Your childhood fairy tales aren’t how you remember them.
FABLES DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artists: Lan Medina, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha and Craig T. Hamilton
Cover: James Jean
Summary: For the first time ever, Bill Willingham’s acclaimed, Eisner Award-winning series FABLES is presented in a deluxe hardcover edition collecting issues #1-10. When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. When Snow White’s party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it’s up to Fabletown’s sheriff, the reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, to find the killer. Meanwhile, trouble of a different sort brews at the Fables’ upstate farm where non-human inhabitants are preaching revolution - and threatening Fabletown’s carefully nurtured secrecy.
Review: Bill Willingham’s popular series Fables continues to reshape our cherished fairy tales into a modern, edgy new form, and now Vertigo has recast the magic that first captured the comic’s audience with a deluxe printing. The book splits into “Legends in Exile” and “Animal Farm” and also features a collection of color artwork and sketches titled “Treasures from the Woodland Vaults”; otherwise, there’s not much new to be discovered if you’re already familiar with the series.
“Legends in Exile,” the first arc, introduces the eccentric and memorable characters of Fablestown (pencilled by Lan Medina). From the classic and alleged beanstalk-climber Jack to the murderer turned detective Bigby Wolf, and the disciplined and stern Snow White in charge to her promiscuous and dishonest ex Prince Charming, Willingham’s focus on reinventing the characters of old cements his comic as a success. Many great and long-remembered comics began with a murder mystery, and Fables follows the same path when Snow White’s sister, Rose Red, becomes the center of bloody attention. In between dealing with the Beauty and Beast’s marital rough patches and keeping her manipulative ex-husband at bay, Snow White joins the Fable once infamously known as the Big, Bad Wolf in solving the puzzle of Red’s whereabouts—dead or alive.
Medina’s art presents a classic style that, neither deeply intricate nor overly simplistic, fits perfectly with the fairy tale theme. “Legends in Exile” isn’t anything jaw-dropping or particularly incredible, but it marks a warm beginning for what has become a beloved series.
The comic deepens somewhat, however, with the follow-up “Animal Farm.” While most Fables are content to live under the strict rules of the exile community after being driven out of the Homelands by the dark force called the Adversary, some are more determined to reveal their powers to the “Mundys”—non-magical humans, ignorant to the earthly reality of Fablestown—and reclaim what was stolen. “Animal Farm” uncovers a plot to overthrow the stability and peace of Fablestown by declaring war against the Adversary, inviting chaos to ensue and infect what the exiled Fables have worked so hard to protect. The story balances on the rocky sibling relationship of Snow White and Rose Red while allowing other, more minor characters to share the spotlight. With a fun, non-fable literary reference or two and even some pirate flair thrown in for kicks, “Animal Farm” develops into a more dangerous romp than “Legends in Exile”—concluding with bloodshed, heartache, and decommissioned romantic possibility that still carries forward a thread of hope.
Vertigo plans to release another Fables deluxe edition every year until the series concludes in the over-sized form, but the pleasant and convenient format, as well as the decent price, makes the ongoing collection worth waiting for—and reading.
Rating: 4/5
October 13th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Fables hardcover?! Momma want!