#22 Fables Vol 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
After the loss of their homelands to the adversary, characters of legend are forced to flee into our world where they find their happily
ever afters destroyed, and must deal with the every day frustrations of normal life. King Cole is in charge of what they call “Fabletown” but it’s really Snow White that runs the place. When she discovers that her sister Rose Red has gone missing, Snow enlists the help of Bigby (the big bad wolf) and the two set out to solve the mystery.Only the further they investigate, the more likely it seems that Rose Red was murdered.
Fables is comic book series that updates classic characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes by transporting them to modern day new york city. As someone who enjoys both fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, it’s a book that’s been on my radar for a while, and I’m quite happy that I’ve finally picked up the first trade paperback, Legends in Exile, which turned out to be a very fun read. I quite enjoyed exploring it’s more realistic twists on traditional fantasy characters. For example, Prince Charming, far from being a dashing hero, is a handsome jerk with the ability to charm women into doing pretty much anything for him. Jack (of such tales as Jack and the Beanstalk) is a clever con artist. The characters we meet here may be a little prickly around the edges (likely a natural reaction of having your happily ever after taken away from you), but they I found to be quite likable and interesting.
The main storyline of Legends in Exile is a satisfying, if somewhat predictable whodunit lead by the Big Bad Wolf. Even more interesting is the larger storyline in the background, involving the adversary. I think the author did a good job of balancing out the mystery storyline with the larger one. Also worth mentioning in the artwork. The interior art is pretty good, and very easy to follow. The covers, which are included in this collection, are really lovely. The collection ends with a short story written in prose. It gives us background information on the character of Bigby and how he came to meet Snow. I thought this did a really good job of exposing more information on the adversary storyline, and on Bigby himself, making it a nice bonus for the reader.
Legends in Exile, which collects the first five issues of the Fables comic book series, is a fun fast read that combines an entertaining mystery plot with a fascinating larger fantasy storyline. I would recommend it to fans of comics, and fairy tales. I am planning on continuing the series for at least the next couple of graphic novels.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 128 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: This is my first
Next I will be reviewing Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads
ever afters destroyed, and must deal with the every day frustrations of normal life. King Cole is in charge of what they call “Fabletown” but it’s really Snow White that runs the place. When she discovers that her sister Rose Red has gone missing, Snow enlists the help of Bigby (the big bad wolf) and the two set out to solve the mystery.Only the further they investigate, the more likely it seems that Rose Red was murdered.
Fables is comic book series that updates classic characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes by transporting them to modern day new york city. As someone who enjoys both fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, it’s a book that’s been on my radar for a while, and I’m quite happy that I’ve finally picked up the first trade paperback, Legends in Exile, which turned out to be a very fun read. I quite enjoyed exploring it’s more realistic twists on traditional fantasy characters. For example, Prince Charming, far from being a dashing hero, is a handsome jerk with the ability to charm women into doing pretty much anything for him. Jack (of such tales as Jack and the Beanstalk) is a clever con artist. The characters we meet here may be a little prickly around the edges (likely a natural reaction of having your happily ever after taken away from you), but they I found to be quite likable and interesting.
The main storyline of Legends in Exile is a satisfying, if somewhat predictable whodunit lead by the Big Bad Wolf. Even more interesting is the larger storyline in the background, involving the adversary. I think the author did a good job of balancing out the mystery storyline with the larger one. Also worth mentioning in the artwork. The interior art is pretty good, and very easy to follow. The covers, which are included in this collection, are really lovely. The collection ends with a short story written in prose. It gives us background information on the character of Bigby and how he came to meet Snow. I thought this did a really good job of exposing more information on the adversary storyline, and on Bigby himself, making it a nice bonus for the reader.
Legends in Exile, which collects the first five issues of the Fables comic book series, is a fun fast read that combines an entertaining mystery plot with a fascinating larger fantasy storyline. I would recommend it to fans of comics, and fairy tales. I am planning on continuing the series for at least the next couple of graphic novels.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 128 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: This is my first
Next I will be reviewing Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads