Comic Book Review- Fables: Legends in Exile
Comic Book Review- Fables: Legends in Exile, issues #1-5, trade paperback edition. 2003, Vertigo.
This originally started out as my Top Five Comic Book Characters. I have about a dozen or so lists and reviews going at any given moment, half of which will never see the light of day. Too often I start with a single item, person, character etc and then try to flesh it out with four other items, persons, characters etc. In my defence, for My Top Five Comic Book Characters list I made it to four before crapping out. Hell, at that point I should have tossed someone in, favourite character or not. But one of my selections, Bigby Wolf, I thought deserved an entire review for his parent material. So here I am reviewing the trade paperback version of Fables: Legend in Exile, issues 1-5.
I have to say the premise of Fables is insanely cool. Pretty much all those storybook characters are real beings that lived, loved, killed, and occasionally died in their own worlds. Mostly died however since the Adversary (the big baddy who’s real identity is unknown) has kicked out the various Fables from the Three Little Pigs, Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf, to Shere Khan and fellow Kipling Fables to the rabbits from Watership Down, all of whom now live in our own mundane world, which the Adversary seems to be unwilling to invade.
This premise has few limits as is made very apparent by the main story that drives issues 1-5. These issues, while providing the setting and characters, also consist of the mystery of who killed Rose Red, Snow White’s sister. Bigby Wolf (Aka the Big Bad Wolf), now reformed from his Little Red Riding Hood eating days and in human form, is the sheriff for Fabletown in Manhattan and on the case. Note, if they every turned this into a live-action film a redheaded Keira Knightly would be a dead ringer for Rose Red.
An awesome premise, with an okay plot drives these early issues as we get our bearings with the characters and settings. Fables in general is very subversive in how they portray these storybook characters. Case in point, Prince Charming made it into our mundane world, along with his three ex-wives; Snow White, Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty), and Cinderella, 1-3 respectively. Prince Charming also still practices his “cocksmanship,” Cinderella owns her own shoe shop, and Briar Rose is doing just fine, if occasionally falling asleep. Other storybook Fables like Beauty and the Beast are reduced to being a clerk in a bookstore and as a member of the Fabletown maintenance staff to make ends meet. To other, rather more obscure fables like Blue Beard living the high life in Fabletown. Though King Cole is still a merry old soul, and merry old soul he is as Fabletown’s mayor, though Snow White does all of the real work as his deputy.
I have to give Bill Willingham a lot of credit for spending so much time really fleshing out his characters as these clearly flawed but three-dimensional characters. All of this could have been ridiculous but Bill Willingham plays it completely straight and I think this very important as there is some but not much winking at the reader. “Fables” is done in all seriousness and Willingham keeps it together and tells a pretty good story while setting his characters up for bigger and better things.
All told a great beginning to a great series. 10/10.
This originally started out as my Top Five Comic Book Characters. I have about a dozen or so lists and reviews going at any given moment, half of which will never see the light of day. Too often I start with a single item, person, character etc and then try to flesh it out with four other items, persons, characters etc. In my defence, for My Top Five Comic Book Characters list I made it to four before crapping out. Hell, at that point I should have tossed someone in, favourite character or not. But one of my selections, Bigby Wolf, I thought deserved an entire review for his parent material. So here I am reviewing the trade paperback version of Fables: Legend in Exile, issues 1-5.
I have to say the premise of Fables is insanely cool. Pretty much all those storybook characters are real beings that lived, loved, killed, and occasionally died in their own worlds. Mostly died however since the Adversary (the big baddy who’s real identity is unknown) has kicked out the various Fables from the Three Little Pigs, Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf, to Shere Khan and fellow Kipling Fables to the rabbits from Watership Down, all of whom now live in our own mundane world, which the Adversary seems to be unwilling to invade.
This premise has few limits as is made very apparent by the main story that drives issues 1-5. These issues, while providing the setting and characters, also consist of the mystery of who killed Rose Red, Snow White’s sister. Bigby Wolf (Aka the Big Bad Wolf), now reformed from his Little Red Riding Hood eating days and in human form, is the sheriff for Fabletown in Manhattan and on the case. Note, if they every turned this into a live-action film a redheaded Keira Knightly would be a dead ringer for Rose Red.
An awesome premise, with an okay plot drives these early issues as we get our bearings with the characters and settings. Fables in general is very subversive in how they portray these storybook characters. Case in point, Prince Charming made it into our mundane world, along with his three ex-wives; Snow White, Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty), and Cinderella, 1-3 respectively. Prince Charming also still practices his “cocksmanship,” Cinderella owns her own shoe shop, and Briar Rose is doing just fine, if occasionally falling asleep. Other storybook Fables like Beauty and the Beast are reduced to being a clerk in a bookstore and as a member of the Fabletown maintenance staff to make ends meet. To other, rather more obscure fables like Blue Beard living the high life in Fabletown. Though King Cole is still a merry old soul, and merry old soul he is as Fabletown’s mayor, though Snow White does all of the real work as his deputy.
I have to give Bill Willingham a lot of credit for spending so much time really fleshing out his characters as these clearly flawed but three-dimensional characters. All of this could have been ridiculous but Bill Willingham plays it completely straight and I think this very important as there is some but not much winking at the reader. “Fables” is done in all seriousness and Willingham keeps it together and tells a pretty good story while setting his characters up for bigger and better things.
All told a great beginning to a great series. 10/10.