Ongoing Series. Collections available from Amazon(US) or Amazon(UK).
Publisher: Vertigo
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artist: Mark Buckingham
To the ordinary, or mundane, world the Woodlands Luxury Apartments on Bullfinch Street, New York is a building not unlike any other residence in the city. But to the community it houses, Fabletown – as it is also known – is a haven. When the characters of fable and folklore were forced to flee their homelands in order to escape the armies of the mysterious ‘Adversary’, they became refugees and Fabletown became their new home.
The basic idea of the book is simple – these fictional characters are real and living among us – but on top of the straightforward premise Willingham piles layer upon layer of complexity. Ever notice how Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty all have their own Prince Charming? He’s the same guy. And following three divorces and numerous infidelities, he has fully embraced his shallow, womanising ways. Curious about how Pinocchio’s life as a real boy went? 300 years later and he’s still a little boy, with quite a grudge against the blue fairy who took his wish so literally.
The first trade paperback, Legends In Exile, incorporates the initial story arc, which sees Fabletown’s sheriff, Bigby (formerly Big Bad) Wolf, and deputy mayor, Snow White, team up to solve the bloody disappearance of Snow’s sister, Rose Red. The prime suspects? Rose’s troublesome ex-boyfriend, Jack (of beanstalk and giant-killing fame), and the bride-murdering aristocrat, Lord Bluebeard. Meanwhile, Snow’s ex-husband, Prince Charming, returns to Fabletown with a plan to make some much-needed cash by selling his royal title.
Compared to what follows, this first story arc is actually pretty reserved. Formatted as a whodunnit, with Bigby playing the detective, Willingham and Buckingham don’t overload the narrative with too much mythology too early on. Instead, they rely on cameos, conversations and background detail to reference the supernatural basis of the Fables’ existence; the human-looking Bigby’s shadow being wolf-shaped, for example, or a flying monkey as an administrator in the business office.
The second story arc takes us upstate, to The Farm, where the Fables who cannot pass for human reside. It seems the animals and other assorted nonhumans aren’t too happy at being hidden away while, as they see it, the Bullfinch Street Fables are enjoying much more freedom. It is in this second arc, with many more of the fantastical elements of the Fables society coming to the fore, that Willingham lets the mythos really start to develop. And develop it does, over the course of scores of issues and more than a dozen trade paperbacks, into something truly epic. For the record, the identity of the ‘Adversary’ is not revealed until the sixth trade paperback, The Homelands, and it is a revelation that does not disappoint.
As a pairing, Willingham and Buckingham seem to bring the best out in each other. Buckingham’s interpretations of the characters always strike the right balance between being recognisable to a Disney Classics-aware audience, while still being fresh and intriguing for those who want to see something new. With the artwork in safe hands, Willingham is free to tackle any subject or theme he desires, be it tragedy, romance or political commentary. All are expertly handled by a man who is essentially a good old-fashioned storyteller. And what could be more apt for a book about fables?
No amount of praise would be enough to do justice to this title. Having recently passed its landmark 100th issue, the series has never once felt like it was running out of steam. This is partly down to the sheer number of characters, all of whom feel like individuals, with their own stories to tell and adventures to have and, most importantly, all with the potential to suddenly become the most important person in the book.
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