Fables: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham

Title: Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love

Author: Bill Willingham

Publisher: DC Comics 2004

Genre: Graphic Novel; Fantasy

Pages: 190

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; April Read-a-Thon

Definitely my favorite so far in the Fables series.  This series it really growing on me.  I just had to keep reading.  Since it's a graphic novel, I read it in less than an hour.

The main story focused on the lingering problems of an unrequited love of Bigby to Snow, a fugitive Goldilocks, a poor Prince Charming, and a devious Bluebeard.  I loved how they resolved (at least temporarily) some of the storylines set up in Volume 1.  We also meet Briar Rose, second wife to Prince Charming (turns out Cinderella, who we met in Volume 1, was wife #3).  And we encounter the mounted police made up of Fable rats and Lilliputians (you know, from Gulliver's Travels).

Beyond the main story, we got a story of Jack set in the Civil War, a two-parter concerning a noisy reporter, and the story of the Barleycorn vase.  All three were entertaining, but the Jack story was my favorite.  With an appearance and then disappearance of Death, Jack showed just how morally ambiguous he really is.  I imagine this will come up later in the series.

Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham

Title: Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm

Author: Bill Willingham

Publisher: DC Comics 2003

Genre: Graphic Novel; Fantasy

Pages: 112

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; April Read-a-Thon; Fantasy

Definitely not as good as Legends in Exile, but still a good graphic novel.  This story revolved around Fabletown's non-human inhabitants.  They attempt a takeover of control of Fabletown and hopefully the Homelands.  Of course, not everything goes as planned.  And Snow White and Rose Red are caught in the middle.  The twists and turns and intrigue weren't a surprise.  I felt like I had read this story before.  The plot was overdone and ol.d  The characters were fairy interesting.  However, Snow White was such a disappointment after her excellent debut.  Read this volume in about an hour.  It wasn't a wasted hour, but definitely not the best.  Here's hoping that Volume 3 is better.

Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

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

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Fabletown's sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, to determine if the killer is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber. Collects FABLES #1-5.

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 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.