Fables Vol. 8: Wolves

Fables is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read and vol. 8 slaps on another coat of greatness paint onto this already well painted series...I don't think that makes any sense. Anyway this was a good read and I can't wait for vol. 9.

The premise of this wonderful series is to rewrite and expand the world of fairy tales. They characters of which has entered our world fleeing a great evil. Lots of fun, smart and witty, typical american style illustrations for the most part, but nice. Some similarities of premise to the Sand Man series, but not quite as inventive or as extensively research and deep. Start at #1 for the best read.

Well, herein we finally find out. We've been hanging in there, pining away for more stories about the fates of the central characters in this ensemble cast, whom we met at the very beginning of the first story in the series. Ever since _The Mean Seasons_, when Bigby went away because the only person whose smell he likes (Remember he's a wolf: The Wolf!) couldn't decide to throw her lot in with him. Understandably, I suppose, because she was a practical girl and, let's face it, their history together had its ups and downs. She also had so cubs to take care of, and there were political issues with having Bigby around. So we waited and waited (well, _I_ did!) and followed Boy Blue into the Homelands to reveal the Adversary, and the fates of an assortment of others dealing with folks from other cultures--all the while chuckling at Willingham's built-in jokes, very often of the political kind, and usually with a strong libertarian slant. In _Wolves_ too, there a lot of implied politics and social commentary, but it all fades into insignificance before the central issues: where's Bigby, what's he been doing, and how is this thing with Snow going to play out? _Is_ it going to play out? Whatever happened to the aberrant 'Zephyr' cub of Bigby and Snow's; the one that kills living creatures because it likes their breath? As a bonus there's also another story, involving that sexy spy, Cinderella; who is like a female James Bond, and so much nicer than that psycho Goldilocks (whom we're sure to meet again one day, even though she had an axe buried in her head last time we saw her plunge into a river). As usual, the action is rough and tough, with few punches pulled; though in general the tone of the stories is gentler than those compiled into the previous two books. As fairytales for adults go, there is nothing better, and I'm of a mind, now that the story has gone the way it goes, to start the whole series all over again. It's great bedtime literature, and if, like me, you grew up with fairy tales, it's a homecoming of sorts. Thing is, in real life you can never go back--and often you really don't want to either--but FABLES on the whole takes me back to something familiar at the same time as it is firmly facing into the future. On a purely professional basis and since I write novels and scripts myself, it was instructional to have the entire script to one of the 'episodes' collected into this volume added at the end. Been meaning to tackle this kind of medium myself, and for those similarly inclined there are valuable pointers for method and style.

Eighteen months ago, a clerk in a comic story recommended this series to me. Based on my long experience with comics, I knew the flakiest ideas are the best. Still I admit to being skeptical of a colony of folklore figures living secretly in New York. Well I am well and truly hooked. This is my eighth graphic novel and I am more than satisfied. In order to get the full effect, of the series I recommend you start at the beginning. This book ties together several plotlines that have been developing in the comic for years. Mr. Willingham just keeps hitting balls out the park. At this point if you're new to the series, be apprised there are spoilers ahead. When we last left Bigby Wolf, disgusted about being unable to live with his family, he has disappeared. Prince Charming, Mayor of Fabletown, needs him back. He and the Travellers have devised a plan to strike back at Adversary as retribution for the attack on Fabletown. However the only one who can successfully pull it off is THE BIG BAD WOLF. Prince Charming dispatches Mowgli to find him. It takes a wolf to find a wolf. Meanwhile Snow White, the mother of Bigby's children, is maintaining the fiction that Daddy is away but still in contact with his children. We all know Mowgli would find Bigby. We all know Bigby would come home and perform this mission. We know Bigby would return to Snow White. Ah but the journey is the purpose of reading this series and therein lies the joy. Exactly how these events would transpire is the beauty and the brilliance of the story. Prince Charming, his staff and Bigby need to work for the Pentagon. We'd be out of Iraq in a month. There is no way I was able to anticipate how these events would transpire and the sheer elegance of the plan. A magic beanstalk? Cinderella? C4????!!! That's enough for now. But if Bigby thinks he's retired...... T

If you aren't reading Fables, you have no idea what you're missing. The eighth volume of the series, taking us from issue 48 through 51, is still great. The series only gets better with age; it started off well, improved, and is able to continually find new ways to entertain instead of relying on old plot devices to keep audiences coming back. The 2-party Wolves storline is the culmination of a story that started all the way back in the third trade paperback, when Bigby Wolf learned that he had impregnated Snow White. She eventually gave birth to his cubs, who were forced to live at the Farm due to their inhuman appearance. The Farm is an annex of Fabletown, a refugee colony for Fables in our mundane world. Fables that cannot pass for human are relegated to the Farm so that no "mundy" finds out about the existence of Fables. Bigby is not allowed to go to the farm due to the things that he has done to certain non-human Fables back in the Homelands, so he left Fabletown for good after Beast replaced him as sheriff. However, the new mayor, Prince Charming, realized that he would need Bigby's help for something important, and he employed Mowgli, of the Jungle Book, to get Bigby back. Wolves finally shows Mowgli's hunt for Bigby, showing two master hunters/trackers/wilderness survivors doing what they do best. The double-sized Issue 50 reveals why Charming needed Bigby, and brings together 2 Fables in marriage. Finally, the stand-alone story Big and small is a continuation of a story from the previous issue and showcases another one of Cinderella's missions. Cinderella may be perceived as a bratty store clerk by most other Fables, but in reality, she is a spy employed by the Sheriff's office who undertakes missions for the safety of Fabletown. Her latest mission is a diplomatic trip to the Cloud Kingdoms, which is where Jack had visited when he planted his magic beans. Bill Willingham is a master of storytelling. He takes the characters from fairy tales we read growing up and twists them into new and compelling characters. Fables is a must read for any comics fan.