Okay, so not long ago Warner Bros. revealed its slate of upcoming movies based on DC Comics properties.
On that list was Fables. So, I think now might be a good time to talk
about that one. At the same time, part
of me thinks that I shouldn’t have to post about this one at all. I mean, who that’s either a fairy tale fan or
all around geek doesn’t know about Fables. Nevertheless, here we go.
Fables is a comic
book series written by Bill Willingham and drawn by Mark Buckingham that’s been
part of DC Comics’ adult-oriented Vertigo imprint since 2002. The series focuses on a number of characters
from fairy tales, nursery rhymes and classic stories who are forced out of
their own world, which they call the Homelands, by someone they refer to as The
Adversary. Having left their home, they
establish a secret immigrant community called Fabletown in New York City . The plot focuses on the lives of the Fables
(what the characters call themselves) as they try to keep the community secret
from the Mundys (what they call regular people) and as they try to find a way
to retake their Homelands. The best way
to describe the story is that it’s fairy tale noir with elements of high and
low fantasy. Among the characters are
the sheriff of Fabletown Bigby Wolf (the Big Bad Wolf in human form), deputy
mayor Snow White, their seven children (that one’s kind of a long story), Snow’s
sister Rose Red, Little Boy Blue, Prince Charming (Snow’s ex-husband and
all-around cad) as well as many, many others.
Seriously, this comic has one of the biggest ensemble casts around.
In terms of Vertigo comics, this is one of the biggest ones
around. It was so popular that it
spawned two long-term spin-offs Jack of
Fables and Fairest (not pictured
below) as well as a couple of miniseries based around super-spy Cinderella
(yes, you heard that right).
There was also a novel, a downloadable computer game and a Fables TV show was once in the works at
ABC (shortly after the Fables show
fell through, Once Upon a Time
debuted. Naturally, Fables fans lost their minds all over the internet).
Now, I actually read Fables
for about 11 graphic novels worth of material.
I can tell you this: it is very well written and well drawn. I can also tell you just from my own
understanding of fairy tales and folklore that it is amazingly well-researched. I also happen to know that it changed howmany comic book fans looked at fairy tales.
It also set the path for any number of fairy tale related comic books
that came after. However, I also have to
admit one thing.
It wasn’t one of my favorites.
You’d think it would be based on the concept alone. However, there was always something that kept
it out of my top seven. Maybe I had a
hard time connecting with the “fairy tale refugee” experience. Maybe it was something about the
characters. I had a hard time developing
a real liking for or interest in any of them.
While Bigby Wolf was pretty much the favorite of most Fables fans, I
wasn’t ever interested in him just because I didn’t think casting the Big Bad
Wolf as a good guy was all that novel or interesting. There was one exception. I really liked Flycatcher (aka Prince
Ambrose, aka The Frog Prince). For the
most part, he was just so idealistic and he had a tendency toward nonviolence that
I liked while at the same time being very impressive as a leader. It was something very few people seemed to
expect from him (which is strange, considering how we really should expect that
there’s something more beneath the surface with the Frog Prince). It could be some of the choices they made
with the other characters. Their version
of Jack was a total scumbag, which upset my inner child greatly. I also hated the Fables take on the Seven Dwarfs and thought their take on Little
Kay from “The Snow Queen” was oddly dark.
Of course, that’s probably it right there.
It was dark.
Fables was
ultimately a little too dark to be one of my favorites. I know the mantra these days is that fairy
tales aren’t the light and fluffy stories people once thought they were. I’m not completely against dark stories, but
when it comes to dark stories I tend to get a little picky as to how the
darkness is utilized. One should note that with folklore in
general, darkness and light often comes down to interpretation. My interpretations often tend to walk a
tonal middle ground.
But that’s Fables for
you. It’s dark. It’s gritty.
It’s grown-up. It rarely pulls
its punches. It’s amazingly
well-written, well-drawn and well-researched.
It brought fairy tales into comic book stores. Ultimately though, it’s not for everyone.
The series is ending soon, as described in this video. I can’t give the series a negative review
because I know it’s a quality book and I can’t rave about it because it’s not
my “cup of tea”. However, I will say
that if what I described sounds good to you, than you should by all means check
it out. It can probably be found at a
nearby public library or at a big bookstore.
However, if you are going to buy it, I suggest supporting a local comic
book shop. You can find one by clicking
here.
Thoughts on Fables?
Post in the comments below.
This is an excellent review! Having read a lot of Fables myself, I'd say this is a fair and balanced summary and explains why it's not everybody's cup of tea. Should I have people ask questions about Fables in future, I'm going to recommend they read your take on it as part of their consideration. Thanks Adam!
ReplyDeleteIt's probably the most unusual positive review I've ever given anything. But then, I never expected to be reviewing anything since my tastes can be a little odd.
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