That's fine mate. Just make sure you read the "Snow & Bigby's Last story" last!!
It's the last story of the book, so I know temptation will be high for you to see it first (I know I was!!), but I restrained myself, and saved it for last (and I'm so glad that I did. I saw some people who gave into that temptation and read Bigby and Snow's last story first, but after that couldn't get into other characters' last story, and there's a lot..... So relieved I didn't have to go through that).
Well I finally got my copy of Fables 150!! XD
However, I've had a long day and I just want to chill out, so I'll read it tomorrow and pos… moret my review of it then.... I have skimmed through it and already there are points that I didn't like, but also ones that I did.
That's fine mate. Just make sure you read the "Snow & Bigby's Last story" last!!
It's the last story of the book, so I know temptati… moreon will be high for you to see it first (I know I was!!), but I restrained myself, and saved it for last (and I'm so glad that I did. I saw some people who gave into that temptation and read Bigby and Snow's last story first, but after that couldn't get into other characters' last story, and there's a lot..... So relieved I didn't have to go through that).
FINAL-Fucking-generall-LY!!!!! My copy of Fables 150 arrived in the mail a couple of days ago after multiple delays (post services in rural Australia are notorious in my experience). Now, here is a quick review of it.
I feel somewhat let down by it. I shall confess that the conclusion is a satisfying one. But the supposed climax fell flat as somewhat of an anti-climax compared to the build up surrounding it during the former parts of the arc (including the beginning of this issue). I will grant, however, that the final stories shown after the main chapter do leave me feeling content AND in anticipation on any future work that might be done with it due to the few oppertunities left open for the world of Fables to further be explored (Yes, TellTale. I am looking at you ESPECIALLY).
In conclusion, it was alright. Nothing more can be said about the main chapter than that for me. The final stories are a nice addition that has raised my final verdict somewhat. Plus the extras at the end were nice touches as well.
I still haven't read the Volume yet, been busy with work...
BUT I skimmed through some of the final pages and I notice that on the page after The Last Story Of Death; there is a quote that reads:
I just realized something, Wolf. There was only one tent and only one sleeping bag
Well guess this answers a question for Fables Volume 3!! Bigby and Snow went to the Mountains with the intention of sleeping in that one sleeping bag in that one tent... Looks like they confessed to each other before they left and did the deed on the first night
Also @CoolGuyJ I think that commission of Bigby and Snow kissing by Mark Buckingham is actually their 'first kiss' from issue 50 :P
Yeah, I totally agree that the main story's resolution was anticlimactic and disappointing (it's not like I expected everyone to get killed like Jack of Fables ending, but I still expected it to end with quite a bang, instead, it ended with kind of a whimper).
But I loved the last stories, Summer of Prophesies, and LOVED LOVED Snow and Bigby's last story, and LOVED the double barreled gatefold of entire Wolf family + clan, and the TPB Cover.
FINAL-Fucking-generall-LY!!!!! My copy of Fables 150 arrived in the mail a couple of days ago after multiple delays (post services in rural … moreAustralia are notorious in my experience). Now, here is a quick review of it.
I feel somewhat let down by it. I shall confess that the conclusion is a satisfying one. But the supposed climax fell flat as somewhat of an anti-climax compared to the build up surrounding it during the former parts of the arc (including the beginning of this issue). I will grant, however, that the final stories shown after the main chapter do leave me feeling content AND in anticipation on any future work that might be done with it due to the few oppertunities left open for the world of Fables to further be explored (Yes, TellTale. I am looking at you ESPECIALLY).
In conclusion, it was alright. Nothing more can be said about the main chapter than that for me. The final stories are a nice addition that has raised my final… [view original content]
That quote is actually from Volume 3. Snow asks that to Bigby (who is in his Big Bad Wolf form) who reassures her (well, lies to her, to keep her safe) nothing happened.
Don't know whether a confession was made or not (or whether it was made in Fabletown, or in the mountains), but regardless of Bluebeard's love potion, these two cared and loved each other (though Snow took a much longer time to admit it) for a long, long time, so I don't think a confession matters too much (in my opinion)
From my memory, I think that scene is the kiss right after Snow says to Bigby,
I still haven't read the Volume yet, been busy with work...
BUT I skimmed through some of the final pages and I notice that on the page a… morefter The Last Story Of Death; there is a quote that reads:
I just realized something, Wolf. There was only one tent and only one sleeping bag
Well guess this answers a question for Fables Volume 3!! Bigby and Snow went to the Mountains with the intention of sleeping in that one sleeping bag in that one tent... Looks like they confessed to each other before they left and did the deed on the first night
Also @CoolGuyJ I think that commission of Bigby and Snow kissing by Mark Buckingham is actually their 'first kiss' from issue 50 :P
Sorry, I haven't re-read ANY of the Volumes past Volume 8 since I read them the first time, simply cuz I couldn't handle the lack of true love between Bigby and Snow...
Snow's line is "Ok, you've defeated me... You win"
She whispers it, cuz she just can't believe that Bigby Wolf defeated her and made her admit she loved him!! XD
That quote is actually from Volume 3. Snow asks that to Bigby (who is in his Big Bad Wolf form) who reassures her (well, lies to her, to ke… moreep her safe) nothing happened.
Don't know whether a confession was made or not (or whether it was made in Fabletown, or in the mountains), but regardless of Bluebeard's love potion, these two cared and loved each other (though Snow took a much longer time to admit it) for a long, long time, so I don't think a confession matters too much (in my opinion)
From my memory, I think that scene is the kiss right after Snow says to Bigby,
"You win. I am defeated."
Still love that scene.
Yeah well, I just finished re-reading Vol. 1 Legends in Exile, and I have to say, I like it quite a lot more than I did when I first read the volume.
Sure, it's different from how the series eventually evolved to be, but it's got the following:
Bigby being the detective (probably the only time we see him as a detective), with the classic "who-dun-it" story.
We get most we get out of Colin in this volume, since he pretty much gets killed in "The Animal Farm" Volume.
Bigby and Snow's dance at the Remembrance Day (damn, if TWAU ever does get Season 2 and subsequent seasons, I want this dance to be the final scene of the final Season!! Still a big sigh regarding Telltale and their stance with TWAU Season 2....)
Lan Medina's art, while not as good as Mark Buckingham's, I like it more as I see it this time around.
Probably go onto reading Animal Farm volume tonight (if I'm not too exhausted from work, that is)
Oh whoops :P
Sorry, I haven't re-read ANY of the Volumes past Volume 8 since I read them the first time, simply cuz I couldn't handle the… more lack of true love between Bigby and Snow...
Snow's line is "Ok, you've defeated me... You win"
She whispers it, cuz she just can't believe that Bigby Wolf defeated her and made her admit she loved him!! XD
Yeah well, I just finished re-reading Vol. 1 Legends in Exile, and I have to say, I like it quite a lot more than I did when I first read th… moree volume.
Sure, it's different from how the series eventually evolved to be, but it's got the following:
* Bigby being the detective (probably the only time we see him as a detective), with the classic "who-dun-it" story.
* We get most we get out of Colin in this volume, since he pretty much gets killed in "The Animal Farm" Volume.
* Bigby and Snow's dance at the Remembrance Day (damn, if TWAU ever does get Season 2 and subsequent seasons, I want this dance to be the final scene of the final Season!! Still a big sigh regarding Telltale and their stance with TWAU Season 2....)
* Lan Medina's art, while not as good as Mark Buckingham's, I like it more as I see it this time around.
Probably go onto reading Animal Farm volume tonight (if I'm not too exhausted from work, that is)
that was such bullshit. they have been building up this fight for so long bringing together huge fucking armies and super powerful magic and it ends with "lets just not fight"....
for fuck sake, i always hated rose but this is just bullshit, you are the one who always attacked and went behind snows back and for some reason she still supported you, you started the war and in the end you end it with "lets not fight"!!!?? i really wished bigby would just have killed her.
that was such bullshit. they have been building up this fight for so long bringing together huge fucking armies and super powerful magic and… more it ends with "lets just not fight"....
for fuck sake, i always hated rose but this is just bullshit, you are the one who always attacked and went behind snows back and for some reason she still supported you, you started the war and in the end you end it with "lets not fight"!!!?? i really wished bigby would just have killed her.
that was such bullshit. they have been building up this fight for so long bringing together huge fucking armies and super powerful magic and… more it ends with "lets just not fight"....
for fuck sake, i always hated rose but this is just bullshit, you are the one who always attacked and went behind snows back and for some reason she still supported you, you started the war and in the end you end it with "lets not fight"!!!?? i really wished bigby would just have killed her.
I never wanted one of those catastrophe ending like they gave in Jack of Fables (where everyone pretty much ended up dead, lol....still really, really dislike that series). But I was hoping for some sort of a bang with all the hype and tension they were building up to this volume.
I expected some intense battle with casualties on both sides, but Bigby, Snow, and Cubs at least surviving (was kinda 50/50 on Rose Red surviving, still am, had the battle actually occurred), and some other fables. The mundy world would have some damages, but not quite to the extent that the whole world itself would be destroyed.
Come to think of it, I quite like the portrayal of battle in The Unwritten/Fables crossover volume. That was great for what it was (though the result of that battle is a lot of tragedies).
My ideal scenario would have been for two of them to battle it out, and in the midst of battle Rose realises that she has been tricked by Hope (yes, make Hope the villainess), and stop the battle and Rose and Snow defeats Hope in some way.
But the battle does result in some casualties of several fables, and the mundy world suffers a great damage (but it eventually gets better over time), and Rose and Snow and Bigby depart (tearful or like in the Volume 22, I don't know, would depend on how the battle was played out), meeting a millennium later at Wolf Family estate (ala Snow and Bigby's last story).
Just my idea of how I maybe would have like it to have played out.
Yeah, the battle, and I wished to see Bigby's Big Bad Wolf form one more time before the series ended (Bigby actually transforms to his Big Bad Wolf form in the Unwritten/Crossover volume, and he's actually pretty badass in that. But in Volume 22, he did pretty much nothing lol).
Another good thing about the previous scenario is, that entities like the 4 great cardinal winds (North, East, West, South), Mr. Dark, and Hope, while they are absolutely powerful, are not exactly 100% immortal - When North Wind (Boreas Frostheart, Bigby's father) died, Winter replaced him as new North Wind, and it was said that when Mr. Dark dies another being/character will replace him as new Mr. or Miss Dark (though new Mr/Miss Dark would have no memory of his or her predecessor, so would hold no grudge against the Fables).
Same thing would apply to Hope. If Hope becomes corrupted and is killed, another being will replace her to be the new Hope.
As to how Bigby breaks free from Rose Red's Ring control, perhaps the following could have happened:
When Connor stands up to Bigby and snaps him back to his senses, Bigby gets a strong emotional reaction (maybe a flashback of his memory of when Bigby himself stood up to North Wind? i.e. like in the story "Runt" in 1001 tales of Snowfall), and this strong emotion causes a chain reaction which completely evaporates/obliterates Rose's ring.
The evaporated piece becomes a mist and goes back into Bigby, its original source body. Rose Red is shocked at this unforeseen situation, but pushes forward with her battle against Snow's army.......then the battle begins (continues with scenario in previous comment)
This I think, probably would have worked better than Rose just giving Bigby back the ring.
A little over halfway through the Gatefold Cover Key (of the TPB cover, not the Wolf family gatefold) consisting of 177 characters, with me trying to find each character one by one (once again, I do wish they didn't jumble up the numbers all over the place, lol)
Wow, there just seems to be quite a few characters that I don't know (or most likely don't remember, since they may have been just very minor characters).
I'm just amazed at the level of detail which went into the TPB cover (well, I'm amazed at the Wolf family gatefold as well, though TPB cover just has sooooooo many number of characters, that it's almost crazy. But heck, I love both).
Currently I'm almost to the end of Animal Farm volume (it's going slowly but surely, since I'm also currently reading TWD comics, and have doing all other things as well).
What about you mate? Started reading your Volume 22 (issue #150) yet?
A little over halfway through the Gatefold Cover Key (of the TPB cover, not the Wolf family gatefold) consisting of 177 characters, with me … moretrying to find each character one by one (once again, I do wish they didn't jumble up the numbers all over the place, lol)
Wow, there just seems to be quite a few characters that I don't know (or most likely don't remember, since they may have been just very minor characters).
I'm just amazed at the level of detail which went into the TPB cover (well, I'm amazed at the Wolf family gatefold as well, though TPB cover just has sooooooo many number of characters, that it's almost crazy. But heck, I love both).
Currently I'm almost to the end of Animal Farm volume (it's going slowly but surely, since I'm also currently reading TWD comics, and have doing all other things as well).
What about you mate? Started reading your Volume 22 (issue #150) yet?
I actually have started it, but due to work I have had to stop reading it presently.
I got to the end of Geppetto's Last Story, still nee… mored to read the rest of the Volume...
I will post a FULL review when I have finished it (hopefully tomorrow) Already I will tease my review by saying one word:
Disappointed
Issues 141-149 would be about something else, not Rose and preparations for battle and in 150
Bigby will attack Fabletown and it could be same as in 144 but after that Bigby wouldn´t escape but get inside and there Snow wil be waiting to fight him.
Meanwhile ... Cindy will find out that Leight is controlling Bigby and she will have fight with her (like Cindy and Totenkinder in original 150).
Cubs and other Fables will come to help Snow fight Bigby, some of them will die (Fables not cubs). When Cindy kills Leight Bigby will become normal but because of what he did he will be send to exile for 1000 years.
Last story will be nearly same like in original 150 but there will be Bigby finally returning from exile to his family and Snow.
Ending that I would like see:
Issues 141-149 would be about something else, not Rose and preparations for battle and in 150
Bigby will a… morettack Fabletown and it could be same as in 144 but after that Bigby wouldn´t escape but get inside and there Snow wil be waiting to fight him.
Meanwhile ... Cindy will find out that Leight is controlling Bigby and she will have fight with her (like Cindy and Totenkinder in original 150).
Cubs and other Fables will come to help Snow fight Bigby, some of them will die (Fables not cubs). When Cindy kills Leight Bigby will become normal but because of what he did he will be send to exile for 1000 years.
Last story will be nearly same like in original 150 but there will be Bigby finally returning from exile to his family and Snow.
My idea of ending ....
Yeah, I'm sorry to say Mieor37's ending doesn't quite resonate with me. Guess I just want to see the big battle (loved the Unwritten/Fables crossover volume's big battle), and not in favour of Bigby being sent to exile....
In his/her version Cindy lives, so I guess that's a plus (but on the other hand, other Fables get killed by Bigby, lol).
Not trying to rush you or anything, but is your review still coming mate?? Still really curious to read your review (and see your stamp of approval or disapproval, haha).
Yeah, I'm sorry to say Mieor37's ending doesn't quite resonate with me. Guess I just want to see the big battle (loved the Unwritten/Fables… more crossover volume's big battle), and not in favour of Bigby being sent to exile....
In his/her version Cindy lives, so I guess that's a plus (but on the other hand, other Fables get killed by Bigby, lol).
Not trying to rush you or anything, but is your review still coming mate?? Still really curious to read your review (and see your stamp of approval or disapproval, haha).
Ok! This has been a long time coming! Now I have had Fables 150 for... 3 months now actually, but I got a new job shortly after getting the comic and it was taking over my life, so I had little time to read the damn thing and when I did have the time I just didn't feel like reading it. But yesterday I closed the book and had the sudden urge to cry because that was it, it's over, Fables is done. I'll have to accept that, but I suppose a weird part of me hopes that someone will continue it again someday...
Anyways, I promised @CoolGuyJ a review, and I also promised him that I would do mini-reviews of each individual story in Volume 22: Farewell, cuz I have something to say about every story. So without anymore bullshit, let's get on with it!
The main story: Alright, this is sadly going to become one of my least favorite Volumes in the series, because I will state for the record right now that I feel that Bill just didn't love the series like he used to, and he wanted to get this comic just done and out of the way. I will start by attacking the major plot points and how they were rushed; Bigby's restoration made no sense to me and it wasn't even properly explained, now I know that leaves the door open so we can guess for ourselves as to how he turned back to normal, but it feels like bad storytelling!
The battle ends before it even begins because what, Boy Blue's figure suddenly appears in Rose's camp and she has a sudden change of heart?! I can assume that Bill left both Rose and Snow alive because there are fans for both parties, and he wants to keep them both happy by avoiding a murder scene. But I honestly feel that he could've done this better, maybe have Rose change her mind in the midst of the battle or perhaps when she is about to strike down Snow or something! It would've been a lot more climactic than what we got!
Hope being revealed as corrupted was interesting actually, but Rose overpowering her THAT easily was just like "What?" and then she doesn't even use Hope for her own gain so it's a pointless endeavor.
The Brandish fight ended as I guessed it would: Grimble finds the heart, and yeah initially I thought he would bring it back to Fabletown, but instead he pecks it to pieces. Ok Brandish is finally dead after being a thorn in everyone's side for way too long. Yippee.
Look, I just feel that Bill rushed a lot of the content, especially when in his Afterword he states that he 'The Writer' was often late, and it was putting stresses on the team and their families to get the comics out for the deadline. By this point he just seemed to want Fables to be finished. And if someone can correct me on this, I heard it said that on Twitter a little while back after Fables 150 was released, Bill tweeted something that basically said he wants to forget about the whole thing and just move on.... Sad stuff.
The Last Clara Story: Not much to say about this tbh, except that Grimble and Clara appear to be starting a life of sorts together, and personally I think that is quite sweet.
The Last Snow Queen Story: I always liked Lumi in Fables and this 2 page piece was good fun! It captured her brilliantly, and also revealed how Winter is in the divorcing game because of her nature as a Wind. Oh and that last bit about how they should be a couple? Hilarious. However, clearly the couple part doesn't last as we see Winter with a male being that basically looks like he has a Galaxy for a body in that very last story of the Volume...
The Last Blossom Story: I didn't like this one. MAINLY cuz it was set up like a novel instead of a comic, and while Blossom has indeed turned badass, I found the Mundy hunter's to be the most boring character's ever, and Blossom's animal companions were dull too. Basically it sounded like Bill wanted to merge sci-fi with the series when he described what Blossom had done in the past (and why she carried, but never used, an alien pistol) But it just fell flat and I quickly wanted to stop reading and skip to the next story... Shame.
The Last Pinocchio Story: This was funny! And it follows Bill's previous Tweet suggesting that a 'Fable will become President' in Fables 150. Not much left to say tbh...
The Last Geppetto Story: Ok, I have to give this one credit because the ending does make you wonder slightly if Geppetto is talking to real soldiers, or just himself. If he has gone mad, then I do pity him to some extent... But if this was real, then it could've become great material for a second run of the series!
The Last Lake Story: This was kinda boring too. Lake never interested me THAT much in the main series, and the very sudden skip to when she and Ambrose have married and had children is bit of a rush. Also the character of Max? Were they trying to reference Mad Max with the lone drifter thing? Whatever, I was interested in the Fates aspect of the story, but not much else.
The Last Christmas Story: It was nice to see that Santa is taking the time to talk to Ambrose, and learning that he can't drink anything alcoholic or else bad stuff will happen. This story was just nice with the family ideal of it, and Lake/Ambrose allowing their kids to choose their own Fates is 'typical' in my mind of a couple in Fables.
The Last Story of many Fables: Uhhh, why was this here? I don't recall coming across any of these guys except for Brock... And even for him he just turned into a religious zealot!.
Blue Skies, Blue Moon, Blue Suede Shoes and Forever Blue: Giving Boy Blue an Afterlife where he can do what he wants without any daring heroics or fighting/killing, is a perfect way to end his story. I was very pleased with this, and I'm sure many others were too.
The Summer Prophecy: 7 stories for 7 Cubs.
* Winter's was like a cliffhanger, suggesting that the future holds much for her...
Blossom didn't need a other Last story. But the way she described her life makes it sound like she is both happy and sad with the way things turned out for her...
Therese still thinks about Dare's sacrifice and if she could've prevented it. Sad stuff for a sister to think about for so long...
Dare's Last story is terrible. He has no Afterlife to go to yet?! WTF?!?!
Connor is so much like Prince Charming that it's an insult to his Parent's. Why the hell does act and look like him?!
Ambrose's Last story was kinda sweet actually with the little 'We'll Miss You' art piece underneath with everyone on the Farm. Also he looks like his Dad.
Ghost in a suit was odd to see, but hearing that he outlived his other siblings is a sad thought...
The Last Toy Story: It was interesting to hear the Toys' theory that eating from the pot may mean that you're eating Dare's endless remains. Spooky stuff, but I also LOVED how one of the toy's states that some Fables are born Mortal, and other's Immortal, which is great to hear as it proves my idea that not all Fables can live forever...
In A Castle Dark: The whole build up to Cole just talking everyone down and saying he'll build a school of Magic was just pointless. Yeah it showed the opinions of servicemen to other servicemen, but we could figure all of that out for ourselves tbh. Still, I would've liked to see how progress went in the Mundy world to change it into one of the MOST magical of the Fables lands.
The Last Frankie Story: So they found the Business Office? HOW?! This lack of explaining is what I don't like about the Volume! Anyways, this Last story was kinda funny, and it's nice to see Frankie and the Magic Mirror get their last words in before it all ends.
The Last Death Story: Funny, but a little pointless for just one page...
The Last Snow and Bigby Story: This finale, was everything a Snigby fan like me could've ever wanted to see. That after 1,000 years they were still together, and still very much in love. Seeing 20 Generations of Wolf Family was extreme, but quite cool! Especially when you pick apart the odd Family member who used to be a character in their own right in the series such as Little Black Sambo. And how Ghost has a mechanical body representing Darien as one of his 'public' appearances. Rose being confused and in awe was what I expected her to be like, though tbh I did want to see how the actual reunion went.
And that's it. That's my verdict on the last ever Volume of a beautiful comic series called Fables... Now as a fanfiction writer, I can see in his Afterword that maybe Bill wants to leave the rest of the work to the fans. Maybe I should try and continue parts of the story in my own works? I'm not gonna advertise my account here btw :P
The Main story: Yeah, the main story was sadly very anticlimactic and felt very rushed. The following is how I would have liked to see it played out:
My ideal Bigby's restoration scenario would be when Connor stands up to Bigby and snaps him back to his senses, Bigby gets a strong emotional reaction (maybe a flashback of his memory of when Bigby himself stood up to North Wind? i.e. like in the story "Runt" in 1001 tales of Snowfall), and this strong emotion causes a chain reaction which completely evaporates/obliterates Rose's ring.
The evaporated piece becomes a mist and goes back into Bigby, its original source body. Rose Red is shocked at this unforeseen situation, but pushes forward with her battle against Snow's army.......then the final battle begins.
And:
My ideal Final Battle scenario would have been for two of them to battle it out, and in the midst of battle Rose realises that she has been tricked by Hope (yes, make Hope the villainess), and stop the battle and Rose and Snow defeats Hope in some way.
But the battle does result in some casualties of several fables, and the mundy world suffers a great damage (but it eventually gets better over time), and Rose and Snow and Bigby depart (tearful or like in the Volume 22, I don't know, would depend on how the battle was played out), meeting a millennium later at Wolf Family estate (ala Snow and Bigby's last story).
But alas, it was not to be....
Whatever was going through Bill's mind when he was writing the final volume, for me at least, it sure didn't deliver the hype that was being built in Volume 21. I guess that's where my biggest disappointment is from.
And Cindy's death.......that just left me so sad, sniff.. (I could care less about Totenkinder).
The Last Clara story: This was okay, No real criticism here.
The Last Snow Queen Story: Lumi freezing all men who cheated on her was while spooky, but also hilarious. It's a good thing Winter either didn't have a relationship with Lumi (or if they did, their relationship didn't last long). How awkward would that have been if Winter had to bring Lumi for the Wolf family's reunion on Snow and Bigby's last story?
The Last Blossom Story: Personally, I found this story to be really boring (the most boring story out of Volume 22?). There just wasn't engaging plot (like Peter and Max) or engaging charaters (other short stories like The Wolf in the Fold, Pinocchio and Geppatto short stories), so when I was first reading this story, I found myself actually falling half asleep. It was only at my second try reading that I actually finished it. While her jungle-girl type character initially seemed a bit cool character (kinda reminded me of Mowgli), sadly her character does not have a lasting appeal like Mowgli.
The Last Pinocchio Story: Agreed! This was hilarious!! Who would have thought he would become president. I loved his no-lie banter in this story. And it was double the laugh when I read (in Bill's last word) that his second term just ended in 3 days due to a scandal haha
The Last Geppetto Story: Regardless of whether the wooden soldiers are real or a madman's hallucination/fantasy, I do have some pity for Geppetto. It seems he's the sol character left that's still angry at the world and those around him. I guess his happiest moments were when he was still the Adversary in the days of the Empire.
The Last Lake Story: Yeah, this was a bit boring for me too (thought not quite to the extent to the last Blossom story). I guess part of the reason is that like you've said, Lake wasn't explored that much (outside Fate section) in the main series. Her and Ambrose being together could have used a scene of how they actually got to be together, but that didn't happen.
The Last Christmas Story: This story was alright. Like you've said, nice family story (and it was good to see Santa!)
The Last Story of many Fables: Instead of this story, I would have preferred to see last story of Peter Piper & Bo Peep. Sure, they were nothing more than cameos in the main series, but they (Bo especially) plays an essential part in Fairest in all the land, and Peter is basically the main character of "Peter & Max" prose novel. Regarding Stinky, I always felt "Meh" about the character, he always seemed like an existing character to annoy other characters.
Blue Skies, Blue Moon, Blue Suede Shoes and Forever Blue: I was very happy with this story. Blue finally found happiness he deserved (after so much pain and suffering and wanting to be normal), in a place full of music, and who knows? Maybe he'll find his luck in love there as well (I'm just glad it's not Rose Red).
The Summer Prophecy:
As Winter states, nobody knows what kind of King she will be, but if few bits of adult Winter we've seen is anything to go by I guess I have some ideas....
I guess Blossom is a bit annoyed at the notion of being named impoverished. Is it just me or did the bear like creature is like Baloo and panther like creature is like Bagheera from the jungle book? Don't know what the alien like creature standing behind is for. Just an inhabitant of that world?
I guess she regrets a lot of decisions she made since she got on the boat to Toyland......
Sigh.....This story, as well as Cindy's death (in main story), and King Cole's stories saddened me the most. Dare being stuck in the "White" world without anyone telling him yet what happened and everything is ok (so he could fully pass over to afterlife, like Boy Blue), just seemed really sad and almost too cruel.
I was also annoyed, but I was not surprised. It's because they explain in the Fables encyclopedia
The following is an excerpt from the Fables encyclopedia:
"When we originally set to work on creating the cubs, Bill and I assigned aspects of our adult casts to each of them. In addition to Connor's shared resemblance to Prince Charming, Blossom was a little like Rose Red, Winder like Snow, Therese was Beauty, amd Darien, or "Dare" as we used to call him, was very much Bigby's son. Ambrose owed a little to several characters, including King Cole, and his namesake, the fly-catching Prince Ambrose."
Mark Buckingham
Guess this explains why Connor is basically Charming 2.0 (this makes me all the more wish Dare had actually lived to his adulthood since he's most like Bigby....sigh).
But I don't think he'll have Charming's unrepenting womanizing ways (since he's still Bigby's son), so I guess that's one comfort.
I liked "We'll miss you" art piece. And while it wasn't exciting like Ambrose himself said, it was ok, because Ambrose doesn't seek excitement (it wouldn't fit his character), and he's the one who judges the rest, being the historian and all.
Seeing him in a suit reminded me of "The Invisible Man" film I watched a long time ago. I guess it is odd since he's a Zephyr he doesn't have a physical form, but him wearing clothes makes it seem like he actually has a physical form. Well, if it is any solace, he would still have his dad, Bigby (Ghost outlives his siblings, but Bigby outlives all of his cubs) till the end of his time.
The Last Toy Story: I didn't know whether to laugh or be spooked when I read the term "Dare eaters" I always thought immortal always had a bit of ambiguous meaning to it in the world of fables. To the mundies, Fables themselves would seem like they're immortal, whereas this is not actually the case (they just live for a very, very long time). To the Fables, it may seem God-like entities like the 4 cardinal winds, Hope, and Santa would be immortal [though they can kill themselves I guess, like North Wind's casket, but I'm assuming their natural lifespan is neverending?)
In A Castle Dark: Yeah, the whole announcement scene felt a bit forced. What got me most though, was Cole's reaction to realizing that Fabletown is finished. He had been the Mayor for such a long time, and had such a sad expression on his face. I would have liked to see him happy in the new School of Magic (though I'd imagine him to be, would have liked to actually see a scene).
The Last Frankie Story: It was pretty funny to see Mirror become the teacher (but I wonder what magic he will teach, first reaction I had when I read he was teaching was that he will teach his students rhymes haha), and what ego he has, seeing himself as a genius, lol
The Last Death Story: Meh, Death character never really interested me. This page felt like a waste....
The Last Snow and Bigby Story: This is what redeemed this volume for me. I'm glad I didn't sneak a peek at the end before reading and patiently read from start of the volume to finish, because it simply is the best story out of this volume, and truly a fitting end for Snow and Bigby. I think seeing 20 generations of Wolf Family was intentional, to make our eyes busy I personally like this double barreled gatefold a lot, just as much as the TPB cover, with the Fabletown ensemble. By the way Hazza, who is this odd family member you're talking about (I don't know too much about Little Black Sambo)?
And Fables is indeed done. I couldn't help but chuckle at Mark's humour with the last line: "Wait a minute? Is FABLES ending?"
While the end is bittersweet, I know Fables will always have a special place in my heart, regardless of whether there is a continuation by Willingham (though I think it's unlikely) or Telltale makes a TWAU season 2 or not (though I really am hoping they do).
I agree with some points.
But... im sad. Fables had a infinite universe, but is over now...
Maybe a movie or a tv series happen in the future, but nothing confirmed
The Main story: Yeah, the main story was sadly very anticlimactic and felt very rushed. The following is how I would have liked to see it p… morelayed out:
My ideal Bigby's restoration scenario would be when Connor stands up to Bigby and snaps him back to his senses, Bigby gets a strong emotional reaction (maybe a flashback of his memory of when Bigby himself stood up to North Wind? i.e. like in the story "Runt" in 1001 tales of Snowfall), and this strong emotion causes a chain reaction which completely evaporates/obliterates Rose's ring.
The evaporated piece becomes a mist and goes back into Bigby, its original source body. Rose Red is shocked at this unforeseen situation, but pushes forward with her battle against Snow's army.......then the final battle begins.
And:
My ideal Final Battle scenario would have been for two of them to battle it out, and in the midst of battle Rose realises that she has been tricked by Hope (ye… [view original content]
The Main story: Yeah, the main story was sadly very anticlimactic and felt very rushed. The following is how I would have liked to see it p… morelayed out:
My ideal Bigby's restoration scenario would be when Connor stands up to Bigby and snaps him back to his senses, Bigby gets a strong emotional reaction (maybe a flashback of his memory of when Bigby himself stood up to North Wind? i.e. like in the story "Runt" in 1001 tales of Snowfall), and this strong emotion causes a chain reaction which completely evaporates/obliterates Rose's ring.
The evaporated piece becomes a mist and goes back into Bigby, its original source body. Rose Red is shocked at this unforeseen situation, but pushes forward with her battle against Snow's army.......then the final battle begins.
And:
My ideal Final Battle scenario would have been for two of them to battle it out, and in the midst of battle Rose realises that she has been tricked by Hope (ye… [view original content]
Little Black Sambo is Sam from Jack of Fables, he's telling one of the family member's that he married into the Wolf family
Mark's last … morewords got to me, really got to me... I think he wanted to draw these character's forever, no matter what it meant drawing!
Oh and his commission piece of Snigby kissing at the end? Beautiful :'D
But everything must come to an end at some point (even the best of things), so while I'm sad, I'm glad I got to have this experience with Fables (and the memories will be treasured).
I'm currently back to reading the Fable series again from the start (sans Jack of Fables, which I hate), and I'm currently reading Vol 5: The Mean Seasons. And it's really great.
I agree with some points.
But... im sad. Fables had a infinite universe, but is over now...
Maybe a movie or a tv series happen in the future, but nothing confirmed
(my english still sucks xD)
Comments
That's fine mate. Just make sure you read the "Snow & Bigby's Last story" last!!
It's the last story of the book, so I know temptation will be high for you to see it first (I know I was!!), but I restrained myself, and saved it for last (and I'm so glad that I did. I saw some people who gave into that temptation and read Bigby and Snow's last story first, but after that couldn't get into other characters' last story, and there's a lot..... So relieved I didn't have to go through that).
I already skimmed through the whole Volume dude :P I saw the last fold-out page XD
FINAL-Fucking-generall-LY!!!!! My copy of Fables 150 arrived in the mail a couple of days ago after multiple delays (post services in rural Australia are notorious in my experience). Now, here is a quick review of it.
I feel somewhat let down by it. I shall confess that the conclusion is a satisfying one. But the supposed climax fell flat as somewhat of an anti-climax compared to the build up surrounding it during the former parts of the arc (including the beginning of this issue). I will grant, however, that the final stories shown after the main chapter do leave me feeling content AND in anticipation on any future work that might be done with it due to the few oppertunities left open for the world of Fables to further be explored (Yes, TellTale. I am looking at you ESPECIALLY).
In conclusion, it was alright. Nothing more can be said about the main chapter than that for me. The final stories are a nice addition that has raised my final verdict somewhat. Plus the extras at the end were nice touches as well.
On a scale of nil to ten, I give it a 6.5.
I still haven't read the Volume yet, been busy with work...
BUT I skimmed through some of the final pages and I notice that on the page after The Last Story Of Death; there is a quote that reads:
I just realized something, Wolf. There was only one tent and only one sleeping bag
Well guess this answers a question for Fables Volume 3!! Bigby and Snow went to the Mountains with the intention of sleeping in that one sleeping bag in that one tent... Looks like they confessed to each other before they left and did the deed on the first night
Also @CoolGuyJ I think that commission of Bigby and Snow kissing by Mark Buckingham is actually their 'first kiss' from issue 50 :P
Yeah, I totally agree that the main story's resolution was anticlimactic and disappointing (it's not like I expected everyone to get killed like Jack of Fables ending, but I still expected it to end with quite a bang, instead, it ended with kind of a whimper).
But I loved the last stories, Summer of Prophesies, and LOVED LOVED Snow and Bigby's last story, and LOVED the double barreled gatefold of entire Wolf family + clan, and the TPB Cover.
That quote is actually from Volume 3. Snow asks that to Bigby (who is in his Big Bad Wolf form) who reassures her (well, lies to her, to keep her safe) nothing happened.
Don't know whether a confession was made or not (or whether it was made in Fabletown, or in the mountains), but regardless of Bluebeard's love potion, these two cared and loved each other (though Snow took a much longer time to admit it) for a long, long time, so I don't think a confession matters too much (in my opinion)
From my memory, I think that scene is the kiss right after Snow says to Bigby,
"You win. I am defeated."
Still love that scene.
Oh whoops :P
Sorry, I haven't re-read ANY of the Volumes past Volume 8 since I read them the first time, simply cuz I couldn't handle the lack of true love between Bigby and Snow...
Snow's line is "Ok, you've defeated me... You win"
She whispers it, cuz she just can't believe that Bigby Wolf defeated her and made her admit she loved him!! XD
Yeah well, I just finished re-reading Vol. 1 Legends in Exile, and I have to say, I like it quite a lot more than I did when I first read the volume.
Sure, it's different from how the series eventually evolved to be, but it's got the following:
Probably go onto reading Animal Farm volume tonight (if I'm not too exhausted from work, that is)
Yeah Volume 1 was so different!
For a start, Lan Medina's realistic style of drawing, and also the Fabletown babes are extra hot! XP
that was such bullshit. they have been building up this fight for so long bringing together huge fucking armies and super powerful magic and it ends with "lets just not fight"....
for fuck sake, i always hated rose but this is just bullshit, you are the one who always attacked and went behind snows back and for some reason she still supported you, you started the war and in the end you end it with "lets not fight"!!!?? i really wished bigby would just have killed her.
Yeah, it was sadly anticlimactic......
Yes, it fell very much flat for me. The only plus I can draw from that is that Rose took the better decision in the end, and that is pushing it.
I never wanted one of those catastrophe ending like they gave in Jack of Fables (where everyone pretty much ended up dead, lol....still really, really dislike that series). But I was hoping for some sort of a bang with all the hype and tension they were building up to this volume.
I expected some intense battle with casualties on both sides, but Bigby, Snow, and Cubs at least surviving (was kinda 50/50 on Rose Red surviving, still am, had the battle actually occurred), and some other fables. The mundy world would have some damages, but not quite to the extent that the whole world itself would be destroyed.
Come to think of it, I quite like the portrayal of battle in The Unwritten/Fables crossover volume. That was great for what it was (though the result of that battle is a lot of tragedies).
Just my idea of how I maybe would have like it to have played out.
Yes, now that would have been a brilliant idea. At the very least, we could have had them in battle before Rose came to her epiphany.
Yeah, the battle, and I wished to see Bigby's Big Bad Wolf form one more time before the series ended (Bigby actually transforms to his Big Bad Wolf form in the Unwritten/Crossover volume, and he's actually pretty badass in that. But in Volume 22, he did pretty much nothing lol).
Another good thing about the previous scenario is, that entities like the 4 great cardinal winds (North, East, West, South), Mr. Dark, and Hope, while they are absolutely powerful, are not exactly 100% immortal - When North Wind (Boreas Frostheart, Bigby's father) died, Winter replaced him as new North Wind, and it was said that when Mr. Dark dies another being/character will replace him as new Mr. or Miss Dark (though new Mr/Miss Dark would have no memory of his or her predecessor, so would hold no grudge against the Fables).
Same thing would apply to Hope. If Hope becomes corrupted and is killed, another being will replace her to be the new Hope.
As to how Bigby breaks free from Rose Red's Ring control, perhaps the following could have happened:
This I think, probably would have worked better than Rose just giving Bigby back the ring.
I will go with that.
A little over halfway through the Gatefold Cover Key (of the TPB cover, not the Wolf family gatefold) consisting of 177 characters, with me trying to find each character one by one (once again, I do wish they didn't jumble up the numbers all over the place, lol)
Wow, there just seems to be quite a few characters that I don't know (or most likely don't remember, since they may have been just very minor characters).
I'm just amazed at the level of detail which went into the TPB cover (well, I'm amazed at the Wolf family gatefold as well, though TPB cover just has sooooooo many number of characters, that it's almost crazy. But heck, I love both).
Currently I'm almost to the end of Animal Farm volume (it's going slowly but surely, since I'm also currently reading TWD comics, and have doing all other things as well).
What about you mate? Started reading your Volume 22 (issue #150) yet?
I actually have started it, but due to work I have had to stop reading it presently.
I got to the end of Geppetto's Last Story, still need to read the rest of the Volume...
I will post a FULL review when I have finished it (hopefully tomorrow) Already I will tease my review by saying one word:
Disappointed
That's good to know mate (not the book, but the fact that you've started it).
Yeah, I was disappointed in several areas too (though in my review, I guess I tried to focus a bit on the brighter side).
As the big war moments with Bigby action, at least I have the Unwritten/Fables crossover.....
Ending that I would like see:
Issues 141-149 would be about something else, not Rose and preparations for battle and in 150
Bigby will attack Fabletown and it could be same as in 144 but after that Bigby wouldn´t escape but get inside and there Snow wil be waiting to fight him.
Meanwhile ... Cindy will find out that Leight is controlling Bigby and she will have fight with her (like Cindy and Totenkinder in original 150).
Cubs and other Fables will come to help Snow fight Bigby, some of them will die (Fables not cubs). When Cindy kills Leight Bigby will become normal but because of what he did he will be send to exile for 1000 years.
Last story will be nearly same like in original 150 but there will be Bigby finally returning from exile to his family and Snow.
My idea of ending ....
That's a horrible ending to me
I would be crying so much at the thought of Bigby attacking those he loves more than anything....
Yes, it would have emotional impact.
Last issue should have some emotional impact not just disappointment.
I guess you're right....
Yeah, I'm sorry to say Mieor37's ending doesn't quite resonate with me. Guess I just want to see the big battle (loved the Unwritten/Fables crossover volume's big battle), and not in favour of Bigby being sent to exile....
In his/her version Cindy lives, so I guess that's a plus (but on the other hand, other Fables get killed by Bigby, lol).
Not trying to rush you or anything, but is your review still coming mate?? Still really curious to read your review (and see your stamp of approval or disapproval, haha).
Hey man, sorry but work has taken me over atm. Maybe tomorrow if I find the strength when I get home :P
Just realised now, Poogers was banned from the community?
What happened??
I thought he was a frequent contributor on the forums.
Ok! This has been a long time coming! Now I have had Fables 150 for... 3 months now actually, but I got a new job shortly after getting the comic and it was taking over my life, so I had little time to read the damn thing and when I did have the time I just didn't feel like reading it. But yesterday I closed the book and had the sudden urge to cry because that was it, it's over, Fables is done. I'll have to accept that, but I suppose a weird part of me hopes that someone will continue it again someday...
Anyways, I promised @CoolGuyJ a review, and I also promised him that I would do mini-reviews of each individual story in Volume 22: Farewell, cuz I have something to say about every story. So without anymore bullshit, let's get on with it!
The main story: Alright, this is sadly going to become one of my least favorite Volumes in the series, because I will state for the record right now that I feel that Bill just didn't love the series like he used to, and he wanted to get this comic just done and out of the way. I will start by attacking the major plot points and how they were rushed; Bigby's restoration made no sense to me and it wasn't even properly explained, now I know that leaves the door open so we can guess for ourselves as to how he turned back to normal, but it feels like bad storytelling!
The battle ends before it even begins because what, Boy Blue's figure suddenly appears in Rose's camp and she has a sudden change of heart?! I can assume that Bill left both Rose and Snow alive because there are fans for both parties, and he wants to keep them both happy by avoiding a murder scene. But I honestly feel that he could've done this better, maybe have Rose change her mind in the midst of the battle or perhaps when she is about to strike down Snow or something! It would've been a lot more climactic than what we got!
Hope being revealed as corrupted was interesting actually, but Rose overpowering her THAT easily was just like "What?" and then she doesn't even use Hope for her own gain so it's a pointless endeavor.
The Brandish fight ended as I guessed it would: Grimble finds the heart, and yeah initially I thought he would bring it back to Fabletown, but instead he pecks it to pieces. Ok Brandish is finally dead after being a thorn in everyone's side for way too long. Yippee.
Look, I just feel that Bill rushed a lot of the content, especially when in his Afterword he states that he 'The Writer' was often late, and it was putting stresses on the team and their families to get the comics out for the deadline. By this point he just seemed to want Fables to be finished. And if someone can correct me on this, I heard it said that on Twitter a little while back after Fables 150 was released, Bill tweeted something that basically said he wants to forget about the whole thing and just move on.... Sad stuff.
The Last Clara Story: Not much to say about this tbh, except that Grimble and Clara appear to be starting a life of sorts together, and personally I think that is quite sweet.
The Last Snow Queen Story: I always liked Lumi in Fables and this 2 page piece was good fun! It captured her brilliantly, and also revealed how Winter is in the divorcing game because of her nature as a Wind. Oh and that last bit about how they should be a couple? Hilarious. However, clearly the couple part doesn't last as we see Winter with a male being that basically looks like he has a Galaxy for a body in that very last story of the Volume...
The Last Blossom Story: I didn't like this one. MAINLY cuz it was set up like a novel instead of a comic, and while Blossom has indeed turned badass, I found the Mundy hunter's to be the most boring character's ever, and Blossom's animal companions were dull too. Basically it sounded like Bill wanted to merge sci-fi with the series when he described what Blossom had done in the past (and why she carried, but never used, an alien pistol) But it just fell flat and I quickly wanted to stop reading and skip to the next story... Shame.
The Last Pinocchio Story: This was funny! And it follows Bill's previous Tweet suggesting that a 'Fable will become President' in Fables 150. Not much left to say tbh...
The Last Geppetto Story: Ok, I have to give this one credit because the ending does make you wonder slightly if Geppetto is talking to real soldiers, or just himself. If he has gone mad, then I do pity him to some extent... But if this was real, then it could've become great material for a second run of the series!
The Last Lake Story: This was kinda boring too. Lake never interested me THAT much in the main series, and the very sudden skip to when she and Ambrose have married and had children is bit of a rush. Also the character of Max? Were they trying to reference Mad Max with the lone drifter thing? Whatever, I was interested in the Fates aspect of the story, but not much else.
The Last Christmas Story: It was nice to see that Santa is taking the time to talk to Ambrose, and learning that he can't drink anything alcoholic or else bad stuff will happen. This story was just nice with the family ideal of it, and Lake/Ambrose allowing their kids to choose their own Fates is 'typical' in my mind of a couple in Fables.
The Last Story of many Fables: Uhhh, why was this here? I don't recall coming across any of these guys except for Brock... And even for him he just turned into a religious zealot!.
Blue Skies, Blue Moon, Blue Suede Shoes and Forever Blue: Giving Boy Blue an Afterlife where he can do what he wants without any daring heroics or fighting/killing, is a perfect way to end his story. I was very pleased with this, and I'm sure many others were too.
The Summer Prophecy: 7 stories for 7 Cubs.
* Winter's was like a cliffhanger, suggesting that the future holds much for her...
Blossom didn't need a other Last story. But the way she described her life makes it sound like she is both happy and sad with the way things turned out for her...
Therese still thinks about Dare's sacrifice and if she could've prevented it. Sad stuff for a sister to think about for so long...
Dare's Last story is terrible. He has no Afterlife to go to yet?! WTF?!?!
Connor is so much like Prince Charming that it's an insult to his Parent's. Why the hell does act and look like him?!
Ambrose's Last story was kinda sweet actually with the little 'We'll Miss You' art piece underneath with everyone on the Farm. Also he looks like his Dad.
Ghost in a suit was odd to see, but hearing that he outlived his other siblings is a sad thought...
The Last Toy Story: It was interesting to hear the Toys' theory that eating from the pot may mean that you're eating Dare's endless remains. Spooky stuff, but I also LOVED how one of the toy's states that some Fables are born Mortal, and other's Immortal, which is great to hear as it proves my idea that not all Fables can live forever...
In A Castle Dark: The whole build up to Cole just talking everyone down and saying he'll build a school of Magic was just pointless. Yeah it showed the opinions of servicemen to other servicemen, but we could figure all of that out for ourselves tbh. Still, I would've liked to see how progress went in the Mundy world to change it into one of the MOST magical of the Fables lands.
The Last Frankie Story: So they found the Business Office? HOW?! This lack of explaining is what I don't like about the Volume! Anyways, this Last story was kinda funny, and it's nice to see Frankie and the Magic Mirror get their last words in before it all ends.
The Last Death Story: Funny, but a little pointless for just one page...
The Last Snow and Bigby Story: This finale, was everything a Snigby fan like me could've ever wanted to see. That after 1,000 years they were still together, and still very much in love. Seeing 20 Generations of Wolf Family was extreme, but quite cool! Especially when you pick apart the odd Family member who used to be a character in their own right in the series such as Little Black Sambo. And how Ghost has a mechanical body representing Darien as one of his 'public' appearances. Rose being confused and in awe was what I expected her to be like, though tbh I did want to see how the actual reunion went.
And that's it. That's my verdict on the last ever Volume of a beautiful comic series called Fables... Now as a fanfiction writer, I can see in his Afterword that maybe Bill wants to leave the rest of the work to the fans. Maybe I should try and continue parts of the story in my own works? I'm not gonna advertise my account here btw :P
The Main story: Yeah, the main story was sadly very anticlimactic and felt very rushed. The following is how I would have liked to see it played out:
And:
But alas, it was not to be....
Whatever was going through Bill's mind when he was writing the final volume, for me at least, it sure didn't deliver the hype that was being built in Volume 21. I guess that's where my biggest disappointment is from.
And Cindy's death.......that just left me so sad, sniff.. (I could care less about Totenkinder).
The Last Clara story: This was okay, No real criticism here.
The Last Snow Queen Story: Lumi freezing all men who cheated on her was while spooky, but also hilarious. It's a good thing Winter either didn't have a relationship with Lumi (or if they did, their relationship didn't last long). How awkward would that have been if Winter had to bring Lumi for the Wolf family's reunion on Snow and Bigby's last story?
The Last Blossom Story: Personally, I found this story to be really boring (the most boring story out of Volume 22?). There just wasn't engaging plot (like Peter and Max) or engaging charaters (other short stories like The Wolf in the Fold, Pinocchio and Geppatto short stories), so when I was first reading this story, I found myself actually falling half asleep. It was only at my second try reading that I actually finished it. While her jungle-girl type character initially seemed a bit cool character (kinda reminded me of Mowgli), sadly her character does not have a lasting appeal like Mowgli.
The Last Pinocchio Story: Agreed! This was hilarious!! Who would have thought he would become president. I loved his no-lie banter in this story. And it was double the laugh when I read (in Bill's last word) that his second term just ended in 3 days due to a scandal haha
The Last Geppetto Story: Regardless of whether the wooden soldiers are real or a madman's hallucination/fantasy, I do have some pity for Geppetto. It seems he's the sol character left that's still angry at the world and those around him. I guess his happiest moments were when he was still the Adversary in the days of the Empire.
The Last Lake Story: Yeah, this was a bit boring for me too (thought not quite to the extent to the last Blossom story). I guess part of the reason is that like you've said, Lake wasn't explored that much (outside Fate section) in the main series. Her and Ambrose being together could have used a scene of how they actually got to be together, but that didn't happen.
The Last Christmas Story: This story was alright. Like you've said, nice family story (and it was good to see Santa!)
The Last Story of many Fables: Instead of this story, I would have preferred to see last story of Peter Piper & Bo Peep. Sure, they were nothing more than cameos in the main series, but they (Bo especially) plays an essential part in Fairest in all the land, and Peter is basically the main character of "Peter & Max" prose novel. Regarding Stinky, I always felt "Meh" about the character, he always seemed like an existing character to annoy other characters.
Blue Skies, Blue Moon, Blue Suede Shoes and Forever Blue: I was very happy with this story. Blue finally found happiness he deserved (after so much pain and suffering and wanting to be normal), in a place full of music, and who knows? Maybe he'll find his luck in love there as well (I'm just glad it's not Rose Red).
The Summer Prophecy:
As Winter states, nobody knows what kind of King she will be, but if few bits of adult Winter we've seen is anything to go by I guess I have some ideas....
I guess Blossom is a bit annoyed at the notion of being named impoverished. Is it just me or did the bear like creature is like Baloo and panther like creature is like Bagheera from the jungle book? Don't know what the alien like creature standing behind is for. Just an inhabitant of that world?
I guess she regrets a lot of decisions she made since she got on the boat to Toyland......
Sigh.....This story, as well as Cindy's death (in main story), and King Cole's stories saddened me the most. Dare being stuck in the "White" world without anyone telling him yet what happened and everything is ok (so he could fully pass over to afterlife, like Boy Blue), just seemed really sad and almost too cruel.
I was also annoyed, but I was not surprised. It's because they explain in the Fables encyclopedia
The following is an excerpt from the Fables encyclopedia:
Guess this explains why Connor is basically Charming 2.0 (this makes me all the more wish Dare had actually lived to his adulthood since he's most like Bigby....sigh).
But I don't think he'll have Charming's unrepenting womanizing ways (since he's still Bigby's son), so I guess that's one comfort.
I liked "We'll miss you" art piece. And while it wasn't exciting like Ambrose himself said, it was ok, because Ambrose doesn't seek excitement (it wouldn't fit his character), and he's the one who judges the rest, being the historian and all.
Seeing him in a suit reminded me of "The Invisible Man" film I watched a long time ago. I guess it is odd since he's a Zephyr he doesn't have a physical form, but him wearing clothes makes it seem like he actually has a physical form. Well, if it is any solace, he would still have his dad, Bigby (Ghost outlives his siblings, but Bigby outlives all of his cubs) till the end of his time.
The Last Toy Story: I didn't know whether to laugh or be spooked when I read the term "Dare eaters" I always thought immortal always had a bit of ambiguous meaning to it in the world of fables. To the mundies, Fables themselves would seem like they're immortal, whereas this is not actually the case (they just live for a very, very long time). To the Fables, it may seem God-like entities like the 4 cardinal winds, Hope, and Santa would be immortal [though they can kill themselves I guess, like North Wind's casket, but I'm assuming their natural lifespan is neverending?)
In A Castle Dark: Yeah, the whole announcement scene felt a bit forced. What got me most though, was Cole's reaction to realizing that Fabletown is finished. He had been the Mayor for such a long time, and had such a sad expression on his face. I would have liked to see him happy in the new School of Magic (though I'd imagine him to be, would have liked to actually see a scene).
The Last Frankie Story: It was pretty funny to see Mirror become the teacher (but I wonder what magic he will teach, first reaction I had when I read he was teaching was that he will teach his students rhymes haha), and what ego he has, seeing himself as a genius, lol
The Last Death Story: Meh, Death character never really interested me. This page felt like a waste....
The Last Snow and Bigby Story: This is what redeemed this volume for me. I'm glad I didn't sneak a peek at the end before reading and patiently read from start of the volume to finish, because it simply is the best story out of this volume, and truly a fitting end for Snow and Bigby. I think seeing 20 generations of Wolf Family was intentional, to make our eyes busy
I personally like this double barreled gatefold a lot, just as much as the TPB cover, with the Fabletown ensemble. By the way Hazza, who is this odd family member you're talking about (I don't know too much about Little Black Sambo)?
And Fables is indeed done. I couldn't help but chuckle at Mark's humour with the last line: "Wait a minute? Is FABLES ending?"
While the end is bittersweet, I know Fables will always have a special place in my heart, regardless of whether there is a continuation by Willingham (though I think it's unlikely) or Telltale makes a TWAU season 2 or not (though I really am hoping they do).
I agree with some points.
But... im sad. Fables had a infinite universe, but is over now...
Maybe a movie or a tv series happen in the future, but nothing confirmed
(my english still sucks xD)
Little Black Sambo is Sam from Jack of Fables, he's telling one of the family member's that he married into the Wolf family
Mark's last words got to me, really got to me... I think he wanted to draw these character's forever, no matter what it meant drawing!
Oh and his commission piece of Snigby kissing at the end? Beautiful :'D
I checked the double barreled gatefold, and he states that his great grand son married Connor's great, grand daughter.
I like that commission piece as well
I know, it's sad......
But everything must come to an end at some point (even the best of things), so while I'm sad, I'm glad I got to have this experience with Fables (and the memories will be treasured).
I'm currently back to reading the Fable series again from the start (sans Jack of Fables, which I hate), and I'm currently reading Vol 5: The Mean Seasons. And it's really great.