You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
I haven't loved Fables nearly as much since War and Pieces ended and, essentially, everything changed. I'm usually not one to complain about change but, in this case, I am. While I still get bits of what I have enjoyed from Fables (reinvention of familiar characters in compelling ways, fairy tale stories retold through contemporary lenses, maturity, wit, and humor), it's not nearly as consistent and engrossing. This collection continues that trend.
The first challenge is that it's much more of a Jack of Fables story than a main book one. I've rarely cared for the Jack character and I've not been able to get into his stand-alone series at all. So, strike one. Then, it seems to require pretty intimate knowledge of that series to appreciate the story. The best comic book cross-overs tell you a great story that doesn't require much back knowledge but presents the characters in such a way that it makes you want to read their stories because you've enjoyed them so much in the one you've read. This, for me, doesn't do that at all. I don't know why the blue ox is there or how Mr. Revise and Kevin Thorn and the Pathetic Fallacy are related or why they are are on the run or anything. And you essentially need to know all of that to care about what's happening here. Strike two. And, lastly, it's a story about writing. It's over 200 pages of Willingham and Sturges complaining about writer's block. This villain, which actually could be meaningful in a fictional world built around characters that know they are fictional, isn't bad in and of itself but it is never presented as a real threat. Unlike The Adversary, who seemed a worthy and insurmountable foe, Kevin Thorn is just an annoying guy with great power that he never uses to any great effect. Strike three, you're out.
I'm still a Fables fan and will continue to pick up the collections until I'm just totally bored but this doesn't bode well.
Not recommended.
What I will recommend, though, is Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love. Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus are taking a deeper look at one of the most compelling and under-utilized characters in Fables, Cindy the spy, and put together a fun read. I'm picking it up by the issue, too, and not waiting for the collection.
The first challenge is that it's much more of a Jack of Fables story than a main book one. I've rarely cared for the Jack character and I've not been able to get into his stand-alone series at all. So, strike one. Then, it seems to require pretty intimate knowledge of that series to appreciate the story. The best comic book cross-overs tell you a great story that doesn't require much back knowledge but presents the characters in such a way that it makes you want to read their stories because you've enjoyed them so much in the one you've read. This, for me, doesn't do that at all. I don't know why the blue ox is there or how Mr. Revise and Kevin Thorn and the Pathetic Fallacy are related or why they are are on the run or anything. And you essentially need to know all of that to care about what's happening here. Strike two. And, lastly, it's a story about writing. It's over 200 pages of Willingham and Sturges complaining about writer's block. This villain, which actually could be meaningful in a fictional world built around characters that know they are fictional, isn't bad in and of itself but it is never presented as a real threat. Unlike The Adversary, who seemed a worthy and insurmountable foe, Kevin Thorn is just an annoying guy with great power that he never uses to any great effect. Strike three, you're out.
I'm still a Fables fan and will continue to pick up the collections until I'm just totally bored but this doesn't bode well.
Not recommended.
What I will recommend, though, is Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love. Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus are taking a deeper look at one of the most compelling and under-utilized characters in Fables, Cindy the spy, and put together a fun read. I'm picking it up by the issue, too, and not waiting for the collection.
The basic premise of Fables is that the characters from our fairy-tales are real people. They fled their homeland, pursued by a nameless enemy, and ended up in New York City, where like all immigrants they struggled to both assimilate and stay true to themselves.
The plot behind this particular collection is that someone has regained the power to rewrite the universe, and intends to scrap the world and start over. The Fables and the Literals team up to stop this from happening. But really, not much happens, and what does happen is cartoonish and silly. There are something like 5 pages of Bigby as a pink elephant. It's just...not good.
The plot behind this particular collection is that someone has regained the power to rewrite the universe, and intends to scrap the world and start over. The Fables and the Literals team up to stop this from happening. But really, not much happens, and what does happen is cartoonish and silly. There are something like 5 pages of Bigby as a pink elephant. It's just...not good.
Beautiful art, interesting takes on classic fairy tale characters and a plot that drew me in from the start. Will need to re-read this one of these days!
2.5 stars. A filler story with no point. Jack is the worst and they wasted a great premise of Bigby and Snow on a comical road trip together.
Positive: Gun-toting, quirky librarians of the sexy type.
Cons: Like... what even was the point of this?
Cons: Like... what even was the point of this?
Hardest book I've read in a long time.
It's really put me off ever wanting to read the Jack of Fables series.
Hoping that the Fables series itself us back to its high quality next volume.
It's really put me off ever wanting to read the Jack of Fables series.
Hoping that the Fables series itself us back to its high quality next volume.
I love me some Fables. Only now I need to read all the Jack books I missed. (Like that's a burden!) I loved the genre personifications, scifi and fantasy as twins was hysterical.
More proof crossover events are comics greatest plague. I probably wouldn't have minded it so much if Jack hadn't raped his depressed ex and it was treated as a big joke. Perhaps interesting for completionists but probably best skipped.
This wraps up many plotlines into an interesting story between the fables and the literals.
I thought this story had a lot of clever bits, Deus Ex Machina showing up etc. But I didn't feel like anything here really furthered the story as a whole.
I thought this story had a lot of clever bits, Deus Ex Machina showing up etc. But I didn't feel like anything here really furthered the story as a whole.