GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: Fables, vol 10: The Good Prince
Title: Fables, vol 10: The Good Prince
Author: Bill Willingham
Illustrator: Mark Buckingham, Aaron Alexovich
Series: Fables
This review has spoilers for previous volumes in the Fables series. If you'd like to learn about earlier Fables books, click here.
For the longest time, Flycatcher (aka The Frog Prince) was simply the janitor for the Woodland Building. But before that, he lived in the Homelands as Prince Ambrose, a man who lost both his wife and children to the Adversary. Flycatcher has lived for years with these memories erased from his mind, but now he has been given them back, and finds himself overwhelmed with grief. That is until a gallant knight emerges and shows Flycatcher how he can strike back at the Adversary.
The Good Prince is the tenth volume in the Fables trade paperbacks, and I found it to be the most satisfying volume in the series since March of the Wooden Soldiers. The Good Prince marks Fables as it's most epic, most heroic, and dare I say optimistic, as it follows Ambrose on his quest to cripple the Adversary without shedding any blood. There are definitely shades of classic Arthurian Legends in this tale, so it makes sense that one of the new characters to be featured in this arc would be a classic Arthurian figure. To be honest, I don't want to spoil too much about the direction of this volume, because I really enjoyed getting surprised at some of the places it went. What I can tell you is we visit someplace completely new, and revisit old characters that we'd thought we'd never see again.
I've always enjoyed Mark Buckingham's art style but where it really shines is when it needs to show something on a grand scale. Fortunately for Buckingham, this volume features several epic battle sequences where he can show off these talents. There were a handful of large, double pages spreads where Buckingham really did a good job of showing the grad scope of Ambrose's surroundings, or the the terrifying spectacle that is the Adversary's armies. The Good Prince has a bit of an intermission, a single issue story called The Birthday Secret that focuses on the cubs back on the Farm. This art style (drawn by Aaron Alexovich) is much more cutesy and does a good job of setting the tone for this more lighthearted tale.
Final Thoughts: The Good Prince is Fables at it's best. We're neck deep into the Adversary storyline now and the developments here will certainly change the world of Fables in major ways. I really enjoyed at how Bill Willingham took Flycatcher, whom most people would just see as a throwaway character, and really developed him into someone worth caring about, giving him one of the best arcs of the series. The fantastic story combined with the fantastic art certainly makes The Good Price a worthwhile read for Fables fans. Five Stars
Next I will be reviewing Daisy Kutter: The Last Train by Kazu Kibuishi
Author: Bill Willingham
Illustrator: Mark Buckingham, Aaron Alexovich
Series: Fables
This review has spoilers for previous volumes in the Fables series. If you'd like to learn about earlier Fables books, click here.
For the longest time, Flycatcher (aka The Frog Prince) was simply the janitor for the Woodland Building. But before that, he lived in the Homelands as Prince Ambrose, a man who lost both his wife and children to the Adversary. Flycatcher has lived for years with these memories erased from his mind, but now he has been given them back, and finds himself overwhelmed with grief. That is until a gallant knight emerges and shows Flycatcher how he can strike back at the Adversary.
The Good Prince is the tenth volume in the Fables trade paperbacks, and I found it to be the most satisfying volume in the series since March of the Wooden Soldiers. The Good Prince marks Fables as it's most epic, most heroic, and dare I say optimistic, as it follows Ambrose on his quest to cripple the Adversary without shedding any blood. There are definitely shades of classic Arthurian Legends in this tale, so it makes sense that one of the new characters to be featured in this arc would be a classic Arthurian figure. To be honest, I don't want to spoil too much about the direction of this volume, because I really enjoyed getting surprised at some of the places it went. What I can tell you is we visit someplace completely new, and revisit old characters that we'd thought we'd never see again.
I've always enjoyed Mark Buckingham's art style but where it really shines is when it needs to show something on a grand scale. Fortunately for Buckingham, this volume features several epic battle sequences where he can show off these talents. There were a handful of large, double pages spreads where Buckingham really did a good job of showing the grad scope of Ambrose's surroundings, or the the terrifying spectacle that is the Adversary's armies. The Good Prince has a bit of an intermission, a single issue story called The Birthday Secret that focuses on the cubs back on the Farm. This art style (drawn by Aaron Alexovich) is much more cutesy and does a good job of setting the tone for this more lighthearted tale.
Final Thoughts: The Good Prince is Fables at it's best. We're neck deep into the Adversary storyline now and the developments here will certainly change the world of Fables in major ways. I really enjoyed at how Bill Willingham took Flycatcher, whom most people would just see as a throwaway character, and really developed him into someone worth caring about, giving him one of the best arcs of the series. The fantastic story combined with the fantastic art certainly makes The Good Price a worthwhile read for Fables fans. Five Stars
Next I will be reviewing Daisy Kutter: The Last Train by Kazu Kibuishi