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Fables: Compendiums
Fables: Compendium One
When a savage creature, known only as the Adversary, conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, the famous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of a modern New York, these magical characters created their own peaceful and secret society, which they called Fabletown.
But when Snow White’s party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it’s up to Fabletown’s sheriff — the reformed Big Bad Wolf, Bigby — to find the killer.
Meanwhile, trouble of a different sort brews at the Fables’ upstate farm, where non-human inhabitants are preaching revolution…and threatening the carefully nutured secrecy of Fabletown.
Collecting issues #1-41, Fables: The Last Castle, Fables: 1,001 Nights of Snowfall, and a short story from Fables: Legends in Exile!
But when Snow White’s party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it’s up to Fabletown’s sheriff — the reformed Big Bad Wolf, Bigby — to find the killer.
Meanwhile, trouble of a different sort brews at the Fables’ upstate farm, where non-human inhabitants are preaching revolution…and threatening the carefully nutured secrecy of Fabletown.
Collecting issues #1-41, Fables: The Last Castle, Fables: 1,001 Nights of Snowfall, and a short story from Fables: Legends in Exile!
1184 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2006
151 people are currently reading
541 people want to read
About the author
Bill Willingham
958 books2,818 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 81 reviews
January 14, 2021
Bill Willingham's FABLES was a casualty of my massive reading backlog and my switch in 2011 from monthly comic books to trade-waiting. I had a massive backlog of floppies that I was way behind in, and I completely lost track of the storyline in the long intervals between reading issues. I think I made it up to #29 before I just gave up, figuring I'd wait for an omnibus. So here we are...
Wow, this is an AMAZING series. I knew that when I was reading the monthlies, but it holds together so damned well when read in big chunks like this. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. Here's hoping the slow gutting of DC Comics by their corporate overlords allows for the remaining two volumes in this compendium series to be published. I can't recommend this book enough, and it deserves to be held up right alongside Vertigo's other crown jewel, THE SANDMAN.
Wow, this is an AMAZING series. I knew that when I was reading the monthlies, but it holds together so damned well when read in big chunks like this. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. Here's hoping the slow gutting of DC Comics by their corporate overlords allows for the remaining two volumes in this compendium series to be published. I can't recommend this book enough, and it deserves to be held up right alongside Vertigo's other crown jewel, THE SANDMAN.
February 20, 2021
These are super addictive and fun. My only gripe so far is the inconsistent roster of artists, which leads to some jarring transitions at times.
December 13, 2020
Where to start with a story as vast and sprawling as Fables. First of all, this should have been a hardcover omnibus. It was touted for release in Absolute format years ago, which over time became an hardcover omnibus, and now the softcover collection we finally received. DC cannot escape criticism for this fact, as there is by far and away enough interest in this series (especially with the explosion in collected edition collecting of late) to justify the hardcover. But then again, DC has been little more than a dumpster fire of a company for some time now, so who is really that surprised?
I had been recommended by a trusted online comics channel to check this out. The premise certainly appealed to the dark and deviant element in my reading habits. Take old fairy tale characters in the public domain and thrust them into the modern world, and tell some more mature tales to boot. Brilliant, sign me up. Even the 17+ mature rating on the back added to the growing excitement I felt at this story. A few hundred pages in, and I was a little mystified, wondering where all the adult content was hiding. Not only that, but the first two arcs of the story, which ran several hundred pages, were fairly standard fare. not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but not near as interesting or engaging as I had expected. I was disappointed and a little perturbed, although I soldiered on. The more mature content (enough to justify a 17+ rating) never materialised, at least in my opinion. Sure, there was a bit of violence and some partial nudity, but nothing wanton or gratuitous. Though the story really began to get going about half way through, and apart from a tiny lull in a god awful two part war time Nazi story, the book became far more enjoyable, and I breezed through the final 700 pages in a few days. Despite some of my more favoured characters barely appearing in the second half of the book, the narrative didn't want for their preclusion, and I enjoyed getting to know a couple of other characters better. It may not have ended on a massive cliffhanger, though I'm genuinely interested to see where it goes from here.
The artwork is handled from a variety of sources, with Mark Buckingham handling the majority of the run, and was the books most consisted contributor. The small runs from guest artists and larger non canonical arcs were handled mostly very well, with a few even rising to the level of Buckingham himself. Mostly very strong artwork, with only a few minor misses here and there.
The Fables story is far from told however. With, I would suspect, another two lengthy compendiums still to release in order to collect the full run. I will be very interested to see what Willingham and company have in store for me in the future. I can only hope the steady increase in quality over the last half of compendium one continues on into compendium's two and three. Until then however, Fable's compendium remains a relatively cheap and easy way to immerse yourself in the rather interesting Fables universe. The build quality of this large softcover is solid as well, for those who are interested, but I still bloody well wanted a hardcover. Check it out. I doubt you will be disappointed. 4/5
OmniBen.
I had been recommended by a trusted online comics channel to check this out. The premise certainly appealed to the dark and deviant element in my reading habits. Take old fairy tale characters in the public domain and thrust them into the modern world, and tell some more mature tales to boot. Brilliant, sign me up. Even the 17+ mature rating on the back added to the growing excitement I felt at this story. A few hundred pages in, and I was a little mystified, wondering where all the adult content was hiding. Not only that, but the first two arcs of the story, which ran several hundred pages, were fairly standard fare. not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but not near as interesting or engaging as I had expected. I was disappointed and a little perturbed, although I soldiered on. The more mature content (enough to justify a 17+ rating) never materialised, at least in my opinion. Sure, there was a bit of violence and some partial nudity, but nothing wanton or gratuitous. Though the story really began to get going about half way through, and apart from a tiny lull in a god awful two part war time Nazi story, the book became far more enjoyable, and I breezed through the final 700 pages in a few days. Despite some of my more favoured characters barely appearing in the second half of the book, the narrative didn't want for their preclusion, and I enjoyed getting to know a couple of other characters better. It may not have ended on a massive cliffhanger, though I'm genuinely interested to see where it goes from here.
The artwork is handled from a variety of sources, with Mark Buckingham handling the majority of the run, and was the books most consisted contributor. The small runs from guest artists and larger non canonical arcs were handled mostly very well, with a few even rising to the level of Buckingham himself. Mostly very strong artwork, with only a few minor misses here and there.
The Fables story is far from told however. With, I would suspect, another two lengthy compendiums still to release in order to collect the full run. I will be very interested to see what Willingham and company have in store for me in the future. I can only hope the steady increase in quality over the last half of compendium one continues on into compendium's two and three. Until then however, Fable's compendium remains a relatively cheap and easy way to immerse yourself in the rather interesting Fables universe. The build quality of this large softcover is solid as well, for those who are interested, but I still bloody well wanted a hardcover. Check it out. I doubt you will be disappointed. 4/5
OmniBen.
April 19, 2022
This is a series of comics that I had long heard about and desired to read, but which I didn't get around to until just recently. It follows many fairytale creatures/people who have been banished from their "homelands" by a mysterious figure known as the Adversary. Now, these "fables" live in modern(ish) New York. I will say that I really enjoyed most of these issues/arcs, and I absolutely flew through them. I could not put this volume down (which is saying something since it weighed approximately one billion pounds.)
I will say I had some gripes about these comics at points--almost every single character in this was white, I thought that the way some social views were addressed was a bit weird or outdated, and--the worst offense imo--there was a character who both fought for the Confederate army and later wore a Confederate flag, who ends up getting his own spin-off series (not included in these Compendiums, thank goodness.)
I kept a running log of my thoughts on each "volume"/collected arc that was included in this first Fables Compendium, and let me tell you it is a doozy. Apparently I have a bit of a rambling problem. I tried to mark most of the spoilers, but tread carefully anyway. My individual "volume" reviews are as follows:
Volume One: 5 stars
Volume Two: 5 stars
Volume Three: 3 stars
Volume Four: ~4 stars
Volume Five: A generous(?) 3 stars
1,001 Nights of Snowfall (Volume #7.5): 4 stars
Volume Six: 2 stars for Jack, 5 stars for Homelands
Phew! If you're still here, thanks for reading through this entire review. I would say my "Top 3" volumes/arcs were the first arc with the murder mystery, the "Animal Farm" arc, and "the Homelands" arc. I definitely anticipate reading the rest of this comics series (unless that damn Confederate flag shows up again. Then I'm dropping this, I'm sorry but I just cannot do it!) The characters and plot lines were interesting...the plot reminds me a bit of the TV show Once Upon A Time, which I used to love. These comics are perfect for a rainy day and I can't wait to read the rest of them!
(I calculated my average rating for this series, and apparently it is 3.875. I'm rounding up to a full 5 stars for the hell of it and because it's one of those books where I would always be thinking about what would happen next, even when I set it down. It's almost a "guilty pleasure" read for me, but 5 stars it will remain.)
I will say I had some gripes about these comics at points--almost every single character in this was white, I thought that the way some social views were addressed was a bit weird or outdated, and--the worst offense imo--there was a character who both fought for the Confederate army and later wore a Confederate flag, who ends up getting his own spin-off series (not included in these Compendiums, thank goodness.)
I kept a running log of my thoughts on each "volume"/collected arc that was included in this first Fables Compendium, and let me tell you it is a doozy. Apparently I have a bit of a rambling problem. I tried to mark most of the spoilers, but tread carefully anyway. My individual "volume" reviews are as follows:
Volume One: 5 stars
We start off with a (possible) murder mystery that does a good job of introducing the characters and the situation of this world. I appreciated the quick pacing, and the resolution to this mystery was satisfying and made a lot of sense with what we had learned so far while also remaining a surprise. I would have liked even more of an explanation about the motive at the end, though. But I liked how it tied up all of the different plot lines that had been introduced, and subverted expectations in some ways.
Volume Two: 5 stars
I enjoyed this run as well, though maybe not quite as much as the first run! This volume follows the non-human fables at the Farm, as plan to start a revolution and reclaim their Homelands from the Adversary. I appreciated seeing a different side of Fabletown in this volume, and even though the farm was like a “prison” for them, the artwork made the place seem so very charming. It was also interesting to explore more of and Snow White’s relationship since I find them more engaging than many of the other characters. The morality in this one was really interesting again even though some of the bestiality connotations had me questioning these comics at one point...
Volume Three: 3 stars
This section encompassed many different story arcs, instead of one overarching plot line like the previous volumes had. However due to the “Compendium” format this didn’t bother me too much. What did bother me was that the first of these stories—about Jack—featured the main character being a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. It just seemed wholly unnecessary and made it impossible to root for him honestly.
The next stretch was the “Storybook Love” stretch which also had the weird part of . That being said the growth in their relationship otherwise felt natural and interesting.
Finally, the “Barleycorn Brides” issue was a lot more fun than I thought it would be! At first I wasn’t a fan of the change in art style, but I felt like it fit the “storytelling” style of the narrative, and the tale was fun and dynamic while giving a bit of background on a part of Fabletown we don’t hear much from. I was surprised that it was the highlight of this volume for me.
Overall, this stretch of issues did not live up to its predecessors for me.
Volume Four: ~4 stars
I actually really enjoyed the Last Castle one shot, it was really interesting to get our first glimpse of the Homelands and hear about their fight against the Adversary’s forces! Ironically, even though the romance between was meant to be the main focus it was also one of the less enjoyable parts to me—I just wasn’t sold on it especially since it was such “insta love” (even though they are meant to be fairytales!) Still, the Greek tragedy of it all did resonate with me and made me feel so bad for them both at the end.
Finally, I was really enjoying the March of the Wooden Soldiers arc but then out of nowhere we have Jack wearing a Confederate flag on his hat when going to fight for “the good guys” and he is not called out on it at all. I HATE IT HERE. I really want to read the rest of the comics but when things like that are thrown in and that character later gets a spin-off series about him it just feels bad. I honestly brought this arc down half a star because of this detail.
That being said, the entire March of the Wooden Soldiers arc felt a lot more reminiscent of the first two arcs of this series in terms of pacing and overall plot series relevance! I feel like we’re getting closer to knowing who the Adversary is, and we learned many new details I thought that this was definitely a good addition to the series that propelled everything forward and raised the stakes for the volumes to come.
Volume Five: A generous(?) 3 stars
Cinderella Libertine (Issue 22) was actually placed before the March of the Wooden Soldiers arc in this Compendium but in the volumes it’s listed here so I’ll put my mini review here! The art style switched up again but I didn’t mind so much as I thought I would. There were many twists and turns just in the span of these couple dozen pages and honestly each of these twists took me by surprise! Kudos to the story writer for that.
The war stories honestly were not that interesting to me and took me a long time to muddle through. I just don’t have a taste for reading about wars that really happened (unless it is in a memoir or historical fiction context.) As it was, these issues followed a character that I’m not overly invested in (sorry Bigby) and the effects on the Fables world at large did not seem to be too significant, so this was probably my lowest rated stretch of the Compendium…
That being said, the Seasons arc was not too bad. I liked getting some quiet time with these characters after the huge battle of March of Wooden Soldiers (and presumably before another large battle/arc, if the name of the next arc is anything to go by..!) We got to see While I do enjoy the faster paced comics, having these more transitional and domestic tales made the world seem a bit larger and fuller, which I personally appreciated!
1,001 Nights of Snowfall (Volume #7.5): 4 stars
This one is a special volume/tale that was placed here within the compendium! I liked getting to see (even briefly) the non-Western fables since before this I thought that the world was very overwhelmingly white. I think that it would have been better to have one of the actual Arabian Fables tell these stories, instead of a European Fable hijacking the 1,001 nights tale. Other than that, I thought that this volume was nice and again provided a break from some action. It also provided many backstories of fables we’ve already grown to know and love. The art style was also very lovely and matched the fairytale vibes quite well.
The first tale in this volume followed Prince Charming and Snow White. I thought the twist on her classic fairytale was very interesting and well executed, and the “lightbulb” moment for me definitely felt earned! Plus I liked that not everything was spelled out and some things left for imagination. (Also random note that Snow White seemed to be drawn as possibly Eastern Asian in this artist’s style which was interesting since she was portrayed as white previously in the comics. But I liked this rendition of her!)
The Frog Prince story was very sad; I had been wondering about this character’s backstory based on hints we had heard and it was way more tragic than I thought! I felt a lot of sympathy for this character.
The story about Colonel Thunderfoot was kind of random, I didn’t understand why we had a story about him since I don’t think he had been in these comics previously?
The Witch’s story was interesting, I liked how there were many different fairytales weaved within it, and how it gave a different perspective of a villain from those tales
Also liked the different perspective of King Cole that we got to see,
The conclusion where we got some closure but also open ended with was very lovely and I liked that way to wrap it up a lot!
Volume Six: 2 stars for Jack, 5 stars for Homelands
I thought I would hate the “Jack Be Nimble” double issue because I still DESPISE Jack for the Confederate hat. And I still do absolutely despise him, but these issues weren’t as bad as I thought they would be—it helps that is focused more on the characters around him rather than on Jack himself. (Weird that they tried to sell the fact that being Black and gay would be a benefit in Hollywood when uhh...pretty sure that's not really the case.) I still would probably only give these maybe 2 stars each, even if my Lord of the Rings nerd self absolutely wanted to see the “Jack of Tales Movie Trilogy” they were making.
On the other hand, I liked seeing in the “Meanwhile in Fabletown…” segment! I already enjoy his character a lot and the mission he was given at the end ties in with some other characters (or one other character) that we haven’t seen in awhile…
The Homelands arc was definitely one of my most anticipated of this entire Compendium! I liked getting our first current glance at the Homelands and learning the identity of the Adversary, who The motives/backstory I didn’t have a guess at but I was surprisingly satisfied with it—however whenever something is hyped up THAT MUCH as it had previously been, I feel it's natural to have a couple of grievances (but nothing that would take this down from 5 stars). I liked . I enjoyed how this felt like a High Fantasy comic series for the first time-we got a taste of war, espionage, warlocks, magic, dragons, sword fights, portals to other lands… the plot and twists it provided were some of my favorites of the Fables comics thus far.
Phew! If you're still here, thanks for reading through this entire review. I would say my "Top 3" volumes/arcs were the first arc with the murder mystery, the "Animal Farm" arc, and "the Homelands" arc. I definitely anticipate reading the rest of this comics series (unless that damn Confederate flag shows up again. Then I'm dropping this, I'm sorry but I just cannot do it!) The characters and plot lines were interesting...the plot reminds me a bit of the TV show Once Upon A Time, which I used to love. These comics are perfect for a rainy day and I can't wait to read the rest of them!
(I calculated my average rating for this series, and apparently it is 3.875. I'm rounding up to a full 5 stars for the hell of it and because it's one of those books where I would always be thinking about what would happen next, even when I set it down. It's almost a "guilty pleasure" read for me, but 5 stars it will remain.)
December 11, 2020
Loved it, who would have thought a comic series about fairytale characters exiled to NYC to escape a dangerous foe could have so many twists and turns? I can definitely understand why this won Eisner awards for writing, can’t wait for the subsequent compendiums to be released so I can finish the series.
January 17, 2023
After rereading the first volume, I knew I had to revisit the entire series, and this compendium was such a great way to do it, with the spinoffs and extras combined with the comics. It continues to be a fantastic story, and even the volumes that I remember not enjoying as much were great. I'm seriously considering purchasing the compendiums for myself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Magical Journey Through Fairy Tales Reimagined
Picking up Fables Compendium One felt like rediscovering an old treasure chest. Years ago, I read many of these single issues in bits and pieces, but finally experiencing the entire story in one massive collection was nothing short of magical. This compendium—over 1,000 pages—lets you fully immerse yourself in the world of Fabletown without the wait between issues, and that alone made the experience even more exciting.
The story follows classic fairy tale characters who have been exiled from their homelands and forced to create a secret society in modern-day New York. Snow White, Bigby Wolf, Prince Charming, and countless others navigate political intrigue, mystery, and war, all while hiding from the eyes of the mundane world. The first major arc starts as a noir-style murder mystery—Bigby Wolf investigating the disappearance of Rose Red—but soon expands into larger conflicts, including a revolution at The Farm and the looming threat of the mysterious Adversary, the force that drove them from their homelands. (Gives me Andor vibes with how vast the Empire is, as well as Game of Thrones vibes with all the major characters you need to follow)
What makes Fables so special is its masterful blend of fantasy, drama, and social commentary. Each character is written with depth and complexity—Bigby Wolf, in particular, quickly became one of my favorite protagonists. Bill Willingham’s writing is sharp and engaging, and Mark Buckingham’s artwork brings a unique and dynamic visual style that perfectly suits the tone of the story. (Willingham. Buckingham. Ha.)
Now that I’ve finished this first compendium, I’m eager to dive into the next three. I have no idea where the journey will take me, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the adventure. If you’re a fan of fairy tales with a dark, modern twist, Fables is an absolute must-read!
Picking up Fables Compendium One felt like rediscovering an old treasure chest. Years ago, I read many of these single issues in bits and pieces, but finally experiencing the entire story in one massive collection was nothing short of magical. This compendium—over 1,000 pages—lets you fully immerse yourself in the world of Fabletown without the wait between issues, and that alone made the experience even more exciting.
The story follows classic fairy tale characters who have been exiled from their homelands and forced to create a secret society in modern-day New York. Snow White, Bigby Wolf, Prince Charming, and countless others navigate political intrigue, mystery, and war, all while hiding from the eyes of the mundane world. The first major arc starts as a noir-style murder mystery—Bigby Wolf investigating the disappearance of Rose Red—but soon expands into larger conflicts, including a revolution at The Farm and the looming threat of the mysterious Adversary, the force that drove them from their homelands. (Gives me Andor vibes with how vast the Empire is, as well as Game of Thrones vibes with all the major characters you need to follow)
What makes Fables so special is its masterful blend of fantasy, drama, and social commentary. Each character is written with depth and complexity—Bigby Wolf, in particular, quickly became one of my favorite protagonists. Bill Willingham’s writing is sharp and engaging, and Mark Buckingham’s artwork brings a unique and dynamic visual style that perfectly suits the tone of the story. (Willingham. Buckingham. Ha.)
Now that I’ve finished this first compendium, I’m eager to dive into the next three. I have no idea where the journey will take me, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the adventure. If you’re a fan of fairy tales with a dark, modern twist, Fables is an absolute must-read!
April 11, 2021
Super imaginative and a fun alternative to the standard super hero fare. Willingham has succesfully added depth, history and intrigue to timeless characters and it is quite fun to see what direction he takes characters like the Big Bad Wolf, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, etc. The artwork is about as good as it gets for a comic that is not affiliated with the Big 2 (Marvel and DC). Mark Buckingham becomes the lead penciller for most of the series with other artists filling in on various issues. His best work is not in this first volume, but seems to hit a better, more consistent style in later volumes.
In summary, you have a fun story with recognizable characters, decent artwork and a great collection for a great price.
In summary, you have a fun story with recognizable characters, decent artwork and a great collection for a great price.
April 27, 2021
My inner fairy tail fanboy loved this! So cool to see so many stories mixed together. The comic book format worked really well, too. More violent and gruesome in some parts than I was expecting, though. Wasn’t a huge fan of some of the smaller side stories interspersed in the main arc, but still enjoyed the whole thing overall.
August 13, 2023
An absolutely riveting comic series. Taking many of the well-known and lesser well-known characters of fairy tales and myth and bringing them together under epic circumstances makes for a great read. Every issue is a delight, and despite the weight of this compendium it is difficult to put it down. So glad I bought the boxed set of all four.
January 19, 2022
Fables: Compendium One. Raccoglie i primi 41 numeri del fumetto Fables, scritto da Bill Willingham, il cui primo numero uscì nel 2002. Alla fine, ne sono usciti 150 di numeri in totale, infatti se volessi completare la collezione dovrei comprarne altri tre di Compendium (e di sta rivelando complicato, ma ci sto lavorando). Ma intanto concentriamoci su questo primo volume...
L'universo di Fables parte da una premessa abbastanza semplice: le terre dei protagonisti delle fiabe sono state conquistate da un famigerato Adversary (Avversario), e quelli che si sono salvati da morte e distruzione si sono rifugiati in una comunità a New York. I personaggi umani stanno in città, mentre quelli dalle sembianze non umane stanno nella cosiddetta Farm, Fattoria, qualche decina di miglia a nord della città. L'universo creato da Willingham si sviluppa attraverso vari story arc per lo più formati da più numero l'uno, ed è seguendo queste macrostorie che ho deciso di scrivere di Fables.
In tutto questo, specifico che il mio primo contatto con Fables è avvenuto qualche anno fa giocando l'ottimo The Wolf Among Us della TellTale Games (ormai fallita), un gioco narrativo che mi aveva fatto venir voglia di leggere questo strano fumetto. È arrivato il momento!
Legends in Exile (issues 1 to 5)
Leggende in esilio introduce molti dei personaggi chiave di Fables, a partire dallo sceriffo Bigby Wolf (il lupo cattivo delle fiabe) e Snow White (Biancaneve) che è la vera e propria amministratrice della comunità. La scusa per introdurli è l'indagine sulla presunta morte di Rose Red, sorella di Snow White, per cui tra i sospetti del brusco Wolf finiscono Jack (quello del fagiolo magico, che è sempre il primo sospettato per tutto), Blubeard (Barbablù) e vari altri. La storia funziona, introduce benissimo il mondo di Fables, e fa venir voglia di saperne di più su questi assurdi personaggi che vivono nel nostro mondo ma sono dei veri e propri pesci fuor d'acqua.
Animal Farm (issues 6 to 10)
La fattoria degli animali mostra una rivoluzione alla Farm guidata da Goldilocks (Riccioli d'oro) e dai suoi tre orsi, in un parallelo non troppo velato con la più famosa Animal Farm di George Orwell. Forse un po' troppo sbrigativa la soluzione finale, ma è un'altra storia che centra l'obiettivo di espandere il mondo di Fables, e lo fa non ricorrendo al protagonista Wolf.
Bag 'O Bones (issue 11)
Una sacco d'ossa è una breve storia a sé stante in cui vediamo Jack durante la Guerra Civile statunitense (i personaggi delle fiabe sono immortali, nel nostro mondo, specialmente se noi umani continuiamo a ricordarli e a narrare le loro storie. Jack interagisce in modo inaspettato con Death, la Morte. Semplice, veloce, la storia funziona alla grande e approfondisce un personaggio che si vede parecchio in questi primi numeri.
A Two-Part Caper (issues 12 and 13)
Una storiella in due parti assume un tono abbastanza oscuro quando Wolf si trova a che fare con un giornalista che crede di aver scoperto in Fabletown una comunità di vampiri. Sorprende come Willingham tiri fuori pedofilia e omicidi a sangue freddo, il tutto in una storia in cui gioca un ruolo importante Briar Rose, cioè la Bella Addormentata, che ha ancora il potere/ la maledizione di far addormentare tutti intorno a sé quando cade preda del suo sonno magico. Fa venir voglia di capire come evolverà questo fumetto il cui tono può passare facilmente dallo scanzonato al vietato ai minori nel giro di due pagine.
Storybook Love (issues 14 to 17)
Un amore da favola: Willingham dà continuità alla storia sviluppando ulteriormente i personaggi di Prince Charming (il principe azzurro, una persona veramente deplorevole sotto ogni punto di vista), Bluebeard (un altro cattivissimo, naturalmente), Goldilocks (associates con Bluebeard), e torna sulla dichiarazione d'amore di Bigby a Snow White. Qui sembra cominciare una vera e propria storia d'amore, e la rivelazione finale è da brividi! Tutte le sorprese disseminate da Willingham in questo story arc mi sono piaciute, ma mi riservo il giudizio finale per il futuro perché non so quanto posso credere alle morti dei vari prsonaggi che sappiamo essere più o meno immortali (dipendendo da quanto noi umani continuiamo a raccontare le loro storie).
Barleycorn Brides (issue 18). Le spose dell'orzo è una storia a sé stante che rappresenta un piacevole intervallo che usa i lillipuziani per un racconto ambientato per lo più nel passato che si prende anche la libertà di un disegno più leggero rispetto al solito. E poi mi ha fatto canticchiare tutto il tempo la splendida John Barleycorn (must die) dei Traffic, come posso non apprezzarlo?
The Last Castle. L'ultimo castello è una storia inclusa nel Compendium ma non uscì nei numeri regolari del comic Fables. È posizionata dopo Barleycorn Brides e approfondisce anch'essa la guerra contro l'invasore delle terre delle fiabe. Lo fa attraverso i ricordi di Boy Blue nel giorno dell'anniversario della fuga degli ultimi sopravvissuti attraverso l'ultima porta rimasta per arrivare nel nostro mondo, dopo una battaglia campale in cui molti (tra cui Robin of the Woods e Red Riding Hood, cioè Robin Hood e Cappuccetto Rosso) si sacrificarono per salvarli. La storia è splendida, con l'assedio al castello, la battaglia campale, e il tono assolutamente oscuro e triste che accompagna i ricordi di Boy Blue, che ironicamente viene considerato troppo giovane per suonare blues nei locali di New York nonostante si porti dentro una grande tristezza da secoli (amò alla follia Red Riding Hood ma lei non si salvò, mentre lui riuscì ad arrivare a Fabletown).
A Wolf in the Fold. Il titolo è un'espressione traducibile come Fantasmi del passato, perdendo il riferimento al wolf, lupo. Questo è un breve racconto non illustrato sugli anni in cui Wolf combattè contro le truppe dell'invasore, su come incontrò Snow White per la prima volta, e su come arrivò a New York, anzi, New Amsterdam come era chiamata al tempo. La prosa di Willingham riesce a rispettare l'atmosfera di Fables anche senza i disegni, ed è affascinante entrare nella mente di Wolf per capire le sue motivazioni e i suoi istinti predatori.
Cinderella Libertine (issue 22). Cenerentola libertina è una breve storia che introduce una terza ex moglie di Prince Charming: dopo Snow White e la bella addormentata Briar Rose, il Principe Azzurro sposò Cinderella (Cenerentola), che attualmente ha un negozio di scarpe chiamato, naturalmente, The Glass Slipper (La scarpina di cristallo). Qui scopriamo che lavora per Bigby, e che ci sono dei Fables che cospirano per far trionfare l'Adversary anche nel nostro mondo, come Ichabod Crane (da Sleepy Hollow!), risentito per essere stato costretto ad abbandonare il suo posto da amministratore di Fabletown dopo aver aggredito sessualmente Snow White.
March of the Wooden Soldiers (issues 19 to 21, and 23 to 27). La marcia dei soldatini di legno è lo story arc più lungo fino ad ora mi è piaciuto da matti. Finamente tocchiamo con mano il potere dell'Adversary che manda una forza di invasione contro Fabletown, formata da fratelli di Pinocchio dannatamente potenti in battaglia (per esempio, le pallottole non gli fanno molti danni). Questo significa che Geppetto è ancora vivo, forse schiavo dell'Adversary (o alleato?). Allo stesso tempo, Prince Charming vuole sostituire King Cole a capo della comunità (e mettere la Bella e la Bestia al posto di Snow White e Bigby), anche se il grosso della storia sta nella battaglia a difesa di Fabletown che vede vincitori i nostri eroi pur se a caro prezzo (muoiono Weyland, l'orso Boo, tanti membri della Mounted Police... e pure Pinocchio stesso!). Rivediamo Red Riding Hood, ma è solo il suo corpo usato dalla malvagia Baba Yaga che viene sconfitta dalla strega di Hansel e Gretel e poi imprigionata da Bigby per provare ad estorcere informazioni preziose sui piani dell'Adversary (o, come si fa chiamare, l'Imperatore). Infine, Snow White sta per partorire! E c'è pure un immancabile riferimento a The X-Files, come potevo non amare questa storia?
Riguardo a temi chiave di questo story arc, mi sembra inevitabile che Willingham parli di guerra in un periodo in cui gli Stati Uniti stavano mandando il proprio esercito a combattere in varie parti del mondo (questi numeri del fumetto originariamente uscirono nel 2004, poco dopo le invasioni di Afghanistan e Iraq, e pure le elezioni a Fabletown sembrano essere allineate con quelle del 2004 che videro fronteggiarsi Bush e Kerry).
War Stories (issues 28 and 29). Storie di guerra sta in due ottimi numeri che raccontano di un episodio della Seconda Guerra Mondiale in cui Bigby guidò un commando statunitense dietro le linee nemiche in Francia nel 1944. Tra Frankenstein e l'Uomo Lupo, siamo ad un passo da quella che sarebbe potuta essere un'avventura di un gioco di ruolo nell'universo di Lovecraft, e per me questo è da prendersi come un complimento. Più leggo Fables, più ne voglio leggere ancora!
The Long Year / The Mean Seasons (issues 30 to 33). Questi quattro numeri mi sono sembrati contenere una storia quasi di raccordo, col compito di cambiare un po' le carte in tavola prima di ripartire con nuove avventure. Prima di tutto, c'è un nuovo sindaco in città, ed è Prince Charming, e l'unica promessa che sembra poter mantenere è quella di rimpiazzare Snow White e Bigby Wolf con Beauty e Beast. Poi, Snow passa un bel po' di ore in sala parto per partorire sei bebé che hanno tutte le gradazioni da umano a lupo e che volano pure (d'altronde il nonno è il North Wind, il Vento del Nord). Di conseguenza deve andare alla Farm, dove Bigby non la può seguire. Questi decide quindi di andarsene da Fabletown. Infine una serie di misteriosi omicidi mette alla prova il nuovo sceriffo, che trova aiuto anche in North che visita la Farm per stare coi suoi nipoti. Ci sono varie altre tracce di possibili future storie con Jack che se ne va (forse portandosi dietro alcuni tesori di Bluebeard), Fly che viene perdonato da Beast che gli leva così l'unico modo che aveva per vivere tranquillo, e Blue (ormai completamente guarito) che scompare pure lui. Insomma, mi sembra che Willingham qui abbia posizionato i suoi pezzi per dare vita a un interessante futuro, senza necessariamente preoccuparsi di sviluppare un'unica storia come in precedenti story arcs. Tutto ciò che ho letto ha destato la mia curiosità, quindi con me la cosa ha funzionato!
Da sottolineare come i due contendenti nelle elezioni siano uno un inetto (Cole) e l'altro un bugiardo compulsivo (Charming): a occhio a Willingham non piaceva molto la situazione politica del proprio paese!
1001 Nights of Snowfall. La visita di Snow White alle terre delle Arabian Nights (Le 1001 notti di neve) è un modo per raccontare storie del passato di molti dei personaggi di Fables, arricchendo sempre di più quest'universo davvero impressionante. È con queste 140 pagine di contenuti fuori dalla serie regolare che scopriamo così i background di King Cole, di Snow White stessa e di come abbia fatto fuori i maledetti sette nani, del povero Ambrose il principe ranocchio, del perché a Bigby sia vietato entrare nella Farm (era davvero un lupo grande e cattivo!), e di vari altri personaggi in fuga dal mondo delle favole per l'invasione dell'Adversary. Bella anche la cornice scritta come fosse una fiaba delle Mille e una notte, e splendidi i disegni che ancora una volta spaziano su più stili in quanto affidati ad artisti diversi. Questa è la prova di come un concetto come Fables si presti a un'infinita varietà di storie e racconti, e per adesso mi sembra che Willingham, il suo unico autore, abbia davvero fatto tesoro della cosa!
Jack Be Nimble (issues 34 and 35). Jack (quello della pianta di fagioli) se ne è scappato da Fabletown rendendosi conto del disastro a cui avrebbe portato l'elezione di Prince Charming a sindaco. E non se ne è andato a mani vuote, portandosi dietro uno dei tesori di Bluebeard. Tutti quei soldi li fa fruttare a Hollywood, ma dopo qualche anno lo sceriffo Beast lo raggiunge e lo esilia (per non farlo passare dal boia). La storia è raccontata in modo interessante, ma non consistente: parte come una collezione di testimonianze di un processo, ma poi passa ad una narrazione lineare. I disegni, poi, non sono dei migliori visti fino ad ora. E la storia stessa è lineare, quando in tutti gli story arc precedenti Willingham aveva sempre provato a sorprendere con qualche colpo di scena. Tutto questo fa di Jack Be Nimble probabilmente la storia più deludente di quelle lette fino ad ora.
Homelands (issues 36 to 38 and 40 and 41). Terre natie è narrata in cinque numeri affascinanti e segnano un ritorno al fantasy puro grazie alla missione di Boy Blue che, dopo essersi rimesso dalle torture di Baba Yaga, va in missione nelle Homelands per assassinare l'Adversary. Il colpo di scena su chi sia l'Adversary l'avevo capito sin da March of the Wooden Soldiers, ma questo non ha minimamente diminuito il piacere della lettura. Blue è un eroe fantastico armato com'è del suo mantello magico (Witching Cloak) e dell'invincibile spada Vorpal (originariamente menzionata da Lewis Carroll nel suo poema Jabberwocky), il suo cammino per arrivare dall'Imperatore è strepitoso.
E, spoiler alert, mi ha colpito la spiegazione di come Geppetto sia diventato il temibile Adversary, il vero detentore del potere nell'impero del male che ha conquistato le terre delle fiabe, e che ora, scopriamo, sta combattendo per prendersi pure le terre che abbiamo visto in 1001 Nights of Snowfall. È interessante perché inizialmente non c'era malizia nelle azioni di Geppetto, ma è stato il potere a convertirlo in un mostro. E oltre a metterci in guardia dai pericoli del poterex Willingham sembra dirci che il fine non giustifica i mezzi, e se i mezzi utilizzati sono disumani, alla fine si perde la propria umanità.
Alla fine dell'ultimo numero, che chiude anche l'intero Compendium One, Blue riesce a tornare sano e salvo a Fabletown, porta con sé la vera Red Riding Hood (che non avevamo mai visto: era una spia quella con cui lui aveva avuto una storia), e Geppetto giura di fargliela pagare amaramente... E si scopre anche che l'intero piano veniva da Prince Charming: alla fine vuoi vedere che il nuovo sindaco non è così inutile come si pensava?
Meanwhile (issue 39). Questo singolo numero (Nel mentre) che fa da intervallo a Homelands mostra Fabletown durante la missione di Blue. Come tale, è ricco di avvenimenti che aprono nuove strade, una sorta di aperitivo per i futuri numeri. Entra in scena Mowgli, uno degli agenti di Fabletown che operano all'estero (i tourists), a cui Prince Charming affida il compito di ritrovare Bigby per una missione nelle Homelands. Ed esce di scena Trusty John (personaggio di una fiaba dei fratelli Grimm) condannato per spionaggio per l'Adversary: prima di entrare nel Witching Well, lancia una maledizione sui suoi boia, chissà a cosa porterà!
E qui si chiude il Compendium One, che mi è piaciuto da matti. Posso immaginare alcuni dei possibili sviluppi futuri della serie, e sono curiosissimo di scoprire quelli e tutti gli altri che mi sorprenderanno! Ciao!
L'universo di Fables parte da una premessa abbastanza semplice: le terre dei protagonisti delle fiabe sono state conquistate da un famigerato Adversary (Avversario), e quelli che si sono salvati da morte e distruzione si sono rifugiati in una comunità a New York. I personaggi umani stanno in città, mentre quelli dalle sembianze non umane stanno nella cosiddetta Farm, Fattoria, qualche decina di miglia a nord della città. L'universo creato da Willingham si sviluppa attraverso vari story arc per lo più formati da più numero l'uno, ed è seguendo queste macrostorie che ho deciso di scrivere di Fables.
In tutto questo, specifico che il mio primo contatto con Fables è avvenuto qualche anno fa giocando l'ottimo The Wolf Among Us della TellTale Games (ormai fallita), un gioco narrativo che mi aveva fatto venir voglia di leggere questo strano fumetto. È arrivato il momento!
Legends in Exile (issues 1 to 5)
Leggende in esilio introduce molti dei personaggi chiave di Fables, a partire dallo sceriffo Bigby Wolf (il lupo cattivo delle fiabe) e Snow White (Biancaneve) che è la vera e propria amministratrice della comunità. La scusa per introdurli è l'indagine sulla presunta morte di Rose Red, sorella di Snow White, per cui tra i sospetti del brusco Wolf finiscono Jack (quello del fagiolo magico, che è sempre il primo sospettato per tutto), Blubeard (Barbablù) e vari altri. La storia funziona, introduce benissimo il mondo di Fables, e fa venir voglia di saperne di più su questi assurdi personaggi che vivono nel nostro mondo ma sono dei veri e propri pesci fuor d'acqua.
Animal Farm (issues 6 to 10)
La fattoria degli animali mostra una rivoluzione alla Farm guidata da Goldilocks (Riccioli d'oro) e dai suoi tre orsi, in un parallelo non troppo velato con la più famosa Animal Farm di George Orwell. Forse un po' troppo sbrigativa la soluzione finale, ma è un'altra storia che centra l'obiettivo di espandere il mondo di Fables, e lo fa non ricorrendo al protagonista Wolf.
Bag 'O Bones (issue 11)
Una sacco d'ossa è una breve storia a sé stante in cui vediamo Jack durante la Guerra Civile statunitense (i personaggi delle fiabe sono immortali, nel nostro mondo, specialmente se noi umani continuiamo a ricordarli e a narrare le loro storie. Jack interagisce in modo inaspettato con Death, la Morte. Semplice, veloce, la storia funziona alla grande e approfondisce un personaggio che si vede parecchio in questi primi numeri.
A Two-Part Caper (issues 12 and 13)
Una storiella in due parti assume un tono abbastanza oscuro quando Wolf si trova a che fare con un giornalista che crede di aver scoperto in Fabletown una comunità di vampiri. Sorprende come Willingham tiri fuori pedofilia e omicidi a sangue freddo, il tutto in una storia in cui gioca un ruolo importante Briar Rose, cioè la Bella Addormentata, che ha ancora il potere/ la maledizione di far addormentare tutti intorno a sé quando cade preda del suo sonno magico. Fa venir voglia di capire come evolverà questo fumetto il cui tono può passare facilmente dallo scanzonato al vietato ai minori nel giro di due pagine.
Storybook Love (issues 14 to 17)
Un amore da favola: Willingham dà continuità alla storia sviluppando ulteriormente i personaggi di Prince Charming (il principe azzurro, una persona veramente deplorevole sotto ogni punto di vista), Bluebeard (un altro cattivissimo, naturalmente), Goldilocks (associates con Bluebeard), e torna sulla dichiarazione d'amore di Bigby a Snow White. Qui sembra cominciare una vera e propria storia d'amore, e la rivelazione finale è da brividi! Tutte le sorprese disseminate da Willingham in questo story arc mi sono piaciute, ma mi riservo il giudizio finale per il futuro perché non so quanto posso credere alle morti dei vari prsonaggi che sappiamo essere più o meno immortali (dipendendo da quanto noi umani continuiamo a raccontare le loro storie).
Barleycorn Brides (issue 18). Le spose dell'orzo è una storia a sé stante che rappresenta un piacevole intervallo che usa i lillipuziani per un racconto ambientato per lo più nel passato che si prende anche la libertà di un disegno più leggero rispetto al solito. E poi mi ha fatto canticchiare tutto il tempo la splendida John Barleycorn (must die) dei Traffic, come posso non apprezzarlo?
The Last Castle. L'ultimo castello è una storia inclusa nel Compendium ma non uscì nei numeri regolari del comic Fables. È posizionata dopo Barleycorn Brides e approfondisce anch'essa la guerra contro l'invasore delle terre delle fiabe. Lo fa attraverso i ricordi di Boy Blue nel giorno dell'anniversario della fuga degli ultimi sopravvissuti attraverso l'ultima porta rimasta per arrivare nel nostro mondo, dopo una battaglia campale in cui molti (tra cui Robin of the Woods e Red Riding Hood, cioè Robin Hood e Cappuccetto Rosso) si sacrificarono per salvarli. La storia è splendida, con l'assedio al castello, la battaglia campale, e il tono assolutamente oscuro e triste che accompagna i ricordi di Boy Blue, che ironicamente viene considerato troppo giovane per suonare blues nei locali di New York nonostante si porti dentro una grande tristezza da secoli (amò alla follia Red Riding Hood ma lei non si salvò, mentre lui riuscì ad arrivare a Fabletown).
A Wolf in the Fold. Il titolo è un'espressione traducibile come Fantasmi del passato, perdendo il riferimento al wolf, lupo. Questo è un breve racconto non illustrato sugli anni in cui Wolf combattè contro le truppe dell'invasore, su come incontrò Snow White per la prima volta, e su come arrivò a New York, anzi, New Amsterdam come era chiamata al tempo. La prosa di Willingham riesce a rispettare l'atmosfera di Fables anche senza i disegni, ed è affascinante entrare nella mente di Wolf per capire le sue motivazioni e i suoi istinti predatori.
Cinderella Libertine (issue 22). Cenerentola libertina è una breve storia che introduce una terza ex moglie di Prince Charming: dopo Snow White e la bella addormentata Briar Rose, il Principe Azzurro sposò Cinderella (Cenerentola), che attualmente ha un negozio di scarpe chiamato, naturalmente, The Glass Slipper (La scarpina di cristallo). Qui scopriamo che lavora per Bigby, e che ci sono dei Fables che cospirano per far trionfare l'Adversary anche nel nostro mondo, come Ichabod Crane (da Sleepy Hollow!), risentito per essere stato costretto ad abbandonare il suo posto da amministratore di Fabletown dopo aver aggredito sessualmente Snow White.
March of the Wooden Soldiers (issues 19 to 21, and 23 to 27). La marcia dei soldatini di legno è lo story arc più lungo fino ad ora mi è piaciuto da matti. Finamente tocchiamo con mano il potere dell'Adversary che manda una forza di invasione contro Fabletown, formata da fratelli di Pinocchio dannatamente potenti in battaglia (per esempio, le pallottole non gli fanno molti danni). Questo significa che Geppetto è ancora vivo, forse schiavo dell'Adversary (o alleato?). Allo stesso tempo, Prince Charming vuole sostituire King Cole a capo della comunità (e mettere la Bella e la Bestia al posto di Snow White e Bigby), anche se il grosso della storia sta nella battaglia a difesa di Fabletown che vede vincitori i nostri eroi pur se a caro prezzo (muoiono Weyland, l'orso Boo, tanti membri della Mounted Police... e pure Pinocchio stesso!). Rivediamo Red Riding Hood, ma è solo il suo corpo usato dalla malvagia Baba Yaga che viene sconfitta dalla strega di Hansel e Gretel e poi imprigionata da Bigby per provare ad estorcere informazioni preziose sui piani dell'Adversary (o, come si fa chiamare, l'Imperatore). Infine, Snow White sta per partorire! E c'è pure un immancabile riferimento a The X-Files, come potevo non amare questa storia?
Riguardo a temi chiave di questo story arc, mi sembra inevitabile che Willingham parli di guerra in un periodo in cui gli Stati Uniti stavano mandando il proprio esercito a combattere in varie parti del mondo (questi numeri del fumetto originariamente uscirono nel 2004, poco dopo le invasioni di Afghanistan e Iraq, e pure le elezioni a Fabletown sembrano essere allineate con quelle del 2004 che videro fronteggiarsi Bush e Kerry).
War Stories (issues 28 and 29). Storie di guerra sta in due ottimi numeri che raccontano di un episodio della Seconda Guerra Mondiale in cui Bigby guidò un commando statunitense dietro le linee nemiche in Francia nel 1944. Tra Frankenstein e l'Uomo Lupo, siamo ad un passo da quella che sarebbe potuta essere un'avventura di un gioco di ruolo nell'universo di Lovecraft, e per me questo è da prendersi come un complimento. Più leggo Fables, più ne voglio leggere ancora!
The Long Year / The Mean Seasons (issues 30 to 33). Questi quattro numeri mi sono sembrati contenere una storia quasi di raccordo, col compito di cambiare un po' le carte in tavola prima di ripartire con nuove avventure. Prima di tutto, c'è un nuovo sindaco in città, ed è Prince Charming, e l'unica promessa che sembra poter mantenere è quella di rimpiazzare Snow White e Bigby Wolf con Beauty e Beast. Poi, Snow passa un bel po' di ore in sala parto per partorire sei bebé che hanno tutte le gradazioni da umano a lupo e che volano pure (d'altronde il nonno è il North Wind, il Vento del Nord). Di conseguenza deve andare alla Farm, dove Bigby non la può seguire. Questi decide quindi di andarsene da Fabletown. Infine una serie di misteriosi omicidi mette alla prova il nuovo sceriffo, che trova aiuto anche in North che visita la Farm per stare coi suoi nipoti. Ci sono varie altre tracce di possibili future storie con Jack che se ne va (forse portandosi dietro alcuni tesori di Bluebeard), Fly che viene perdonato da Beast che gli leva così l'unico modo che aveva per vivere tranquillo, e Blue (ormai completamente guarito) che scompare pure lui. Insomma, mi sembra che Willingham qui abbia posizionato i suoi pezzi per dare vita a un interessante futuro, senza necessariamente preoccuparsi di sviluppare un'unica storia come in precedenti story arcs. Tutto ciò che ho letto ha destato la mia curiosità, quindi con me la cosa ha funzionato!
Da sottolineare come i due contendenti nelle elezioni siano uno un inetto (Cole) e l'altro un bugiardo compulsivo (Charming): a occhio a Willingham non piaceva molto la situazione politica del proprio paese!
1001 Nights of Snowfall. La visita di Snow White alle terre delle Arabian Nights (Le 1001 notti di neve) è un modo per raccontare storie del passato di molti dei personaggi di Fables, arricchendo sempre di più quest'universo davvero impressionante. È con queste 140 pagine di contenuti fuori dalla serie regolare che scopriamo così i background di King Cole, di Snow White stessa e di come abbia fatto fuori i maledetti sette nani, del povero Ambrose il principe ranocchio, del perché a Bigby sia vietato entrare nella Farm (era davvero un lupo grande e cattivo!), e di vari altri personaggi in fuga dal mondo delle favole per l'invasione dell'Adversary. Bella anche la cornice scritta come fosse una fiaba delle Mille e una notte, e splendidi i disegni che ancora una volta spaziano su più stili in quanto affidati ad artisti diversi. Questa è la prova di come un concetto come Fables si presti a un'infinita varietà di storie e racconti, e per adesso mi sembra che Willingham, il suo unico autore, abbia davvero fatto tesoro della cosa!
Jack Be Nimble (issues 34 and 35). Jack (quello della pianta di fagioli) se ne è scappato da Fabletown rendendosi conto del disastro a cui avrebbe portato l'elezione di Prince Charming a sindaco. E non se ne è andato a mani vuote, portandosi dietro uno dei tesori di Bluebeard. Tutti quei soldi li fa fruttare a Hollywood, ma dopo qualche anno lo sceriffo Beast lo raggiunge e lo esilia (per non farlo passare dal boia). La storia è raccontata in modo interessante, ma non consistente: parte come una collezione di testimonianze di un processo, ma poi passa ad una narrazione lineare. I disegni, poi, non sono dei migliori visti fino ad ora. E la storia stessa è lineare, quando in tutti gli story arc precedenti Willingham aveva sempre provato a sorprendere con qualche colpo di scena. Tutto questo fa di Jack Be Nimble probabilmente la storia più deludente di quelle lette fino ad ora.
Homelands (issues 36 to 38 and 40 and 41). Terre natie è narrata in cinque numeri affascinanti e segnano un ritorno al fantasy puro grazie alla missione di Boy Blue che, dopo essersi rimesso dalle torture di Baba Yaga, va in missione nelle Homelands per assassinare l'Adversary. Il colpo di scena su chi sia l'Adversary l'avevo capito sin da March of the Wooden Soldiers, ma questo non ha minimamente diminuito il piacere della lettura. Blue è un eroe fantastico armato com'è del suo mantello magico (Witching Cloak) e dell'invincibile spada Vorpal (originariamente menzionata da Lewis Carroll nel suo poema Jabberwocky), il suo cammino per arrivare dall'Imperatore è strepitoso.
E, spoiler alert, mi ha colpito la spiegazione di come Geppetto sia diventato il temibile Adversary, il vero detentore del potere nell'impero del male che ha conquistato le terre delle fiabe, e che ora, scopriamo, sta combattendo per prendersi pure le terre che abbiamo visto in 1001 Nights of Snowfall. È interessante perché inizialmente non c'era malizia nelle azioni di Geppetto, ma è stato il potere a convertirlo in un mostro. E oltre a metterci in guardia dai pericoli del poterex Willingham sembra dirci che il fine non giustifica i mezzi, e se i mezzi utilizzati sono disumani, alla fine si perde la propria umanità.
Alla fine dell'ultimo numero, che chiude anche l'intero Compendium One, Blue riesce a tornare sano e salvo a Fabletown, porta con sé la vera Red Riding Hood (che non avevamo mai visto: era una spia quella con cui lui aveva avuto una storia), e Geppetto giura di fargliela pagare amaramente... E si scopre anche che l'intero piano veniva da Prince Charming: alla fine vuoi vedere che il nuovo sindaco non è così inutile come si pensava?
Meanwhile (issue 39). Questo singolo numero (Nel mentre) che fa da intervallo a Homelands mostra Fabletown durante la missione di Blue. Come tale, è ricco di avvenimenti che aprono nuove strade, una sorta di aperitivo per i futuri numeri. Entra in scena Mowgli, uno degli agenti di Fabletown che operano all'estero (i tourists), a cui Prince Charming affida il compito di ritrovare Bigby per una missione nelle Homelands. Ed esce di scena Trusty John (personaggio di una fiaba dei fratelli Grimm) condannato per spionaggio per l'Adversary: prima di entrare nel Witching Well, lancia una maledizione sui suoi boia, chissà a cosa porterà!
E qui si chiude il Compendium One, che mi è piaciuto da matti. Posso immaginare alcuni dei possibili sviluppi futuri della serie, e sono curiosissimo di scoprire quelli e tutti gli altri che mi sorprenderanno! Ciao!
January 4, 2022
1200 pgs of spectacular storytelling and definitely worth every dime. 3 more to go. 😳. (Felt good being back in the realm of graphic novels.)
March 1, 2025
Absolutely love seeing all these well known fairy tale characters in our modern world and the absolutely sprawling story built out in this volume. Can't wait to get the next one!
May 23, 2024
This was my first graphic novel universe I’ve ever dove into, and it was a winner!
I love the art styles, I love the story, I love the dialogue. I love the alignment of the book fables to our actual fables IRL. There’s cute parts, steamy parts, silly parts, action parts, you name it!
I am also extremely proud of myself as this is the largest book I’ve ever completed, and it only took 1.5 months while reading 2.5 other books simultaneously. Boy, who knew I’d love reading so much!
I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in not only this series but the entire Fables universe! It’s a great “back burner” or filler book too.
I love the art styles, I love the story, I love the dialogue. I love the alignment of the book fables to our actual fables IRL. There’s cute parts, steamy parts, silly parts, action parts, you name it!
I am also extremely proud of myself as this is the largest book I’ve ever completed, and it only took 1.5 months while reading 2.5 other books simultaneously. Boy, who knew I’d love reading so much!
I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in not only this series but the entire Fables universe! It’s a great “back burner” or filler book too.
June 24, 2023
When i got back into comics i asked a comicbookstore owner about three comics that looked good, one was Preacher, another one was Fables and DMZ was the final one, i decided on DMZ (i liked the story and art best at that time) Preacher i got to and loved that one aswell. Then Fables, i really wanted to own those fantastic looking hcs, but some where not available and i did not want the hassle of paying stupid prices online.. Then came the compendiums and i was very happy, i love the format, decent pricing, looks good on the shelf and they are even pretty nice to bring with you. I bought all four blindly, as i had a good feeling about this one. I finally read the first one, and man this series is incredible. Right up my alley. Really great artwork, fast paced story and so many cool takes on Fables and myths. I loved the stories from when i was a kid, and really grew up with the Grimm stories and Anderson, and many more. The big bad Wolf as a noirish Detective has to be my favorite so far, but everything in this compendium has been so far. Its a super cool series to dive in, and it got stellar artists all around, it even gots some prose. Very happy that i finally got to read this Vertigo series, which i still think has been the best comic imprint of them all.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
April 20, 2025
I had no idea this series existed until I played “The Wolf Among Us” by Telltale Games. I fell in love with Bigby and all the other Fables in that game. When the sequel got stuck in production limbo for years (still there, but supposedly coming out sometime soon), I started looking into the source material that inspired the game. I was ecstatic to discover the game was based off a long running comic series by DC called “Fables” by Bill Willingham.
And great news for me, the series (or at least the original series) is complete. All 162 issues are compiled into a four-compendium box set.
The Bad
Every issue isn’t drawn by one artist. This was the most frustrating part of the reading experience. This is my first comic book. I have read many mangas, of which, the standard practice is one artist draws the entire series. I love that consistency. When I read something in this format, visually, I’m drawn in by a specific art style. My husband tells me that multiple artists drawing over the course of a comic series is a standard practice. For me, the reading experience was jarring when the artistic style changed drastically from one issue to the next. Wikipedia lists at least seven different artists as contributors to the comic. The two artists that stand out in Compendium One are Lan Medina (my favorite) and Mark Buckingham (my second favorite). Although Medina was my favorite and he started the first four issues of the series, he apparently is not the lead artist. Buckingham has the most issues credited to his name in Compendium One. Also, a few tales were presented as short stories. Since I was reading a comic, I would have preferred to see those tales rather than read them. One written tale that comes to mind is the origin story of how Bigby and Snow met.
The Good
Bill Willingham writes every issue in Compendium One. His knowledge of fable and fairytale lore is astounding. He is a creative genius when it comes to turning those beloved stories from our childhood and twisting them on their head into meaty and gritty stories we can enjoy as adults. Because he is the only writer, the story is consistent and flows.
Overall, despite the inconsistent art styles, I enjoyed this compendium. The pacing was good but sometimes stalled. Every issue does not follow the main story. Sometimes the core story is paused and a backstory issue runs for two to three issues or a Jack Tale (some I liked, some I didn’t) has a quick run. And depending on the art style and the character whose back story is being told, determined the flow of the pacing and my enjoyment of that issue. But for a tome that is over 1000 pages long, I had a binge-worthy experience for a good chunk of them.
And great news for me, the series (or at least the original series) is complete. All 162 issues are compiled into a four-compendium box set.
The Bad
Every issue isn’t drawn by one artist. This was the most frustrating part of the reading experience. This is my first comic book. I have read many mangas, of which, the standard practice is one artist draws the entire series. I love that consistency. When I read something in this format, visually, I’m drawn in by a specific art style. My husband tells me that multiple artists drawing over the course of a comic series is a standard practice. For me, the reading experience was jarring when the artistic style changed drastically from one issue to the next. Wikipedia lists at least seven different artists as contributors to the comic. The two artists that stand out in Compendium One are Lan Medina (my favorite) and Mark Buckingham (my second favorite). Although Medina was my favorite and he started the first four issues of the series, he apparently is not the lead artist. Buckingham has the most issues credited to his name in Compendium One. Also, a few tales were presented as short stories. Since I was reading a comic, I would have preferred to see those tales rather than read them. One written tale that comes to mind is the origin story of how Bigby and Snow met.
The Good
Bill Willingham writes every issue in Compendium One. His knowledge of fable and fairytale lore is astounding. He is a creative genius when it comes to turning those beloved stories from our childhood and twisting them on their head into meaty and gritty stories we can enjoy as adults. Because he is the only writer, the story is consistent and flows.
Overall, despite the inconsistent art styles, I enjoyed this compendium. The pacing was good but sometimes stalled. Every issue does not follow the main story. Sometimes the core story is paused and a backstory issue runs for two to three issues or a Jack Tale (some I liked, some I didn’t) has a quick run. And depending on the art style and the character whose back story is being told, determined the flow of the pacing and my enjoyment of that issue. But for a tome that is over 1000 pages long, I had a binge-worthy experience for a good chunk of them.
October 19, 2023
Very enjoyable read, for the most part. The primary story itself is where the best and most interesting material is. While reading those sections I would burn through pages and couldn’t put the book down. Any time the story took a break to explore side or back stories, that’s when this books started to feel a bit like a slog. These bits were very uneven, ranging from well written, drawn, and paced to art I could barely stand to look at, stories that were kind of mediocre, and sometimes too slow. I used to think I was a completionist, but having every possible issue of a series (including spin-offs and one-shots) collected in a massive book, I’m starting to feel detracts from the enjoyability of a good story. If this book just collected the main story, this would have easily been a 5 star review.
The stuff that I really enjoyed (possible spoilers): the main story, the relationship between Bigby and Snow, any section dealing with the non-human Fables, the create spins on classic stories and interconnected lore, and the final arc with Boy Blue.
The stuff I didn’t like: the side story with Jack going to Hollywood (though I understand it provides context on how a Fable can gain power… which I hope this story pays off later, otherwise it felt just like filler), the back story with Jack in a war, pretty much anything dealing with Jack lol, hard shifts on to artists who are notably not the same as the primary series artist (which can be ok, when the right artist are utilized… but a couple of these felt too jarring), and the length of time spend on side stories.
Overall, I’d highly recommend Fables to anyone. Though, I might suggest reading the individual trades. This book’s size alone is a lot to handle, but because of the way it’s structured, it would feel weird if you choose to skip anything. I will definitely continue reading this series, but I’m going to need a little bit of a break before jumping into the next volume.
The stuff that I really enjoyed (possible spoilers): the main story, the relationship between Bigby and Snow, any section dealing with the non-human Fables, the create spins on classic stories and interconnected lore, and the final arc with Boy Blue.
The stuff I didn’t like: the side story with Jack going to Hollywood (though I understand it provides context on how a Fable can gain power… which I hope this story pays off later, otherwise it felt just like filler), the back story with Jack in a war, pretty much anything dealing with Jack lol, hard shifts on to artists who are notably not the same as the primary series artist (which can be ok, when the right artist are utilized… but a couple of these felt too jarring), and the length of time spend on side stories.
Overall, I’d highly recommend Fables to anyone. Though, I might suggest reading the individual trades. This book’s size alone is a lot to handle, but because of the way it’s structured, it would feel weird if you choose to skip anything. I will definitely continue reading this series, but I’m going to need a little bit of a break before jumping into the next volume.
August 4, 2022
Review of the compendium itself in the bottom
This book was a ton of fun! Not every story here is great, and the first two volumes were very blunt on exposition, but it was overall a wonderful sprawling epic that is one of a kind and full of great moments.
The art is very hit or miss. Since it's a long running series, a lot of artists come and go and while most of them are not bad, some of the art is just really simple and uninspired. Some of them even had weird quirks, like one artist who draws Bigby with no mouth and another that can't really draw faces.
The writing is also hit or miss. Though it's usually great, some side stories felt like filler (the ww2 story...) while others felt really poorly handled (farm revolution felt like it's copying Animal Farm without understanding anything about it), but luckily all the poor stories are usually quite short and don't affect the overall experience.
This book is a solid 4 stars, and a must-have for anyone interested in fantasy and fairy tales.
Compendium Physical Review
The compendium itself has good binding and high quality paper, but it's underwhelming that there's no content other than the pages of the book themselves! No foreword, no afterword, no bonus art, NOT EVEN A TABLE OF CONTENTS! You open the book, see a nice cover and basic credits, then immediately start on page 1. It's disappointing. In-between every issue is also a weird page with purple mist on it. You see this page maybe 40 times, and it's disappointing as hell that they didn't use them in any way. The deluxe edition has quotes in-between every issue, why not put those in?
The compendium is a great option if you're short on money, but I'd otherwise get the deluxe edition or just the trade paperbacks.
This book was a ton of fun! Not every story here is great, and the first two volumes were very blunt on exposition, but it was overall a wonderful sprawling epic that is one of a kind and full of great moments.
The art is very hit or miss. Since it's a long running series, a lot of artists come and go and while most of them are not bad, some of the art is just really simple and uninspired. Some of them even had weird quirks, like one artist who draws Bigby with no mouth and another that can't really draw faces.
The writing is also hit or miss. Though it's usually great, some side stories felt like filler (the ww2 story...) while others felt really poorly handled (farm revolution felt like it's copying Animal Farm without understanding anything about it), but luckily all the poor stories are usually quite short and don't affect the overall experience.
This book is a solid 4 stars, and a must-have for anyone interested in fantasy and fairy tales.
Compendium Physical Review
The compendium itself has good binding and high quality paper, but it's underwhelming that there's no content other than the pages of the book themselves! No foreword, no afterword, no bonus art, NOT EVEN A TABLE OF CONTENTS! You open the book, see a nice cover and basic credits, then immediately start on page 1. It's disappointing. In-between every issue is also a weird page with purple mist on it. You see this page maybe 40 times, and it's disappointing as hell that they didn't use them in any way. The deluxe edition has quotes in-between every issue, why not put those in?
The compendium is a great option if you're short on money, but I'd otherwise get the deluxe edition or just the trade paperbacks.
February 28, 2023
It’s difficult to know where to start for large reviews like these. There is so much material to try and condense down to a few paragraphs that it becomes daunting. I think one way to dive in, though, is to take a look at specific characters.
Blue Boy. What a tale. His story arc is incredible. He goes from being the trumpet boy to basically the James Bond of Fabletown. He becomes a master of his tools, and is able to infiltrate the enemy’s vast fortress and succeed in his mission, only to accept when things didn’t go his way and be a gentleman about it. He has to say goodbye to his best friend in the process, but he does right by him. He does right by her, too, and that is a beautiful thing to see. He shows himself to be a man at the end of it all, and accepts how things went without complaint. Heckuva guy. I look forward to the rest of his story.
Bigby. Much has probably been said about him. But if this ain’t your traditional hero arc I am not sure how else to define it. He’s the best of the best, with honors, and he sacrifices his own happiness for the sake and safety of others. He’s so great. His story is so well paced, it’s only rivaled by Snow’s, probably.
I think the story I’m most interested in might be Flycatcher’s tale. Lost his life, his family, and his memory. Gosh. Can’t help but love this guy and how the rest of Fabletown do their best to take care of him. It’s beautiful to see.
I look forward to the next compendium. Maybe it will live up to the first volume.
Blue Boy. What a tale. His story arc is incredible. He goes from being the trumpet boy to basically the James Bond of Fabletown. He becomes a master of his tools, and is able to infiltrate the enemy’s vast fortress and succeed in his mission, only to accept when things didn’t go his way and be a gentleman about it. He has to say goodbye to his best friend in the process, but he does right by him. He does right by her, too, and that is a beautiful thing to see. He shows himself to be a man at the end of it all, and accepts how things went without complaint. Heckuva guy. I look forward to the rest of his story.
Bigby. Much has probably been said about him. But if this ain’t your traditional hero arc I am not sure how else to define it. He’s the best of the best, with honors, and he sacrifices his own happiness for the sake and safety of others. He’s so great. His story is so well paced, it’s only rivaled by Snow’s, probably.
I think the story I’m most interested in might be Flycatcher’s tale. Lost his life, his family, and his memory. Gosh. Can’t help but love this guy and how the rest of Fabletown do their best to take care of him. It’s beautiful to see.
I look forward to the next compendium. Maybe it will live up to the first volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2022
68/100
This first compendium of Fables stories is a heck of a mixed bag. Some stories are 10/10 thrilling, creative, and amazingly drawn. Some are 0/10 boring, confusingly uncreative, and ugly. The mishmash of art styles between issues really is jarring and is often quite a turn off. Like that one artist who refuses to draw Bigby's mouth?
Speaking of, the first issue with that artist contains some weird sexual themes that unfortunately taint the magnetic relationship between Bigby and Snow White. There does lay an odd flavor to a lot of the ideology in this series: there are an uncomfortable amount of SA scenes (though not too too much, and usually not super explicit), there appears to be a side against socialism, and emphasis seems to be placed on machismo raw power, much to my guilty pleasure. I mean, nothing is cooler than Bigby chomping on a cigarette while staring down mob man Bluebeard with the command, "Obey me."
This series has an immense amount of potential, most of it lies within the actual Fabletown city itself. I don't care about what happened in the past, stop with the flashback stories. I want to know how these interesting characters survive in the modern world, use their powers and stories to flavor it, and for gods sake bring back Bigby, draw him right, and keep him in charge. The story is enthralling when he is front, center, and pissed.
Like I said, lots of potential, but let's see where the series goes with it.
This first compendium of Fables stories is a heck of a mixed bag. Some stories are 10/10 thrilling, creative, and amazingly drawn. Some are 0/10 boring, confusingly uncreative, and ugly. The mishmash of art styles between issues really is jarring and is often quite a turn off. Like that one artist who refuses to draw Bigby's mouth?
Speaking of, the first issue with that artist contains some weird sexual themes that unfortunately taint the magnetic relationship between Bigby and Snow White. There does lay an odd flavor to a lot of the ideology in this series: there are an uncomfortable amount of SA scenes (though not too too much, and usually not super explicit), there appears to be a side against socialism, and emphasis seems to be placed on machismo raw power, much to my guilty pleasure. I mean, nothing is cooler than Bigby chomping on a cigarette while staring down mob man Bluebeard with the command, "Obey me."
This series has an immense amount of potential, most of it lies within the actual Fabletown city itself. I don't care about what happened in the past, stop with the flashback stories. I want to know how these interesting characters survive in the modern world, use their powers and stories to flavor it, and for gods sake bring back Bigby, draw him right, and keep him in charge. The story is enthralling when he is front, center, and pissed.
Like I said, lots of potential, but let's see where the series goes with it.
April 22, 2023
It is fine. It is just fine. The art is highly uneven. I'm always surprised when pencilers are changed in the middle of the story. I am especially surprised when they make significant downgrades in art. There are significant, unexpected and unwelcome changes in the art.
One thing that doesn't change in the art: the buxom blondes of the fable world. Yes, I suppose the bland princesses and maidens of fairy tales are often the "fairest of the land", but dang, they do little to prompt any change in imagination. All of these women are Barbies, and with the exception of Rose Red, they dress like Barbie. Don't worry, Rose Red is wearing skin tight t-shirts.
Jack is pretty awful too. He's a main character, and as a way of giving him some depth, he fought for the Confederacy. Yay. What are we doing here? Yes, we see that he is a selfish, craven jerk who always acts in his own interests. But if he is going to be a protagonist, just make him a pirate. Some number of people will read Jack as an admirable character. Why does that need an affiliation with the Confederacy.
The storytelling isn't bad, it just isn't good enough to warrant some of the overdone tropes it uses. There is incredible violence. Most of the characters are unlikable. Few of them have any link to the stories in which they originate. There is no acknowledgement that any other culture has folk tales until 800 pages into the story. Bleh.
One thing that doesn't change in the art: the buxom blondes of the fable world. Yes, I suppose the bland princesses and maidens of fairy tales are often the "fairest of the land", but dang, they do little to prompt any change in imagination. All of these women are Barbies, and with the exception of Rose Red, they dress like Barbie. Don't worry, Rose Red is wearing skin tight t-shirts.
Jack is pretty awful too. He's a main character, and as a way of giving him some depth, he fought for the Confederacy. Yay. What are we doing here? Yes, we see that he is a selfish, craven jerk who always acts in his own interests. But if he is going to be a protagonist, just make him a pirate. Some number of people will read Jack as an admirable character. Why does that need an affiliation with the Confederacy.
The storytelling isn't bad, it just isn't good enough to warrant some of the overdone tropes it uses. There is incredible violence. Most of the characters are unlikable. Few of them have any link to the stories in which they originate. There is no acknowledgement that any other culture has folk tales until 800 pages into the story. Bleh.
March 3, 2022
characters from fairy tales and fables and myths and nursery rhymes immigrate to New York after the "adversary" had invaded their magical homelands.
Snow White is the deputy mayor, the Big Bad Wolf is a sheriff, the Frog Prince is a janitor, and so on. #BillWillingham's Fables is a brilliant masterpiece through and through. nothing happens here the way you'd expect it. this is originally published as a monthly comic under DC's #Vertigo line so it's made for mature readers. some folktale legends go through divorce, torture, murder mysteries, revolutions, etc.
there are storylines here that i care less for compared to others. #FablesCompendiumOne is a collection of six to seven books, they can't all be equally interesting. but you'll be kept amused and very visually stimulated. i love all the character and background
design and architectures.
something about the general tone and pacing might not be for everyone tho. i could imagine readers getting confused by the time skips or disturbed by the underlying violences and character deaths.
one thing you can't discredit tho is Willingham's masterful weaving of these varying narratives. i can't think of another work that managed to elevate an already strongly established fictional world into something new yet classical in itself.
Snow White is the deputy mayor, the Big Bad Wolf is a sheriff, the Frog Prince is a janitor, and so on. #BillWillingham's Fables is a brilliant masterpiece through and through. nothing happens here the way you'd expect it. this is originally published as a monthly comic under DC's #Vertigo line so it's made for mature readers. some folktale legends go through divorce, torture, murder mysteries, revolutions, etc.
there are storylines here that i care less for compared to others. #FablesCompendiumOne is a collection of six to seven books, they can't all be equally interesting. but you'll be kept amused and very visually stimulated. i love all the character and background
design and architectures.
something about the general tone and pacing might not be for everyone tho. i could imagine readers getting confused by the time skips or disturbed by the underlying violences and character deaths.
one thing you can't discredit tho is Willingham's masterful weaving of these varying narratives. i can't think of another work that managed to elevate an already strongly established fictional world into something new yet classical in itself.
January 22, 2025
It was good. I'm not a comic fan most times, but this was well-paced compared to others I had read. I grew a little tired of the twists, but I understand it was a comic that came out weekly and required a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of each issue. That being said, most of the later twists were predictable.
The main characters are a lot more likable than I thought they would be, but not deep enough to warrant complex thought. At any point, you knew exactly what each character would do and how they would react, which could indicate stellar characterization but also might just be a reliance on the audience's knowledge of tropes.
None of this would be enough to remove a star, but there's a particular choice made regarding one of the characters, specifically their
The main characters are a lot more likable than I thought they would be, but not deep enough to warrant complex thought. At any point, you knew exactly what each character would do and how they would react, which could indicate stellar characterization but also might just be a reliance on the audience's knowledge of tropes.
None of this would be enough to remove a star, but there's a particular choice made regarding one of the characters, specifically their
February 5, 2025
I remember seeing Fables coming out monthly back when I was in high school and repeatedly hearing how great it was but never got around to it until now. What a mistake. Unbelievably imaginative, Fables is one of the better graphic novel series I’ve read in a while (perhaps unsurprising given that it’s won 14 Eisner Awards!). The story revolves around a community of exiled fairytale characters (or “Fables”) living in a secret neighborhood in modern-day New York City after being forced to flee from their magical homeworlds due to a mysterious and brutal adversary. The roster of main characters are familiar to us all from classic fairytales and Disney movies (e.g. Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf, Pinocchio, Beauty & The Beast, …) but what makes the series so compelling is the vast worldbuilding and how seamlessly the author integrates this huge ensemble of disparate fairytales together. Just one example among many but I love that the author wrote the Prince Charmings from various different fairytales as the same character, a serial womanizer devoid of emotional depth but oozing with charm whose ex-wives include Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella. Having finished this first compendium, I’m currently 40 issues into its 150 issue run and finding it pretty difficult to put down
June 1, 2023
Todos los personajes de los cuentos infantiles y no tan infantiles existes !!!, y viven en New York, pero con perfil bajo, porque entre las personas del común y un enemigo ultrapoderoso que te cagas, todo se puede ir a la mierda.
LO BUENO: Tenia los dos primeros tomitos de fabulas y si, eran buenos pero yo quería leerla toda pero nada que me animaba y craso error. La serie es perfecta, pagina a pagina se construye y sube en emoción, definición de personajes, fantasía al máximo, con personajes que no aprendes a querer sino a AMAR, desde ese lobo Feroz que hace y deshace, tiene planes sobre planes, y otros planes escondidos en otros planes , con un cast coral que amas a manos llenas, incluso, en un numero, se habla desde la perspectiva de los gnomos y es un numero genial !!!, el arte de Mark Buckingham es simplemente espectacular y dan ganas de arrojarle premios Eisner ala cabeza a manos llenas, y las portadas de James Jean son para abrirle un museo de tiempo completo.
LO MALO: Que el numero de EL ULTIMO CASTILLO, no haya sido dibujado por Mark .
LO BUENO: Tenia los dos primeros tomitos de fabulas y si, eran buenos pero yo quería leerla toda pero nada que me animaba y craso error. La serie es perfecta, pagina a pagina se construye y sube en emoción, definición de personajes, fantasía al máximo, con personajes que no aprendes a querer sino a AMAR, desde ese lobo Feroz que hace y deshace, tiene planes sobre planes, y otros planes escondidos en otros planes , con un cast coral que amas a manos llenas, incluso, en un numero, se habla desde la perspectiva de los gnomos y es un numero genial !!!, el arte de Mark Buckingham es simplemente espectacular y dan ganas de arrojarle premios Eisner ala cabeza a manos llenas, y las portadas de James Jean son para abrirle un museo de tiempo completo.
LO MALO: Que el numero de EL ULTIMO CASTILLO, no haya sido dibujado por Mark .
August 1, 2024
I decided to give this series a try after hearing a respected colleague of mine rave about it for years.
Although the first story of the series is somewhat slow, the series revs into gear with the following arc - and arguably every one that follows. The premise follows figures from fairy tales as they attempt to navigate their way through a new life in the real world, and makes them products of their new world in the process. These characters curse, have sex, and even commit murder amidst a backstory of betrayal, rebellion, and dissatisfaction. While still hauntingly familiar, figures such as Goldilocks, Pinocchio, and Snow White have grown up and entered a world that is as enthralling as it is fascinating.
This 1000+ page compendium is a great entry point into the world of Fables, as it contains the first 41 issues of the series as well as three tie-in issues. Almost a third of the entire series is contained in a single volume, not only introducing this new world but bringing the reader into the main mystery surrounding the very existence of these characters. If you've ever been remotely interested in this series, I highly recommend taking the plunge with this collection - and the price simply can't be beat, at just over $1 per issue.
Although the first story of the series is somewhat slow, the series revs into gear with the following arc - and arguably every one that follows. The premise follows figures from fairy tales as they attempt to navigate their way through a new life in the real world, and makes them products of their new world in the process. These characters curse, have sex, and even commit murder amidst a backstory of betrayal, rebellion, and dissatisfaction. While still hauntingly familiar, figures such as Goldilocks, Pinocchio, and Snow White have grown up and entered a world that is as enthralling as it is fascinating.
This 1000+ page compendium is a great entry point into the world of Fables, as it contains the first 41 issues of the series as well as three tie-in issues. Almost a third of the entire series is contained in a single volume, not only introducing this new world but bringing the reader into the main mystery surrounding the very existence of these characters. If you've ever been remotely interested in this series, I highly recommend taking the plunge with this collection - and the price simply can't be beat, at just over $1 per issue.
February 23, 2021
While the art, characters and story were just exceptional, the actual compendium was seriously bad. For this reason I have rated each volume separately.
Gripe number one, there is no contents page. I have no idea when one volume starts, or when one chapter starts, or where the hell I even am in a story. Yes there is little title panels, but not on every chapter.
While it's quite common for graphic novels and comics to not have page numbers I really think in it's thousand or so paged compendium it should have had a number somewhere or other. Then again, I guess page numbers aren't needed when there's no contents page.
When I buy a compendium, I'm hoping to buy every volume that has been published to date and if it's not, then I would like it very clearly told to me before I start or even buy it.
Gripe number one, there is no contents page. I have no idea when one volume starts, or when one chapter starts, or where the hell I even am in a story. Yes there is little title panels, but not on every chapter.
While it's quite common for graphic novels and comics to not have page numbers I really think in it's thousand or so paged compendium it should have had a number somewhere or other. Then again, I guess page numbers aren't needed when there's no contents page.
When I buy a compendium, I'm hoping to buy every volume that has been published to date and if it's not, then I would like it very clearly told to me before I start or even buy it.
May 29, 2021
#1: FABLES is the best comic ever published.
#2: FABLES may be the best fantasy book of any medium ever published.
With that out of way, this book is incredible. The world creation is very clever, mixing our world(the Mundy) with the Homelands of the Fable characters. The story is very well done and leaves things in the peripheral to keep a hint of mystery. Finally the characters. They are absolutely amazing. Great histories for each character fleshes out over the course of the book. Their individual personalities come alive with their own agendas and motivations. You'll genuinely care about the fate of the characters. Shining through it all is incredible dialog. None of it seems cheesy or overtly done to explain the story, its clever and genuine. Written by an author who is well read is something I greatly appreciate.
If you're a fantasy fan FABLES is essential.
#2: FABLES may be the best fantasy book of any medium ever published.
With that out of way, this book is incredible. The world creation is very clever, mixing our world(the Mundy) with the Homelands of the Fable characters. The story is very well done and leaves things in the peripheral to keep a hint of mystery. Finally the characters. They are absolutely amazing. Great histories for each character fleshes out over the course of the book. Their individual personalities come alive with their own agendas and motivations. You'll genuinely care about the fate of the characters. Shining through it all is incredible dialog. None of it seems cheesy or overtly done to explain the story, its clever and genuine. Written by an author who is well read is something I greatly appreciate.
If you're a fantasy fan FABLES is essential.
June 2, 2023
I became interested in reading this series after playing the excellent Wolf Among Us video game, and overall, Fables does not disappoint my high expectations. The comic provides a mature and dark take on classic fairy tale characters through a variety of art and plot styles centered around the "Fabletown" community of New York City. I will admit that it took me a few arcs for me to really get invested (I also dislike how ugly Pinocchio's face is), but after the excellent one-shot The Last Castle, I was fully on board. Standouts beside The Last Castle include 1001 Nights of Snowfall and the last arc in this compendium, Homelands, all of which provide truly fascinating worldbuilding.
Ultimately, I would recommend Fables to any comic reader, especially those looking for something a bit different. I'm looking forward to reading both Compendium Two and playing the Wolf Among Us 2!
Ultimately, I would recommend Fables to any comic reader, especially those looking for something a bit different. I'm looking forward to reading both Compendium Two and playing the Wolf Among Us 2!
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