I am reposting my original review for Legends in Exile to count for my Fables Series Reading Challenge. I reread the volume, but didn't have anything to add to my review.
Title: Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile
Author: Bill Willingham
Publisher: Vertigo 2002
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 128
Rating: 4 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; April Read-a-Thon; Fantasy; A to Z Authors: W; Fables Series Challenge
How I Got It: borrowed from library
Another graphic novel to add to my growing comic addiction. This one intrigued me because of the subject matter: fairy tale characters. I love anything with fairy tale stories or characters. And this one did not disappoint. A pulpy detective story featuring the murder of Rose Red. I loved the inclusion of all kinds of various characters (my fave: Prince Charming who married and divorced both Snow White and Cinderella). Each had a very different personality than their original story, which is definitely a good thing. I find most old versions of fairy tales very flat when to comes to characterization. This volume had loads of personality.
As to the story line, I like the premise and most of the execution. The only part I didn't like: the ending. Having the killer of Rose Red be exposed in during a party felt way too staged. I wasn't buying the staged wrap-up of the story. It was a bit of a let down after a great story.
Fortunately, this was volume one of the Fables series. I didn't even realize it when I started reading. Now I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Fables:
