Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love
by Bill Willingham
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Book Summary Information
Author: Bill WillinghamIllustrator: Mark Buckingham
Illustrator: Lan Medina
Illustrator: Bryan Talbot
Illustrator: Linda Medley
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-05-01
ISBN: 140120256X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Vertigo
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9781401202569
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love
Book Review: It's only "happily ever after" if Bill Willingham says it's so...
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know why it took me this long to get on board the FABLES bandwagon. For years now, left and right, everyone's been pimping this series to me. Now, count me converted. I finally read a FABLES trade paperback, and, it turns out, everyone's right. This is some of the best reading currently being produced in comic book-dom, and I got straight-away hooked. FABLES: STORYBOOK LOVE happens to be the third volume, and is so good I just had to say stuff about it.
Some background: Once upon a time, some terrible, terrible thing called the Adversary went on an all-out bloody invasion of the fairy tale kingdoms, causing now suddenly deposed magical creatures, these "fables," to flee to far distances in search of sanctuary. The refugees escaped into our world and were able to make a home of sorts. And, so, today, in a nondescript nook of New York City sits Fabletown. Ah, but if the regular Joes only knew...
And, by the way, those fairy tale creatures who couldn't pass for humans instead while their days away in a concealed place called the Farm, in upstate New York. As you may imagine, being forced to live in seclusion tends to foster unrest. See Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm.
Even though FABLES boasts an ensemble cast, it's not surprising that the most noteworthy characters are Snow White, who is Fabletown's no-nonsense deputy mayor, and Bigby Wolf, Fabletown's reformed and resident sheriff. In fact, at the back end of Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile, Bill Willingham's great prose short story - which focused on the Big Bad Wolf as he was in the olden days and how he first met Snow White - not only put the finishing touch to a wonderful read, but made me start really rooting for something to blossom between these two. Anyway, with that romantic regard in mind, things kind of come to a head in this third volume.
FABLES, Vol. 3: STORYBOOK LOVE reprints issues #11-18 of the series. Things start off with "Bag o' Bones," a fun, homespun-flavored story of Jack Horner set during the Civil War era, including that time he ends up playing cards with the crafty debbil. I haven't yet checked out JACK OF FABLES, the spin-off comic, yet it's pretty evident that Jack Horner is one of those likable rogues. To quote Willingham himself: "Jack is basically all of the Jacks who have ever appeared in fairy tales, folklore, nursery rhymes and old folk ballads." So Jack's been a busy, busy cad.
Next is a two-parter. Issues #12 & 13 tell of an overly-curious journalist who, believing that Fabletown is a hotbed of vampires, plans to publish an expose. But dummy makes the mistake of telling Bigby about it. Bigby and his fable cohorts concoct a pretty clever scheme to foil the guy. A mostly lighthearted caper, with a grim ending.
Then comes the meat of this volume, the four-part "Storybook Love." Goldilocks (the villainess in FABLES Vol. 2: ANIMAL FARM) works in concert with Lord Bluebeard to once and for all get rid of Snow White and Bigby. Their shenanigans involve the ensorcelling of Snow and Bigby and sending them off into the wilds, with the notion of then murdering them. It doesn't work, and this story arc culminates in a discovery which binds Snow and Bigby closer (the particulars of which actually end up royally ticking Snow off). Plus, Lord Bluebeard and that insufferably good-looking wastrel, Prince Charming, dabble in friendly, and then not-so-friendly, fencing.
Finally, in "Barleycorn Brides," Bigby narrates to Flycatcher the origin of Smalltown's traditional rite of passage. It's cute.
I wasn't too sure, going in, whether Bill Willingham would be able to pull this off, but he does, and brilliantly. He gathers all these characters - drawn from all walks of folklore and mythology - and manages to place them into one cohesive continuity. More, Willingham lends character development and a dose of realism to these fantastical elements. I've liked Willingham since back in his days with THE ELEMENTALS, and it's nice to see he hasn't lost his storytelling skills (and lest folks forget, dude can also draw). And, naturally, part of the fun is in placing the lesser known characters (Did you know that Bufkin, the flying blue monkey originates from the Oz books?). Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha's artwork, by the way, perfectly complements Willingham's great writing and whimsy and humor. I dig the way they draw Bigby Wolf. Not to mention, I could waste long moments staring at James Jean's expressive covers.
FABLES is published under DC Comic's Vertigo label and is intended for mature audiences. These issues are laced with profanity and occasional nudity, so you maybe shouldn't hand these out to the young 'uns. But for those older types who relish urban fantasy and reading stories by Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, FABLES hits the spot. This series is marked by the unexpected, by its intrigues and grotesqueries and topsy-turvies, where the Big Bad Wolf is a hero and Goldilocks is a psychopath, and the Frog Prince is a janitor. And, for these expatriated fables, is there a happily ever after?
Not if Bill Willingham has anything to say about it (and he does).
Summary of Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love
A new Softcover collecting the acclaimed FABLES #11-18, including the 4-part "Storybook Love." Also included are the 2-part "A Sharp Operator" and the single-issue tales "Bag o' Bones" and "Barleycorn Brides." Don't miss this amazing third collection, topped off with a stunning new wraparound cover by James Jean.Fantasy Books
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