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56th out of 352 books
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Fables, Vol. 9: Sons of Empire (Fables #9)
by
Bill Willingham,
Mark Buckingham , Steve Leialoha , Andrew Pepoy , Gene Ha , Joshua Middleton , Inaki Miranda , Mike Allred
Collecting FABLES #52-59! Pinocchio suffers seriously divided loyalties between his father, the evil Adversary, and his fellow Fable refugees in New York. Plus, Bigby Wolf reluctantly decides it's finally time to square accounts with his long-estranged father, the North Wind, and makes a journey with Snow White and their kids to find him.
Paperback, 200 pages
Published
June 6th 2007
by Vertigo
(first published January 1st 2007)
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Graphic Novel. The Empire Strikes Back, Or At Least Holds A Meeting To Discuss Doing So. I just don't know about you, Fables. You've been been getting more and more fragmented as time goes on. I no longer feel like I'm reading a cohesive story with a bigger purpose. In fact, I think my favorite stories in this volume were all less than four pages and had little to do with the main plot. "Hair" is short and bittersweet, and "A Thorn in Their Side?" has some interesting art by ...more
I eagerly await each of the Fables volume because this is such a character driven series. It has everything one desires: conflict, intrigue, turmoil, drama, passion, violence and little kids that can fly and turn into wolves.
This volume finds the Adversary maintaining his secret identity while planning an invasion of the Mundy world which introduces a new character to Fabletown, Witchfinder Hansel. The second half of the volume focuses on the Big Bad Wolf and his relationship with his fat...more
This volume finds the Adversary maintaining his secret identity while planning an invasion of the Mundy world which introduces a new character to Fabletown, Witchfinder Hansel. The second half of the volume focuses on the Big Bad Wolf and his relationship with his fat...more
Sons of Empire was a little up and down for me, but the little bonus at the end brought the volume as a whole back up to solid ground.
The Fables are continuing to prepare for the possibility of war against the Adversary, and the Adversary is now preparing his hostile takeover of the mundy world (that's our world, y'all). This is especially tough for Pinocchio, who still loves his friends back in Fabletown, even though he's under a loyalty enchantment to his father, Geppetto (also kno...more
The Fables are continuing to prepare for the possibility of war against the Adversary, and the Adversary is now preparing his hostile takeover of the mundy world (that's our world, y'all). This is especially tough for Pinocchio, who still loves his friends back in Fabletown, even though he's under a loyalty enchantment to his father, Geppetto (also kno...more
Jess
rated it
Just as I was considering giving up on the Fables series, Volume 9: Sons of Empire delivered a more entertaining, though still fractured, narrative. The Adversary and his empire hold a conference discussing their plans for Fabletown; Hansel is made the Adversary's special envoy in Fabletown; there are a few short Christmas stories; Snow & Bigby visit Bigby's father the North Wind; and throughout the volume are a number of short character pieces, including some that were inspired by reader questi...more
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
Summary: Starts of with four issues of the title story where the Adversary has a meeting to describe possible attacks on the Mundy world. Switches are made to Fabletown and the Farm where new plotlines are forming. Each issue ends with a short 3-4 page story of someone outside of Fabletown that we either have never met before or don't know much of. Then we have a Christmas Issue spent on the Farm and with the Wolf family, this starts with a quick ...more
Summary: Starts of with four issues of the title story where the Adversary has a meeting to describe possible attacks on the Mundy world. Switches are made to Fabletown and the Farm where new plotlines are forming. Each issue ends with a short 3-4 page story of someone outside of Fabletown that we either have never met before or don't know much of. Then we have a Christmas Issue spent on the Farm and with the Wolf family, this starts with a quick ...more
The last volume of Fables I currently have to read, so this will serve as an entry to summarize my brief Fables binge, including volumes six through nine and two spinoffs.
This volume worked particularly well for me. It offers a snapshot of a lot of what works for me in this series. There is some slow development of the coming war between Fabletown and the Adversary, but it’s mixed with a fun Christmas issue, and a short collection of reader-driven “unawswered” questions; so, while ...more
This volume worked particularly well for me. It offers a snapshot of a lot of what works for me in this series. There is some slow development of the coming war between Fabletown and the Adversary, but it’s mixed with a fun Christmas issue, and a short collection of reader-driven “unawswered” questions; so, while ...more
Ian
rated it
Shelves:
action,
dark-fantasy,
graphic-novels,
mythology,
politics,
romance,
society,
war,
urban-fantasy
Wherein we witness the aftermath of Bigby's assault on the Adversary; are privy to the Adversary's war council; discover the fate of Hansel & Gretel; realize that Santa Claus doesn't always like the presents he delivers; learn that Flycatcher may be the most important Fable in existence (whether he likes it or not); see what kind of father Geppetto really is; understand why Bigby and his father avoid one another; run afoul of some suspiciously familiar Wild Things; witness the cubs' first kill; ...more
Graphic novels are not everyone's cup of tea, I know that, but personally I've always been a fan. I read the entire series of Battle Royale in graphic novel format (AMAZING!!!) and the entire series of Death Note. I've also read various graphic novels from TV series like Buffy, Angel, True Blood and Supernatural. You get where I'm going here? I'm a fan. Sometimes pictures just do what words cannot.
That being said, I thought Fables: Sons of Empire was a compete and utter epic fa...more
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So this is what all the buzz is about? This was the first Fables book I have read, and I found myself flipping and skipping through parts of it because I got a little bored. I think it is because this is the middle part of a much larger story that I just don't get. Maybe if I had started at the beginning I would have enjoyed it more.
Having said that, the parts that held my interest really were nicely done. Very polished and not like the irregular stuff I am usually reading. The Fabl...more
Having said that, the parts that held my interest really were nicely done. Very polished and not like the irregular stuff I am usually reading. The Fabl...more
Like most volumes of Fables, "Sons of Empire" is divided into multiple story arcs. The first is the reaction of the Adversary and his chief council to the special mission Bigby Wolf pulled off in volume 8. We also get a collection of stories about some of the other characters who exist in Fabletown and the Farm. These include Rapunzel and the Three Blind Mice. A stand alone story follows with a tale of Christmas in the Fables world. This leads us into the second arc involving Bigb...more
Purplycookie
rated it
We have seen Fabletown respond to the Empire in a devastating way. We cannot expect the Empire to roll over after just one hit. The first story arc ("Sons of the Empire") shows us how the Empire plans to respond by having their council of war, presided over by Lumi or the Snow Queen herself. What the Adversary and company want is nothing short of the destruction of Fabletown and our mundane world. The main issue is not `should they' but`how should they'. We are then introduced to the ...more
Artemisa
rated it
I really like this book. not much advance on the war against the adversary, but lots of short stories to build the characters and leave me curious.
I specially love the wolf pack stories, because they are children, and new to the world of fables, everyone explains stuff to them (and to us) and is a really nice way to get to know more and more of the world of Fables.
I have been complaining about missing Alice. I have already seen a couple of signs that she or some other of the ...more
I specially love the wolf pack stories, because they are children, and new to the world of fables, everyone explains stuff to them (and to us) and is a really nice way to get to know more and more of the world of Fables.
I have been complaining about missing Alice. I have already seen a couple of signs that she or some other of the ...more
I'm really enjoying the overall storyline and direction this is going, and this was a bit of change of pace. There is some furthering of the plotline as the Empire sends Hansel to negotiate with Fabletown (Hansel being an interesting figure! I really liked his background and the explanation for aligning himself with the Adversary). A lot of time is spent with theoretical plans of attack, which seemed a bit odd narrative-wise.
The plotline in here involving Bigby's father and the famil...more
The plotline in here involving Bigby's father and the famil...more
The Adversary calls together the leaders of the Empire to decide what to do to Fabletown. The Snow Queen proposes killing all the mundies to leave the escaped Fables defenseless, but Pinnochio points out that the mundies have technology that might overpower the Empire's magic. To buy time, the Adversary sends WitchFinder Hansel to Fabletown to negotiate a treaty.
There are far too many mini-stories in this book. Reading a long section about Santa Claus, or what a lethario Jack is, ...more
There are far too many mini-stories in this book. Reading a long section about Santa Claus, or what a lethario Jack is, ...more
I enjoyed having a story line from the Empire's side. Obviously, the evil and corrupt characters are interesting, so it's good to get some more time with them.
But here where my rant comes in. I am so damn sick and tired of the Cubs. They are annoying, boring and cliché. With SO many interesting fables to choose from, it drives me nuts that so much time is spent mucking around with these obnoxious kids who have zero personality and are NOT REAL fairy tale characters. It's lazy an...more
But here where my rant comes in. I am so damn sick and tired of the Cubs. They are annoying, boring and cliché. With SO many interesting fables to choose from, it drives me nuts that so much time is spent mucking around with these obnoxious kids who have zero personality and are NOT REAL fairy tale characters. It's lazy an...more
This volume contains several stories as the Fables face an inevitable war against the Adversary. The Adversary, who is still keeping his identity hidden from masses of the Homeland, calls a meeting with his highest-ranking officials to plan the best strategy to not only defeat the Fables but also the mundane along with them. We also learn the back-story of Hansel and Gretel. Let’s just say not the sibling love that we are use to in other stories.
Another main story is Bigby and Snow ta...more
Another main story is Bigby and Snow ta...more
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The Adversary's lieutenants gather to plan a response to Fabletown's most recent action. Meanwhile, Christmas is here and Bigby promises Snow to take the family to see their grandfather. Finally, we get a chapter of answers to reader submitted questions.
This was a fun volume. While the main plot actually takes a bit of a backseat to some fun side stories, this grants Bill Willingham the opportunity to expand upon his world with very entertaining results. Particularly interesting is ...more
This was a fun volume. While the main plot actually takes a bit of a backseat to some fun side stories, this grants Bill Willingham the opportunity to expand upon his world with very entertaining results. Particularly interesting is ...more
Nicholas Whyte
added it
"http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1288963.html?#cutid1[return][return]This volume really illustrates the problems of passing meaningful judgement on subsets of an ongoing series. It is very bitty; the bits make sense as contributions to the entirety of the narrative, but don't hang together especially well combined rather arbitrarily here. It doesn't help that of the numerous artists involved, one or two are distiinctly sub-standard."
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Reading this ninth volume of Bill Willingham's Fables directly following the slightly disappointing first volume of his Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape was like being served a gourmet meal after an good but not fully satisfying dinner. It fully removed any doubts I might have had concerning Willingham's current writing abilities and strengthened my feeling of what was indeed the points which did not really work for me in Jack of Fables.
The volume clearly centres around the ...more
The volume clearly centres around the ...more
If nothing else, it's pretty long-- it might be the longest volume in the series and is definitely longer than the last few installments. The Adversary is trying to recover from Bigby's attack on the sacred grove. They have terrible plans to destroy Fabletown and the mundane world where it's found. Several of the small, tangent, one-off stories from the past are being worked into the main plot. For instance, Rodney (from "The Ballad of Rodney and June" from Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Night...more
I could have done without all the guest artists sprinkled throughout the issues especially, sorry to say, Michael Allred's illustrations in "Father and Son." The characters didn't resemble Mark Buckingham's fables, the colors were all dark and muted, and the mediocre story didn't help. Fortunately, the bonus material at the end--"Burning Questions"--more than made up for this temporary two issue deviation. Plus, they got Jim Rugg to guest illustrate one of the questions! Nice...more
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This is one of those books that is preparing you for the next book. Lot of background on the Empire's plans for war. Then there's a brief storyline of Bigby and Snow and how they celebrated Christmas. Fun little story with a brief appearance from Jack who tries to be, well, Jack. I think the best part of this book is the final section, a place where the author tries to answer questions from the readers in a story like fashion. Very cool and very enjoyable.
The main story is interesting: it gives a brief look at some "alternate futures" for the series, without derailling the ongoing plot. There are also some very funny short stories relating to the minor characters, taking advantage of the large cast. (These are a bit like the Simpsons episode "22 short films from Springfield.) The Christmas issue is surprisingly moving, and leads into the next book.
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Volume 9 of the Fables series of graphic novels. The story of incarnated fables in modern times continues along with their struggles against the adversary (the evil Geppetto). This volume doesn't really advance the plot much. Many plans for the Empire to invade Fabletown are discussed, but little is done. Still a good read and I look forward to the next volume.
I liked this one, but probably the least of all the volumes I've read so far. Why? The stories were much more tangential and a bit fragmented, plus I wasn't really impressed with the Allred's illustrations in the Father & Son issue (it's not terrible, just nothing like Buckingham's and the colors are terribly muted). It's still an enjoyable read though.
Pinocchio, who resided in Fabletown, is torn between loyalty to his father (who is the evil Adversary) and to those who reside in Fabletown. In this volume, his father hosts a conference of the imperial elite to decide what they would like to do with Fabletown.
Meanwhile, Bigby Wolf brings his family to meet his estranged father, the North Wind.
Meanwhile, Bigby Wolf brings his family to meet his estranged father, the North Wind.
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In the late 1970s to early 1980s he drew fantasy ink pictures for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic and Expert game rulebooks. He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series Elementals published by Comico, which he both wrote and drew. However, for reasons unknown, the series had trouble maintaining an original schedule, and Willingham's position in the industry remained spotty for many year...more
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