Bill Willingham
Feb 13
2005
Comic book writer and artist Bill Willingham has achieved Wordcandy-status based on the sheer awesomeness of Fables: Legends in Exile, his current series for Vertigo. In Willingham's Fabletown, an assorted group of fairytale and nursery rhyme characters--everyone from the Big Bad Wolf to Old King Cole--are attempting to live quietly among ordinary New Yorkers. Unfortunately, when Fabletown's Deputy Mayor Snow White's hard-partying little sister Rose Red goes missing and her apartment is discovered splattered with blood, Fabletown's semi-functional existence is threatened.
While the first graphic novel in the Fables series works beautifully as an entertaining little noir-ish mystery, much of the fun of the book comes from Willingham's descriptions of the trials and tribulations that fill the day-to-day lives of immortal fairytale creatures--Snow White, for example, divorced Prince Charming because he couldn't keep his pants zipped, and whenever Beauty and the Beast have a fight the Beast starts to revert back to his monstrous appearance (which makes it very hard to hold down a job), and "Bigby" Wolf (now a man and sheriff of Fabletown) is still getting guilt-tripped by the three little pigs into letting them crash on his couch.
Aftertaste:
The artwork is, at best, adequate. The covers are nice, though.
Availability:
Comic shops or online ordering only.
Other Recommendations:
The Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm
The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky, by Terry Pratchett
The Books of Magic series, by John Ney Reiber
Website:
http://www.billwillingham.com/ -
While the first graphic novel in the Fables series works beautifully as an entertaining little noir-ish mystery, much of the fun of the book comes from Willingham's descriptions of the trials and tribulations that fill the day-to-day lives of immortal fairytale creatures--Snow White, for example, divorced Prince Charming because he couldn't keep his pants zipped, and whenever Beauty and the Beast have a fight the Beast starts to revert back to his monstrous appearance (which makes it very hard to hold down a job), and "Bigby" Wolf (now a man and sheriff of Fabletown) is still getting guilt-tripped by the three little pigs into letting them crash on his couch.
Aftertaste:
The artwork is, at best, adequate. The covers are nice, though.
Availability:
Comic shops or online ordering only.
Other Recommendations:
The Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm
The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky, by Terry Pratchett
The Books of Magic series, by John Ney Reiber
Website:
http://www.billwillingham.com/ -
Posted by: Julia
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Comments
Statler
It's cool to read a comic book with a romantic plotline that doesn't suck like a black hole. The relationship between Snow and Bigby isn't exactly warm'n'fuzzy, but it's tons of fun to read about.