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43rd out of 68 books
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Jack of Fables, Vol. 4: Americana (Jack of Fables #4)
Jack hits the road in seach of a lost city of gold in this new collection featuring issues #17-21. Aided by his sidekicks Paul Bunyan, Humpty Dumpty, Gary the pathetic fallacy and the mysterious Hillary Page, Jack's in for the adventure of a lifetime!
Paperback, 128 pages
Published
December 16th 2008
by Vertigo
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Purplycookie
rated it
Sly, greedy, self-centered, up-to-no-good Jack is back, and he's on a hunt for the treasure of Cibola. Accompanied by Raven (who had previously--erroneously--been Wicked John's companion), a glued-back-together Humpty Dumpty (with one key missing eggshell piece), and the Pathetic Fallacy, he's off to get the loot.
In their escapades they encounter numerous zombies, a host of figures from American folklore (we are in Americana after all, the birthplace of everything of American fable)...more
In their escapades they encounter numerous zombies, a host of figures from American folklore (we are in Americana after all, the birthplace of everything of American fable)...more
These Jack of Fables collections are really getting tired.
I greatly enjoy the other Fables books, so I always expect to enjoy these books filled with similar characters and adventures. However, many of the male characters in this series are crass and sexist. The stories aren't that good either, kind of meandering and not fleshed out.
I feel like the other Fables series is meant for adults and this series is meant for 14 year-old boys. I have nothing against 14 year-old boy...more
I greatly enjoy the other Fables books, so I always expect to enjoy these books filled with similar characters and adventures. However, many of the male characters in this series are crass and sexist. The stories aren't that good either, kind of meandering and not fleshed out.
I feel like the other Fables series is meant for adults and this series is meant for 14 year-old boys. I have nothing against 14 year-old boy...more
Jack and his crew of merry men, now including a bitter Humpty Dumpty, spend each issue in a different archetypal American location, like Steamboat or The Big City. The best play on a cliche is Idyll, a 1950s town that's even darker than Pleasantville. That's where they run into the Bookburner, who seems to be an even bigger villain than Mr. Revise, who's been hounding Jack since the start of his spin-off series.
The highlight of each issue is the six-panel page devoted to Babe the Blue O...more
The highlight of each issue is the six-panel page devoted to Babe the Blue O...more
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I've had a hard time getting through the Jack of Fables series, which I'm only doing because of the Fables crossover. That being said, it finally picked up with this issue because it started being less about Jack. This was the first time I felt these comics were headed toward something bigger. It also shows that, I think, Willingham painted himself into a corner by introducing these stories--the retirement home, Americana, the Literals--within the context of a Jack comic. Now Jack has to be in a...more
Yep another JACK OF FABLES book, BURIED! Humpty Dumpty comes back to life, but I barely remember him dying in book 1 (I read book 1 when it was the only book, and didn't pick up #2 'til a month or two ago). Dang maybe I should re-visit that first book just to get a more current background on what is up with this whole thing, cuz I only just remember it. Anyway, this one was tight because it tied various bits of "Americana" into the Fables universe, including some Pecos Bill characte...more
What a waste...a five issue collection, out of which only four had anything to do with the actual story-line (the other issue felt like it was their attempt at that Midsummer Night's Dream issue of Sandman, only humorous). Everything felt rushed, yet it also feels like nothing actually happened! Why go through the trouble of introducing the interesting concept of the American fable lands and then rush through them? They mentioned a few times how "that's a story for another time" which ...more
This series is getting much better, and much more interesting. Jack is definitely my least-favorite Fable, but he does occasionally have irresistible charms, to which the many women he woos in his stories would attest. This volume is my favorite so far. Jack and his supporting cast traverse the great land of Americana, the American Fables land. They visit the Wild West, Gangland, a Mark-Twain-esque steamboat land, and the town of Idyll, a 1950s version of the small-town American dream (which...more
The majority of this volume is dedicated to Jack & Co's attempt to recover a massive treasure trove from the American fable-land, Americana. With one of the Page sisters in tow, the gang encounters all sorts of trouble and learns a little more about Gary and his family.
Again, Babe provides many of the highlights with his ever growing universe of fantasies, and Jack remains the worst part of his own book, but it's still an improvement over the past volumes. Maybe things will continue...more
Again, Babe provides many of the highlights with his ever growing universe of fantasies, and Jack remains the worst part of his own book, but it's still an improvement over the past volumes. Maybe things will continue...more
Jack of the Tales continues his antics in the fourth bind up of the Fables spin-off. This time Jack, his trusty pal Gary (aka the Pathetic Fallacy), and Native American trickster Raven have pieced together Humpty Dumpty in order to piece together a map to untold treasures. Along the way, the cross paths with Hillary Page, one of Mr. Revise's head librarians, who is off on an adventure of her own. Page has brought along Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox and both parties cross into Americana, th...more
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
The first four chapters, which covers the majority of the book, concern the title story arc, "Americana". Jack and Gary now have Humpty and Raven accompanying them on their travels and Humpty has just told them about "Americana" another land of Fables where all the American Fables live. There is a secret horde of gold there and Humpty has a map to the treasure and knows how to get there. Jack's greed readily accepts the journey...more
The first four chapters, which covers the majority of the book, concern the title story arc, "Americana". Jack and Gary now have Humpty and Raven accompanying them on their travels and Humpty has just told them about "Americana" another land of Fables where all the American Fables live. There is a secret horde of gold there and Humpty has a map to the treasure and knows how to get there. Jack's greed readily accepts the journey...more
The last two Volumes of Jack of Fables didn't really impress me. The stories just seemed to fizzle out and end. Perhaps it is because I am comparing them to the original Fables volumes, but these episodes in the life of Jack seem to end hastily and not really go anywhere. It is like the poor sitcom version of Fables. Which is not to say that there isn't some brilliant stuff and real moments of hilarity, but it just isn't filling if you know what I mean.
Here we go into Americana - the world of American-based Fables.
I so suck that I don't recognize as many of the references as I should. That said, American fables aren't as robust as the European ones. Most have a single-traceable source (Bookburner - Bradbury's Farenheit 451...Huck & Jim - Twain). There are some stories that are shared, but they seem to be more settings (Big City, Gangland) than characters.
Page sisters...still hot.
I so suck that I don't recognize as many of the references as I should. That said, American fables aren't as robust as the European ones. Most have a single-traceable source (Bookburner - Bradbury's Farenheit 451...Huck & Jim - Twain). There are some stories that are shared, but they seem to be more settings (Big City, Gangland) than characters.
Page sisters...still hot.
I'm still giving these four stars even though the Jack character is getting tiresome and predictable. He's true to his tales, though; as the Pathetic Fallacy pointed out, Jack will always be Jack and there's nothing you can do about it. Babe the Blue Ox totally makes up for any other shortcomings, and I know this is all building to a crossover with Fables and a whole story arc for The Literals.
I haven't liked Jack of Fables as well as the straight-up series, partly because Jack is obnoxious in large doses and party because I haven't been all that intrigued by the Literals, the Pages, blah, blah, blah. But everything is now leading into the Great Fables Crossover, and it does seem like that might be interesting.
Although this was a good story, it was probably my least favorite volume of "Jack of Fables" so far. There wasn't a lot riding on the protagonist's goal (gaining riches), and when it was all said and done, the most intriguing thing to come from this volume was the introduction of The Bookburner. Although my star rating says 3, I would actually give it a 3.5 if I could.
I really like the Fables series, and there was a hot librarian in this book, but I think I like some of the other ones better. This one is about the arrogant Jack of Fables who has three goals: to be the most handsome person in the world, [one I forgot:], and be the richest. The only one that eludes him is the third.
I didn't used to like the Jack series as much as the main Fables series, but I admit that it is starting to grow on me more. It gets a lot more into the "meta" characters and the mechanics of how the Fables operate in our world, which is more interesting to me than Jack himself. Also, Babe the Blue Ox is awesome.
Oooo, things get good in this one. Jack really gets going on his quest for treasure, and one of the Page sisters who is on a mission of her own. And there are zombies! Hilariously ridiculous funny zombies! The zombies were totally and entirely my favorite part. Oh, and Humpty Dumpty has a treasure map on his ass - awesome!
I enjoyed this more than the last trade, mostly because the story seems to be tighter and faster paced. Also, I liked Americana and I loved the literary zombies. This is the volume that moves the whole plot of the series forward, with the appearance of the Bookburner and Hilary's revelations.
Jack and his most recent band of followers travel to "Americana," in search of treasure (what else!). This one seemed to wander thematically more than the others, a bit too much space filler. Babe the Blue Ox and his rich internal monologue never fails to crack me up.
Babe, "a blue ox with a rich interior life," makes this one worth it.
"Lenny Flanagan--the Existential Optometrist--is a pillar of the community... word on the street is that when the abyss gazes back at Lenny Flanagan, Lenny tests it for glaucoma."
"Lenny Flanagan--the Existential Optometrist--is a pillar of the community... word on the street is that when the abyss gazes back at Lenny Flanagan, Lenny tests it for glaucoma."
Thanks to the storyline about the nature of Revise and his kin, and fact that "the OTHER book about fables" is having some serious plot issues, I am becoming more interested in the spin-off than the original series. That makes me kind of sad.
I love the different direction this has taken from Fables. The trip through Americana was amusing, especially the zombie dialogue. Oh, and if I could have a miniature blue ox that thought in pulp dialogue, I would be a happy girl. I love Babe.
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In the fourth installment we get to see Jack in the fabled America, a mix of different historical eras all over the land. There's a nice play with the Three Page Sisters, some more info about Literals & Fables, a good spread of Old American Legends and, of course, the hunt for gold.
ARTWORK: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING: B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus; LITERAL/FABLE FOCUS: B to B plus; WHEN READ: December 2011; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.
ARTWORK: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING: B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus; LITERAL/FABLE FOCUS: B to B plus; WHEN READ: December 2011; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.
I loved the adventures through the American fable world and I really like the new story developments happening with the Literals, the Burner, Mr. Revise and all that. I am liking where the story is going, but I could do without the comic interludes.
Robin
rated it
Recommends it for:
those who like quirky graphic novels
Shelves:
2009-list,
graphic-novels
What can I say? These books are always amusing and this one features a librarian wearing a tight t-shirt that says "Hot Librarian" so that certainly adds to the fun. Lots of great twists and turns on this trip into American fables.
The worst of any of the Fables books I've read so far. Jack is getting to be boring, and the other characters are losing their ability to make up for him. The idea of American is interesting, but is not fleshed out very well.
Continuing Adventures of Jack of the Tales with appearances of many other Fables. Nice tricky ending which makes having to wait for next volume a chance to get caught up on other reading.
This was a fun read, but not nearly as good as the other Jack and Fables volumes. It certainly had it's moments, but it seemed more rushed than fast-paced. Still a good book, though.
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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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“Oh, don't mind Humpty. He's inhaled a hell of a lot of super-glue.”
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