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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Volume 8 will get a score lower than it might deserve just because I don't like Bigby or his romance with Snow, and this features a lot of both. There are three story arcs: Wolves, Happily Ever After, and Big and Small.
Wolves switches between Mowgli's quest to find Bigby for a secret mission and Snow working on raising six of the kids. Bigby has made himself hard to find, because instead of trying to make things work, he is getting drunk in the middle of Alaska and avoiding social contact with everyone, but the local wolves, a local woman he's sleeping with to forget about Snow, and his non-corporeal son, Ghost. Needless to say drunk and sad Bigby who hates his dad isn't really helping Ghost learn all of his abilities. Ghost is now a zephyr proficient in speaking English and Wolf, instead of a zephyr proficient in English. True, he isn't accidentally killing people anymore, but Snow taught him that.
Mean while, Snow is interested in moving back to Fabletown, so she is trying to get the kids to shapeshift and fly less so they could join her. The kids have a hard time sticking to it. Also, finally, after three volumes of the main couple's kids being old enough to develop distinct personalities, we get characterization and names. Darien is the most adventurous one. Blossom seems to be taking after her aunt Rose. Ambrose is chubby and easily scared. Winter is a fairly timid girl. Therese is one of the more level-headed kids, and one panel, where she says that they only have to stop shapeshifting and flying for a month, makes me think she will grow up to be a schemer. Connor doesn't really stand out much. I think that the story is in danger of having too many characters for the writer to balance.
Happily Ever After starts with Bigby getting his mission from Charming. It turns out that Charming and Beast were going behind Rose Red's back to set up a beanstalk so they can build diplomatic relations with the giants of the cloud kingdoms. Bigby is supposed to go on a mission from the Cloud Kingdoms to the Homelands and wreck shit for the Adversary. Of course, Bigby is still in self pity mode and tells Rose not to mention any of this to Snow if he dies. Bigby succeeds with the help of Ghost and tells Geppetto the new rules: Fabletown will attack harder for every time he tries to attack them. Also they're willing to ransom the heads of the wooden soldiers.
In exchange, Charming gives Bigby the solution to all of his family's problems. A large chunk of land near the Farm. Good thing Charming had the competent switch on for that. Snow is reunited with Bigby and Ghost and reveals that she has been maintaining a charade that Bigby has been sending the kids gifts and letters and receiving some from them. Snow brings back some of her hard as nails/sharp as a tack Deputy Mayor skills in and tells Bigby to memorize five years worth of painstakingly documented fake memories before meeting the other kids. I liked that moment. Snow has seemed very passive compared to how she was in earlier volumes and I really needed her scolding Bigby. The two marry, and everyone is there, and then they get a nice house. Yawn. No mention of Ghost, so I'd be willing to wager that he will meet his sibling off page.
Big and Small is a lighthearted story about Cinderella jumping through hoops to do a job that she hates. Apparently, part of Beauty and Beast's method of running Fabletown is putting Cindy on the books, then assigning her a mission that has nothing to do with her strong suits and requires skills that she has never practiced. Also one where there are plenty of characters who could do that. Unpig a giant and have him be the diplomat. Work on training some more diplomats for cases like this.
Well, Cindy has to deal with Cloud Kingdom politics, and to finalize a treaty between the Cloud Kingdoms and Fabletown she just needs a signature from the High King. He is currently ill with an ear ache and won't sign until he is recovered, at which point the position of High King will be turned over to a proud illiterate. In the exposition about the role of High King, it never states that the High King is the only one to sign diplomatic agreements, why not get alliances with some individual kings while waiting for a High King you can work with?
Part of this is because of Cindy's character. In this arc she comes off as an adrenaline junkie who believes politics is the evilest thing in existence. The only thing she likes about her job is sky diving down from the beanstalk. In addition, while during Happily Ever After, she tells Bigby that they can't jeopardize diplomatic relations, but happily risks infuriating prominent members of the High King's court to sneak him some medicine so he'll recover from his earache faster with modern medicine.
Cindy is frustrated that the official routes to get someone to give the High King the necessary medical care all require three days of training or spell experimentation, for it to take three days for him to get better in the end.
The art has something strange with the eyes. At times Mowgli and especially Bibgy's eyes are completely concealed in shadow, while several others appear as black dots (Cindy is especially prone to this and can go from exhausted in one panel to a type of manic energy in the next).
The Fable territories maps are informative and feature some very nice color.
In my eyes, this is saved by solid action sequences, which are always a strong point of the comics, and Snow and her kids.
Wolves switches between Mowgli's quest to find Bigby for a secret mission and Snow working on raising six of the kids. Bigby has made himself hard to find, because instead of trying to make things work, he is getting drunk in the middle of Alaska and avoiding social contact with everyone, but the local wolves, a local woman he's sleeping with to forget about Snow, and his non-corporeal son, Ghost. Needless to say drunk and sad Bigby who hates his dad isn't really helping Ghost learn all of his abilities. Ghost is now a zephyr proficient in speaking English and Wolf, instead of a zephyr proficient in English. True, he isn't accidentally killing people anymore, but Snow taught him that.
Mean while, Snow is interested in moving back to Fabletown, so she is trying to get the kids to shapeshift and fly less so they could join her. The kids have a hard time sticking to it. Also, finally, after three volumes of the main couple's kids being old enough to develop distinct personalities, we get characterization and names. Darien is the most adventurous one. Blossom seems to be taking after her aunt Rose. Ambrose is chubby and easily scared. Winter is a fairly timid girl. Therese is one of the more level-headed kids, and one panel, where she says that they only have to stop shapeshifting and flying for a month, makes me think she will grow up to be a schemer. Connor doesn't really stand out much. I think that the story is in danger of having too many characters for the writer to balance.
Happily Ever After starts with Bigby getting his mission from Charming. It turns out that Charming and Beast were going behind Rose Red's back to set up a beanstalk so they can build diplomatic relations with the giants of the cloud kingdoms. Bigby is supposed to go on a mission from the Cloud Kingdoms to the Homelands and wreck shit for the Adversary. Of course, Bigby is still in self pity mode and tells Rose not to mention any of this to Snow if he dies. Bigby succeeds with the help of Ghost and tells Geppetto the new rules: Fabletown will attack harder for every time he tries to attack them. Also they're willing to ransom the heads of the wooden soldiers.
In exchange, Charming gives Bigby the solution to all of his family's problems. A large chunk of land near the Farm. Good thing Charming had the competent switch on for that. Snow is reunited with Bigby and Ghost and reveals that she has been maintaining a charade that Bigby has been sending the kids gifts and letters and receiving some from them. Snow brings back some of her hard as nails/sharp as a tack Deputy Mayor skills in and tells Bigby to memorize five years worth of painstakingly documented fake memories before meeting the other kids. I liked that moment. Snow has seemed very passive compared to how she was in earlier volumes and I really needed her scolding Bigby. The two marry, and everyone is there, and then they get a nice house. Yawn. No mention of Ghost, so I'd be willing to wager that he will meet his sibling off page.
Big and Small is a lighthearted story about Cinderella jumping through hoops to do a job that she hates. Apparently, part of Beauty and Beast's method of running Fabletown is putting Cindy on the books, then assigning her a mission that has nothing to do with her strong suits and requires skills that she has never practiced. Also one where there are plenty of characters who could do that. Unpig a giant and have him be the diplomat. Work on training some more diplomats for cases like this.
Well, Cindy has to deal with Cloud Kingdom politics, and to finalize a treaty between the Cloud Kingdoms and Fabletown she just needs a signature from the High King. He is currently ill with an ear ache and won't sign until he is recovered, at which point the position of High King will be turned over to a proud illiterate. In the exposition about the role of High King, it never states that the High King is the only one to sign diplomatic agreements, why not get alliances with some individual kings while waiting for a High King you can work with?
Part of this is because of Cindy's character. In this arc she comes off as an adrenaline junkie who believes politics is the evilest thing in existence. The only thing she likes about her job is sky diving down from the beanstalk. In addition, while during Happily Ever After, she tells Bigby that they can't jeopardize diplomatic relations, but happily risks infuriating prominent members of the High King's court to sneak him some medicine so he'll recover from his earache faster with modern medicine.
Cindy is frustrated that the official routes to get someone to give the High King the necessary medical care all require three days of training or spell experimentation, for it to take three days for him to get better in the end.
Spoiler
Also, she ends up owing Frau Totenkinder something ominous and naked in front of the giants and a Smalltown doctor. Nothing is seen by the audience, but she clearly doesn't want to be naked there and is being ogled by the male giants and doctor. The last two parts bothered the media-sensitive feminist in me.The art has something strange with the eyes. At times Mowgli and especially Bibgy's eyes are completely concealed in shadow, while several others appear as black dots (Cindy is especially prone to this and can go from exhausted in one panel to a type of manic energy in the next).
The Fable territories maps are informative and feature some very nice color.
In my eyes, this is saved by solid action sequences, which are always a strong point of the comics, and Snow and her kids.
mawwiage
aka this would’ve been a 5 star if their reunion was more... MORE? it was just too quick and too easy for them to finally get together? i’m glad they did i just wish it was grand-er
aka this would’ve been a 5 star if their reunion was more... MORE? it was just too quick and too easy for them to finally get together? i’m glad they did i just wish it was grand-er
Re-read
There's a few unpalatable elements in this volume that leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Edit: Prior to reading this volume (which I had been very much looking forward to), my local comic book store knew me as the person who keeps ordering volumes of Fables comics. This volume is the one that made me stop reading the series for years. I have only picked up the series again because a friend expressed interest in starting the series, and I thought I ought to attempt to finish the series before giving my friend my copies. After some consideration, I realise that this volume genuinely doesn't work for me--and indeed never did--and so I've lowered my rating to reflect my disappointment.
There's a few unpalatable elements in this volume that leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Edit: Prior to reading this volume (which I had been very much looking forward to), my local comic book store knew me as the person who keeps ordering volumes of Fables comics. This volume is the one that made me stop reading the series for years. I have only picked up the series again because a friend expressed interest in starting the series, and I thought I ought to attempt to finish the series before giving my friend my copies. After some consideration, I realise that this volume genuinely doesn't work for me--and indeed never did--and so I've lowered my rating to reflect my disappointment.
Volume 8 of Fables includes some momentous changes in the story. First though, Mowgli has to track down Bigby so he can go on a secret mission for Prince Charming. There's quite a nasty fight between Mowgli and some wolves which is not for the squeamish, before Bigby heads off up a magic beanstalk to parachute into the heart of the adversary's empire and confront Geppetto with a message from Fabletown. That done, he gets to be reunited with Snow White and they all live happily ever after. Well, not quite, but this is as close to a story book romance that Fables has ever got so make the most of it.
There's a secondary story involving Cinderella getting the giants who live at the top of the beanstalk who sign a treaty with Fabletown. It seems slight at first, but this will have serious ramifications in stories to come.
There's a secondary story involving Cinderella getting the giants who live at the top of the beanstalk who sign a treaty with Fabletown. It seems slight at first, but this will have serious ramifications in stories to come.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Kind of felt like a filler volume, tying up some story lines and setting up others.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After a gross oversimplification of the Arab-Israeli conflict and outside of that, a story line that gets consistently more boring...I'm done with this series. As a huge fairy tale and comic book fan, I really tried to love it, but the art is not to my taste and again, I'm just plain bored. Moving on.