Steve Leialoha

It should come as no surprise to readers of the Fables graphic novels that Bill Willingham's writing style translates perfectly from the graphic novel format to novel-style narratives. He creates a compellingly interwoven story of the Pied Piper (of Hamlin fame) and Peter Piper (yes, the one who ate a pickled pepper), who were once brother but became foes after the family heirloom flute was passed onto the younger brother of the two. Willingham exploits the classic sibling rivalry to explain show more the back story of these two characters, even while preserving much of the original tales. It is most definitely a tale well told, and I was especially happy to see evidence of a Germanic fairytale world (Hesse) and the myriad of characters who created the legends of the Brothers Grimm. show less

This final Fables volume ended much more nicely than its sister series, Fairest, did. Like most of the series, however, it's still a mixed bag.

[N.B. This review includes images, and was formatted for my site, dendrobibliography -- located here.]

Half of this collection / final issue is devoted to resolving the main plot, a looming battle between sisters Snow and Rose, and the latter half is made up of short stories (1-5 pgs.) giving farewells to as many of the cast as they could squeeze in.

I show more don't buy the main arc. I didn't get it back during volume 10 ("The Good Prince"), either. The problem with these major plot threads is that every important instance hangs on unknown magic propelling the story forward. Characters like Snow and Rose are given entirely undeserved power out of the blue because it's simply destiny, and the story needs to progress forward, for our heroes suddenly have obscure roles to fulfill because blah, blah, blah. And that random gifting of power is the foundation for all the dialogue, all the conflict, and the final resolution (just as it was for the earlier Flycatcher arc).

The conflict between these sisters has never felt genuine. It's a minor tiff, a minor sibling squabble--a misunderstanding--and these previously good people are suddenly commanding others to commit suicide missions out of selfishness. I think Snow was the worse for wear here, as her decisions are entirely her own and come off as exclusively selfish, blatantly pushing friends to kill themselves for her. Rose's motivations are weighted more by that earlier Unknown Magic, or, Blah Blah Destiny Blah Blah.

And then our heroes realize this, drop the mic, and the story's over. I'm glad it's a bit of an anticlimax, personally, because: Again, I never bought the destined war between siblings and all of Fabletown. The anticlimax wasn't necessarily good--just a soft petering out--but it could have been worse, and would, I suspect, have felt too drawn out if there was a war taking up an additional 20-40 pages.

The short stories were mostly light-hearted and fun. Some don't really add anything; some are a bit too ridiculous to imagine as 'canon' futures; one even has a 3-page anti-feminist tirade for no reason at all other than for the author to have a grumble(--but that's expected, and this is far more low-key than Willingham usually makes it); others revive old faces from across the Fables-verse, and those cameos are nice to see.

Like most Fables volumes of the last 5 years--excluding the disgusting 19th volume, "Snow White"--this final farewell volume is pretty fun. Despite some very mixed feelings for the author's work, I had a pretty good time with the main series, and am...kinda(?)...glad I read it. show less

Volume 2 of Jack of Fables continues Jack’s story as he makes good his escape from the Golden Boughs. While hiding out in the mountains, he relates his story of how he became Jack of Frost. He then decides to try his luck in Las Vegas. When he hooks up with a character called Pathetic Fallacy, he wins big but he comes up against Lady Luck and she manages to cut him down. Although Jack manages to get his revenge, by the end of the book, Jack and his new side-kick are hitch-hiking their way show more out of Vegas.

Jack is a complete jerk, but he is an entertaining jerk as he moves from one mess after another and I am enjoying this side excursion from the main Fables stories. It’s also very obvious that the authors and artists get a kick out of delivering these Jack stories. show less

Summary: Bigby has defeated Snow White's first husband, Prince Brandish, but not without a terrible cost - Bigby has been turned into glass and shattered into a thousand pieces. The witches of Fabletown are working to restore him, but it is a daunting task, and there's no guarantee he'll come back the same, even if they can reassemble every last shard. Snow is coping as best she can, especially considering that her daughter, Therese, comes home from the Island of Misfit Toys much changed, show more and bearing bad news about her brother, Dare. And meanwhile, Rose Red has been tasked by Hope to find a direction, and she sets about creating a new Round Table, one whose knights are dedicated to the cause of second chances. But when Rose gives a second chance that Snow cannot forgive, will the rift between the sisters cause Rose's new Camelot to go the same way as the first?

Review: After Fables has seen some lackluster volumes in its recent run, this one came roaring back full force, and it did so by concentrating its focus on the one story that has always been the heart of the series: Bigby and Snow, and their family. They're the emotional heart of this series that I always connect to. They're the story that was the first time that a graphic novel made me cry. And this book puts them back front and center, even though Bigby's dead and Snow has to hold her family together and carry on as best she can. (And, I have to say, there's an interlude issue halfway through the Camelot arc that features Bigby in the afterlife that just about broke me. I'm sure there have been other comics have made me cry since The Mean Seasons, but the total is now n+1.) Plus, I love me a good King Arthur story, so I enjoyed that aspect of things as well, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out in future volumes. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Really good. Better than Fables has been in a while, in fact. show less