Here's a book that is both incredibly clever and annoyingly obvious in its "inspiration." The Unwritten tells the story of a young man, Tommy Taylor, whose father wrote a series of wildly popular fantasy books. The hero of the books was apparently based on the writer's son, who is now grown and dealing with the price of fame.
There's a dark mystery swirling around his life, and several mysterious figures who may be friends... or lifelong enemies.
That's the good part - the writing is crisp, engrossing and deep. It's very well done. Except...
...it's also obvious that it's leaning on the Harry Potter series for inspiration - it even mentions it in the copy, as though that exonerates the author from any wrongdoing. It would have been better to develop a somewhat more original concept for the "story-within-a-story" - one can almost sense J.K. Rowling's attorneys sharpening their knives.
(Perhaps this is DC's way of getting back at that series for its resemblance to the Tim Hunter / Books of Magic series?)
But despite that glaring problem, this is otherwise an excellent series. Peter Gross' art is perfectly matched to the story - an excellent balance between the realistic and the fantastic.
I'd recommend giving this series a try - especially since the first issue is only a dollar. Your level of outrage may vary. (I'd give this book an "A" if not for the swipes.)
Grade: B
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