Interesting review for Fables 148
http://multiversitycomics.com/reviews/wrapping-wednesday-micro-reviews-for-the-week-of-12115/
The above is a link to the review site (where there are other reviews for comics that came out around the same time issue 148 did)
Below is the full script of the review:
I may be jumping the gun here and I’ve already said this but I’m beginning to worry about the ending of “Fables”. This week, “Fables” #148 did little to quell these fears. The focus is on Snow White and Rose Red’s mother. She comes from a large family of women with a very dark secret and a lot of dark magic. The issue is largely backstory and very little of it focuses on the here and now. That’s part of my concern. How extra sized will the finale be? We’ve seen quite a bit of revelations in this final arc but none of it is really falling into place. #149 and #150 are really going to have their work cut out for them if they’re to resolve this story in a satisfactory for fans. After almost 15 years of time spent on the series, fans will definitely be outrage by anything but a great ending. The series itself deserves to go out strong and so do the fans. The other big concern I have is that Snow and Rose are acting almost out of character. A lot of what’s been done so far is beginning to feel undone. They’ve both reverted back to older and less likable versions of themselves. Even worse, this issue and the arc as a whole, hasn’t shown much of what’s going on with Bigby or the “cubs”. So much is being left out and it’s becoming too noticable to ignore. “Fables” is one of my all time favorite series but this issue does little to get me excited for the ending. Instead, it makes me scared to get to that point.
Final Verdict: 6.0 – “Fables” deserves better than this.
Interesting eh?
Comments
So true
I have more faith in Willingham than this. I'm sure that everything will be wrapped up the way it's supposed to be.
I have faith too, but he is leaving a lot of important stuff till the last minute.
I agree with this comment; I just recently caught myself up, read the latest issue and yeah...I'm mad. VERY upset. I have faith that after 15 years, Willingham will deliver and we as fans will (hopefully) be satisfied. I GET the story for Rose and Snow's mother is important but I feel they have skipped over the other issues, forgot about them and now, will rush them to the finish line.
Only the last issue will say so.
25 years?
Fables has been running for 13 years dude :P (Unlike Hellblazer which somehow ran for 23 years with 300 issues!)
I say that Willingham should have announced Fables' end AFTER he released the last issue. By now I expected Brandish to be dead and Bigby to be restored... but nooooooooooo!
Well hopefully 149 will sort out those 2 problems (although it seems that Snow is ready to null her marriage to Bigby and kill him from what I've heard happens in 148...)
I changed the comment. Didn't notice the 2.
I'm sick of Brandish and this on going battle in regards to Rose, Snow and Bigby.
I want Fables to end with Bigby and Snow together again AT LEAST!
Anything else is a bonus imo
I lost faith when he decided to kill Bigby and then decided to bring him back to just kill Beast and do nothing
I admit that killing Bigby was kinda unnecessary; Beast was rushed cuz we haven't seen any kind of funeral or dedication to him and we haven't seen Beauty or Bliss since 143 (the Last Story doesn't count, I wanna know how they both got there)
Bigby getting killed off was a shock, but bringing him back THAT way was a dick move cuz now all of Bigby's progress towards his reformation is pointless!!!
I mean, honestly, it seems like Willingham forgot Bigby's situation, I wont be surprised at all if 149 ends right before Snow fights Bigby
I warned you that 148 was going to make you mad...
This is what a build-up is called. Slow periods like this happen all the time in comics, even if they are getting to their end point. You cannot have important events happening in every issue without build, or it is just a series of events happening without explanation.
There is still one normal issue left and an issue rumored to be about the size of 5 issues to come (Issue #150). That is PLENTY of time to wrap everything up.
There is a reason B.W. is saving everything climactic until the final issue; to make it feel special. Next issue will likely just be setting everything in place for the grand finale and moving the characters into correct positions. The recent issues have just been giving backstory as a way to fill time until this in my opinion and I am fine with that. The backstory was needed just to explain all the complex things going on and tell readers why characters are acting in certain ways.
There is nothing wrong with this current pace in my eyes. Almost everything is ready to be resolved in the final issue, and things that can't make the cut are being given the "final story of character x" in recent issues. Also, you have to remember some things (I believe Geppetto's current arc in an example of this) will be left intentionally ambiguous to leave potential plot threads for a continuation of Fables down the line.
I do understand why you could be worried about the slow pacing and plot developments, but trust me, it will all be fine and make sense in the end. I have faith after reading this awesome series for many, many years now.
Dude stop it plz
You're bringing my soul capacity down to 40% now! If Bigby and Snow fight and one of them dies at the end... that's it.
I'm done with Fables.
I didn't write the review :P I found it...
But you have to admit that Brandish has outstayed his welcome in the series; in 147 and 148 all he did was get his head cut off repeatedly, that's not progress that's stalling.
Well, its gonna happen
No. It. Won't!
Bigby and Snow will end up with their Happily Ever After, enough shit has happened to them...
Based on the pass few issues, Im prepared for a shitty ending
Willingham likes to keep us on edge; I'm sure it will end up ok in the issue, but for now we have bad thoughts :P
It's like the end of 144 where it seemed that Snow was ready to go out and fight Bigby, but in the end she didn't...
Willigham is a tricky asshole!:)
Bigby and Snow Forever!
Exactly. I strongly feel Brandish's presence is becoming a hamper to development of storyines with other characters. They should have killed him already and moved on fully to Snow vs Rose Red storyline and other storylines not yet addressed (such as Geppetto and his schemes etc).
One thing is for sure: they're taking an awful long time to kill off Brandish....
From #148, it does seem Snow and Bigby will be fighting each other (though I suspect Snow will not be doing this willingly, and if she does indeed fight Bigby, she will be fighting him with great pain and sorrow).
But I still am clinging to hope that Willingham will give them a happy ending. If Willingham gives them (Snow and Bigby) a tragic ending, I would be sooooooooooooooooooooooo pissed off at him (but I'm fine with Rose Red getting killed. Hate her character anyway).
I doubt they're taking their time to kill Brandish. They want Snow to kill him and Lancelot, to go full steam in #150.
Willingham is VERY good at giving us a mixed idea of what will happen.
Remember in the ending of 144, it seemed that Snow was going to go out and face Bigby; in 145 she doesn't go out at all...
He is possibly the most hated guy from the entire series, though. You want him to die and that means he is doing his job as a villain. I think his death should be saved for #150 to give readers a fist-pump moment that the bad guy finally got what was coming to him.
I do agree his panel time could be cut down, though, I have to see the conclusion of his arc in order to pass full judgement on everything so far.
This is the thing with good writing that ppl hate though.
Cuz Willingham is keeping Brandish alive when everyone wants him dead, it means that when his time finally comes it will have more of an impact than if it happened earlier on. I don't want Brandish to survive till the last issue though, he's done enough.
I have similar feelings, to an extent, of the review. I honestly would have rated it a 6 as well, if not lower. I hate that the issues feel so short and full of fillers. I enjoy the 'Last story of' things in the back, despite other people, and I like seeing their mother's backstory, but it still leaves a lot open and what not, and it just feels like not enough effort is being put in the comics. I don't feel that enormous cliff hanger feeling that I used to in the past for each issue, wondering what will happen next. If anything, I'm dreading the end, because it's pretty obvious one of the sisters is going to die, and I hope to God it's not going to be Snow, because she's my favorite character, and she has all this responsibility that comes with being Snow White. I would also be sad if Rose died, but not nearly as much. I don't know, it's very complicated. I want Brandish dead, I want Bigby restored, I want the cubs safe, I want everyone to go back to liking each other again and chilling together, and not killing things. Ugh.
A Snow White fan just like me
Willingham is good at misdirection, I'm sure everyone we love will be fine and everyone we hate will be dead in the end