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Fables: The Deluxe Edition
Fables: The Deluxe Edition, Book Fifteen
The #1 New York Times best-selling series!
Acclaimed by critics and readers alike, FABLES: THE DELUXE EDITION BOOK FIFTEEN brings the award-winning series to a close with the epic tales “Happily Ever After” and “Farewell” from issues #141-150 of the award-winning Vertigo series, and features a new introduction by FABLES creator Bill Willingham as well as a special sketchbook section from artist Mark Buckingham.
Imagine that all the characters from the world’s most beloved storybooks were real and living among us, with all of their powers intact. How would they cope with life in our mundane, un-magical reality?
The answer can be found in FABLES, Bill Willingham’s celebrated reimagining of the venerable fairy tale canon. From Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf to Goldilocks and Little Boy Blue, the folk characters of old are reborn here as exiles living in the magically camouflaged New York City neighborhood of Fabletown.
Collects FABLES #141-150.
Acclaimed by critics and readers alike, FABLES: THE DELUXE EDITION BOOK FIFTEEN brings the award-winning series to a close with the epic tales “Happily Ever After” and “Farewell” from issues #141-150 of the award-winning Vertigo series, and features a new introduction by FABLES creator Bill Willingham as well as a special sketchbook section from artist Mark Buckingham.
Imagine that all the characters from the world’s most beloved storybooks were real and living among us, with all of their powers intact. How would they cope with life in our mundane, un-magical reality?
The answer can be found in FABLES, Bill Willingham’s celebrated reimagining of the venerable fairy tale canon. From Snow White and the Big Bad Wolf to Goldilocks and Little Boy Blue, the folk characters of old are reborn here as exiles living in the magically camouflaged New York City neighborhood of Fabletown.
Collects FABLES #141-150.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published November 28, 2017
About the author
Bill Willingham
1,016 books2,839 followersIn 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 years. He contributed stories to Green Lantern and started his own independent, black-and-white comics series Coventry which lasted only 3 issues. He also produced the pornographic series Ironwood for Eros Comix.
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
August 3, 2022
Happily Ever After
Another great story from Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham. The only thing bad about this series is that it's coming to an end. The title is a misnomer though. This volume is full of sad events and the end of many of the characters. Snow White and especially Rose Red are falling into their roles of a certain fairy tale archetype. I'm not a fan of how it alters their personalities even if the reader is the only one aware of it.
Farewell
At this point what else can be said about Fables, that hasn't been said? If you've gotten this far, you must love it as much as I do. The finale is something I'd come to expect from the series. You get your big battle at Fabletown, you get your resolution and little goodbyes to most of the main characters, and you get some new beginnings.
Another great story from Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham. The only thing bad about this series is that it's coming to an end. The title is a misnomer though. This volume is full of sad events and the end of many of the characters. Snow White and especially Rose Red are falling into their roles of a certain fairy tale archetype. I'm not a fan of how it alters their personalities even if the reader is the only one aware of it.
Farewell
At this point what else can be said about Fables, that hasn't been said? If you've gotten this far, you must love it as much as I do. The finale is something I'd come to expect from the series. You get your big battle at Fabletown, you get your resolution and little goodbyes to most of the main characters, and you get some new beginnings.
December 26, 2021
Ha finalizado la historia de las fábulas. Un cómic que Willingham escribió a lo largo de quince años, sin que decayera el guión.
Aquí se cierra la trama principal y los devenires de varios personajes secundarios, dejándonos con una sensación de vacío, que esperamos llenar pronto.
Debo decir que no me esperaba este final, me alivió, aunque en el fondo imaginaba una tragedia de dimensiones abismales. La tensión que se venía acumulando a lo largo de los capítulos se resuelve, pero en el camino perdemos a muchos personajes queridos. De algún modo me pareció muy simple en relación a la trama. Pero luego, pensándolo mejor, decidí que el autor fue coherente con un cómic que tiene como insumo cuentos clásicos e historias de hadas… ¡No te reclamaré nada mi querido Bill!
En este guión reaparecen fábulas que se ganaron nuestro cariño a lo largo del camino, pero que habían desaparecido en el trayecto hacia el final y en los vericuetos y giros del relato… volver a verlas ha sido sumamente grato, sobre todo por el papel desempeñado en el devenir de los acontecimientos. Hay una cuya aparición evita que la irreverente Rosa Roja cometa un tremendo error que nos hubiese partido el corazón al medio.
Considero que hubo algunos hilos que no se cerraron nunca pero creo que es algo esperable en una obra de estas dimensiones.
Me encantaron los finales de las historias de la manada, sobre todo el de Rosa e Invierno, mis favoritas del linaje de Lobo. Hubo otros muy abruptos, como el de Geppetto, esperaba algo más espectacular en relación al enorme protagonismo que tuvo en la trama principal. Pero entiendo la imposibilidad de dejarnos conformes a todas y todos los lectores.
La conversión de Villa Fábula en algo nuevo estuvo muy bien al igual que las reapariciones de Simbad y Encantador.
Hubo tantos pero tantos personajes a lo largo de los tomos, se abrieron tantas subtramas, que en este "Y fueron felices…" nos encontramos preguntándonos "¿Y qué pasó con esta y con aquel?", "¿Y si esto o aquello?”, "¿Dónde está aquella villana que prometió venganza?". Pero pese a todos los interrogantes y ganas de seguirles la pista a algunos seres y criaturas del mundo de las fábulas, Willingham y Buckinhgam hicieron un trabajo fenomenal que explica la cantidad de premios que ganaron…
Tras esta larga lectura juntas/os, sólo me queda decir gracias por tanto guionista e ilustradores/as y perdón por tan poco...
Aquí se cierra la trama principal y los devenires de varios personajes secundarios, dejándonos con una sensación de vacío, que esperamos llenar pronto.
Debo decir que no me esperaba este final, me alivió, aunque en el fondo imaginaba una tragedia de dimensiones abismales. La tensión que se venía acumulando a lo largo de los capítulos se resuelve, pero en el camino perdemos a muchos personajes queridos. De algún modo me pareció muy simple en relación a la trama. Pero luego, pensándolo mejor, decidí que el autor fue coherente con un cómic que tiene como insumo cuentos clásicos e historias de hadas… ¡No te reclamaré nada mi querido Bill!
En este guión reaparecen fábulas que se ganaron nuestro cariño a lo largo del camino, pero que habían desaparecido en el trayecto hacia el final y en los vericuetos y giros del relato… volver a verlas ha sido sumamente grato, sobre todo por el papel desempeñado en el devenir de los acontecimientos. Hay una cuya aparición evita que la irreverente Rosa Roja cometa un tremendo error que nos hubiese partido el corazón al medio.
Considero que hubo algunos hilos que no se cerraron nunca pero creo que es algo esperable en una obra de estas dimensiones.
Me encantaron los finales de las historias de la manada, sobre todo el de Rosa e Invierno, mis favoritas del linaje de Lobo. Hubo otros muy abruptos, como el de Geppetto, esperaba algo más espectacular en relación al enorme protagonismo que tuvo en la trama principal. Pero entiendo la imposibilidad de dejarnos conformes a todas y todos los lectores.
La conversión de Villa Fábula en algo nuevo estuvo muy bien al igual que las reapariciones de Simbad y Encantador.
Hubo tantos pero tantos personajes a lo largo de los tomos, se abrieron tantas subtramas, que en este "Y fueron felices…" nos encontramos preguntándonos "¿Y qué pasó con esta y con aquel?", "¿Y si esto o aquello?”, "¿Dónde está aquella villana que prometió venganza?". Pero pese a todos los interrogantes y ganas de seguirles la pista a algunos seres y criaturas del mundo de las fábulas, Willingham y Buckinhgam hicieron un trabajo fenomenal que explica la cantidad de premios que ganaron…
Tras esta larga lectura juntas/os, sólo me queda decir gracias por tanto guionista e ilustradores/as y perdón por tan poco...
August 8, 2023
Wait, what? Is Fables...over?
I'd review this book but I think I am still processing this grief.
I'd review this book but I think I am still processing this grief.
March 26, 2019
To a large extent, I feel like "Cubs in Toyland" was the last great story in Fables. The stories of Snow and Rose that followed always seemed like they came out of nowhere — a messy coda to a sprawling storyline. With that said, this is a good conclusion to the Rose & Snow arc. It reminds of us where Rose came from in "Legends in Exile" and how that irresponsible party girl is still a part of the woman who is now bringing war to Fabletown. Though I enjoyed much of the main story, I was particularly choked up by the last two chapters which were perfect (and featured the return of the true hero of the piece).
The shorts that intermix with this volume are enjoyable. A couple of those choked me up too, and most were OK. I liked the fact that Willingham kept extending the timeline on and on until a thousand years truly had passed.
Despite its rockiness at the very end, this was a worthwhile series all the way through.
And is the Vertigo era now over? Probably. (Onward to Young Animals.)
The shorts that intermix with this volume are enjoyable. A couple of those choked me up too, and most were OK. I liked the fact that Willingham kept extending the timeline on and on until a thousand years truly had passed.
Despite its rockiness at the very end, this was a worthwhile series all the way through.
And is the Vertigo era now over? Probably. (Onward to Young Animals.)
November 25, 2025
Well it done. Great wrap up to the series with some surprises in this last book. As always a great story with a HUGE cast of characters. Very recommended
April 30, 2022
I’m pretty generous with my ratings, but yeah…that ending was Game of Thrones level of bad. It’s like Bill didn’t even try, which is a shame because the series had been so fun up to this point and it looked like the many plotlines were building up towards a truly spectacular finale, but nope! It’s the anti-Sandman ending and nothing that happened in the last however many issues mattered. Oh well.
May 15, 2022
Some hits and some misses in this gigantic volume. Some of my favourite characters did not live to fight another day. I didn't love the Snow White and Rose Red war-that-wasn't. But, 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 for the entire Fables epic. I was looking forward to reading these for a long time and not sad that I did. I am sad that there is 1 last hurrah and then, what do I read next?
Thank you to Bill Willingham and the gang for re-imagining my favourite childhood characters and letting them loose in our Mundy world. I loved the adventures, the wars, the intrigue, the magic, the humour, the scares, the romance -- all the feels!!!!
Thank you to Bill Willingham and the gang for re-imagining my favourite childhood characters and letting them loose in our Mundy world. I loved the adventures, the wars, the intrigue, the magic, the humour, the scares, the romance -- all the feels!!!!
August 12, 2018
No me puedo creer que haya terminado Fábulas, después de casi tres años que me ha llevado hacer la colección y leerla poco a poco. La sensación es extraña, ya me había acostumbrado a tener siempre algo nuevo que leer de este cómic, pero bueno, ha sido un bonito viaje. La verdad es que me ha gustado el final (tenía mucho miedo de que no lo hiciera), aunque ahora tengo mucho que asimilar.
June 20, 2020
While it is sad to finish this series, I really liked getting to see an ending for almost every single character. This series has meant a lot to me, being the first adult graphic novel I read and I really fell in love with all these reimagined fairytale characters. The ending was the perfect way to end it and I am really satisfied!
December 10, 2019
I've gotten so used to following the adventures of Bigby Wolf, Snow White, and the rest of Fabletown. These books were so much fun to read, and I'm so glad that Amanda shared them with me! :)
What on earth will I read now?? I feel lost without all the crazy Fables keeping me company.
What on earth will I read now?? I feel lost without all the crazy Fables keeping me company.
June 8, 2021
To quote a wise woman, “Rose Red’s an idiot.” This whole arc was incredibly unnecessary and Rose Red is the absolute worst. I cannot for the life of me understand why Willingham decided to make this dumb brat a prominent character with such incredible powers, building up her arc for numerous issues, only to give the most anti-climatic end to it, with her basically saying, “oops my bad haha gotta go”. She’s a mindless, blusterous, self-righteous little shit that should have stayed dead when Goldilocks killed her in Fairest: In All The Land. Totenkinder and Cindy died for nothing. Speaking of which, so did Beast and Ozma. I can’t believe they were written out just like that, with not even a reaction from Beauty.
In my head canon this Volume simply never happened, and Totenkinder, Cindy, Beast, and Ozma are all still alive and well. Briar Rose and Weyland, too, for that matter. The only good thing that came out of this was that slime ball Brandish’s death. Snow’s mum’s backstory was pretty enjoyable as well.
In my head canon this Volume simply never happened, and Totenkinder, Cindy, Beast, and Ozma are all still alive and well. Briar Rose and Weyland, too, for that matter. The only good thing that came out of this was that slime ball Brandish’s death. Snow’s mum’s backstory was pretty enjoyable as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2020
2.5 stars - Well, not the strongest ending, but this series has had a lot of ups and downs. The ending felt hurried and a bit sloppy. The cheesy side characters have always drove me nuts but at least their parts were small in this one.
April 4, 2026
Es un buen final.
Me gusta el desenlace de muchos de los personajes, no tanto el de otros. Algunos personajes son despedidos de la historia sin contemplaciones y no sé qué pensar de eso, la verdad. Otras historias acaban de forma bastante arrolladora.
Creo que Fábulas es consistentemente bueno desde el principio hasta el tomo 9, después pasa por un periodo de redefinición que es bastante insípido, para retomar el ritmo y acabar bastante en alto en los últimos tres tomos.
Me da la sensación de que al autor se le ocurrió el final, pero no tenía claro cómo enlazarlo. O quizá sí, y es simplemente cuestión de gustos.
En cualquier caso es una saga bonita y emocionante, la recomiendo.
Me gusta el desenlace de muchos de los personajes, no tanto el de otros. Algunos personajes son despedidos de la historia sin contemplaciones y no sé qué pensar de eso, la verdad. Otras historias acaban de forma bastante arrolladora.
Creo que Fábulas es consistentemente bueno desde el principio hasta el tomo 9, después pasa por un periodo de redefinición que es bastante insípido, para retomar el ritmo y acabar bastante en alto en los últimos tres tomos.
Me da la sensación de que al autor se le ocurrió el final, pero no tenía claro cómo enlazarlo. O quizá sí, y es simplemente cuestión de gustos.
En cualquier caso es una saga bonita y emocionante, la recomiendo.
December 4, 2021
Un año de Fábulas que acaba aquí.
April 18, 2024
Reading Fables was such a fun ride and I'm so sad that it's over!
On my initial read, I was kind of underwhelmed with the final chapter. But I appreciate it more on a re-read. Don't get me wrong, the build up of the war only for them to call it off last minute is super abrupt, but the magic of Fables is the characters. The final confrontation being between Snow and Rose is thematic and parallels the first arc, and I quite liked the sisters rejecting the expected roles they had fallen into and were expected to play by higher powers, even if that conclusion could have been reached a bit more organically.
I was warming up to Rose whilst she helped raise the cubs, but by god do I dislike her by the end. The whole manifestation of second chances is fitting though, I suppose.
The battle between Cindy and Totenkinder was awesome, but was ultimately pointless once they called off the war. The most disrespectful part is they were never acknowledged after that.
I felt bad for King Cole having everything come crashing down again, but him staying behind to rebuild was nice. He really was one of the good ones to the end.
Also it's criminal that we never see Beauty's reaction to Beast's death. A few of the farewell vignettes are given to irrelevant characters, pages of which could have been used towards better conclusions for specific main characters.
Gepetto still being around by the end is a dislike I have, especially after better characters than him have passed. He should have died ages ago.
The endings of most characters were satisfying conclusions that I were happy with. A couple of sad ones, like Briar Rose, but life is rarely all happy endings. I liked seeing the cubs grown up and how each one fell into the prophecy. And the ending with Snow & Bigby happy and surrounded by all their family was lovely. I kinda wish we could have seen the Snow and Rose reunion play out, but I loved it nonetheless.
Overall, Fables is one of my favourite comics from beginning to end & I loved the characters and their journeys.
On my initial read, I was kind of underwhelmed with the final chapter. But I appreciate it more on a re-read. Don't get me wrong, the build up of the war only for them to call it off last minute is super abrupt, but the magic of Fables is the characters. The final confrontation being between Snow and Rose is thematic and parallels the first arc, and I quite liked the sisters rejecting the expected roles they had fallen into and were expected to play by higher powers, even if that conclusion could have been reached a bit more organically.
I was warming up to Rose whilst she helped raise the cubs, but by god do I dislike her by the end. The whole manifestation of second chances is fitting though, I suppose.
The battle between Cindy and Totenkinder was awesome, but was ultimately pointless once they called off the war. The most disrespectful part is they were never acknowledged after that.
I felt bad for King Cole having everything come crashing down again, but him staying behind to rebuild was nice. He really was one of the good ones to the end.
Also it's criminal that we never see Beauty's reaction to Beast's death. A few of the farewell vignettes are given to irrelevant characters, pages of which could have been used towards better conclusions for specific main characters.
Gepetto still being around by the end is a dislike I have, especially after better characters than him have passed. He should have died ages ago.
The endings of most characters were satisfying conclusions that I were happy with. A couple of sad ones, like Briar Rose, but life is rarely all happy endings. I liked seeing the cubs grown up and how each one fell into the prophecy. And the ending with Snow & Bigby happy and surrounded by all their family was lovely. I kinda wish we could have seen the Snow and Rose reunion play out, but I loved it nonetheless.
Overall, Fables is one of my favourite comics from beginning to end & I loved the characters and their journeys.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2019
Not the end we wanted, but the end the Fables deserved (yeah, i waited long enough to use this line). Sadly, all things come to an end, the great ones even faster. Fables is over, a great ride through ten thousand worlds and hundreds of fascinating characters is over. Or is it? As mr. Willingham said very accurately, fables never end. They are stories that live through their retelling, as long as there are still people to tell, read and discuss them. One thing is certain: Fables is going to be read again and again and again by many a generation and be loved by even more.
On a more realistic note: After you're done with this, don't despair as I did at first. The Fables universe, apart from the stories we the readers are creating in our minds, still has plenty of material to offer: Fairest, Everafter, Cinderella 1&2 and Jack of Fables are out there, a bunch of volumes that expand more on some of our favorite characters. And after that? You just start the main series again, simple as that. :)
(A bit spoilery) Rose Red surely did the most unexpected thing at the end, taking the decision she took. To be honest, after the first shock of the grande battle that never happened, I was proud of her and of snow too. A truly fitting end, as quiet as it was needed to give a proper finale. It didn't go out with a boom in the literal sense, but if you think about it, it did. ;)
Thanks Bill, Mark, Steve, Todd and the whole creative team. Fables gave me the ride of my life from beginning to end. Hats off to all.
On a more realistic note: After you're done with this, don't despair as I did at first. The Fables universe, apart from the stories we the readers are creating in our minds, still has plenty of material to offer: Fairest, Everafter, Cinderella 1&2 and Jack of Fables are out there, a bunch of volumes that expand more on some of our favorite characters. And after that? You just start the main series again, simple as that. :)
(A bit spoilery) Rose Red surely did the most unexpected thing at the end, taking the decision she took. To be honest, after the first shock of the grande battle that never happened, I was proud of her and of snow too. A truly fitting end, as quiet as it was needed to give a proper finale. It didn't go out with a boom in the literal sense, but if you think about it, it did. ;)
Thanks Bill, Mark, Steve, Todd and the whole creative team. Fables gave me the ride of my life from beginning to end. Hats off to all.
December 23, 2017
I expected nothing, yet I'm still disappointed.
How you could screw up such a great story with such a mediocre ending I will never know. Weak resolutions, characters acting against their own interests for 'magical story' reasons, chock full of filler conclusions for characters you don't care about. This entire series should have ended 50 issues ago but this specific volume was absolute trash. Unforgivably bad.
I have recommended Fables to a couple of friends. I rescind all recommendations. If you really fall in love with the art, you should probably stop somewhere before issue 100 or just buy the art books.
How you could screw up such a great story with such a mediocre ending I will never know. Weak resolutions, characters acting against their own interests for 'magical story' reasons, chock full of filler conclusions for characters you don't care about. This entire series should have ended 50 issues ago but this specific volume was absolute trash. Unforgivably bad.
I have recommended Fables to a couple of friends. I rescind all recommendations. If you really fall in love with the art, you should probably stop somewhere before issue 100 or just buy the art books.
July 1, 2018
Had been saving this volume since I did not want the series to end. In short I loved the ending. Fantastic series from beginnimg to end ❤️
March 12, 2019
Tras varios meses, termino esta gran serie encantado por el camino recorrido. Me llevo conmigo todos esos personajes geniales, todas esas historias (algunas mejores que otras), todos esos giros a los cuentos de toda la vida. Sin embargo, también me llevo un pequeño mal sabor de boca. Es normal que una serie tan larga tenga momentos mejores y peores, pero ese final... Me entristece la forma apresurada de cerrar unas tramas con tanto potencial, esos finales que se ha dado a personajes tan carismáticos que no corresponden a su evolución... Fábulas es una gran saga, merece la pena leerla, pero hay que reconocerlo, esos últimos capítulos no están a la altura. Una pena, pues con un final un poco más redondo (o al menos, fiel a sus personajes), sería una maravilla.
August 16, 2019
I love the Fables series and am sad to see it end. I did find this volume on the weaker side. Rose and Snow's fight seemed unnecessary to me, and some plot points wrapped up really fast. Ultimately I think the first half of Fables with the Adversary has the best stories of the series. However, this was still enjoyable.
August 21, 2021
And so it ends. Fables is over. If ever there was a series that could never end this is it but end it did. And it ended well. Did it end perfectly? I suspect not everyone will think so. There was a least one ending that I found… disheartening. But let me back up a bit.
First there is the overall story arc of Snow White, Rose Red and the end of the worlds as we know it. It is epic, as it was expected to be but it is also bold and has some unexpected moves. It also has some of the most shocking moments the book has ever produced. It is EPIC. This is in no small part due to Buckingham who draws the final issue as well as anything he has drawn before. He was talented from the start but I definitely felt like his work really matured over the years. The splash pages in this volume are, dare I say, EPIC. It is a great ending. But then the creators did something really fun. They did a small story, sometimes one page, sometimes a few, called the last story of (insert beloved Fables character name here). It is a delightful way to end things.
But! It creates at least as many questions as it answers and it leaves literally hundreds of potential stories and storylines hinted at and flat out untold. The book is great as it is but there is some much room to go backwards and forwards in expansion. There are new worlds to explore and old worlds to re-explore. Seriously can we get a sequel?! Sequels could be in comic, prose even a filmed medium. There is so much potential here. As a dabbling writer myself I’m tempted to make my own fan fiction. I did others have this idea? I’m going on the internet next to check.
Until there is a next time. Thanks to all the creators. I love the world(s) you created and look forward to revisiting them often and sharing them with others even more often.
First there is the overall story arc of Snow White, Rose Red and the end of the worlds as we know it. It is epic, as it was expected to be but it is also bold and has some unexpected moves. It also has some of the most shocking moments the book has ever produced. It is EPIC. This is in no small part due to Buckingham who draws the final issue as well as anything he has drawn before. He was talented from the start but I definitely felt like his work really matured over the years. The splash pages in this volume are, dare I say, EPIC. It is a great ending. But then the creators did something really fun. They did a small story, sometimes one page, sometimes a few, called the last story of (insert beloved Fables character name here). It is a delightful way to end things.
But! It creates at least as many questions as it answers and it leaves literally hundreds of potential stories and storylines hinted at and flat out untold. The book is great as it is but there is some much room to go backwards and forwards in expansion. There are new worlds to explore and old worlds to re-explore. Seriously can we get a sequel?! Sequels could be in comic, prose even a filmed medium. There is so much potential here. As a dabbling writer myself I’m tempted to make my own fan fiction. I did others have this idea? I’m going on the internet next to check.
Until there is a next time. Thanks to all the creators. I love the world(s) you created and look forward to revisiting them often and sharing them with others even more often.
May 27, 2026
The end of Fables before Willingham decided to return to it six years later. First off, all those "final stories" reek of lazy storytelling. Instead of working these characters' endings into the main narrative, Willingham shuffles them aside to tell quick little codas. It feels too easy, not to mention anticlimactic for some of these characters. Another thing that bugged me was how inconsequential the mundy world discovering that fables exist turned out to be. Willingham doesn’t make it a major plot point, when you think it clearly should be, and it’s nicely resolved in one of those final stories. Really?
The primary storyline continues the conflict between Rose Red and Snow. While I still think this whole conflict came out of nowhere, that it wasn't developed organically, it does tie back to the beginning of the series when Rose and Snow were at odds. And I suppose it ties into their original fairy tale. Overall, the storytelling here is fragmented and, again, too easy. I don't feel the stakes are as high as they should be. Yes, characters die and there are dramatic happenings, but things are resolved almost too quickly. This could have been better. Really, the whole series could have been better.
The primary storyline continues the conflict between Rose Red and Snow. While I still think this whole conflict came out of nowhere, that it wasn't developed organically, it does tie back to the beginning of the series when Rose and Snow were at odds. And I suppose it ties into their original fairy tale. Overall, the storytelling here is fragmented and, again, too easy. I don't feel the stakes are as high as they should be. Yes, characters die and there are dramatic happenings, but things are resolved almost too quickly. This could have been better. Really, the whole series could have been better.
December 2, 2017
So sad it's over but what a wonderful ending <3
July 30, 2021
the moment you’ve all been waiting for… The THIRD anticlimax
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April 19, 2024Fables is a truly phenomenal series of shocking breadth and depth. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the conclusion. After so many volumes of detailed and well thought-out story lines, the ending felt rushed and sloppy.
While the final resolution was somewhat satisfying, the execution of it was frankly pretty terrible. It kind of reminds me of Game of Thrones, only there wasn't a slow descent. It's literally just the closing chapters that are not strong. I think the plan was there but it feels like they were done and just forced it to work in about 1/4 of the pages they needed to do the story justice. So many characters die for reasons that feel massively stupid and the deaths are totally wasted, without the emotional impact they should have had, nor do we really get a single reaction to them. The characters snuff out and nobody cares, not even spouses.
The whole plot line of Rose Red and Snow White's enmity is laughably idiotic. For one thing, it feels almost out of nowhere despite them setting it up for volumes. Yes, they were trying to establish that, and it was clear Rose Red would end up a villain of sorts, BUT suddenly they both have super strong powers and shit out of fucking nowhere and they know exactly how to use them. Then there's a back story infodump to Rose Red to explain it. Then there's a resolution that is so obvious that really this whole entire thing is a freaking plot hole.
I love this series so much, and I'm so frustrated by how all of this unravels that I kept wanting to not read it. This volume took me three days to get through because I didn't want to read it and have to feel this way about Fables. The series as a whole is still absolutely worth it, but I'm crushed that it didn't get the ending it deserved.
While the final resolution was somewhat satisfying, the execution of it was frankly pretty terrible. It kind of reminds me of Game of Thrones, only there wasn't a slow descent. It's literally just the closing chapters that are not strong. I think the plan was there but it feels like they were done and just forced it to work in about 1/4 of the pages they needed to do the story justice. So many characters die for reasons that feel massively stupid and the deaths are totally wasted, without the emotional impact they should have had, nor do we really get a single reaction to them. The characters snuff out and nobody cares, not even spouses.
The whole plot line of Rose Red and Snow White's enmity is laughably idiotic. For one thing, it feels almost out of nowhere despite them setting it up for volumes. Yes, they were trying to establish that, and it was clear Rose Red would end up a villain of sorts, BUT suddenly they both have super strong powers and shit out of fucking nowhere and they know exactly how to use them. Then there's a back story infodump to Rose Red to explain it. Then there's a resolution that is so obvious that really this whole entire thing is a freaking plot hole.
I love this series so much, and I'm so frustrated by how all of this unravels that I kept wanting to not read it. This volume took me three days to get through because I didn't want to read it and have to feel this way about Fables. The series as a whole is still absolutely worth it, but I'm crushed that it didn't get the ending it deserved.
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July 24, 2024And so a full read-through begun over three years ago finally comes to a close after an extremely long hiatus and a fairly short return. As the longest Vertigo series by a single author, Fables definitely has its moderated ups (some of the Snow/Bigby/Wolf Kids arcs, the Mr Dark arc) and its definite downs (the first few arcs coast on the idea more than the actual execution, the “crossover” arc is a complete waste of time, a lot of the writing, especially of the female characters, has aged like earwax in less than ten years). At times it kinda seems like Willingham was gunning for a long-runner so he set big events at the anniversary issues (a wedding at 50, big battles at 25, 75, and 100, a ra-ra closing at 150) and then floundered between them, some of it productively (a lot of the side story issues are stronger than the mainline story; maybe the whole thing could have been an anthology), some not so (the dead space between 80 and 100 in particular …). And yeah, it kinda ends in an anti-climax, some big deaths happen but they aren’t really a part of the “Final Battle” (itself not a battle in the slightest), there’s a smattering of happily ever after codas, and the promise that the story goes on… and it did. Not even ten years later. But we’ll get to that. This could never be one of my favorite series - there’s too much that’s annoying and I never really liked any of the characters or the writing the way I did Preacher or Locke and Key, but I’m mostly glad I finally read it. It’s not much more than entertaining but hey, at least it’s got that.
September 12, 2023
I enjoyed 99% of this series which is saying a lot considering how long it is. The only part I for some reason didn't enjoy was the Literals arc and parts of the ending. But other than that Bill gave us pure gold both literally and metaphorically.
The storylines are just as magical as all the characters and there are so many fantastic stories. A lot of character development and growth happens in this series which is really nice and not often seen. The feeling of all the characters being part of a community and that they all are the main characters seemed to shine through to me. There was no main character, it really was Fabletown as a collective as the main character and it was really well done.
All the stories that veered off from the main plot almost always had some contribution to the main narrative making them fun detours and excellent anecdotes to particular characters.
It could go on forever honestly and though the ending was not entirely to my liking there were certainly moments that made me feel moved and that tingling feeling. Knowing the story was coming to an end made was sad and I had prebook hangover. I will not forget this series it will always be a favorite of mine.
The storylines are just as magical as all the characters and there are so many fantastic stories. A lot of character development and growth happens in this series which is really nice and not often seen. The feeling of all the characters being part of a community and that they all are the main characters seemed to shine through to me. There was no main character, it really was Fabletown as a collective as the main character and it was really well done.
All the stories that veered off from the main plot almost always had some contribution to the main narrative making them fun detours and excellent anecdotes to particular characters.
It could go on forever honestly and though the ending was not entirely to my liking there were certainly moments that made me feel moved and that tingling feeling. Knowing the story was coming to an end made was sad and I had prebook hangover. I will not forget this series it will always be a favorite of mine.
February 4, 2026
I to je to, stigla sam do kraja Bajki 😭 Bila je luda vožnja pratiti sve te likove i njihove borbe (osobne i protiv neprijatelja), uspone i padove kroz 15 podebljih tomova. Posljednji broj lijepo je zaokružio većinu priča iako je u nekima ostavio čitateljima da izmaštaju krajeve. Willingham je izvrsno vodio priče i likove dok ih je Buckingham prekrasno crtao. Zbilja sam bila oduševljena crtežima od prvog broja, a ovaj posljednji je kao šlag na torti.
Narativ ovog 15. broja/toma opasno je upotrijebio svu svoju artiljeriju i krenuo u mračne vode sestrinskog sukoba. U nemalo scena vilica mi se objesila od šoka jer nitko nije bio siguran. Toliko saveza i prijateljstava sklopljenih u svrhu borbe protiv Neprijatelja kroz sve prošle brojeve da bi na kraju sukob došao iznutra od plot twista kojem se nisam nadala.
Kraj neću odati, ali ipak su ovo Bajke i, iako izvrnute, imaju svoj sretan završetak (kako za koga i ovisno o tome s koje strane se gleda).
Ne mogu dovoljno preporučiti ovaj serijal stripova, pogotovo sada kada je izašao u cijelosti pa se ne morate kao ja mučiti s čekanjem novih brojeva. Neki kažu da su to više "ženski" stripovi, a ja se pak toj izjavi žešće protivim i tvrdim da su Bajke za sve i da svatko u svom tom mnoštvu može pronaći nešto za sebe.
Narativ ovog 15. broja/toma opasno je upotrijebio svu svoju artiljeriju i krenuo u mračne vode sestrinskog sukoba. U nemalo scena vilica mi se objesila od šoka jer nitko nije bio siguran. Toliko saveza i prijateljstava sklopljenih u svrhu borbe protiv Neprijatelja kroz sve prošle brojeve da bi na kraju sukob došao iznutra od plot twista kojem se nisam nadala.
Kraj neću odati, ali ipak su ovo Bajke i, iako izvrnute, imaju svoj sretan završetak (kako za koga i ovisno o tome s koje strane se gleda).
Ne mogu dovoljno preporučiti ovaj serijal stripova, pogotovo sada kada je izašao u cijelosti pa se ne morate kao ja mučiti s čekanjem novih brojeva. Neki kažu da su to više "ženski" stripovi, a ja se pak toj izjavi žešće protivim i tvrdim da su Bajke za sve i da svatko u svom tom mnoštvu može pronaći nešto za sebe.
December 19, 2024
El final de una saga tan buena Fábulas me generó demasiadas expectativas y, lamentablemente, este volumen no logra estar a la altura de lo que prometía. Aunque incluye un par de batallas épicas y despedidas de personajes relevantes, el cierre general es mediocre.
Lo más frustrante es la «gran batalla final» que llevaba tanto tiempo gestándose. Con todo, el desarrollo alrededor del arco de Rosa Roja, Camelot y su enfrentamiento con Blancanieves, esperaba un clímax épico, pero lo que obtuvimos fue un desenlace insulso y carente de sentido. Es como si todo ese conflicto emocional y narrativo se hubiera desinflado por arte de magia.
Además, gran parte del volumen se dedica a cerrar las historias de personajes secundarios que ya habían perdido relevancia hace tiempo (¿otra vez Gepetto?). Esto resta protagonismo a los personajes principales y desvía la atención de lo que realmente debería importar en el cierre de una serie tan extensa.
Vamos, un cierre decepcionante para una historia que merecía mucho más.
Lo más frustrante es la «gran batalla final» que llevaba tanto tiempo gestándose. Con todo, el desarrollo alrededor del arco de Rosa Roja, Camelot y su enfrentamiento con Blancanieves, esperaba un clímax épico, pero lo que obtuvimos fue un desenlace insulso y carente de sentido. Es como si todo ese conflicto emocional y narrativo se hubiera desinflado por arte de magia.
Además, gran parte del volumen se dedica a cerrar las historias de personajes secundarios que ya habían perdido relevancia hace tiempo (¿otra vez Gepetto?). Esto resta protagonismo a los personajes principales y desvía la atención de lo que realmente debería importar en el cierre de una serie tan extensa.
Vamos, un cierre decepcionante para una historia que merecía mucho más.
December 28, 2017
Review to come once it has sunken in. Right now, I just can't believe it's done.
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I know some people were disappointed in how this series ended, but for me, it made sense. That final realization of Rose Red's felt like something I as a reader should've realized along the way, but never connected, and that is the kind of thing I love. Maybe anti-climactic for some, but I feel like it's going to be one of those things that each re-read of the series gives more and more hints towards.
Anyway, really, really sad to finally be done with this series. I started reading it because of the Telltale video game, and I'm so incredibly glad that I did and that they made that game. I'm so incredibly attached to this world and these characters now that I genuinely cried at some of the final panels, especially the bottom of Ambrose's final page. What a ride it was; I hope the rumors of a new spin-off or whatever it's going to be is true!
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I know some people were disappointed in how this series ended, but for me, it made sense. That final realization of Rose Red's felt like something I as a reader should've realized along the way, but never connected, and that is the kind of thing I love. Maybe anti-climactic for some, but I feel like it's going to be one of those things that each re-read of the series gives more and more hints towards.
Anyway, really, really sad to finally be done with this series. I started reading it because of the Telltale video game, and I'm so incredibly glad that I did and that they made that game. I'm so incredibly attached to this world and these characters now that I genuinely cried at some of the final panels, especially the bottom of Ambrose's final page. What a ride it was; I hope the rumors of a new spin-off or whatever it's going to be is true!
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