The Unwritten: The Unwritten Fables [vol. 9] by Mike Carey and Bill Willingham, art by Peter Gross and Mark Buckingham,144 pagesOK, so this is when things get weird (but in a good way). The enigmatic Tom/Tommy Taylor has been summoned into the world of Fables by the 13th Floor witches, in the hopes that he can help save their bacon from a returned foe. Much fighting ensues, leaving the storylines of both The Unwritten and Fables in cliffhangers.
It is ridiculously hard to discuss this volume because, even though it was published as part of The Unwritten, this reads like a Fables volume. That's where it's set, and it seems to be a diversion from what Taylor is ultimately trying to accomplish, which is simply understanding what the heck is going on. Hey, join the club, dude. It has been speculated (with quite a bit to back it up) that this crossover happened simply to inject some of Fables' popularity into The Unwritten's meager following; the focus of this volume on the Fables storyline certainly adds credence to that suggestion.
As a fan of both series, I enjoyed this volume, but my biggest complaint is that it's hard to figure out where it fits in the Fables series. I read it after volume 19 (Snow White), as that's where it fit chronologically according to volume publication. However, it picks up at a weird spot; I honestly did not know what was going on when the Fables stuff picked up. (Perhaps this would have been better if I'd read the individual volumes?) I'm also a bit concerned for anyone who reads just Fables and not The Unwritten: will missing this volume leave them confused about the end of Fables? Who knows!
Verdict: tread carefully with this one. It's not bad, but if read at the wrong time, could leave readers even more confused.
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