Fables Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons

The title of the fifth collection of the FABLES comics takes its title from the group of comics comprising the final three quarters of this book. The first quarter is taken up with a couple of standalone stories - a sting operation in which a would be betrayer of Fabletown is got red-handed attempting to aid the Adversary and a history of a WW II operation by the U.S. military that was undertaken by a squad of soldiers and one Bigby Wolf. The first story was OK, but not really deeply connected to the rest of the stories. It does reveal that there are possibilities of treason on the parts of some Fabletown residents and it reveals a bit more about how Bigby Wolf handles things. The second story, the WW II one, also doesn't mesh very deeply with the rest of the stories. He was nonetheless a nice change of pace and gives some nice background to Bigby. It also balances out his relative absence from the last half of the group of stories that make up the bulk of the book. Most of the book is centered around a number of relatively small story arcs. Unlike previous books in the series, there is no overarching story. We see Snow White give birth to a litter of children with very unusual abilities. We see her relocate to the Farm (where she seems to be getting along wonderfully with Aunt Rose Red), which is unfortunately a place where Bigby is forbidden to enter. We see Bigby's father and Snow's children's grandfather make an appearance (Mr. North aka The North Wind). We witness a series of truly unfortunate and tragic murders of fables. The mayoral election is held and Prince Charming takes over, only to find out immediately that the many campaign promises that he had made were impossibilities. But while Prince Charming and Beauty both prove themselves to be inept administrators, Beast unexpectedly turns out to be far better in his job than one might have suspected. Oh, and Blue has taken the Witching Cloak, the Vorpal Sword (which will slice through anything it hits), and the body of Pinocchio presumably to the lands of the Adversary in order to bargain for the freedom of his love Red Riding Hood. So, all in all, the fifth book is more of a pause in the action than a major act. Nevertheless, these issues represent a further deepening of the world of the Fables. More secrets are revealed, such as Gundrun, the goose that lays golden eggs, who is secreted away deep in the hidden dungeons and who willingly helps fund the espionage work of Bigby and Beast with her eggs. Mainly, however, the book sets up future arcs of a more epic nature. It remains one of the best and most vital graphic series in existence.

After the horrific events of March of the Wooden Soldiers, it would seem that things couldn't get worse in Fabletown. But the impending mayoral election could overturn the centuries-old status quo, sending the town into a tailspin. This collection actually starts off with issue 22, even though the previous collection ended at 27. March of the Wooden Soldiers cut 22 out because, while it is an important issue, it interupted the flow of the story. It is a one-shot focusing on Cinderella, Prince Charming's third wife. While many people think she is merely a loud heiress, it is merely a cover. She is really a spy, and she uses her feminine wiles to get what she needs from the people she is assigned to. The next two issues follow one of Bigby Wolf's missions during World War II. Like most science fiction involving World War II, the Nazis are once again researching the occult and impossible, and they have a surprise in store for the Allied forces. While these issues are good, they don't compare to the amazing March of the Wooden Soldiers story nor the following story. The four-part arc The Mean Seasons takes place over the course of a year, with each issue occuring in one of the four seasons. Things kick off with Prince Charming winning the mayoral election and the birth of Snow White and Bigby Wolf's children (yes, there are multiple kids). Charming is the first new mayor since the creation of Fabletown, and his presence so annoys Snow White and Bigby that they step down from their positions as Deputy Mayor and Sheriff, respectively. Plus, due to the inhuman appearance of most of the children, Snow White couldn't stay even if she wanted to, since the kids must be raised at the Farm, which is the one place on Earth Bigby isn't allowed to visit due to his actions against many of the Farm's residents back in the Homelands. Beauty and Beast are Snow White and Bigby's replacements, and while both have good intentions, neither of them are equipped for their new jobs. Things only get worse as the year drags on; Prince Charming finds that he can't keep his campgain promises, Snow White has a hard time dealing with her kids, and a mysterious figure is killing Fabletown and Farm residents for seemingly no reason. Finally, Charming, Beauty, and Beast make a startling discovery when one of Fabletown's residents leaves with some forbidden objects to return to the Homelands. As usual, Fables is amazing. While The Mean Seasons isn't quite as good a collection as March of the Wooden Soldiers, it is still great, and MotWS was so good that it would be hard to top. The story ends with readers dying to find out what happens next, so until then, enjoy.

Once again, I found out about the series Fables from the Eisner Awards list. I've yet to be disappointed by my buys from the winners of the Eisner Awards, and Fables is no different. First of all, let me catch you up to speed. Fables is about a community of exiled Fables who have taken up residence both in New York City and in the upstate New York countryside. Some of them have been there since the colonial days of America. Now, I can hear your first question: What do you mean "exiled Fables?" We're talking Snow White, Prince Charming, Little Boy Blue, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, among many, many others. Some evil being called "The Adversary" has taken over all of these characters' homelands, and so they had to flee to our world in order to escape his mastery. The human looking Fables live in Fabletown, their little neighborhood in NYC that goes unnoticed by the "mundies," or regular humans. The non-human looking Fables, such as the three little pigs, the three bears, and so on, all must live in the countryside at a community they call The Farm. I've enjoyed all the trade paperbacks from this series, but I most recently read The Mean Seasons, the fifth book in the series. In it, Prince Charming has made a bid to run for Mayor of Fabletown, hoping to remove King Cole from office. Snow White gives birth to a litter of the Big Bad Wolf's (called Bigby, who is able to take human form) children, and we get to go on a secret mission of Bigby's during WWII where he fights someone all old horror movies fans will take delight in. As usual, this series is well written with very efficient art. The most amazing part of this series is how credible the writer, Bill Willingham, has made all of these Fables with their day-to-day lives. As you can imagine, the allusions are non-stop, and I must admit I can't keep up with the majority of them. If I had heard the pitch for this series in a meeting, I would have passed. But, Willingham as made it work exceptionally. I highly recommend checking it out. You really need to read them in order to get the full effect. Here's the list of trade paperbacks so far: Volume One: Legends in Exile Volume Two: Animal Farm Volume Three: A Storybook Love Volume Four: March of the Wooden Soldiers (very good!) Volume Five: The Mean Seasons ~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

Comics left me cold. Fables: Legends in Exile and its sequels have changed all that. I remain unenthusiatic about most 'comic' fare, but this stuff is simply brilliant. Fairy-tales, dark, grim and gritty, with lots of in-jokes, allusions and amusing bits and pieces to delight someone brought up, as I was, on the 'real' Grimm's Fairy Tales. At the time of writing this, Mean Seasons is the last in the trade series, which compiles individual comics into books. I can hardly wait for the next one. Almost tempted to buy the actual comics, but I much prefer the bound versions and getting a significant chunk of story each time. Till Noever, Author: 'KEAEN', www.owlglass.com

The fifth collected-edition of "Fables" is a much more subdued affair than "March of the Wooden Soldiers". It contains several smaller stories that advance further many of the overall plot lines lingering about Fabletown. First, we learn of Cinderella's more devious nature in "Cinderella Libertine". The less said about this story, the better, simply because its impact lies in its ending. No point spoiling it. Next, we get a couple of "War Stories", as we follow Bigby Wolf into his past as a spy for the Allies during World War II, on a mission that never officially happened, as Bigby leads a squad of American troops to a castle behind enemy lines. Finally is "The Mean Seasons" proper, as King Cole discovers he was perhaps not as popular as a mayor as he thought, and his successor, Prince Charming, learns actually governing a city requires a lot more than charm. His new administration, including Beauty and the Beast, also find the elaborate system that Snow White and Bigby have in place to keep the city running smoothly. Meanwhile, Snow White gives birth to Bigby's litter, moves to the Farm (where the "nonhuman" looking Fables must stay) and meets her father-in-law. Others leave Fabletown for various reasons, including Bigby, who is not allowed on the Farm. And some invisible creature is killing various residents of Fabletown. While "March of the Wooden Soldiers" was and is my favorite storyline, I have to say that I found "Mean Seasons" to have quite the emotional impact. Writer Bill Willingham, after carefully building the status quo of the series for three years, has swept it away, while paying attention to the logical consequences of those changes. The result is a very touching volume in this excellent series. DC has wisely fast-tracked this series for trade-paperback format. That's a good thing, since it's an excellent series. I anticipate future volumes.