Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days)

Bill Willingham's "Fables" is the most interesting concept in comics I've seen in the last few years. "Fables" is right up there with Vaughan's "Y The Last Man" and "Ex Machina." The artwork by is outstanding; it is detailed and realistic. The art moves the story along without being distracting. Like all other Vertigo titles, it is not recommended for children - as an adult I find Fables extremely entertaining. Fabletown is a part of Manhattan where people and creatures from traditional fairy tales have gone into exile to escape "the Adversary" who has invaded their kingdoms. This volume of the Fables stories is my favorite yet. It contains two stories; the first is the story of how Arabian Fables come to Fabletown. I won't give away any spoilers, because the ending is surprising. The second story is a fantastic two-issue story arc about a wooden soldier who falls in love and ultimately wants to become human. This is brilliant writing - like great sci-fi, it challenges your thinking in a mindbending way. I love how it ties in with the rest of the Fables stories. The artwork is outstanding in this volume. What really stands out is the incredible lettering by Todd Klein. His varying types of lettering add to the experience of reading Fables and propel the story forward in a unique way. Wow! Highly recommended! Off to the next volume!

Arabian Nights (and Days) introduces the world of the arabian fables to Fabletown. We get to see that not all worlds are under the sway of the Adversary, and that not everyone is thrilled that the arabian fables are going to cooperate with the american fables. We also get to learn a little more about the wooden soldiers, as well as get to see more of the wonderful Frau Totenkinder (easily one of the most interesting characters in the series). While this isn't a good place to jump into the series, I'd still recommend this to anyone. Fables is easily accessible to even the greenest comic book fan or to a person who has never picked up a comic book before in their lives.

ARABIAN NIGHTS (AND DAYS) maintains the high quality established by all the previous volumes in Bill Willingham's award winning FABLES series. The joys of this volume are smaller compared with those that came before. Apart from the release of a djinn and Frau Totenkiller's role in reigning it in, there are no major arcs. That does not mean that the volume isn't filled with pleasures, but they are not those of a large narrative arc. The final section of the book is a real change. A wooden soldier in the adversary's army named Rodney falls in love with June, a wooden "medic" who helps repair injured wooden troops. She reciprocates and they petition Gepetto to be made human so that they can really and truly marry. Their wish is granted with the condition that they move just outside Fabletown among the Mundys (with Rodney ironically taking a job as a butcher--meat is abhorrent to the woodens). This series is a marvel. I've not read all the comics except for the Jack of the Fables tales (I'll get to them -- I just don't enjoy Jack all that much). I think this is with ease the best currently running graphics series and compare favorably to the best series of the past. I have several very well read friend who haven't delved into adult comics. The three people I urge them to try are Alan Moore's books, Gaiman's Sandman books, and Willingham's Fables. It really is that good.

Fables is arguably the finest comic being produced today. This volume continues the stellar work of both Willingham and Buckingham as writer and artist, respectively. The fun of this series is seeing characters we all knew of as a child brought to life in modern times. This volume brings to town the Arabian Fables, lead by the fair and noble Sinbad. The Arabian Fables are trying to negotiate an agreement to bring their people over to our "Mundy" world. Willingham's humor is at its best when these two cultures clash while negotiating, especially over whether slaves should be allowed. I wasn't a big fan of the last two issues from this volume, the only two issues in this collection not drawn but Buckingham. Actually, it wasn't the art that I disliked, but rather I thought the story wasn't as original as some of the other issues and that it could have been told in a single issue without losing any of its effictiveness. I thought the art style was very clean and fit the overall tone of the series very well, it just wasn't a story that needed two issues. Overall, though, that last point was just nit-picking. This book is a great read and, if you haven't read any of the previous books, start at volume one because you won't be disappointed.