Fables Comics: Are They Worth Reading?
Hi, I'm new here. Over the holiday break I decided to catch up on some games, and after Christmas I opted to invest in a couple more of Telltale's games. I checked out The Walking Dead Season 2, because I've been waiting for the physical release(I prefer physical copies whenever possible), and decided to check out The Wolf Among Us on a whim, mostly because of the hype, and because I like Telltale's Westernized visual novel-esque flavour. Of course I jumped right into TWD, because I waited for quite some time for it while dodging spoilers, and it was well worth the wait, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Wolf Among Us. I actually enjoyed it even more, despite it being a game I just kind of bought along with TWD.
Anyways, it's probably time I get to the point of this topic. I enjoyed TWAU enough that I think I want more. The problem is that another season is too far away, but I'm intrigued enough by the characters and concepts of this series that I might be interested in checking out the comic series it's based on. The only problem is, I'm not really a comic guy. Still, I may be willing to put up with reading comics if the story is as good as the one Telltale wrote. If anyone has checked out any of this series feel free to let me know if you think it's worth it or not.
Comments
I suggest you do.
Volume 1 is pretty much like TWAU, even has a murder mystery, but it becomes a lot more fantastic with everyone passing issue. Volume 4 is where shit gets real. Super hard!
I'm the same as you: I used to read comics but I gradually lost interest in them; after I finished TWAU I set about buying all of the Volumes of Fables and it's many spin-offs that had been released so far...
Fables is an amazing comic series; it is full of rich characters that get equal amounts of development and there is rarely a dull moment!
Some of the spin-offs aren't as good as the main series cuz they were written by different writers, but they all contribute something to the main story. Basically all of the Fables spin-offs are canon with the main story (Except the Unwritten/Fables Crossover, that's a non-canon story for Fables)
I would suggest buying them now; the main series is ending in March with it's 150th issue... The series creator/writer Bill Willlingham has stated however that even after the series is done, he will leave the door open for more if he comes up with new ideas.
Yup
Some interesting recent tweets by Bill Willingham:
I'm not going to be super crabby about this, but I would find it pleasant if we quit calling comic book runs seasons. It's trendy nonsense.
The first season of Fables lasted thirteen years, which means it must've been published in Westeros, with their magical multi-year seasons.
I think he may have gotten a bit irritated (though he did state he won't be super crabby in his tweet), with people asking him such questions as "When is Season 2 of Fables?" (when the main series isn't even finished yet, and he hasn't even had time to clear his mind on whether he will return to Fables after it's finished.)
Can't imagine he'll be too enthusiastic to return to Fables universe if this continues to happen.
Who calls it a Season???
I can't believe people actually tweet this to him. I know I constantly go on about his 'return to the series in the future' on this forum; but it's not something you up and ask the author when he's been working on it for 13 years!!!
Well, somebody must have asked him (and calling the entire 13 year run 1st season lol), since he seemed (in my eyes) pretty irritated when he made these tweets (and I only tweeted him asking about Beast's transformation in Fairest Of men and mice, and nothing else).
Yeah, personally, I thought it was pretty disrespectful to Willingham for someone to ask him those questions (I mean I would maybe, just maybe, consider a Volume of Fables a Season [so Vol 1 Legends in Exile will be Season 1, Vol 2 Animal Farm being Season 2 and so on], but calling an entire run one Season? That's just pushing it), since I'm guessing he'll have other projects he may wish to work on other than Fables / or he may just wanna take a long break etc.
I hope he returns to it in the future after he's had some time away from it...
I also hope his newest project 'Restoration' is successful; to my knowledge Willingham's past comics all failed after a few issues and then he struck gold with Fables, hopefully he can find similar success
They are an amazing comic book series, the best one I've read. 10/10 would recommend.
^ I second this completely!!
Well, it's definitely the best non-superhero comic book I have ever read, and one of the best (if not the best) comic book I have read until now.
I have the whole collection:
One thing is for sure. While I have previously tried having collections for (other) comics before (back when I was more into comics), I think Fables is the only series where I have gotten (and planning to get) the entire "Complete" Collection (and one of the few comics that I still have). That's how highly I think of the series.
Some of the spin-offs are not that good (I personlly don't really like the Jack of Fables series, but I collected them because they are considered canon to the Fable universe, and to complete my collection), but I would like to say I give the main series "Two-Thumbs-Up."
I'm gonna buy those in print when they get released in Volume form...
It's out of date though... Do u agree that they will re-release it once the series is done?
I might get this... It's a non-canon entry so I may miss out on it...
Besides those above; you and me are the same!! I have all of the other ones you mentioned in Softcover TP Volume form and I don't plan on getting rid of them.
Regarding Encyclopedia, I certainly hope so. Personally I wish Vertigo would have just waited until Willingham announced the series is ending before they made the book (Then they wouldn't need to release a version 2 of the book).
I did see some errors in the encyclopedia also, such as:
I hope they correct these mistakes should they decide to release the new version.
I got the Unwritten Fables just out of curiosity, and it was alright (considering it's non-canon).
There are certain things you'll need to stomach through (such as Snow being Dark Man's bride, and Dark Man eats Snow's face at the end, and Flycatcher is beheaded), but once you get past those things (I always put hypnosis on myself saying Snow is always Bigby's and Bigby is always Snow's when I read it, haha), there are couple of things that you don't see in the main series
It is a grim tale (well, it is a worst of worst case scenario, so you can't expect anything less), but as a "Age of Apocalypse" type story, I found it to be enjoyable (though it comes nowhere near the main series, I liked it more than Jack of Fables).
I think this all the time; screw the fairytale with a handsome prince, make The Big Bad Wolf the hero of the story!!!
I also recall u mentioning that Snow seems to be trying in vain to fight off her hatred of Bigby/love for Mr Dark...
Also that even after he kills her; Bigby reveals that he still loves her :')
It is one of the best comic series of the last decade. As a big fan of the comic medium it was nice to read such a unique and innovative series by a great writer, especially considering I have followed it from beginning to end. Perhaps you would be best waiting until the end of the run to blast through it all, though you would miss the chance to get in on discussing how it could end.
It certainly is a 10/10 recommendation from me. I would also suggest you buy the spin-off "1001 Nights of Snowfall" if you get the chance. It seriously is as good as the main series and gives a meaty amount of detailed lore to the series and characters, making you appreciate the detail BW puts into researching the fairy tales. But yeah, you have a lot of catching up to do if you intend to collect Fables.
I would recommend all of the spin-offs though; despite the fact that some aren't as good as others, they do all contribute something to the main Fables story in some way...
I never saw any redeeming quality in Charming until his heroic sacrifice in Fabletown's war with the Empire (sure he did kill Blubeard for Snow, but that was also partly for himself as well, since he got insulted by Bluebeard before in the Fencing school). So while I was initially pretty indifferent to him at first (at least he didn't have such an annoying personality like Jack lol), I did warm up to him gradually.
But with that being said, Charming is a pure womanizer (Jack probably got that from him, I'm guessing. But at least Charming wasn't so grating like Jack), unlike Bigby who once settles in his soul-mate, is with her forever (till the end of the time).
Well, what I said previously was Snow (from my POV) looked as if she was under Dark Man's control (probably adding to that was Ghost having been killed by North Wind in this, and she blames Bigby for it) - but the book doesn't exactly state what made Snow turn against Bigby and Fabletown. Also, when you're reading the book, you may interpret Snow's expressions differently from how I interpreted it.
Whatever universe they get dropped into, Bigby will always love Snow.......
And then the cover for Fables 149 got unveiled :P
What are your thoughts on that cover anyways? Do you think it's symbolism, a dream, or that it will happen...
Most likely symbolism, since the cover for Brandish kissing Snow, while it did happen, was not as it was portrayed in that cover.
Maybe Rose tries to do something to Bigby while he's under a spell and Snow finds out?
Guess it's all just speculation until it gets released (it's gonna be one long month wait for #149....... at least #148 is releasing soon)
They are great comics I love them I read up to issue 86 but then I stopped. Not because I didn't like them it was because I didn't have time to read them but I'm gonna start reading again soon
Oh definitely. It is just '1001 Nights of Snowfall' stands out to me as the cream of the crop. I also quite like 'Fairest' and am sad it is ending so soon (though I understand it is to coincide with the end of the main series). It really expanded the lore and I am a lore freak so it was fun to read through.
I was never too enthralled by 'Jack of Fables'. I'm am never really sure why. Maybe it was because Jack never really stood out as a particularly interesting protagonist. Or maybe it was because the supporting cast felt a bit weak at times. Still, it was a pretty good series and that should say something about the overall quality of the Fables franchise name as a whole.
The responses in this thread are overwhelmingly in favor of checking out the comics, so I decided to check out the first Deluxe Edition. I did some additional side research that suggests the reception for the first volume is mixed, but having the first two volumes should be indication enough as to whether this series is for me or not. I figure there's no committment, so if I don't like the first Deluxe Edition I can stop there, and if I want to keep going the option is there. Apparently the Deluxe Editions are quite a bit behind the volumes, but the first Deluxe Edition seemed like a better deal, and I won't be able to afford them all at once, so I'll cross that bridge if it comes to that. For now I hope 10 issues is enough to dip my feet in. Thanks for all your help.
That's odd that anyone calls it a 'season.' The only comic I know that's referred to in 'seasons' is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but they purposely title it as such.
I love the main series, Cinderella, and Fairest. I liked Jack of Fables okay. Haven't read the Unwritten/Fables crossover (I collect TPBs since I hadn't money for monthlies in quite some time).
While I don't care all the takes on various characters, I do love most of them and even if I don't like them, it's still fascinating.
Buffy was based on a comic series!?
I never knew that... (Then again I've never watched Buffy)
The Deluxe Editions cram in more than the Volumes do; but they are getting released so far apart I see no point in buying them right now...
1001 Night Of Snowfall was quite a sad one for me.... Some of the back stories (like Flycatcher's) are real heart breakers
Btw Fairest finished on Wednesday with Issue 33 :P
No. It's not. The comic continues where the show left off, though, so they now refer to the major arcs or whatever as 'seasons.' I think they're currently on 'season 10.'
Yeah. Flycatcher's makes me weep EVERY. TIME. So sad.
Also, I didn't know Fairest ended already. Also sad.
Oh shit. I completely missed that. Gonna' have to go and buy it now.
I've noticed that, but in the short term they seem like the better deal. Maybe I'll look into the volumes if I get to the end of the Deluxe Efitions and want to keep going, but at this point I still haven't read the first issue, so that's a problem for a later time. As it stands I'll be waiting close to a month for the first book(Amazon estimates delivery from February 5-10). I guess it beats waiting till 2016 for another season of TWAU. In the meantime would anyone recommend reading up on some original fairytales? According to the synopsis for the first Deluxe Edition, Snow White has a sister named Rose Red, but I don't remember her from the Disney film.:P
Snow White and Rose Red is the name of that tale (not related to the original Snow White story apparently...); their story is covered pretty well in Volume 15... Though it's been 'modified' to fit the story of Fables :P
I paid roughly £10 for each Volume I have (I have all of them that have been released so far) and Amazon usually delivered within 3-4 days
Well, you only need basic knowledge of what happened in some of the classic fairy tales. I only knew the following fairy tales/legends before I got into Fables;
The rest, I didn't know their original fairytales, but I think the series does a pretty good job of covering them (or knowing their original tales are not really required for the series).
There is a Fables Encyclopedia of pretty much every character in Fables (up till Volume 18 I think), and it also gives summary of what happened in their original tales (if they are not original characters by the author), but it also gives details of what happens in the main series, so it's best to read it after at least going through the main series (though I guess it spoils a lot of spin-offs also)
Those ones I don't know the original tales (Disney's Aladdin doesn't count lol)
Updated my list with Puss in Boots and Humpty Dumpty.
When I was a child, I had a big collection book "Arabian Nights" and it had tales of all those characters. I don't have the book anymore, but at that time, I used to read their tales with other tales often, so the story kinda sticks with your memory......
I had the Arabian Nights book as well, but it just sat on my shelf doing nothing and I never had an inkling to read it (I think I got rid of it...)
I do know a few of the original fairy tales, though I only know the Disney version of many of them, and I'm sure even the storybooks I had as a kid probably had modified versions of their original tales.
From what little I remember of the Aladdin fairytale, which I had because I was obsessed with Aladdin from age 6-8, there wasn't that much difference between it and the Disney film. I recall a couple events playing out a little differently, and the characters actually looking Arabian, but then again, I can't say I remember it very well. My grandmother had another Aladdin film(not by Disney) that I watched as well, and all I remember of that one is that there was a scene with Aladdin and Jasmine in the desert, and she had blonde hair(I think that version was even whiter than the Disney film). Maybe I'll have to review that story. I don't know the stories of Sinbad or Ali Baba.
I am familiar with the original Cinderella, with the foot mutilation, and from what I recall of Pinocchio, the Disney film was also fairly true to that story. Others, such as Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, any of the stories with the Big Bad Wolf, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc. I remember fairly well. Maybe I will just review the story of Snow White and possibly others as they come up. I might be a little curious how much of a departure the Disney film is from the story of Beauty and the Beast. In other news, Amazon decided to ship my order, so I should be getting it Thursday instead of a month later.
From what I can tell from your post, I think you'll be fine just jumping into the series as you are.
The series does not demand extensive knowledge of the fairy tales (although basic knowledge of well known tales are generally recommended), and what you remember of the fairy tales should be enough for you to go through the book without being confused.
I'm not sure about deciding whether to go on (continuing to read the series) purely based on Volume 1 and 2 TPB though (well, in your case, it would be Deluxe Edition Vol 1), because I think it's not until Volume 3 (in your case Deluxe Edition Vol 2), where things really start to crank up and get very interesting (well that is my opinion, but you're free to decide on your own).
That's good to know. I looked up a couple fairytales on Wikipedia just to get a general overview of them. I looked up Rose Red, and was intrigued to learn that there was another story with a character named Snow White that doesn't have any relation to the one with the Seven Dwarves, though I'm assuming the Snow White in Fables is treated as being the same character in both stories, much like how Bigby is supposed to be the Big Bad Wolf from every story that has one.
I also looked up Donkeyskin, even though it only has to do with TWAU. Not only is it an actual fairytale, but Bufkin's summary of it covers what Wikipedia has quite well, though the king doesn't die in Wikipedia's version and ends up marrying a pretty widow, so that Donkeyskin was free to marry the prince and lived happily ever after. If the comics cover the less known fairytales like in the games, then I'm not too concerned. I will make note that you think the series picks up in volume 3.
Yeah, I have the Trade Paperbacks, and the Deluxe Edition Volume 1 you're getting consists of TPB Volume 1 and 2.
TPB Volume 3 (and some other stories) are in Deluxe Edition Volume 2.
So I know you've only ordered Deluxe Edition Vol 1 now, but I'd recommend at least trying the series until Deluxe Edition Vol 2 before weighing on whether you want to continue with the series (or not).
I'm not saying Deluxe edition Vol 1 content is bad, they are good- but the contents from Deluxe edition vol 2 (onwards) feels like a whole different level.
If by then you don't find Fables to be your cup of tea, that is fine.
But I'm sort of getting the feeling you'll enjoy it.
Anyway, happy reading!!