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raine1998's review against another edition
3.0
Actual Rating: 3.5
Prince Charming may be a jerk but he was so adorable when he was little!
Prince Charming may be a jerk but he was so adorable when he was little!
samwescott's review against another edition
4.0
Meh. This was a pretty middle of the road installment for me. Some of the short stories were cute and I am definitely intrigued by what is going on with Flycatcher. But the whole domestic-bliss thing still irks me and Snow and Bigby's children are of absolutely NO interest, so that didn't do anything for me.
I am always excited to see the struggles of the leadership in Fabletown, so the Hansel plot should be interesting. And I definitely enjoyed Pinnochio's long-winded hypothetical about what would happen if the mundies got involved with the Adversary's wars. Maybe the next volume will have less weird wind-puppy shenanigans and more Fabletown.
I am always excited to see the struggles of the leadership in Fabletown, so the Hansel plot should be interesting. And I definitely enjoyed Pinnochio's long-winded hypothetical about what would happen if the mundies got involved with the Adversary's wars. Maybe the next volume will have less weird wind-puppy shenanigans and more Fabletown.
livingawayfromreality's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Bits and pieces - letting you have snippets at a time.
Nothing too gripping but it continues the story nicely.
Nothing too gripping but it continues the story nicely.
nerdywerewolf's review against another edition
4.0
This one did a good job of even more character development. We continue to learn that the good guys are not always righteous and the bad guys sometimes have a heart. There's a pretty great story about Bigby and the wolves in here, too.
venerablemonster's review against another edition
4.0
The collections of short stories versus focusing on the larger plot are always a pleasant break.
djotaku's review against another edition
4.0
This originally appeared at http://www.comicpow.com/2016/02/17/4040/ -> accompanying images available there
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This volume is all over the place. There is a Christmas interlude, we learn of Rapunzel’s plight, and a series of reader questions answered as 1-2 page comics. But the bulk of the volume is about the eye of the storm in the Fabletown and Adversary relations. Each has wreaked devastations upon the other and now Fabletown must see if their Israel Gambit will succeed.
The volume is also about how warfare is also a battle about information. As far as Fabletown knows, Gepetto is OK with peace as he’s sent a diplomatic envoy. The reader, on the other hand, has seen Gepetto’s war council and that he prepares for total war. While Pinocchio is correct that the Fables and the Mundys would be swift with their retribution, the first punch will have already been thrown and the Mundy world would be worse off for it.
Gepetto’s plans for total war are in stark contrast with the way wars have been fought since World War II. For the most part, countries attempt to inflict minimal damage on non-combatants and on infrastructure. This is partly due to most countries now being democratic and having a population weary of total destruction on other humans. Perhaps it is meant to show just how far gone Gepetto is from his origins of assassination for the good of the realm that he is now planning for a complete destruction of a world he knows little about. Yet, while it might make him the bad guy, it truly is the only way for him to succeed against the Mundys. It is all or nothing, especially when it comes to technology vs magic.
Hansel’s story certainly runs parallel to Gepetto’s origins as The Adversary. His cause begins with righteousness – he wants to rid the world of witches like the one who tried to eat he and his sister. However, his inability to forgive (as is required as part of the Fabletown compact) leads to an exile in which he falsely accuses others of being witches. Yes, he is feeding his desire to rid the world of evil witches, but the witches he’s killing are neither real nor evil. Yet, he is so committed to his cause that he kills his own sister when she mentions dabbling in witchcraft.
Well, it’s a short article this time around, perhaps the next volume will delve into more numerous or deeper themes.
I love discussion, feel free to comment wherever you see this post.
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This volume is all over the place. There is a Christmas interlude, we learn of Rapunzel’s plight, and a series of reader questions answered as 1-2 page comics. But the bulk of the volume is about the eye of the storm in the Fabletown and Adversary relations. Each has wreaked devastations upon the other and now Fabletown must see if their Israel Gambit will succeed.
The volume is also about how warfare is also a battle about information. As far as Fabletown knows, Gepetto is OK with peace as he’s sent a diplomatic envoy. The reader, on the other hand, has seen Gepetto’s war council and that he prepares for total war. While Pinocchio is correct that the Fables and the Mundys would be swift with their retribution, the first punch will have already been thrown and the Mundy world would be worse off for it.
Gepetto’s plans for total war are in stark contrast with the way wars have been fought since World War II. For the most part, countries attempt to inflict minimal damage on non-combatants and on infrastructure. This is partly due to most countries now being democratic and having a population weary of total destruction on other humans. Perhaps it is meant to show just how far gone Gepetto is from his origins of assassination for the good of the realm that he is now planning for a complete destruction of a world he knows little about. Yet, while it might make him the bad guy, it truly is the only way for him to succeed against the Mundys. It is all or nothing, especially when it comes to technology vs magic.
Hansel’s story certainly runs parallel to Gepetto’s origins as The Adversary. His cause begins with righteousness – he wants to rid the world of witches like the one who tried to eat he and his sister. However, his inability to forgive (as is required as part of the Fabletown compact) leads to an exile in which he falsely accuses others of being witches. Yes, he is feeding his desire to rid the world of evil witches, but the witches he’s killing are neither real nor evil. Yet, he is so committed to his cause that he kills his own sister when she mentions dabbling in witchcraft.
Well, it’s a short article this time around, perhaps the next volume will delve into more numerous or deeper themes.
I love discussion, feel free to comment wherever you see this post.
crowyhead's review against another edition
4.0
This Fables volume is mainly a bunch of short one or two-issue arcs, setting things up for the next major plot development. This doesn't make it any less entertaining to read, but it did make me impatient for the next volume.
Originally read May 2008, re-read July 2014.
Originally read May 2008, re-read July 2014.
oya's review against another edition
2.0
Things I like about the Fables Series in General: Strong characters, beautiful art, and picking out all the references to folk tales/fairy tales across a variety of cultures. However this collection bored me a little - the latest installment of Snow White/Bigby and their trip to see the North Wind didn't really hold my attention, and it felt like not a lot really happened.
I liked the little Q&A comics at the end, but where the series manages to consistently disappoint is in its treatment of Middle Eastern Fables. Hakim's short story was no exception; is there nothing to comment on outside of harems and harlots? This whole short section was an extended "For Allah's sake put some clothes on" joke, and it's been done to death.
I liked the little Q&A comics at the end, but where the series manages to consistently disappoint is in its treatment of Middle Eastern Fables. Hakim's short story was no exception; is there nothing to comment on outside of harems and harlots? This whole short section was an extended "For Allah's sake put some clothes on" joke, and it's been done to death.