Since it’s launch in 2009, Mike Carey and Peter Gross’ The Unwritten has followed Tom Taylor as he criss-crosses classic fiction worlds, but this May he’s getting graphic.
Announced this morning via a teasing email by DC Comics’ PR department, issue #50 of The Unwritten will see the series crossover with stablemates Fables for a unique kind of event. Not much is known about it yet, but this amazing jam piece seen at right depicts The Unwritten’s lead Tom Taylor reaching out and being grabbed by Fables‘ Bigby Wolf, as a homage to The Unwritten‘s first issue cover by Yuko Shimizu.
At last year’s New York Comic-Con, Fables writer Bill Willingham spoke briefly about this startling crossover, explaining that “one or more” of the Unwritten characters would wind up in the Fables world, and went on to say “it doesn’t turn out well for folks.” Willingham did make a point to say that although characters would be crossing over from one book to the other, all the crossover events will be shown exclusively in The Unwritten and not Fables.
Which characters from The Unwritten do you think will venture into Fables, and who are you most excited about seeing them cross paths with?
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I have mixed feelings about this.
Really? Never read Unwritten, but as a former Fables fan, it sounds really cool to me.
Me too. While the last issue of Unwritten was cool (esp. the cliffhanger), I feel that it really ended with the War of the Words arc. It’s still fun, but not the best comic being published right now, if you ask me. While the crossover fits thematically, it still comes across a bit weirdly. I will buy it, as I will buy all of Unwritten, but still. I mean they could have gone completely bananas and have some of the stories visited in Unwritten be from the DCU or other Warner properties, circumventing the whole copyright issue. On the other hand, I loved that they went with literary allusions rather than “crossovers.”
I do too. I don’t read the Unwritten but the first (and only) Fables crossover was the extreme low point of the series.
This sounds cool, and if it gets a few more people to check out The Unwritten, then I think it’s a fantastic idea.
I think the obvious guess for who appears in Fables would be Tom, but I think it would be funny to have Mr. Bunn and Pinocchio enjoy a few beers and hijinks together. Maybe Richie would try to pick up Rose Red for some ginger romance.
Both titles have been great lately. Looking forward to this.
I guess if it gets more readers for The Unwritten I can look the other way, but I wish it could have remained an unencumbered unique work.
If they just threw some of these Fables characters into this arc and left it to the fans of both series to wonder if there was a connection I’d be much happier…
I see the opportunity, I see the chance for a relatively smooth “crossover”, but is this really necessary when all it does is needlessly champion a book that frankly doesn’t need the help and diminishes the singular vision of a book that is fiercely overlooked???
Exactly. That’s why I my feelings are mixed.
I was needing a good reason to start reading Unwritten. This seems like as good of an excuse as any.
I’d recommend rather picking up the first trade, though. Much easier to get into then recent issues and much better, too.
Considering these are pretty much the last two Vertigo titles standing and both have excellent track records I’ll bite.
I mean honestly – and I am sorry to use this thread to gripe – but what is DC doing? After all of the promise of the New 52 they are literally running their company right into the ground. Dismantle Vertigo? Check? Disjointed universes being forced together into a giant crossover? Check. Hemorrhaging talent? Check. Premature cancellations and inexplicable creator swaps? Check. A plethora of mediocre titles? Check. Honestly if it wasn’t for Vertigo and Wonder Woman I wouldn’t read DC at all and if it wasn’t for the Bat Family of titles I really think Image would be close to overtaking DC at the number 2 spot by the end of the year. The latest embarrassment? A cringe-worthy interview over at Comic Book Resources that makes it pretty clear the powers in charge have no plan whatsoever: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43155.
I am not saying this as a hater but out of genuine concern. A healthy DC is a healthy comic book medium. Not to mention that Vertigo is my favorite imprint of all time. So anyone? Am I just being overly pessimistic?
Now… I’m not a reader of The Unwritten but isn’t one of its core concepts that it explores fiction universes? So visiting the world of Fables doesn’t strike me as outside its bounds, especially since its going to be pretty much all on the Unwritten side, and not on the Fables side.
So its not really a cross-over at all. Just a guest appearance.
Also I’ve been pretty optimistic about Vertigo lately. There’s been some good stuff coming out of Vertigo for the last year.
All of this is true and I’m right there with you on diminishing pickups for their superhero line (WW, Swamp Thing, Batman Inc, & Batman). Other than those and an (barely) arguable handful of others, DC is a wash and although I’m looking forward to the Snyder, Lemire, Azzarello, and (possibly) Kindt work out of Vertigo I think it has pretty unceremoniously become exactly what Icon is to Marvel, a place for their top guys can get their work out should they find it more advantageous than Image. I have no gripes about DiDio, Lee, or Johns and well, that CBR article pretty well crystalized what I think the problem is.
Nice. I love crossovers:)
Interesting, this sounds like it’s pretty cool. I’ve never read an issue of Fables but love Unwritten, so I certainly hope (and I’m sure this will be the case) that I can still read Unwritten and be totally fine during this.
I’m kinda looking forward to this, Unwritten and Fables are the only (current) Vertigo series I read. I’ve read alot of Fables, but only up to vol.3 in Unwritten (its been so long I’ve forgotten names). In terms of characters I’d like to see; Tom Taylor and his 2 friends, and Bigby, Frank(entstein), the three blind mice, Snow White, the wolf cubs, Gipetto and pinocchio, and the logical fallacy.