Lan Medina

I wanted so badly to love this. I absolutely expected to. I've heard great things about Fables, especially with the popularity (and similarity) of the show Once Upon a Time. I love updated fairy tales. I love reconfigured tales. Heck, I love graphic novels.

And I could get into the (rather OUaT-esque) concept of crossover or exile between the world where fairy tales are real and this world. It has a lot of scope, and using the idea in a murder mystery setting seemed like a great idea.

But I show more hated it. I just hated it. The artwork was rather nice… but I loathed what was done with all of the characters. I disliked the apparent offensiveness for offensiveness's sake in the depiction of a couple of characters. (Also, of course, the feeling of "They're fairy tale characters! Let's make them swear and have sex! People will be shocked! It'll be great!")

Most of all, I despised the "Ha-ha-fooled-you" trickery the plot indulged in; there's misdirection, and then there's outright lying, and by the end of this I had the nasty feeling I'd been lied to. There are ways and ways to mess with a reader, and this is not one I enjoy. show less

This isn’t my first rodeo with reimagined fairytales (in fact I’ve read almost too many of them), but Willingham’s Fables is an instant classic. Introducing the story of a group of characters based on those from legends and lore from around the world through the tried and true trope of a murder mystery quietly sets the tone for exploring an intricately developed world (set of worlds, actually) and a unique cast of characters. Leading the pack are Bigby Wolf (the Big Bad Wolf, now show more turned sheriff of the Fabletown community), Snow White (former princess, and deputy Mayor), and Rose Red (Snow’s sister, and unfortunate murder victim), but we are also introduced briefly to a bevy of characters who will all stick around to play their part in the further issues of the comic. Rose Red’s murder is, in true style, not actually a murder, but a double-fake meant to get her out of trouble - cementing her character as a ne’er-do-well opposite to her mayoral sister, and prefacing many conflicts to come over the course of the Fabletown epic. Behind the surface plot, Willingham carefully sketches the background of the story, explaining why the Fables are now in exile in the human world and painting a larger story that will wind up being a 20+ graphic novel series. For a first time reader the intricacies of the story and setting are almost too much if you’re not used to this kind of epic, but it is these complexities that make this story remain a classic and well-worth multiple readings. Who are we going to spot in issue one in brief, who will later end up a hero in the war against the Adversary? I already know, but I can’t wait to find out all over again! show less

The bloody disappearance of Rose Red results in a private investigation into erstwhile boyfriend Jack (without his beanstalk), local magnate Bluebeard and Deputy Mayor Snow White (working to Mayor King Cole) while feckless con-man Prince Charming and a squabbling Beauty and her Beast provide us with the sub-plots.

This is utterly implausible, sometimes obvious and contains every 'noir' cliche in the book, as well a highly self-conscious post-modern pitch at the revelatory 'parlour scene' that show more we know and love from nearly every Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple on the shelves - only this time it is Big Bad Wolf who is the City detective.

But it is also a highly imaginative transposition of old European stories and legends into a new world urban fantasy environment. It is witty and stylish and it earns its five stars despite the comic book's graphic design being thoroughly conventional.

Why ruin the fun by telling you what happens but if you get a copy, don't overlook the text prequel to the story at the end of the book. A trifle over written perhaps and riddled with the dark fantasy cliches of violence and redemption, it is the story of a wolf who becomes a man for love and is oddly affecting. This Big Bad Wolf is Twilight out of Chandler and none the worse for that. Enjoy! show less

I'm willing to chalk it up to this being the first story of the series and there still being kinks that need working out. The characters are fascinating. They're exacting how you'd expect fairy tale characters to be in real life. Beauty and the Beast have marital problems (you try being married 1,000 years). Prince Charming is a delightful scam artist. I especially love the reformed Big Bad Wolf, trying to make it as a cop. The problem is they don't do much of anything interesting in this show more volume. I guess I'm not a fan of the standard procedural mystery. Everything just seems so by-the-book in the investigation of Rose Red's murder. Still, I'm excited to see where the series goes. The characters have potential: they just need something to do. show less