#33 Fables Vol 5: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham
As one might expect, the following review has spoilers for previous volumes in the Fables series. There are no real spoilers for The 
Mean Seasons.
Bringing new life into the world should be be a joyful event, but the birth of Snow White and Bigby Wolf’s babies is soured when many of the children do not appear completely human. According to the rules of Fabletown, any non-human Fables are required live at The Farm. This is the one place where Bigby, also known as The Big Bad Wolf, cannot go, thus derailing the couple’s budding relationship. In the meantime, Fabletown is in the midst of an election for mayor. The candidates are the well meaning but ineffective King Cole, or the handsome yet manipulative Prince Charming. The winner will seize control of all of Fabletown.
The fifth volume of the Fable Graphic novels,The Mean Seasons, collects two longer stories and a one shot. The one shot, "Cinderella Libertine," is a fascinating side story about what Cinderella’s role in Fabletown really entails. I quite enjoyed the twist in this one. The first major story is "War Stories," a two issue arc that explains Bigby’s role in World War II. This ultimately results in a brawl worthy of a classic monster movie. As I do really like the character of Bigby, it was interesting to see what he was up to during this time period. Still, I felt like this arc did fall a little short character wise. There are a lot of soldier characters to keep track of, and given the fact that they all are identically dressed in uniforms, it made it even more difficult to figure out who was who. I did end up finding this arc enjoyable, even though I don’t think it’s the strongest in the series.
The second story, which is the main focus on this graphic novel is "The Mean Seasons." It may lack a lot of the nail biting moments of March of the Wooden Soldiers, but it is quite a good storyline filled with interesting developments for much of the cast (not the least being the birth of Snow White and Bigby’s litter of kids). One thing I liked about this story was seeing a little more of characters that have, for the most part, sat around in the background for the series, such as Beauty and the Beast. It was also nice to revisit many of the characters at The Farm. "The Mean Seasons" often feels like a transition arc, due to the many changes and the hints of what’s to come. This made me excited about continuing to read the series, which I am planning to do once I can pick up the next volume from my local library.
Rating: four stars
Length: 168 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: Legends in Exile, Animal Farm, Storybook Love, March of the Wooden Soldiers
Next I will be reviewing Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonneblick and Beggars and Choosers by Nancy Kress
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads
Mean Seasons.
Bringing new life into the world should be be a joyful event, but the birth of Snow White and Bigby Wolf’s babies is soured when many of the children do not appear completely human. According to the rules of Fabletown, any non-human Fables are required live at The Farm. This is the one place where Bigby, also known as The Big Bad Wolf, cannot go, thus derailing the couple’s budding relationship. In the meantime, Fabletown is in the midst of an election for mayor. The candidates are the well meaning but ineffective King Cole, or the handsome yet manipulative Prince Charming. The winner will seize control of all of Fabletown.
The fifth volume of the Fable Graphic novels,The Mean Seasons, collects two longer stories and a one shot. The one shot, "Cinderella Libertine," is a fascinating side story about what Cinderella’s role in Fabletown really entails. I quite enjoyed the twist in this one. The first major story is "War Stories," a two issue arc that explains Bigby’s role in World War II. This ultimately results in a brawl worthy of a classic monster movie. As I do really like the character of Bigby, it was interesting to see what he was up to during this time period. Still, I felt like this arc did fall a little short character wise. There are a lot of soldier characters to keep track of, and given the fact that they all are identically dressed in uniforms, it made it even more difficult to figure out who was who. I did end up finding this arc enjoyable, even though I don’t think it’s the strongest in the series.
The second story, which is the main focus on this graphic novel is "The Mean Seasons." It may lack a lot of the nail biting moments of March of the Wooden Soldiers, but it is quite a good storyline filled with interesting developments for much of the cast (not the least being the birth of Snow White and Bigby’s litter of kids). One thing I liked about this story was seeing a little more of characters that have, for the most part, sat around in the background for the series, such as Beauty and the Beast. It was also nice to revisit many of the characters at The Farm. "The Mean Seasons" often feels like a transition arc, due to the many changes and the hints of what’s to come. This made me excited about continuing to read the series, which I am planning to do once I can pick up the next volume from my local library.
Rating: four stars
Length: 168 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: Legends in Exile, Animal Farm, Storybook Love, March of the Wooden Soldiers
Next I will be reviewing Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonneblick and Beggars and Choosers by Nancy Kress
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads