Fables #117

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, and Shawn McManus

Take a moment to look at the cover of this month's issue of Fables.  It looks like a sophisticated, 'mature readers' comic, doesn't it?  Unfortunately, that's not what Fables has been for many months now.  This issue is spread rather thin, as we check in with the children of Bigby Wolf and Snow White in a couple of different situations, in the main story.

Therese is still the queen of some Toyland, but she's hungry and unhappy.  Her brother Dare has arrived to rescue her, and he discovers that his favourite toy is there to help him (and is huge and powerful).  It's not explained why his favourite toy would be in a place of discarded toys, but I guess it's all good.  He goes to get his sister, but gets attacked by the residents of the kingdom.

Meanwhile, in the Mundy, Bigby figures out that his kids have left the world, and a few of the Fables move into Castle Dark, which is the new Fabletown.  These couple of pages are the only part of the comic that grabbed my attention, and they were way too short. 

There's also three pages of silliness featuring Bufkin in Oz.  I wish that plot would just end - it's become very tedious.

I think this is the last issue of Fables that I have pre-ordered.  I may still pick up some of the future issues, to get to the end of this storyline, but I feel like my time with this book has come to a close.  The art in it is wonderful, but I'm just getting increasingly bored with Willingham's storylines, and I don't feel like he has a direction or plan for this series anymore.  I know it's Vertigo's sales juggernaut, but maybe it's time for this series to wind down, and for Willingham and Buckingham to work on something a little fresher...

Fables #116

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Shawn McManus

Here's the question I find myself pondering this month.  Is Vertigo still the home of thought-provoking, adult comics?  Books like DMZ, Northlanders, Scalped, and (to a lesser extent) iZombie, are all recently wrapped up or will be shortly.  One of their newest titles, Dominique Laveau, Voodoo Child, reads a little more like a sophisticated superhero book from the late 80s, and Fables has become increasingly focused on its child characters, to the general detriment of the book.

This latest issue is again spotlighting Snow White and Bigby Wolf's children.  Therese has ended up in the land of Discardia, where a bunch of broken toys have made her their queen, although she's likely to starve there.  Darien, one of her brothers, has decided to go looking for her himself with the help of the wind-up tiger Lord Mountbatten.  Pinocchio also gets a bit of space to flirt with Osma.  Oh, and Blufkin the flying monkey escapes the gallows.

I don't see, aside from a few curse words that Darien let fly, how this comic should be 'suggested for mature readers'.  Actually, the swearing of a child helps underscore how immature this comic is becoming.  I get it that Willingham has been writing this comic for a good long time, and is perhaps just running low on ideas, and I would never advocate for 'mature scenes' just for their own sake, but I find that this book is not as sophisticated as it used to be.

Mark Buckingham's art is always awesome, but I'm finding that my enthusiasm for this title has reached the point where I think it's time to take it off my pre-order list.

Fables #115

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Shawn McManus

Fables continues to flounder with this new Toyland arc.  Willingham has had a hard time maintaining a focused narrative since the Adversary was vanquished a few years ago, but I feel like this book's plots are getting more and more threadbare, and more stretched out with each issue.

This month, we find out that Therese, one of Snow White and Bigby's daughters, was taken by her toy boat to be the new queen of a rather downtrodden land, called Discardia, Toyland, Mattagonia, and Madland, all within the span of a few pages.  Basically, it looks like she's living in the world of The Stuff of Legend, after a bomb hit it.  It's nothing but broken old fashioned toys and awkward dialogue in this place, and I'm finding it hard to care.

Her disappearance also leads to some self-recrimination from her brother Darien, and more proof that Willingham really struggles to write children's dialogue.  In fact, that may be the main reason why I find myself increasingly disappointed with this book - Willingham does fine with adults and all manners of magical creatures, but his kids sound a little like they've come from bad British post-War juvenile novels.

The other plots that are given a little space in this issue are more interesting.  King Cole has a long chat with Mrs. Spratt, who he's discovered chained up and emaciated in Castle Dark.  Beauty and Beast consider sticking around Haven instead of coming back to our world.  And, many months after Blufkin climbed up on a scaffold to be hung, we learn that his rope still hasn't dropped (I thought maybe Willingham just forgot about this completely).

Fables is usually a very good comic, even when it lacks direction, and so I'm hoping that all these plots concerning Snow and Bigby's insufferably irritating children can get wrapped up quickly, and things can improve again.  Really, Mark Buckingham's art saves this one...

Fables #114

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Shawn McManus

I really feel like Bill Willingham shouldn't be writing comics with young children in them.  This issue was not as cringe-inducing as the issues that had the children competing for the role of North Wind, but still, the kids in this comic do not come off as very authentic on any level.  They read like children in post-war British children's novels, which is to say fully manufactured.  The idea of using Bigby Wolf and Snow White's children is a very interesting one - with their mixed parentage and abilities, there are a wealth of stories that could be driven by them, but this isn't really working for me.

One of the kids is upset about the fact that she got a toy boat for Christmas, and the boat is, of course, eeeevil (read that with a creepy voice).  This plot kind of bores me, and so I'm done with it.

Much more interesting is the return of some of the Fabletown crowd to their old stomping grounds, which is now the site of Castle Dark.  In exploring the castle, they find the imprisoned and newly-skinny Nurse Spratt (of course, she too is now eeeevil). 

As well, there is some stuff about Bigby and the kid who is going to become the North Wind (who worries that she may, one day, turn eeeevil), and we return in a back-up to Oz, and the revolutionary army that Blufkin put together, although we are given no updates as to his fate.

Fables is always a good comic, although it feels lately like there are more mediocre issues than great ones.  The art, however, is always top notch.

Fables #112

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, and Dan Green

Ah, the Christmas issue - proof that time really does move forward in comics.  This is an extra-sized issue, something I didn't notice until I was more than half-way through and started wondering how Willingham and company had packed so much into one comic.

Anyway, the Fables return to the Farm just in time for Christmas, and after a large party, Rose Red is visited by a talking cricket (I think it's safe to assume this is Jiminy), who takes her on a Christmas Eve journey to meet with three 'Paladins of Hope'.  Apparently, a while back, when every issue was taken up with Rose Red's conversation with the ghost of her mother, she decided to become a paladin of Hope.  I don't remember that part happening exactly, so I was a little confused until I decided to just go with it.

The three paladins (there used to be fourteen) each represent a different aspect of hope.  Santa Claus, for example, represents the 'hope for justice', which is different from actual justice.  The Rose Red part is cool, in a Christmas Carol sort of way.

Willingham also checks in on Bigby and Snow and their family, who while still absorbing the news that their daughter will be the new North Wind, decide to have a quiet family Christmas at home.  Also, Nurse Spratt is laying a trap for the Fables back in Fabletown.

I still think it's rather strange that Frau Totenkinder (I know that's not her name anymore, but I forget what she's called now - Briarthorn?) is back, but no one is talking about it.  Perhaps we'll get there eventually.  Fables feels a little between big stories right now, and the next issue is going to be an interlude, but I feel confident that Willingham has something up his sleeve for 2012.

Fables #111

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Shawn McManus

I'm never very sure what to do with Fables these days.  It's always an entertaining comic, but I often feel like something is missing, and this issue is a good example of that recurrent problem.

There are two stories going on here this month.  Bufkin is a prisoner in the Emerald City, and is facing execution for his involvement in the growing rebellion against the Emperor of Oz.  This is the strongest part of the comic, as Willingham has decided to make Oz the North Korea of the Homelands.  Propaganda abounds, and the state embraces a Kafkaesque approach to justice that Kim Jong Il would appreciate.  Bufkin almost gets his hero moment, but things rarely work out for everyone's favourite former flying monkey.

Most of this issue is centred on the on-going search for a new North Wind among Bigby and Snow's children.  One of the kids, Winter (really, you'd think that name alone would be enough of a guarantee that she would ascend the throne), has discovered the Homeland of the North, where she meets Bellflower (formerly Frau Totenkinder) and Dunster Happ, who have been there since the former North Wind fought Mr. Dark.  They return to the North Wind's castle, and Winter is proclaimed King.

There are a lot of problems with this part of the book.  First, Bigby and Snow White show the appropriate concern for their missing daughter, but don't actually seem to do anything to look for her.  For three weeks, were they just sitting around the castle worrying?  Neither of them usually act like that.  When she does return, there is little in the way of emotion, and Bellflower and Happ's accompanying her doesn't warrant a mention from anyone.  It feels like Willingham had to rush through this part of the story, and so glossed over a number of things that needed more exploration.

Overall, the quality on this book is great (much of the credit for that goes to Mark Buckingham and his crew of inkers), but I think from time to time Willingham loses track of his characters and how they should be acting.

Fables #110

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Mark Buckingham

Generally speaking, I don't like cute.  Sure, I love books like Chew, which are built around their own in-jokey cute-ness, but that's more of an exception than the rule.  I especially don't like it when the cute is mixed with the more serious.  Star Wars's Ewoks and droids, the hobbits in Lord of the Rings; I hate them all.

Why do I mention this?  Because Willingham has moved things squrely into cute-land in Fables, and it's affecting my enjoyment of the book.  This issue is split between two plot-lines (with another Nurse Spratt interlude) - the adventures of Bufkin in Oz, and the trials of Bigby and Snow White's cubs in the land of the north winds.

The Bufkin stuff is getting to be annoying.  A giant who eats people for the Emperor of Oz, and who speaks like a cross between a recent immigrant and a child with a developmental delay joins Bufkin's little rebellion, and I quickly found myself skipping over dialogue.

The plot concerning the search for a replacement for the North Wind is more interesting, mostly because we aren't subjected to much of the cubs this issue, instead learning about the moral obligations of the other cardinal winds, one of whom looks like he belongs in Elfquest.

Usually I love Fables, but this arc feels a little tired.  Here's hoping it picks back up again soon, and stays away from light-hearted cuteness.

Fables #109

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha

Most months I praise this comic, and for the most part, this issue is also very good, but for one element that makes it a tough read.

Bill Willingham should not write child characters.  Now that the North Wind has left us, his servants are looking for his replacement among Snow White and Bigby Wolf's children.  They have separated the kids, and are going to be putting them through trials, to determine which of the six (I'm assuming that the zephyr child is disqualified, although will probably end up being the final choice) will assume this new mantle.

Each kid gets their own scene, and the writing is like a combination of Family Circus and Kids Say the Darndest Things.  I'm not sure what Willingham is trying to achieve here, but it threw me completely out of the book.  The later scene, where the kids return from their first trial is fine, but the earlier pages, especially considering that aside from Ambrose and Darien, the kids aren't very well developed before now, were painful.

The rest of the book is pretty good though, as Blufkin continues his time in Oz, Rose Red reports back from the Farm, and the newly-pretty Nurse Spratt discusses the joys of dressing for dinner.

Fables #108

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha

There have been a couple of moments where I've wondered if Fables should continue.  When the Adversary was defeated, I wondered if there was much point in the series moving forward without an established antagonist.  Then Mr. Dark came along, who was a weak replacement at first, but ended up very effectively shaking up the status quo, driving everyone out of Fabletown and then the Farm.  When he was vanquished a couple of issues ago, I wondered again if it may not be time for Vertigo's second longest-running series to fold.

With this issue it finally became clear to me that plot really has become secondary in this series.  Like a good soap opera (if those actually exist; I've never watched one, but they seem popular), it's investment in the characters that drive this series forward.

In this issue, Rose Red returns with a small group to sweep the Farm for traps, while Nurse Spratt plans for the eventual return of her enemies to Fabletown.  We check in again with Blufkin and his new friends, as they try to make their way across hostile territory in Ev (is that the cat from the latest Cinderella series?).  The heart of this issue lies in the North Wind's castle, as it becomes clear that one of Snow White and Bigby's children will have to replace their grandfather.  These scenes are amusing and touching, as we see a side of Bigby that is not often shown.

So what I've learned from this issue is that, after so many years, I really like the characters in this comic, and am perfectly happy if it meanders a while, so long as Willingham keeps such strong characterizations afloat.  Also, I'm not sure what was going on with the art this issue, but Buckingham and Leialoha look better than ever.  I suspect it's the new approach to colouring that Lee Loughridge uses here, with more of a watercolour washed effect on the background, and it looks great.

Fables #106

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha

It's hard to tell, reading this issue, which concludes the 'Super Team' arc, and finishes off the long-running plot line revolving around Mr. Dark, if Willingham had written himself into a corner, or had always intended to end it thus.  You see, in the first few pages of the book, Mr. North decides to attack Dark, and already has made plans to box him again, with the help of Frau Totenkinder and her new husband.

It seems like a pretty quick and easy ending for a storyline that has taken a couple of years to tell, and in a lot of ways, it feels like a cop out.  This is mitigated by some excellent character work immediately afterward, as Willingham checks in on a number of the book's more prominent cast members, and drops a few hints that whatever is going to happen next, is going to involve Rose Red in a pretty big way.

This issue is an example of how cutting two story pages has hurt a few DC comics; specifically, it's hard to imagine that something as momentous as what happened in this issue would take place without getting the reaction of Gepetto, who does not appear in this issue.

Fables #105

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Andrew Pepoy

Willingham takes some time away from the conflict between Mister Dark and the refugees of Fabletown, now holed up in Haven, to focus on the relationship between the North Wind and Bigby Wolf.  Mr. North has come to inform his son that he must kill his grandson, Ghost, because of a promise he made ages before that all zephyrs, invisible wind creatures, will be executed.

What follows from this conversation is an examination of the nature of the winds, which is pretty interesting.  I like how Willingham has considered all possibilities in anthropomorphizing something like the North Wind, and really applied its nature to its character.

In all, a very good issue of Fables, although the cover barely matches with the content of the book.

Fables #104

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha

Preparations continue for the imminent battle with Mister Dark, and this issue opens with an old-school superhero battle, as the various Fables who have made up Ozma and Pinocchio's team train.  It's a cool sequence, bringing to mind the best of epic superhero comics by people like Jack Kirby and John Byrne, while maintaining the usual Fables humour.

Really, not a whole lot happens in this issue, and it feels a little bit like Willingham is padding his story a little for the eventual trade, although to good use, as this issue has plenty of strong character moments.  I like the dispute between Bigby and Snow White over whether or not Snow should stay in Haven or go stay with her children.  Of course, once the North Wind shows up, that changes things considerably...

As always, Fables is a good read, with fantastic art.

Fables #103

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha

I often see complaints that Willingham writes this comic more with the trades in mind than the structure of a monthly series, and usually it doesn't bother me, but this month, it did.

I think the reason for that is because this issue is one of those ones that often come along in the middle of an arc, where plots are advanced, but none of the big story moments happen.  We see Ozma and Pinocchio continue to build their team (including a few scenes that are reminiscent of some of the best Legion try-outs), Bigby and Snow get reacquainted (okay, we don't actually see that, but what happens after), Beast loses his powers, Fly and Wayland make some armor, Nurse Spratt loses some weight, and the North Wind makes a tough decision.

In terms of individual scenes, this comic is as good as always; it just seems to lack a definite ending.  It's all good though, as I'm finding this current arc to be both pretty interesting and a lot of fun.

Fables #102

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha

I thought this issue was going to continue to look at Blufkin the former flying monkey's adventures in the Greater Oz Area, but apparently not.  Instead, we spend most of the issue in Haven, where it's "six months later", conveniently helping us to avoid all the settling in of the various Fables (farm and country) that had to flee to Flycatcher's land after the events of issue 100.

This issue opens with Bigby being recalled to Haven from some mission to take part in the community's planned attack on Mr. Dark.  It would seem that Ozma is putting together a squad of people who have no fear, and Pinocchio has convinced her to model it after traditional superhero teams (complete with costumes).  He's even taken to rolling around in a wheelchair, to complete the Professor X/Niles Caulder role.

This is a pretty good issue, as it brings readers back up to speed with everything that's been going on, and demonstrates quite credibly why Mr. Dark is a current threat, and not something that can be ignored until later.  I like the way that Willingham is poking fun at superhero books, but maintaining his usual feel for this series.

Fables# 100

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Marc Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, and others

Well, this is one hell of an impressive comic.  For the 100th issue of Fables, an amazing milestone for a Vertigo book in this day and age, Willingham and friends pull out all the stops.

To begin with, the book has a 65-odd page story detailing the big battle between Frau Totenkinder and Mr. Dark.  Totenkinder, now called Bellflower, finally reveals the depths of her powers and abilities, as she takes on this massively powerful antagonist.  The battle is pretty innovative, as she uses a number of pre-prepared spells to try to 'box' her opponent.  The outcome of this battle changes the status quo for the book's massive cast, and was pretty unexpected.

While all of this is going on, Beauty goes into labour, and finally delivers her baby.  These scenes are sprinkled in and around the battle, and there is a fascinating blow-out between Snow White and Nurse Spratt, which also looks to have some important consequences.

This huge story is positively lovely.  Lee Loughridge is doing something new with the colours, and the book feels more burnished and refined than usual.

After the main story, there are a few interesting tidbits added into the mix.  There is a prose story written by Buckingham and illustrated by Willingham, which is kind of fun, and a few short stories that follow up on the new status quo I mentioned before.

Also, there are a few one or two-page strips used to answer some questions about the characters in the series asked by a few minor celebrities (none of whom I'd ever heard of).

Fables is consistently a terrific read, but this issue is a milestone in a number of different ways.  While at $10 it's kind of expensive, I felt that I got more than my money's worth with it.

Fables #98

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Dan Green

Now that Rose Red is back on the job, it feels like the good old days in Fables, as she exerts her authority over the Farm by threatening Geppetto's bodyguards, joining Stinky's cult of personality, and effectively side-lining the traditional Fabletown leadership.

A good portion of this comic is taken up with a variety of one-on-one interview Rose has with the different citizens of the Farm, as they bitch, moan, complain, and occasionally come up with a good idea or two.  These scenes are very well-written, and at times quite funny.

I am enjoying this build-up to the coming conflict with the Dark Man, and especially like that Willingham is leaving us out in the rain with Old King Cole and the Beast, instead of making us privy to these plans.  I imagine this book is going to be pretty good through issue one hundred, although I do question how much life it has left in it past that.

Fables #97

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Dan Green

Fables has returned after a skip month, and we finally get to the end of Rose Red's long conversation with her dead mother, as we see just how horribly she acted back in the Homelands, when she was living with Snow White and Prince Charming.  This part of the book is amusing, but it is when this bit ends, and Willingham returns to the main storyline, that things get pretty good.

Gepetto has a meeting with Stinky and Ozma, while Bigby worries about how long he can resist Mr. Dark's power, and Beauty feels a few kicks.  I feel like most of these plots have been left for too long, so I look forward to getting back to the main business at hand.

Fables #96

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Andrew Pepoy

While this exploration of Snow White and Rose Red's pasts is interesting and somewhat informative, I would prefer to see more of what's going on with the characters in the present day.

In this issue, Snow and Rose's dead mother continues to tell Rose Red all of the things that she didn't previously know about her relationship with her sister.  We get to find out about how Snow was sent away to protect her life from the father of her suitor, and we are given a retelling of the Snow White fairy tale, complete with its seven degenerate dwarves.

I understand that it's necessary for Rose Red to finally get rid of the chip on her shoulder through understanding the past, I just feel that it's taking too long.  I guess Willingham is padding out the story a little so that issue 100 can be a momentous one.

Fables #95

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha

It's another interlude story, as Rose Red and Snow White's mother narrates the story of Snow's first prince.  Rose and Snow are still children in the story, living with their mother in a small cottage in the woods.  They are visited throughout a winter by bear, looking to sleep by the fire.  With the coming of spring, the bear leaves them, and the two girls keep having run ins with a mean-spirited dwarf with a long beard who has issues with getting himself stuck in awkward situations.

The story is modeled on the types of fairy tales that have given this book its reason to exist, although I'm not familiar with the original source of this tale.  We get the idea towards the end that there is a reason why this story is being told, but at this point, the reader is left with no indicator as to what that may be.  It's a nice enough issue, although I can't help but wonder if Willingham isn't padding things out a bit to get the main story to a certain place for the 100th issue.

Fables #94

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha

After two issues of interlude in Haven (and some noticeable schedule issues), we're back on the Farm, picking up right where we last saw our assembled heroes, as the Blue Fairy suddenly shows up and goes after Geppetto, although Pinocchio has more than a few issues to resolve with his 'mother' and intervenes.

What follows is more of the same from the more recent pre-Haven issues.  The collected Fables are making preparations to deal with Mister Dark, Geppetto is working to take over, Frau Totenkinder is collecting intelligence on Mister Dark, as is Ozma's cat.  There is plenty of realpolitick taking place on the farm these days, and it's interesting to sit back and watch.

This issue features a cover by Joao Ruas, and it's the first one since James Jean left that has really popped off the stand, or has done something new with regards to logo layout and general design.