Jack of Fables, Vol. 8: The Fulminate Blade

Jack of Fables

by Bill Willingham (Writer), Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins (Illustrator)

With Jack Horner, former star of Jack of Fables, permanently transformed into a dragon, Vertigo reboots the series with a new hero, Jack Frost.
The world in which this story takes place is the world in which Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers lived, only thousands of years later. All that remains is superstition and feudalism and all of the old technology is regarded as magic now. Jack seeks the magic blade which will defeat the Giant King. But of course nothing is as it seems since the good guys always reveal themselves to be evil in the end.

Collecting: Jack of Fables 41-45

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Fables, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 2011

About the author

In the late 1970s to early 1980s he drew fantasy ink pictures for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic and Expert game rulebooks. He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series Elementals published by Comico, which he both wrote and drew. However, for reasons unknown, the series had trouble maintaining an original schedule, and Willingham's position in the industry remained spotty for many 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

Reviews

[Baba]

A good old fashioned swashbuckling cum cyberpunk(!) adventure sees the continuing adventures of Jack Frost... delightfully for me, presenting a Jack Horner free volume! :)

[Chad]

This book has taken a real nose dive now that Jack of the Tales has been replaced by his son, Jack Frost. It's an interesting direction to take the book, to completely remove the main character and all the supporting characters from a book. The problem is that Jack Frost is earnest and wholesome, everything that Jack Horner is devoid of. Unfortunately, without Jack Horner the book is also devoid of fun and humor and everything that made the book interesting. This a bland story set in an odd sci-fi / fantasy hybrid world. A real disappointment to say the least.

[John Elbe]

Now that Fables is in the 'Public Domain', I thought it was time I read the entire series (including all spinoffs and specials) from start to finish in sequential tpb reading order. Here we go!

Fables First-to-Finale reading #24
Jack of Fables vol 08: The Fulminate Blade

Jack Frost is the lead, while Jack of Tales is a dragon. So let's give this a shot here and see what happens. Jack looks for a magic blade to slay a giant and save some virgins. And we are off! 

Maguff the Owl is the only supporting character, and he is kind of wooden. Jack is too trusting, but the King might have a valid point. Jack Frost tastes the Witchs brew before getting his Buck Rogers on. 

After a few twists, we find that lying to Jack Frost is easy until he has had enough. Turns out this was an ok adventure, but that's about it.

[Quentin Wallace]

This volume features Jack Frost and his wooden owl in an old school science fiction story. Most of the story is based around John Carter of Mars, but there's also touches of Flash Gordon and some other pulp style sci fi. The art isn't bad and the story is entertaining, but really it seems a little pointless. The Fables series is built around a continuing narrative that always seems like it's leading somewhere. This one wasn't bad but didn't seem to be going anywhere. Not bad, just not great.

[Steve]

I vowed never to read this book again, but the library had it so I figured what the hell. Probably my favorite trade from this series, because the main character of the book isn't in it at all. Instead it focuses on a sword and sorcery/sci-fi adventure of his son, which was quite a fun read. Too bad those stupid Babe the Blue Ox pages were still included.

[Jeff]

If it wasn't for the fact I had known Jack Frost was Jack of the Tales' son and that MacDuff the mystical wooden owl had appeared earlier in the series, I would have been a bit baffled as to what I had stumbled upon. Without any forewarning, Jack is in a sci-fi world like something out of Flash Gordan or Buck Rogers, not the typical European fairy tale world one would expect. This wouldn't be that bat, except it seemed to forced and out of place it took some getting used to. Once the action started, it was a bit more enjoyable, but to me it still felt a little out of place. I actually miss the irredeemable Jack of the Tales and of course Gary, the Pathetic Fallacy. We still have some Babe the Blue Ox, but even that seemed to be lacking the same fun we had previously enjoyed. Jack Frost's naivety is, at least at times, almost the hardest thing to believe about the whole series. All in all, possibly my least favorite entry into the Fables universe. With this direction, it is not hard to believe that the next volume of "Jack" is the last. Unless you are really wanting to read all the volumes of "Fables" this one can be easily avoided.

[Shannon]

This is the second to last installment of the JACK OF FABLES series which is a spinoff from the FABLES series. In this volume we focus on one of Jack's sons, Jack Frost, who has decided he is going to become a multidimensional hero.

In the previous book he was a total noob to the heroing career but here we find him suddenly quite experienced and he's gone from the standard fantasy setting to one that mimics settings similar to the pulpy sci fi fantastic action mixes of Edgar Rice Burroughs. There are some up moments here but there are also some down moments which makes this a mixed bag.

ARTWORK: B minus to B; STORY/PLOTTING: C plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B minus; OVERALL GRADE: B minus; WHEN READ: end of December 2011; OVERALL GRADE: B minus.

[Izlinda]

I far prefer Jack Frost as the main character than Jack Horner. Horner was getting on my nerves as the series went on. I liked the quests Frost gets involved in during his vocation as a hero. :)

The futuristic setting for Jack Frost really shows how morality and good/bad is quite quite relative.

[Wing Kee]

Yuck...this series really is going down the gutter. Luckily there are only 5 issues left (phew!). Bland story, dumb characters and stupid resolution, at the end of a story if you need to ask yourself "what was the point?" you know you've got problems.

[Sylvester]

This series is really running its course. Now it has gone sci-fi for no real apparent reason.

[Heather]

We have a new Jack = Jack of Fables son, Jack Frost, hero for hire. Let the adventure begin.

[Dev]

Take this rating with a grain of salt because I really just flipped through and looked at the pictures since I have absolutely no interest in Jack Frost whatsoever. If you like him I'm sure you'll like this volume a lot more than I did but I was already annoyed with how much of the previous volume was devoted to him and this one is some kind of scifi story that is all about him with the original Jack nowhere in sight so I really don't see what the point is. I get building him up as a character in the previous volume even if I don't personally like him because they are obviously setting up for him to go after dragon Jack in the last volume but this volume just seems like an entirely pointless detour to me since I feel like the previous volume set that up well enough on its own. Hoping that everything will come together and end on a satisfying note though.

[Lily]

Si bien se agradece respirar un poco de nuestro Jack principal, este volumen no me ha aportado absolutamente nada.

[Cathy]

I don't know what the point of this was. It's just a random traditional fantasy thrown into the middle of several long story arcs (Jack and the literals, Fabletown and their issues) that has no connection to anything. Even Babe isn't a part of the story, he's just floating in space somewhere, unconnected to anyone, not a sidekick or a pal, just a random comic. It's just a total bore. I'm guessing from my glances ahead that Jack and Jack are going to meet again in the next book and the author is expecting me to think that this story arc is clever at that point, but when this many issues are so far out in left field, he's not going to make up that ground.

[alana]

This volume of Jack of Fables features no Jack of Fables, nor any other recognizable member of the Fables universe, and focuses entirely on Jack Frost attempting to become a hero. I'm not sure why this story arc needs to exist. It's hyper fantasy with robots and ray guns and phallic centipede chariots and a green witch and furry monsters that live in the sky. Am I meant to recognize any of these characters? I don't get it! And it's kind of gross looking. The only redeeming quality is the wooden owl and the occasional Babe cameos (though Babe is looking a bit weird these days).

[Alan]

A nice fast paced read, and so far I prefer the shift of the story focus from Jack of Fables to Jack Frost Jack of Fables' son. Probably this is because Frost wants to be a hero whereas Fables is out only and truly for himself. There is some sadness by the end of the tale even though those helped by Jack do see him as a hero.

[Craig]

Series doesn't even come close to the regular Fables, but at least it's readable with the focus on Jack Frost instead of his idiot father. That said, this was a weird storyline that didn't really have much point to it. Glad I'm getting these at the library and not wasting my money on them.

[Fizzgig76]

Reprints Jack of Fables #41-45 (February 2010-June 2010). Jack Frost is setting off for another adventure. When he and his wooden owl friend MacDuff discover a kingdom menaced by a giant called the Empyrean, Jack sets off to free the kingdom and slay the Empyrean. Teamed with a forest witch, Jack discovers that trusting people might be difficult…if not impossible when he wins the Fulminate Blade to become the kingdom’s hero!

Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges, Jack of Fables Volume 8: The Fulminate Blade is a DC Comics comic book collection under the Vertigo print. Following Jack of Fables Volume 7: The New Adventures of Jack and Jack, the Fables spin-off series features art by Tony Akins and Jim Fern. Issues in this collection were also included in Jack of Fables: The Deluxe Edition—Book 3.

I enjoyed Jack of Fables, but not as much as Fables. I actually think I kind of liked Jack Frost Jack of Fables better than the regular Jack of Fables. It didn’t have a lot of the pop culture references mixed with classic fables, but it also was just a fun solo adventure series written with a lightness that isn’t always found today.

While Jack Horner is a scoundrel, his son Jack Frost is completely honest. This honesty adds a nice flipside to the series since he’s not playing a game. Jack Frost wants to help people. With his sheer goodness, Jack finds himself repeatedly tricked by people who don’t have good inside of him. While Jack Horner would never help the people of the kingdom without a promise of a payout or a princess, Jack Frost does it without getting the whole story first.

The story plays out a bit like Pinocchio in that sense. Jack is continuously used and tricked through the course of the story, and MacDuff serves as his conscience. Like Pinocchio, Jack doesn’t always believe his conscience and as a result falls into trap after trap. He isn’t as ignorant as Pinocchio, but he has a lot to learn and that makes his adventures fun.

The only problem with this collection is that it doesn’t take place in the “real world”. The entire Homelands of Fables is so vast, that anything is possible. A kingdom menaced seems like a pretty typical story to thrust the character into, and it would have been nice to see genres a bit subverted in the case of the location and people that Jack interacts with.

Jack of Fables is paler than its namesake “parent”. The series just isn’t as rich or deep (and I’m not a fan of the Babe the Blue Ox joke pages). The series returns to be Jack focused next volume which wraps up the series. Jack of Fables 8: The Fulminate Blade is followed by Jack of Fables 9: The End.

[Vittorio Rainone]

Il figlio di Jack dà l'occasione a Willingham / Sturgess per operare un curioso corto circuito con Fables: si era partiti dalle fiabe per calarle nel mondo reale con problemi reali. Poi si era messi a confronto fiabe cresciute nel mondo reale con problemi sovrannaturali e classica magia fiabesca. Qui invece si torna a lasciare il contesto "mondo reale" per narrare una storia con una impostazione fortemente fantasy / fiabesca, con un eroe che è l'archetipo del cavaliere senza macchia e senza paura. Il tutto, comunque, condito da un'ironia quasi sotterranea (e da qualche elemento "fuori contesto" per il fantasy più classico) che rende la storia piacevole e non dà l'impressione che sia troppo scontata. Magari, a dirla tutta, meno brillante di alcuni episodi della serie regolare, e chiariamolo: il figlio di Jack si fa leggere, ma il padre è uno con un carisma tutto suo, difficile da eguagliare, e ci mancano le sue mascalzonate. I disegni sono piacevoli ma abbastanza anonimi. Le copertine di Bolland sono come al solito molto carine.

[The_J]

The Spin-off never manages the heights of Fables, and almost aggressively attempts to keep expectations low, but manages to clear the bar every time. The Reboot explores the difficulties of starting to be a HERO, while being naive. It is difficult to credit the the authors with much, when the message is ham handed. Plus it seems almost an aggressive attempt to draw the comparison with the nominal titular character, who was cynical and self-centered. The new reset is just being used by anyone and everyone, which would naturally lead almost directly to a self-centered and cynical POV. Perhaps they are merely attempting to do time is a flat circle and we are trapped on the hedonic treadmill to just see the same posters on the walls over and over again. I think I would rather cling to hope, and rail against the coming of the night.

[Kris Ritchie]

A series I am barely caring to finish switched to a character I care little about, and told a story of little to no consequence. Apparently this arc touches on Jon Carter of Mars and Flash Gordon? I didn;t even know that until I read other reviews, because I NEVER watched those series. I feel like the bulk of this arc was lost on me, simply because I did not have those touchstones. That being said, I am in my mid-20s and if I had trouble recognizing what was going on here, it does not bode well for the shelf-life of JoF compared to Fables, which is much more accessible.

[Sean]

Okay, I miss Jack. The real Jack Of Fables. This volume our titular hero is nowhere to be found leaving his son, Jack Frost, to take the reigns. What's really missing is the debauchery. Jack's constant search for ill-gotten gain is the driving force of the book. Here, Jack Frost gets a quest and its pretty epic but its lacking. There is some humor but not nearly enough. I think its a misstep to leave Jack Horner out completely. Overall, this was my least favorite of the series but I still expect good things from the finale next book.

[BSender]

The Fulminate Blade is a great story. It seems a lot of stuff happens between this story and the previous one because Jack Frost has got some pretty powerful...upgrades.

The fulminate blade is a story where Jack Frost goes on his most deadly mission yet as a hero. He experiences love, betrayal, and sacrifice. It's a great story but sadly, at the end something is revealed that really makes this story and the previous one even better. Overall 8/10

[Deshawn Vasquez]

I get the conceit of the Flash Gordon, John Carter-esque storytelling and while I don't think it's unfitting for this universe, I just don't find Jack Frost an interesting enough character to carry that kind of epic. This series has really lost steam after The Great Fables Crossover and I'm not surprised there's only a volume left of material.

[Brian]

The transition to this being a Jack Frost book is a little abrupt—mostly I want to know where that ray gun came from???—but it’s a direction I’m glad to see the series following. This storyline is very John Carter of Mars, which makes sense since the last volume featured a Tarzan issue. I hope there are more approaches like this to come!

[Chelsie Beaudoin]

Chapter 41-45: Jack Frost and MacDuff continue their heroing in a post apocalyptic sci-fi world and nary a panel about Jack Horner. Jack obtains a magical electric sword, mislead by a witch, a king tries to kill him multiple times, he uncovers a secret agenda, and MacDuff is blown up. A middling story and the art is not my favorite.

[Shaun]

On the one hand I kind of enjoyed Jack Frost's adventures in this book, and it was interesting to compare him to his father. On the other hand it sort of feels like the book is a spinoff of a spinoff at this point. I feel a little duped out of the real Jack in Jack of Fables.

[Joseph Young]

This might be overall a regular hero story, with some twists, and noble sacrifice at the end, but I think this is sort of what I needed right now: Someone with unflappable optimism, who just wants to do the right thing, who isn't immediately crushed by cynicism, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The downside of this is you never actually feel like Jack will ever get defeated in a meaningful way.

Also, if you're used to other Fables stories, you might be disappointed by the lack of integration into the overall Fables world. It is mostly a standalone story.

[Hung]

A straight up adventure story (probably) for 12 years old. It lacks the wits and clever imagination of the original Fables series (and their great spin off).

The ending of this volume was pretty good. I was just starting to like Jack Frost and his companion owl.

3.5 Stars.

[Samantha]

You know, whether it's in rise of the guardians or this comic I do always tend to end up liking Jack Frost. I didn't like him at first because I don't really enjoy Jack. But this really made me like the new one C: what a good guy