Bill Willingham's runaway hit series FABLES continues its success in this fourth trade paperback, collecting issues #19-21 and #23-27 (issue #22 wi...
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Jul 19, 2011
Elijah
rated it: 
This might be my favorite volume yet. It gets more into larger fantasy tropes (battles! goblins! dark emperors!) but all with the weird twist that the series puts on everything. It's not perfect, I'm starting to wonder why it's set in New York when it seems that the writer (or maybe it's the artist's fault) doesn't know that city too well. Besides, every other comic book is set in New York, they shoulda tried, I dunno, Branson, or Detroit, or Boston, or somewhere else for a change.
St More...
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Jun 14, 2010
Victoria
rated it: 
It took time for me to warm up to Fables, to feel like I knew and liked the "new" characters, the idea of Fabletown, even the tone of the storytelling. I'm not a short story reader, I'm a novel person, so the vast number of characters and the sheer weight of background history left me feeling like I'd seen bits and glimpses, but never enough to really sink my teeth into.
This volume really pulls the Fables together for me - not only because of how the recurring characters ar More...
This volume really pulls the Fables together for me - not only because of how the recurring characters ar More...
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Nov 28, 2008
Tim
rated it:
Maybe my favorite volume.
(concerning the march of the wooden soldiers towards Fabletown)
Mother: Tom, look at THIS!
Son: Is it a parade?
Mother: I don't think so. Maybe a demonstration?
Father: No, they're all too WHITE to be Black pride, or Latino pride, or Asian pride.
Mother: They're all well-dressed. Could they be gay pride?
Father: I doubt it. Their suits are way too conservative.
Son: And they have all those guns.
Father: Oh my God! Y More...
(concerning the march of the wooden soldiers towards Fabletown)
Mother: Tom, look at THIS!
Son: Is it a parade?
Mother: I don't think so. Maybe a demonstration?
Father: No, they're all too WHITE to be Black pride, or Latino pride, or Asian pride.
Mother: They're all well-dressed. Could they be gay pride?
Father: I doubt it. Their suits are way too conservative.
Son: And they have all those guns.
Father: Oh my God! Y More...
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Mar 14, 2008
Ian
rated it:
Wow. The third Fables trade was a little lackluster in my opinion. It was several shorter stories, all with a love theme. I really liked the bigger stories better, and book 4 is one of those.
Basically, the Adversary found a way to send an army into the Mundy world, after already conquering all of the Fable lands.
The Last Castle prelude seriously almost made me cry. Yes, I'm that lame. A comic book nearly made me cry.
I really love the depth that you begin to see in t More...
Basically, the Adversary found a way to send an army into the Mundy world, after already conquering all of the Fable lands.
The Last Castle prelude seriously almost made me cry. Yes, I'm that lame. A comic book nearly made me cry.
I really love the depth that you begin to see in t More...
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Nov 08, 2011
Richard
rated it:
I've been hearing about Fables for years, but I was never all that interested - and besides, I had followed Willingham's earlier series Elementals because I liked the art, but I had thought the overall Elementals storyline was a dud.
Anyway, a year or so ago, I asked the guy at the comic shop what he would recommend since there was nothing at the time that I was really enjoying. He glanced through the stack of odds and ends that I had picked up to sample, and gave me a dispirited loo More...
Anyway, a year or so ago, I asked the guy at the comic shop what he would recommend since there was nothing at the time that I was really enjoying. He glanced through the stack of odds and ends that I had picked up to sample, and gave me a dispirited loo More...
Nov 06, 2011
Tanabrus
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 28, 2011
Jess
rated it: 
Fables, Volume 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers sees the apparent arrival of Red Riding Hood in Fabletown raising the acute suspicions of Bigby Wolf as to her true origin, climaxing with an epic battle with an army of wooden soldiers. This volume is more action packed than the others have been, but the near immortality of most of these characters (the more popular their story is with the mundane population, the more difficult it becomes for them to die, so it goes here anyway) never elevates this
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Jul 07, 2011
Drew Patrick
rated it:
Review from the PFS Book Club...
What I Liked: This collection is basically the point where I said, "Oh, I get it." March of the Wooden Soldiers is basically where Fables comes into its own - it's a wartime story about a group of outcasts who have built, over the centuries, a world in the middle of our own. Willingham's great gift here is the ability to have the major plot twists laid out in a way that make sense (you might even guess them before the big reveals) but still m More...
What I Liked: This collection is basically the point where I said, "Oh, I get it." March of the Wooden Soldiers is basically where Fables comes into its own - it's a wartime story about a group of outcasts who have built, over the centuries, a world in the middle of our own. Willingham's great gift here is the ability to have the major plot twists laid out in a way that make sense (you might even guess them before the big reveals) but still m More...
Jan 10, 2011
Natasha
rated it:
Another hit for Willingham!
If you've read my previous reviews of this series, then you know I love these books. Bill Willingham took old fairy tales and brought them to life, in a new and interesting sense. Each book gets us more of our favorite fables, including the awesome Snow White, Big Bad Wolf, Pinocchio, and much more.
This time around we get some new characters(Red Riding Hood and also Robin Hood). I must say, I loved the twist on Little Red Hiding Hood.
As always More...
If you've read my previous reviews of this series, then you know I love these books. Bill Willingham took old fairy tales and brought them to life, in a new and interesting sense. Each book gets us more of our favorite fables, including the awesome Snow White, Big Bad Wolf, Pinocchio, and much more.
This time around we get some new characters(Red Riding Hood and also Robin Hood). I must say, I loved the twist on Little Red Hiding Hood.
As always More...
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Sep 13, 2010
Trisha
rated it:
March of the Wooden Soldiers is one long, chronological story with a short flashback tale in the very beginning. The Last Castle starts off the novel with Boy Blue recalling for Snow White the horrific battle at the last open gate between the worlds. In Fairyland, a heroic battalion comprised of many disparate peoples holds the castle, the last open gate to the new world, in the hopes that more can escape. This tale becomes significant when a refugee - the first in centuries - arrives in Fableto
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Jun 03, 2009
Icats
rated it:
This volume starts off with a flash back to the Fables' last stand in their home world against the Adversary forces. Boy Blue makes it on board the last ship to smuggle Fables through the gateway into our world (the Mundane), but his newly found love, Little Red Riding Hood, does not and is presumed dead. That is why centuries later, the surviving Fables are elated when Little Red Riding Hood shows up on their doorstep after escaping through the gate between the lost Fable homelands and ours. Al
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Jan 18, 2012
Jelinas
rated it:
I'm glad that Bill Willingham thought to follow up the somewhat weaker Storybook Love with some good, old-fashioned war. It's a smart move that gets us all back on the bandwagon of Fables = GOOD, Adversary = BAD.
We start with a seemingly unrelated tale: Little Boy Blue, who served as an aide de camp to the Fable general who led the last stand to protect the last gateway to the mundy world from the Fablelands, tells the sad tale of the fall of that army. In the process, he met and had More...
We start with a seemingly unrelated tale: Little Boy Blue, who served as an aide de camp to the Fable general who led the last stand to protect the last gateway to the mundy world from the Fablelands, tells the sad tale of the fall of that army. In the process, he met and had More...
Aug 11, 2010
Sofia
rated it:
Posted on my book blog.
Background: The Fables series has become a definite "keeper" for me, one of those comic book series that I'm sure I'm going to follow as long as they exist. After a shaky start on volume 1, the series gets progressively better.
Review: From the very beginning of the series, we've heard stories of "The Adversary" and how he brutally conquered the Fable homelands, forcing the inhabitants to flee to our world, and enslaving those who More...
Background: The Fables series has become a definite "keeper" for me, one of those comic book series that I'm sure I'm going to follow as long as they exist. After a shaky start on volume 1, the series gets progressively better.
Review: From the very beginning of the series, we've heard stories of "The Adversary" and how he brutally conquered the Fable homelands, forcing the inhabitants to flee to our world, and enslaving those who More...
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Nov 14, 2011
Megan
rated it:
This story line was gooood. It was neat reading about a past battle with the Adversary and then seeing how that connected to current day Fabletown plot line. Sidenote: this series sure loves to kill people. Further sidenote: Bigby is still my favorite.
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Jul 07, 2011
Hotavio
rated it:
The Fables series continues to be a pleasant diversion from more serious reading. While the series is quite long, they haven't become too tiresome yet as developments continue, new characters are introduced, and old ones are polished off. In this installment the Adversary launches an attack on Fabletown via an open portal. The battle features a throng of wooden minions led by Red Riding Hood. Plenty of action throughout this page turner. The story is entertaining enough, but not without flaw
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Apr 24, 2009
Purplycookie
rated it:
The volume sets off the pace with the special issue "The Last Castle," guest-drawn by P. Craig Russell and Craig Hamilton. It flashes back to the Fables' last stand in their home world; echoing Peter Jackson's Two Towers movie battle scene from "The Lord of the Rings."
I love this story; very rich in terms of characters introduced and extolled. We are given a chance to get to know the character of Boy Blue (one that is beyond his clerical duties to the Fabletown b More...
I love this story; very rich in terms of characters introduced and extolled. We are given a chance to get to know the character of Boy Blue (one that is beyond his clerical duties to the Fabletown b More...
Aug 07, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
This one was interesting, as I found out that Gepetto may be the Adversary (the evil enemy that kicked the Fables out of their homeland), but I'm not sure why. In any case, this was the story of the Fables protecting Fabletown, nestled in the middle of NYC from the Wooden Soldiers, basically mass produced wooden men by Gepetto who were sent to kill/subjugate the Fables. The Adversary has the Russian witch Baba Yaga working for him and perhaps his lover, but disguised as Red Riding Hood who appar
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Jan 22, 2010
Josh
rated it:
I have to just get it out of my head - this isn't Sandman, and it never will be. It'll always be a little silly, and jokey, and will always look a little like Tin-Tin without the style. This is one of the better volumes so far, though. There's some great action, there's a little bit o' death, and there's some intrigue. But WIllingham doesn't have the mystery author's flair for... well, mystery. If somebody suspects something is up, then something is, indeed, up. There are no red herrings.
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Feb 09, 2012
Vickie
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 17, 2011
Phaedra
rated it:
Book 4 started out strong with lovely artwork from P. Craig Russell before going back to Mark Buckingham's pencils. The story wrapped up nicely with the Fables winning the battle but clearly the war is still coming. I like how Bigby is continuing to become a more interesting and sinister character and his growing relationship with Snow White. Earlier in the series they had set up the idea that Fables are stronger and less inclined to mortality when the fairy tale they are in is a beloved class
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Apr 25, 2011
Nithin
rated it:
After 3 volumes of building up the storyline, this book was immense - with the enemy who drove the fables away from their homeland, finally appearin' in NY. Wooden soldiers too, hehe.
This was the best Fables tale (s'far) - it continues the serial drama from the previous volumes, with lots of wonderful action, and fragments of the nemesis finaly appearin - with a good build-up to an epic battle. Boy Blue gets his moment too, this being a story that revolves around him emotionally (thoug More...
This was the best Fables tale (s'far) - it continues the serial drama from the previous volumes, with lots of wonderful action, and fragments of the nemesis finaly appearin - with a good build-up to an epic battle. Boy Blue gets his moment too, this being a story that revolves around him emotionally (thoug More...
Jan 27, 2012
John
rated it:
It's a good story (particularly "The Last Castle"), although it doesn't quite fit with some of the things that were established later.
<spoiler>When "Red Riding Hood" turns up in Fabletown, she's actually Baba Yaga in disguise. Boy Blue eventually realises that she's not the same woman he met before, and she says: "I ran into two Fables -- you and the wolf -- wo knew the original Ride well enough to expose me." So, she thought that the woman at the More...
<spoiler>When "Red Riding Hood" turns up in Fabletown, she's actually Baba Yaga in disguise. Boy Blue eventually realises that she's not the same woman he met before, and she says: "I ran into two Fables -- you and the wolf -- wo knew the original Ride well enough to expose me." So, she thought that the woman at the More...
Jul 11, 2011
Jeffrey
rated it:
Having brought the fables fo Fabletown to a stable, if contentious, position at the end of the previous volume, Bill Willingham escalates the conflict by bringing in an external stimulus in the form of the long lost Red Riding Hood.
Not only has she escaped when all was thought lost, but she has history with some of the other refugees, bringing no physical baggage, her presence nonetheless creates waves that ultimately threaten to bring Fabletown to its knees.
Willingham c More...
Not only has she escaped when all was thought lost, but she has history with some of the other refugees, bringing no physical baggage, her presence nonetheless creates waves that ultimately threaten to bring Fabletown to its knees.
Willingham c More...
Jan 30, 2012
Lauren
rated it:
This is my favorite Fables volume so far. It's still not perfect: inconsistent storytelling; cheap shots at conservative ideologies; dialogue that fifteen year old fanboys would be proud of - these are all still there. But the important thing is that, whereas those qualities dominated the other volumes, they were few and far between here. The opening comic, "The Last Castle" (Boy Blue's story) was fabulous - like 'make you cry' fabulous. And I thought that the author moved the indi
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Jan 08, 2012
Amanda
rated it:
Lemme just say here, I had a theory in this book, based on one line, and it took until issue 50-something to prove I was right. And I deeply love that kind of storytelling honestly. I was so so so pleased about it. Even as I mostly drastically bored of the whole Marching Wooden Soliders, aside from the joke of the family at the window trying to figure out who they are.
Journalist number one, with the whole vampire thing, amused me. Charming, continuing to be an annoying, but also decid More...
Journalist number one, with the whole vampire thing, amused me. Charming, continuing to be an annoying, but also decid More...
Jun 08, 2011
Jordan
rated it:
The war between the Fables and the Adversary finally starts to pick up in this volume. The opening story gives a flashback of the last gate being sealed from Boy Blue's point of view, giving a more solid background to the war which has up until now been only vaguely discussed. The main story of this volume, March of the Wooden Soldiers, takes up the rest of the book and centers on the renewing of the war against the Adversary in modern day Fabletown as the Fables discover that one of the gates h
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Apr 05, 2011
Liesl
rated it:
This edition of Fables is a huge step up from the previous books and has the perfect mix of intrigue, action, excitement and humor. The stakes are definitely raised, the enemies are very compelling and extremely dangerous, and the resulting body count is bigger as a result. The prologue is a successful inclusion since it relays valuable history about the Fables, brings more depth to Boy Blue, and introduces a pivotal character who serves as an important plot point later. The artwork is stunni
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Oct 11, 2009
Pumpkinbear
rated it:
Favorite volume so far. Perhaps will be my favorite volume EVAH!!!
This volume has lots of big stories to tell--action-adventures that add meaningful characterization and pathos, action-adventures that are also love stories (including one of my absolute favorite romantic moments in any graphic novel I've read so far), action-adventures that are also awesomely funny (Young Republicans with guns!!!), etc.
Although I loved the previous three volumes, as well (some more than ot More...
This volume has lots of big stories to tell--action-adventures that add meaningful characterization and pathos, action-adventures that are also love stories (including one of my absolute favorite romantic moments in any graphic novel I've read so far), action-adventures that are also awesomely funny (Young Republicans with guns!!!), etc.
Although I loved the previous three volumes, as well (some more than ot More...
Oct 14, 2011
Rhiannon
rated it:
...and this is where the already amazing comic book/graphic novel series, Fables got f**king EPIC!
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Mar 25, 2011
Karly
rated it:
This is the point where this series ceased to be "a cool idea" and became absolutely epic. The writing has become positively delicious and the characters continue to be more intriguing and charming. More great literary references, but the series is also starting to stand on it's own, leaving the fairy tales and folklore as simple background to the drama unfolding presently. I still am not a huge fan of Buckingham's artwork, particularly his designs for Bigby in human form, but I have a
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