Fairest, Volume 5: The Clamour For Glamour

 

Reynaud the Fox recently obtained a glamour to become human from Rose Red after he became a member of her New Camelot army. Now bragging about his new exploits as a human, the morale of the other animals on the Farm is lower than ever. Why can't they become human too? It's all that sly Fox's fault...

   With Reynaud run out of town, the rest of the animals stage a protest. As a result, the witches of the thirteenth floor create 5 glamours, to be disbursed during a lottery. But when one of the glamours turns up missing, the list of suspects is as vast as the population of all  the enchanted realms.

The idea behind the Fairest, the sister title to Fables, is to explore the rich back stories of the ladies of Fable Town. But this volume focuses about 50% on the male Fox, Reynaud and 50% the animals of the Farm. The last time Fairest shifted focus from its intended subjects to that of Prince Charming, the results were uneven at best. Thankfully that is not the case here.

  The last volume of Fables(which wrapped up the series) felt a little rushed and I remember wondering why the final storyline of that fantastic series didn't focus more on the Farm. The Clamour for Glamour is the answer to that mystery. With this volume my reading of the complete run of Willingham’s Fables and Fairest is complete and I was very happy with the results. (Though I still have Jack of Fables and Wolf Among Us to look forward to but I don't think either is written by Willingham.)

I must admit cheating a little to see what happens at the end because Willingham introduced a new character that I just feel in love with and the author has a reputation of unmercifully killing them off. ( FYI- they survive, but you'll have to read it for yourself to figure out who that character is.)

   'The Clamour for Glamour' was a fun read that I wished wouldn't end. Lots of fun with great art by regular series art Mark Buckingham, covers by Adam Hughes, and many more. Plus a special story that follows up with a character that I thought was long dead and gone! Wicked cool!

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Fable Comics (Family Comic Friday)

 

   First it was nursery rhymes, then came fairy tales, now editor Chris Duffy along with Jaime Hernandez, Liniers, George O'Connor, Roger Langridge, and dozens more cartoonists and writers tackle the world of fables in Fable Comics. 

   Fabulist Aesop is featured heavily in this book but it's not all about him. Fables from China, India, and the United States are featured in this anthology. Just about all of your favorite fables are featured here including THE FOX AND THE GRAPES, THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE, THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF, and CITY MOUSE AND COUNTRY MOUSE (my all-time favorite.)

     But the feature that I thought stole the show were about the Greek god Hermes. George O'Connor, whose 'Olympians: Ares: Bringer of War' graphic novel I reviewed last year, crafts no less than 4 adventures about the Speedster in this book. Each story was sly, fun, and the harken back to the early Flash comics of the 1940s. They were so good, I was hoping that with each turn on the page that I'd be meet with another Hermes adventure.

     This 2015 collection is the third in a series that I hope will continue on for years to come. (May I suggest Tall Tales for volume 4?)  Each story is crafted by a different art team and ranges from silly to tragic. But every story was extremely entertaining. 

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Fables Volume 22: Farewell (AKA Fables #150)

 

  Not only does this volume round out the trade paperback collections of Bill Willingham's Fables, this book as doubles as the final issue of the award-winning Vertigo series, #150. 

   At 160 pages, this very well may be the longest single issue in comic book history. For this last go round, Vertigo pulled out all the stops, including a tri-fold cover that features almost every character to have ever appeared in this series, a lengthy afterword by Willingham, and a slew of guest artists, including Neal Adams, Joelle Jones, and Gene Ha. Regular series artists Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha, who join Willingham to help this series go out on a very positive note. 

   Does that mean everyone has a happy ending? Not at all- this is Fables we are talking about. But the series did end in such a way that I don't need it to continue. 

   Right now, there is a miniseries called 'Fables: The Wolf Among Us' which is based on a video game of the same name. It takes place before Bigby married Snow White, so the events in that series shouldn't affect this series ending. But once that's over, I hope Vertigo breaks all of the rules of comic book publishing and let this series end with style and grace. (That doesn't mean I would be opposed to a live-action series on AMC someday...)

    A fantastic ending to a fantastic series that I began reading almost from the very beginning some 13-years ago. My best friend Todd got me hooked on this series right as the first trade came out collecting issues 1-6. With the ending of Fables, I'm a little saddened, as my friend Todd is no long with us. But I'm glad I got to finish this journey through the world of Fables that he didn't.

  Very Much Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Fairest: In All The Land

  

Someone is killing the beauties of Fabletown! Working on a list of potential victims from the seer Woman of the Ford, super-spy Cinderella must become a gumshoe (as Bigby is still missing and Beast is forced into exile on the farm due to his unpredictable changes back into a monster.) Reluctantly, Cindy accepts the mission and along with Hadeon the witch turned magic car and several animals from the farm, the princess is tasked to find the murderer within 7 days or those slain can never be returned to life. 

   Meanwhile, in the missing Mayor's office of Fabletown castle, the Magic Mirror and several of the Barleycorn Women work to try an assist Cinderella from afar. Someone found a way into the office and stole a vanishing cloak and a powerful sword from the armory. But without an entrance into the room, how could anyone have gotten in and out without being seen by the Mirror?

   'In All the Land' was a great read. As a stand alone graphic novel from both the Fables and Fairest titles, this book seeks to fill in some important gaps before writer/ creator Bill Willingham concludes Fables with issue #150. Helping him along is over 20 artists, inkers, and colorists, including series regular artist Mark Buckingham, Gene Ha, and Ming Doyle.

    The book does start off a little slow. The first dozen or so pages are in text form (with illustrations) but by the second act, the book really gets going. With flashbacks to the 60s and 70s, readers will finally get a better understanding of the motivations of some of the series most famous and infamous characters. (Hopefully, we might get a return to the Fables universe from time to time with several miniseries being devoted to the history of Fabletown, USA. Fingers Crossed!!!)

   Lots of great Easter eggs, cameos, and loose plot threads almost a decade old are waiting for loyal readers of Fables like myself. I just hate to see that dynamic series go, but I'm glad to delay its demise a little longer thanks to gems like this.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Fables Volume 21: Happily Ever After

 

 
   The epic series has almost come to a close. But before everyone lives Happily Ever After, a few plotlines must be tied up such as:

• Who owns the heart of a newly resurrected and highly feral Bigby Wolf?
• Who will come out on top of the power struggle of the 13th floor caused by the absence of Frau Totenkinder?
• What is the final fate of the 3 Blind Mice, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Prince Charming and many more of the most notable characters in this series long run?
• And just who will align themselves with the factions of Rose Red and Snow White?

    Sadly, the outcome of that battle is going to have to wait until Volume 22!

    Okay- there was 150 issues in this series. This volume covers issues Fables 141-149. So just how long was the final issue? And what else is going to go in it? Amazon says that the last chapter in the Fables trades is 160 pages. I know for a fact that issue 150 was not that long!!!

  

    Thankfully, I won't have to wait very much longer. The final volume dropped last week and hopefully I'll come across it soon at my local library or at the Comic Book show in Raleigh later this month. I have to admit, I might have to just go out and buy it because I really want to know how 13 years of Fables final comes to a close.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Fairest, Volume 4: Of Men and Mice

   When a mysterious group of assassins attempt to kill Snow White, the Sheriff of Fabletown calls on his secret weapon to get to the bottom of things- Cinderella. But when those same assassins destroy Cinder's shoe store, it's clear that she's also a target. But why and who's behind it? Cinder believes that her fairy godmother is behind these attacks but when a sniper's bullet leaves the loopy godmother in a coma; the list of culprits gets longer. The search for answers will have Cinderella crisscrossing the globe in an adventure that introduces some never before revealed Indian fables as well pitting the one-time princess against a murderous stepsister.

   This volume is an exciting journey that reveals the secrets behind Cinderella's magic night at Prince Charming's castle. But I'm not  sure why Cinderella is featured in this series. The glass slippered beauty has been the subject of two miniseries titled 'Cinderella' so why was this action-packed origin story published in the pages of Fairest?

    I understand that Fairest is a series devoted to the mighty ladies of Fabletown and yes Cinderella is both A) a lady and B) a resident of Fabletown. But I would think that since Cinderella is the star of her own titles then the six issues published in this volume should have been devoted to another fair lady of the Fables series who's yet to have her season in the sun. That's not to say that this volume of Fairest is not essential reading for any fan of Fables.

    The actions in this storyline have ramifications that are currently affecting that epic series as it nears its final 150th issue. The foreshadowed return of Bigby Wolf and the escalating civil war between Rose Red and Snow White plays important components in this book. Because of those tie-ins, this volume is actually a very good starting point for fans of Fables who've yet to give Fairest a chance. If you love the mystery, action,  magic, and sex appeal of Fables then you need to try on Fairest.

   Trust me, it will fit.

     Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Fables, Volume 20: Camelot

Somewhere around issue 60, the character of Bigby was temporarily written out of the series. I felt that minus the Big Bag Wolf, the series suffered considerably. Well, Bigby’s gone again and I just wasn’t so enthralled by this otherwise great series.

Not having the character of Bigby in Fables is like an episode of Walking Dead without Daryl or a James Bond movie without 007. Something’s missing to the chemical makeup of the cast. In this case, it’s the mundane embodiment of the Three Little Pig’s arch enemy.

Don’t get me wrong, I still like Fables and even without the Wolf, this is still one of the best current series being published today. It’s just that instead of tearing through this book in a day or so, I would only pick this volume up from time to time to read. That’s how much I think of Bigby Wolf and it speaks volumes as to how droll the series can be without him. Something in these residents of Fabletown is missing. I’ve read several issues in a row where Bigby didn’t appear in the series. Yet, the characters were engrossing in their adventures. Without the Wolf, it’s like the wind’s been removed for everybody’s sails.

In this volume, the concept of Hope’s chosen vessel, Rose Red, has been inspired to revive King Arthur’s Camelot. The premise behind this series was that these characters are the living breathing versions of their fairy tale counterparts. With this new Camelot, each major player is now embodying both their make believe selves but figures in the Arthurian legend as well. For example, since Rose is running the thing, she’s Arthur! I’ll let you figure out who's her Guinevere, Merlin, Mordred, and Morgan LeFay. But I will say some of these placements are shocking.

I can’t wait to see where this series is going. Mostly because it’s hinted that Bigby will return. Just that little glimmer of hope has me eagerly anticipating the next volume.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Fairest, Volume 3: Return of the Maharajah

Fairest continues to explore the realms of foreign fables with a trip to the Fables of India and the Indus Valley. Here, a young girl named Nalayani must defend her village from rampaging hordes of were-demons, as all of the men were conscripted by the Adversary during the Fabletown Wars. Her best hope is to search out a new Maharajah that has just claimed the realm but when she finds him, all isn’t as it seems as one of Fables most endearing characters has returned from the dead,

  Bill Willingham’s Fables has dealt slightly with Indian Fables as some characters from the Jungle Book have been major players in the series long past. Thankfully, the writers behind this volume decided to explore never before revealed India fables. As with the Japanese fables in the previous volume, there were a lot of characters that I’ve never heard of before in this story. But that was okay, because the storytelling and art was fantastic. Full of action, adventure, romance, and surprises, Return of the Maharajah is probably going to have a major impact on the main Fables series, if it hasn’t already (and I just haven’t read it yet.)

I look forward to what this returning character will do to the dynamic on both the Farm and in the restoring Fabletown. I’m also hoping that this character’s return might mean a resurrection for a few other characters that I fell in love with and mercilessly got the axe.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Fairest Volume 2: The Hidden Kingdom

 

Bill Willingham continues his examination of the fairer sex in the world of Fables. But believe me, there’s nothing fair with these ladies. They are bad-ass!

In this volume Willingham explores the early history of Rapunzel, who is kind of a slut. When he twins are kidnapped, she flees the domination of the Empire and the Adversary by living amongst the fables of Japan for a while. There, she gives birth to another breed of child and brings forth the fall of the Japan fables safe hold.

   Now, in the modern world (and taking place about 5 years prior to the events of Fables #1) the heroine is summoned back to Japan hoping to be reunited with her stolen children. Yes, what’s waiting for her call her ‘Mommy” but it’s unlike anything you ever expected.

I enjoyed this volume but probably not as much as I should. I’m not very familiar with Japanese folklore, so I didn’t know who many of these characters were. But that didn’t make for a thrilling story.

Volume one was pretty light on action but not on graphic sex scenes. Oddly enough, despite the cover to this volume (which is borderline NSFW), the opposite is true. There is tons of gritty, grimy action, a really good plot, and while there are some sex scenes, they’re tamer than some stuff you see on a Big Three network.

If I have to pick, Fables is a better series than Fairest and I think it shows in the last story in this book which takes place on the Farm. It involves a first date between Reynard the Fox and one of Gephetto’s forest children, the dryads. That story was funny, intelligent, and put a unique spin on Aesop’s Fables.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

      

Fables, Volume 19: Snow White

 



The modern adventures of your favorite (and least favorite) fairy tale stars continue with two possible nuptials. First in Haven, Beast must prevent the Blue Fairy from holding him captive a total of 777 years by initiating marriage proceedings between the angry fairy and Gephetto. Back in the “mundy” world a gentlemen caller comes for Snow White’s hand in marriage. Has anybody told her husband, the Big Bad Wolf about this?

This is an exciting tale that comes with some dire consequences that result in the demise of a fan favorite. I’m pissed. They better bring ******* (name deleted for spoiler purposes) real quick. I’m not kidding.

A few weeks back, I read volume 1 of Fairest, the newest Fables spin-off and it’s a good thing I did. Some major plot points that aid Bigby is his quest to find his missing cubs are directly tied into the first story arc of Fairest. I would’ve been lost without that prior info. It appears that I’m a budding Jedi, as my instincts to read the spin-off first before this volume of Fables served me well.

Worth Consuming.

Fairest, Volume 1: Wide Awake

From the pages of Fables, one of my all-time favorite non-superhero comics, and the mind of Bill Willingham, comes Fairest. Where Fables is about a group of exiled characters from Fairytaleland (men, women, animals, and animated and enchanted objects) who try to survive in the real world, this series focuses primarily on the women and their many loves.

  The volume has two tales. The first has Sleeping Beauty being rescued by true love’s kiss. But when her prince ends up having eyes for another, it seems that true love can awaken Sleeping Beauty, it just doesn’t mean that that devotion is directed towards her.

The second tale is a noir themed piece that has Beast (from Beauty and the Beast) on the trail of an ancient evil that makes the rounds in 5-inch heels. Can he stop her before she kills again?

I like both stories very much. The Sleeping Beauty tale has Ali Baba and a certain blue imp that’s confined to a shiny bottle  tied in with it. It definitely takes many liberties with the stories of Sleeping Beauty and Aladdin. That’s totally forgivable as it makes for an exciting story that is very familiar but since it doesn’t quite follow the stories we’ve heard since the cradle, there’s room for plenty of surprises.

But, I like the Beast tale the best. The art reminds me of Batman: The Animated Series and it’s classic and clean. The story is straight from Sam Spade and Mickey Spillane. I’m not a huge fan of noir, but I do enjoy those type of tales from time to time. It’s an excellent capper A A very good spin-off. This is no After MASH or Joey! I can’t wait for to read more!

Worth Consuming.

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

Fables Vol. 18: Cubs in Toyland

The prophecies of Ambrose are beginning to come true. As one of Bigby and Snow’s children trains to become the Great North Wind, another child (Therese) must deal with her jealously over the slight. There are tempters afoot, and Therese is whisked away to another dimension, promised to be that kingdom’s next ruler. Oldest cub, Dare, senses something is wrong and follows in hopes of rescuing his sister.

Willingham has done it again. Every time I think that Fables can’t progress as a series, he takes it into another direction. While the Mister Dark storyline is still explored, the Oz storyline is nowhere to be found in this volume. I find myself needing to no longer get attached to Willingham’s awesome characters because there are some shocking demises in this volume. You’ve been warned.

A great book and I cannot wait for the next volume to come out. 

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

"Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall"

WORTH CONSUMING!

Though published a good 3 years after the title began newcomers to Fables can start here and get an excellent tutorial into the world of Fables. Or it’s a great supplement for someone like me whose not read the series in quite some time and forgot where these guys left off.

Plus it’s a Who’s Who of almost anyone who has ever worked on the series.