
Publication date(s)	October 2009 – January 2015
No. of issues	71 (#1–54, #31.5–35.5, Apocalypse #1–12)
Main character(s)	Tom Taylor
Creative team
Written by	Mike Carey
Artist(s)	Peter Gross
Letterer(s)	Todd Klein
Colorist(s)	Chris Chuckry Jeanne McGee
Editor(s)	Pornsak Pichetshote
Collected editions
Volume 1	ISBN
Volume 2	ISBN
Volume 3	ISBN
Volume 4	ISBN
Volume 5	ISBN
Volume 6	ISBN
Volume 7	ISBN
Volume 8	ISBN
Volume 9	ISBN
Volume 10	ISBN
Volume 11	ISBN

The Unwritten is an American comic book ongoing series written by Mike Carey with art by Peter Gross. Published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics, the book follows Tom Taylor, who was the inspiration for a series of hugely successful children's fantasy novels in the vein of Harry Potter. The series deals with themes related to fame, celebrity, and the relationship between fiction and human consciousness.

The plot revolves around Tom Taylor, son of Wilson Taylor, an author who disappeared without a trace at the height of his career. Wilson wrote a series of books about a boy wizard called Tommy Taylor, filled with fantasy, even being compared to the Harry Potter series. Tom is generally portrayed as being somewhat rude and jaded about his status as a minor celebrity. His father had made a fortune off of a character modeled on young Tom, but Tom himself is without accomplishment, even claiming that his only real skill is an encyclopedic knowledge of literary geography. Tom makes most of his money through appearances at comic book and fantasy conventions. At one of these he is confronted by a man dressed as the villain of the Tommy Taylor novels, Count Ambrosio. Believing him merely to be an obsessive fan, Tom dismisses him but he is later kidnapped and held captive by the man, who appears to be a real vampire like Count Ambrosio. Taylor manages to escape with the kidnapper being killed by an explosion. His troubles are just beginning as a young woman named Lizzy Hexam confronts him at a convention where she publicly asserts that Tom is not the real son of Wilson Taylor. A media firestorm ensues in which various theories, such as Tom being a gold digging impostor, or his having been bought by Wilson Taylor from Bosnian refugees, circulate.

Eventually, some fans come to the conclusion that Tom Taylor, who had miraculously escaped unharmed from the explosion which killed Count Ambrosio, was the living incarnation of the fictional Tommy Taylor and would act as some sort of messiah. In an attempt to get away from the publicity, and get to the bottom of the mystery of his identity, Tom retreats to the Villa Diodati, the Swiss mansion where Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. The villa is the place where his father wrote the Tommy Taylor novels and the last place where he had been seen before mysteriously disappearing. Unbeknownst to Tom, a small gathering of mystery and horror authors is also meeting at the Villa. While Tom attempts to figure out what happened to his father, the other attendees are murdered by a mysterious assassin known as Pullman. When the authorities arrive they accuse Tom of the murders. As he is being arrested, Tom is shocked to see Mingus, the winged cat that accompanies the fictional Tommy Taylor in his adventures, perched nearby. Thrown into prison, Tom is put in a cell with Savoy, who turns out to be a reporter who had bribed his way into prison in order to report on Taylor's activities.