premise of Fables is that all the fairy tale characters are real and used to live in their own realm in the Homelands, in a dimension outside ours. I say used to, because due to an evil conqueror known only(at first) as the Adversary, they have had to flee to safety in our world. The first storyline is genius as it involves a fairly mundane murder mystery, which helps ground the characters in a real world situation making it easier for us to relate to them.Due to the fact that we are basically already familiar with the characters,(anyone who's ever read a children's tale knows most of the ones we've met ) less time needs to be spent on introductions every time someone new enters the story. Despite a cast numbering in the hundreds, the story moves along quickly.
The main book has since spawned a spin-off, Jack of Fables. Jack of course 
is a popular name in fairy tales, and this one character is the composite of all the heroes who share that name. I normally hate when a book spits out a character to run in its own title,(this usually just serves to divide the readership) but this time it works well as the main comic has turned towards a more serious storyline, while the Jack adventures remain more light hearted and tongue-in-cheek.
is a popular name in fairy tales, and this one character is the composite of all the heroes who share that name. I normally hate when a book spits out a character to run in its own title,(this usually just serves to divide the readership) but this time it works well as the main comic has turned towards a more serious storyline, while the Jack adventures remain more light hearted and tongue-in-cheek.Well written, well drawn, fun month after month, I heartily recommend Fables and Jack of Fables to anyone who comes in the store looking for a great fantasy to read.
2 comments:
Personally, I found this series did not hit its stride until the second trade, and actually would of given up after the first one if I had not bought them together. Boy am I glad that I didn’t – what a fantastic series. And does anyone do better covers then James Jean? Absolutely stunning month after month.
Great first two recommendations, can’t wait for the third.
You're right about the first story. I mentioned that it was grounded in reality, maybe a little too much. You don't really get a feel for the fantasy potential until the Animal Farm storyline. I recall years ago people saying they couldn't understand the big deal about Sandman. They only read the first arc and thought it was a decent enough horror story but not really their "thing". If I remember correct, DC actually collected the 2nd arc in paperback first, due to its stronger character development.
Post a Comment