The Floating Library: June 2023

Fables (comics):

Mini-Reviews

Note: If you're just looking for the suggested reading order WITHOUT my mini-reviews, a running character list, and some pictures of the comics themselves, please see my other post - Fables: A Suggested Reading Order.

Description: Fables is a comic book series published by DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint beginning in 2002. The series deals with various people from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as “Fables” – who have been forced out of their Homelands. The Fables have traveled to our mundane world and formed a clandestine community in New York City known as Fabletown.

Publisher: Vertigo

Publication Date: 2002-2015+

Genre: Contemporary/Dark Fantasy

Creators: Bill Willingham, Lan Medina

Printing Formats:

-Individual issues

-Trade paperbacks with textured matte paper (collects several issues)

-Deluxe hardcovers with smooth glossy paper (collects several issues)

-Compendiums, which collect all of Fables together into 4 books

All are comics with the below exceptions:

-A Wolf in the Fold (prose story, 2003)

-1001 Nights of Snowfall (graphic novel, 2006)

-Peter and Max (prose novel, 2009)

-Pinocchio's Army (prose story, 2011)

-Werewolves of the Heartland (graphic novel, 2012)

-Fairest in All the Land (2013, graphic novel)

-The Wolf Among Us (video game, 2013)

-Fables #150: Farewell (graphic novel, 2015)

Character List (alphabetically - some may be missing if I missed the reference):

A-B - 1883 historical characters, A-Number-One/King of Hobos, Aesop, Agent Mulder, Ali Baba and Aladdin, Alice and Hare, Anansi/Spider, Androids and Homunculi, Annie Oakley, Askeladden, Audrey Hepburn, Autumn Queen/Syksy, Baba Yaga and House, Captain Hook, Cerberus, Cinderella, Badger/Stinky/Brock Blueheart, Barbara Allen, Barleycorn Girls and Boys, Basilisk and Minitaur, Beauty and Beast (and Bliss), Belle Boyd, Beowulf, Big Bad Wolf/Bigby and Cubs, Big Bob Under, Bigfoot/Sasquash, Bill and Marty, Billy Goat, Bloody Mary, Bo Peep and Lambs, Black Caroline, Black Forest Witch/Frau Totenkinder/Bellflower, Black Sheep, Black Knight, Blind Mice, Blue Fairy, Bluebeard, Book Burner, Boy Blue (Jesus?), Boy Who Cried Wolf, Brer Animals (Bear, Rabbit, Wolf, etc), Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty, Britomart/Faerie Queen, Buffalo Bill

C-D - Changelings and Imps, Charles Dickens, Chernomer Knight, Cheshire Cat, Chicken (Run, Laundress, Little, etc), Clark Kent/Superman, Clint Orangutan, Coalheart, Colonel Bearskin, Count Aucassin de Beaucaire, Count Dracula, Cow that Jumped Over the Moon, Croesus, Crooked Man, Crucible Characters, Cyclopses and Mermaids, Cynthia/Cindy Cendrillion, Daedalus, Dalmations, Dark Man (Bogeyman, Boggleman, Dullahan, Duladan, Khokkan, Buse, Morko, Dunganga, Lake Man, Abo Ragl Ma Stokha, Burned Man, Buback, Torbalan, etc) Deirdre, Demons and Incubi, Deus ex Machine (Dex), Devils and Angels, Dish and Spoon, Don Quixote, Donner Party, Donny and Marie, Dormouse, Dr. Frankenstein and Monster, Dr. Swineheart, Donkeyskin Girl and Prince Lawrence, Dorothy Gale/Silverslipper and Toto, Dwarves and Gnomes, Dragons and Giants, Dread Pirate Roberts and Princess Buttercup, Dryads and Nixies

E-G - Edgar Orangutan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Elementals and Revenants, Eliza/Fourth Wall, Elsa Fen, Elves and Shoemaker, Emily Post, Ephram, Ernest Lawrence Thayer, Evil Queen and her sister, Evil Stepmother, Fafnir, Fairy Godmother, Fairies and Sprites, False Bride, Farid, Firebird, Flintstones, Flying Carpets, Flying Monkeys, Forsworn Knight/Lancelot, Four Horseman, Freddy and Mouse (possibly Fafhrd and Gray Mouser), Friar Tuck and Little John, Frodo, Frog Prince/Ambrose, Frog and Toad (and son TJ), General McClellan, Genies and Ifrits, George of the Jungle, Georgie Porgie, Geppetto, Ghosts and Pharaohs, Gilgamesh, Gilligan and Skipper, Gingerbreadman (Sam), Goblins and Trolls, Golden Goose, Goldilocks and Bears, Gorgons, Grendal, Grim Reaper/Death, Grinder, Grumps and Gargoyles, Guinevere, Gulliver, Gunga Din

H-K - Hansel and Gretel, Harp Family, Hawkeye/Natty Bumbo and Slue Foot Sue, Haint/Devil, Harbinger (horse), Headless Horseman, Hellfrost, Heracles, Hercule Poirot, Herman von Starkenfaust, Hickory Dickory Mouse, Hope, Huckleberry Finn and Jim, Humpty Dumpty, Ichabod Crane, Incitatus the horse, Invisible Man, Isengrim, Iskander, Ivan Durak, Ivan Tsarevich, Jack (all of them) and Jill, Jack London, Jean Luc Picard, Jekyll and Hyde, Jenny Wren, Jersey Devil, Jiminy Cricket, John Hanning Speke, John Henry, Judy Garland, Jungle Book Animals (Baghera, Baloo, Kaa, King Louie, Shere Khan), Kaidan, Kay, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, Kevin Thorn (Story Teller), King Arthur, King Cole, King David and King Solomon, King Kong and Fay Ray, King Midas, King Pellinore, Knave of hearts,

L-N - Lady Luck, Lions (Aslan, and Mouse, Mufassa/Simba, Oz, Noble King, etc), Little Match Girl, Little Freddy, Little Mermaid, Little Red Hen, Live Objects (Beauty and the Beast), Lone Ranger and Tonto, Mad Hatter and White Rabbit, Maddy/Medea/Sycorax/Scythian Raven (black cat witch turns into a raven), Magic Mirror, Magilla Gorilla, Maleficent, Manolo Blahnik, Mary and Little Lamb, Mary Mary, Max (Where the Wild Things Are), Men in Black, Meng Chiang-Nu, Miss Muffet/Mrs. Web and Old Man Web, Mogli, Mother Birdie (Ardelia, Bula, Cherish, etc), Morgan Le Fay/Green Witch (Arthurian), Mother Goose, Mother Rigby and Scarecrow, Mountbatten, Mouse Police, Mr. Broome, Mr, Click, Mr. Gandours, Mr. Revise, Mrs. Cornhusk, Mrs. Finch, Mrs. Spratt/Leigh Duglas, Munchkins, Muppets, Mutant Vampire Space Pirates, Night Walkers, Nome King, North Wind and other 3 Great Winds,

O-P - Ogres and Ghols, Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Old Mother Hubbard, Old Women Who Lives in a Shoe and Children, Omar the camel, Oprah, Oz/Ev Characters (Bungle/Glass Cat, Chiss, Emperor Roqual, Jack Pumpkinhead, Kalidahs, Rumble Tumble Toms, Sawhorse, Spoon Brigande), Ozma, Page Sisters (Robin, Priscilla, Hillary), Paladins of Hope, Pathetic Fallacy (Gary), Paris Hilton, Paul Bunyon and Babe, Pecos Bill, Peter Cottontail, Peter Pan and Wendy Darling, Peter Piper, Peter Rabbit, Phantoms and Shades, Pied Piper, Pigs (Three, Babe, etc), Pineapple Man, Pinkertons, Pinocchio, Pope, Porky Pine, Prince Aspen (Adam) and Princess Alder (Eve), Prince Brandish/Werian Holt, Prince Charming, Prince Lindworm, Priscilla, Professor X/F, Prospero and Mr. Kadabra/Sorcerer Karrant, Puss in Boots/Fiddler/Marquis De Carabas

Q-S - Queen Beatrix, Queen of Hearts, Ranger Mike Danger, Ranger Rick, Rapunzel, Raven, Ravens and Crows, Red Brigades, Red Cross Knight, Red Riding Hood/Red Hood, Reynard the Fox, Rex Libris, Ribbon Girl, Robert E Lee, Robert Frost, Robin Hood and Maid Marian, Romeo, Rose Red, Safiya and 2 sisters, Sambo, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Satan/Adversary, Sauron, Scarecrow (Oz), Scheherazade, Seven Chinese Brothers, Shakespeare (Hamlet, Father's Ghoat, Horatio, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Titania, MacDuff, etc.), Sherlock Holmes, Sidi Nouman, Sinbad and Hakim, Sir Roland, Snow White/Lumi, Snow Queen/House of Sark, Sorcerors and Warlocks, Spooks and Spectres, Spring Queen/Kevat, Star Wars (Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Storm Troopers), Sulyman, Summer Queen/Kesa, Swan Princess

T-Z - Tagarin Zmeyevich (dragon), Talking Animals, Tam Lin, Tarzan and Jane, Three Knights (White/Bright Day, Radiant Sun, Dark Knight), Three Men in a Tub (Butcher, Baker, and Candlestick maker), Three Sisters, Thrushbeard, Thumbelina and Tom Thumb (and Elam), Tin Man, Tiny Tim, Tooth Fairy, Tortoise and Hare, Trusty John, Tweedle Dee and Dum, Twelve Good Men, Twelve Halk Brothers, Waldemar, Walking Cards (Wonderland), Walris and Carpenter (and Oysters), Werewolves and Vampires, Weyland Smith, Witches and Witherlings, White-Bear-King-Valemon, White Deer, Wicked John, Widow Gudbrand, Wolfrum, Woodsman, World Turtle, Writer's Block, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Zephyrs and Clerics, Zombies and Skeletons

LEGEND (for the colored and bolded text below):

Fables

Jack of Fables spinoff

Fairest spinoff

Limited Series

One-Shots and non-comic formats

Comments/Mini-reviews

Mini-Reviews in the

Suggested Reading Order:

I read most of the series about 10 years ago for the first time.

Now I've read them:

6/29/23-8/21/23 - 13 and 14 out of 23

7/2/24-8/13/24 - 15 and 16 out of 24

I plan to finish the series next summer!

Fables #1-5: Legends in Exile (2003)

Mini-review: This was a great introduction to the series, centered around a mystery. The main characters include Bigby Wolf, Snow White, and Jack.

Snow White and Bigby are featured in both images below.

Fables #6-10: Animal Farm (2003)

Mini-review: This one, as you can probably guess, is loosely based on Animal Farm by George Orwell. The main characters include Snow White, Rose Red, and Goldilocks. One of the revolutionary complaints was that their leader was a human, even though The Farm was for non-humans. In the end, they still replaced the previous leader with another humanoid, which I didn't like.

"The Farm" and a conversation between Snow White and Reynard the Fox.

A Wolf in the Fold (2003, prose story)

Mini-review: This is a prequel story of how Bigby and Snow White met. I enjoyed the story. Though it was prose, it included some black/white images.

Fables #11-13: Bag O' Bones, A Two-Part Caper (2004)

Mini-review: The first story was about Jack besting Death and the negative consequences that ensued. The other two stories are about how Bigby, Briar Rose, Bluebeard, and others handle a Mundy (a normal person, not of the Fable community) who knows that they are immortal. I think Bluebeard is too big for his breeches and something bad is going to happen because of him.

Jack and his mom; Prince Charming and the Frog Prince

Fables #14-18: Storybook Love (4), Barleycorn Brides (2004)

Mini-review: These are all cute stories centered around Bigby, Snow White, Bluebeard, Goldilocks, and Prince Charming.

Snow White and Bigby Wolf; Flying Monkey

Fables: The Last Castle (2004, one-shot)
Mini-review: This is a sad story about the last boat out of the Homelands into the safety of the Mundane world, focusing on Boy Blue and Red Riding Hood.

Red Riding Hood; Robin Hood and Britomart

The Wolf Among Us (2013, video game)
Note: This is a video game that was adapted later as a print comic. Another game will possibly be released in 2025. The game is a prequel to the comic series and can be played whenever, but I recommend playing it after #10: Animal Farm and before #51: Big and Small. More specifically, I suggest right before #22: Cinderella Libertine.

Mini-review: This was a visual novel, a choose-your-own-adventure. I enjoyed it, though I wish you could save whenever you want, rather than it being auto-save only. You play as Bigby and work to solve a murder case, which turns out to be much bigger than first thought. Some characters also include Snow White, Blackbeard, Ichabod Crane, Jack, Mr.Toad and his son, the pig Colin, Donkeyskin, The Little Mermaid, The White Deer, Georgie Porgie, Fly, the Crooked Man, Tweedle Dee and Dum, Bloody Mary, and many others.

Fables: The Wolf Among Us Vol. 1: #1-7 (2014)

Mini-review: This story retells the 'canon' version of the beginning of the game. It was neat to see the result of different choices rather than the ones I made. I wish it was a choose-your-own-adventure comic, but it isn't. It would've been cool to see where a multitude of choices led. Honestly, you could skip this altogether if you've played the game - and I highly suggest the game over the comic. I skimmed it, paying attention to the choices different than mine. It embellishes the Donkeyskin Girl's story and gives a background story of The Woodsman (with Bigby and Red Riding Hood). What really makes this worth reading, if you so choose, is the retelling of The Crucible (the Salem Witch Trials) with Ichabod Crane, Bigby, and Abigail Williams.

Bigby and Faith; Bigby and Abigail Williams

Fables: The Wolf Among Us Vol. 2: #8-16 (2014)

Mini-review: This story retells the 'canon' version of the end of the game. I didn't like the ending and I wish, even if it wasn't a choose-your-own-adventure comic, that it had multiple endings to read. It follows the game and I skimmed through most of it. Again, there are embellishments, but the star of this volume is the background story of Bloody Mary which includes the Knave of Hearts. (Her story doesn't follow the actual urban legend as we know it.) Then the background story time jumps and the Crooked Man finds Bloody Mary. Much of the end of the comic is new material that follows parts of the Crooked Man's backstory, including how he got his gang together and why. It also mixes in characters from The Crucible and the Donkeyskin Girl told previously it was incredibly convoluted and unnecessary. It took away from Bloody Mary's story, which I liked... and, again, I didn't like the ending chosen for the comic.

Vol. 1; Vol. 2

The Wolf Among Us

Overall review: Just play the game. The only parts worth reading in the comics are The Crucible in #1-7 and Bloody Mary's story in #8-16. When the Crooked Man meets Bloody Mary in the greenhouse, stop reading.

Fables #22: Cinderella Libertine (2005)

Mini-review: This is a spy story centered around Cinderella and Ichabod Crane. It can be read before, mid, or after March of the Wooden Soldiers.

Fables #19-21; #23-27: March of the Wooden Soldiers (2004)
Mini-review: This is a sad story where Fabletown is attacked and the reader learns a little more about the Adversary/Emperor. The main characters include Bigby, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Boy Blue, Black Forest Witch, and others.

Jack and Wooden Soldiers; Wooden Soldiers and a Mundy Family

Fables #28-33: War Stories (2), The Long Year/The Mean Season (4) (2005)
Mini-review: The first 2 stories are a war story about Bigby's past. The rest of the stories are about Snow White and her babies. It's always fun to discover new Fable characters.

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (2006, graphic novel)
Mini-review: This is a wonderful short story collection that gives us the background stories of some of the Fables including Snow White and Prince Charming, Reynard the Fox, the Frog Prince, Bigby, the Black Forest Witch, King Cole, and others. The Frog Prince is one of my favorite characters!

Bigby as a Baby; The full 3-page story of a Cursed Hare

Fables #34-35: Jack Be Nimble (2006)
Mini-review: Jack runs away with Jill to Hollywood and makes it big - but he's no longer welcome in Fabletown. This is a setup for Jack's own spin-off series.

Fables #36-41: Homelands (2006)

Mini-review: This story is based on Boy Blue's escapades in the Homelands, where it is discovered who The Adversary is. The main characters are Boy Blue, Snow Queen, Gepetto, and others.

Boy Blue fighting a Dragon; Boy Blue as a Bird

Fables #42-45: Arabian Nights and Days (2006)

Mini-review: This is a storyline about Arabian Fables coming to set up an alliance with Fabletown. The main characters include Sinbad, King Cole, Prince Charming, and others. This is a clever and humorous tale.

King Cole, Prince Charming, and Sinbad; Rose Red, Bagheera, and Boy Blue

Fables #46-47: Ballad of Rodney and June (2006)

Mini-review: This story is about Rodney and June, wooden soldiers who fall in love and request to be made into a 'real' man and woman.

Fables #48-51: Wolves (2), Happily Ever After, Big and Small (2006)

Mini-review: Wolves is about Mogli finding Bigby. In Happily Ever After, Bigby goes on a multiple-part secret mission. Big and Small is about a secret mission Cinderella goes on. These are great, heartwarming stories.

Bigby and Cinderella in the Cloud Kingdom

Fables #52-55: Sons of Empire (4) and Mini One-Shots (4) (2007)

Mini-review: This story is about a meeting in The Homelands about how they can destroy Fabletown. The main characters include Snow Queen, Gepetto, Pinocchio, Hansel, and others. I was a little confused about the use of some of the characters in this story. The mini-stories focus on Rapunzel (pictured below), a porky pine (how it's spelled in the comic), Kevin Thorn, and the Three Blind Mice - respectively.

Gepetto and Pinocchio (and Rapunzel); A full 3-page story about Rapunzel

Fables #56-58: Jiminy Christmas, Father and Son (2) (2007)

Mini-review: The first story is about Santa and Ambrose (both Fly and the cub). The other two stories are about Bigby, Snow, and the cubs visiting North Wind. They are all cute, though bittersweet, tales.

Snow, Bigby, and cubs decorating a Christmas Tree; Santa and Ambrose (cub)

Fables #59 and #64: Burning Questions, The Birthday Secret (2008)

Mini-review: Burning Questions is a handful of short stories answering some questions that the readers had about various Fable characters (one is pictured below). The Birthday story tells how Snow and Bigby told the cubs their litter consists of 7 instead of 6 cubs.

Besides Fly, who else has asked questions of the magic mirror?

Fables #60-63; #65-69: The Good Prince (2008)

Mini-review: I didn't like how the story first started, but it turned into an incredible story! The timeline is starting to get a little wonky, but that's expected with so many issues. It's my favorite tale, by far, out of all of Fables I've already read. This is a great story about Ambrose/Fly, Lancelot, and many others.

Ambrose killing a Dragon (which represents the Empire); Amrose fighting a Troll

Jack of Fables #1-5: The (Nearly) Great Escape (2007)
Mini-review: We are introduced to many new characters in the first Jack spinoff story where he is imprisoned with a multitude of other Fables. The main characters include Jack (obviously), Goldilocks, Mr. Revise, and others. Note: Jack #1-16 should be read either directly before or after Fables' The Good Prince.

Jack leaving Fabletown; Wizard of Oz Characters escaping prison

Jack; Jack, Mother Goose, and Wicked John

Jack of Fables #6-11: Jack Frost (2), Jack of Hearts (4) (2007)

Mini-review: Jack Frost is the story about Jack's relationship with the Snow Queen. Jack of Hearts is about how Jack gets married in Vegas, how the Pathetic Fallacy (who goes by Gary and turns inanimate objects into living beings) becomes his sidekick, and how he becomes entangled with Lady Luck. Note: Jack #1-16 should be read either directly before or after Fables' The Good Prince.

Jack's Antics with the Soup Stone; Jack discovers the Snow Queen's castle

Gary and Lawn Flamingos; Jack and Gary at a diner

Jack of Fables #12-16: The Bad Prince (4), Jack O'Lantern (2008)

Mini-review: The Bad Prince tells the antics of Jack, Gary, Wicked John, and Kevin Thorn. Jack O'Lantern is about how Jack sells his soul to the Devil (edit: multiple devils) in order to live longer. Note: Jack #1-16 should be read either directly before or after Fables' The Good Prince.

Both pictures show banter between Jack and Gary

Fables #70-72: Kingdom Come, Skullduggery (2) (2008)

Mini-review: The first story focuses on Boy Blue and Rose Red, but there's also a bit with Prince Charming. Beauty is annoying in this tale. The next two-parter is another secret mission completed by Cinderella.

Boy Blue and Stinky the Badger; Cinderella

Fables #73-75: War and Pieces (2008)

Mini-review: This story is about the final war in the Homelands and overcoming the adversary. There are three war fronts: one led by Prince Charming and Sinbad, another by Bigby, and the last one by Briar Rose. At home, Snow White is in charge and Boy Blue is the messenger between them all. This is the end of the major story arc we've followed from the beginning. I wonder if they will start a whole new arc with a new enemy - or if they will go off of the enemies in the Jack Comics.

Flying Carpet powered Blimp attacked by Dragons; Adversary Warriors

Fables #76-81: Around the Town, The Dark Ages (5) (2009)

Mini-review: Around the town is Pinocchio showing Geppetto around Fabletown. The Dark Ages arc is about the aftermath of the war. It's sad. A new villain is introduced: Mr. Dark.

Hobbs, Beast, Grimble; Pinocchio, Ambrose, Blue

Fables #82: Return to the Jungle Book (mini story arc), Waiting on the Blues (2009)

Mini-review: In Return to the Jungle, Mogli and a few animal friends return to the jungle for a recon mission. Waiting on the Blues is an epilogue to the Dark Ages and leads into the Great Crossover.

Black Forest Witch and Badger (who's possibly foreshadowing?)

Peter & Max: A Fables Novel (2009, prose)

Mini-review: This is a tragic story of how a young man became the hate-filled Pied Piper. His name is actually Max and I think it could be a reference to Where the Wild Things are. Other characters include Peter Piper (who picked a peck of pickled peppers), Bo Peep, and the Black Forest Witch. There was no Peter Pan cross-over, which was a bit of a disappointment to me. Overall, it was a great story with an unexpected ending. Quotes:

"Most of the farmhands were fable animals earning their keep; talking horses, who talked seldom unless they really had something to say, and talking dogs, who chattered constantly, believing that just about anything that was possible to say should be said, just in case it turned out to be important."

"The trouble with witch trials is that once in a great while you actually capture a real one. And then the spectacle never turns out the way you anticipate. Often the one who ends up hanged, or drowned, or burned, isn't the one in the docket."

"A sly smile began to grow upon her lips. It was the sort of smile from which devils and hauntings and deadly secrets are born."

Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1-6 (2010)

Mini-review: This is a secret mission that Cinderella goes on. She teams up with Aladdin and others. People are trying to take over as the ruler of the Homeland now that the Advisary has been defeated. We also get to see another small 'magical town' like Fabletown. I want to tell you who the villain is because it's wonderful, but I don't want to give too much away!

Cinderella being BA

Safiya and her sisters' story

Jack of Fables #17-21: Americana (4) and Gary Goes to Denmark (2008)

Mini-review: Americana is yet another get-rich-quick scheme by Jack, which also includes Gary, Humpty Dumpty, Paul Bunyan, and others in the land of American tales. It's humorous and there's a lot of... zombies. Gary's story is a one-off flashback to before the escape from the Golden Boughs Retirement Village. Gary tries to put on a Shakespearean play while Wicked John tries to escape the village.

Gary, Wicked John, Raven; Zombies, Jack, Gary, Raven, Babe, Hilary,

Humpty Dumpty

Raven, Bird Spirit, Jack, Gary, Babe, Hilary Page, Humpty Dumpty

Jack of Fables #22-27: 1883 (3) and Turning Pages (3) (2009)

Mini-review: 1883 was meh to me, but if you're into history, you'll probably like it! This is a flashback to the Wild West where Jack and two others work together and are chased by Bigby. In Turning Pages, you learn much more about the Page sisters and the Literals. Everyone is preparing for Book Burner to arrive at Golden Boughs to confront and attack Mr. Revise.

Raven, Gary, Jack, Robin, Babe the Ox; Same with Humpty Dumpty

Jack of Fables #28-32: Books of War (2009)

Mini-review: This tells the story of Book Burner attacking Mr. Revise at Golden Boughs. Jack, the Page sisters, Gary, Raven, and others help Mr. Revise. Eliza Wall is the narrator and has three brothers... which makes her the Fourth Wall!

Gary, Hilary, Gertrude, Ted; Gary and Animated Objects

The Great Fables Crossover (2010):
Fables #83; Jack of Fables #33; The Literals #1
Fables #84; Jack of Fables #34; The Literals #2
Fables #85; Jack of Fables #35; The Literals #3
Mini-review: I don't know what to say about this without giving anything away. There were many things I liked and the story arc was good overall. Some characters did things out of character, which felt off. I also wanted to enjoy the personification of the Genres (Western, Blockbuster, Mystery, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy, Noir, Superhero, War), but they were very dumbed down. I didn't like how they were written. Also, 'Blockbuster' (to me) refers to movies, not books - he should've been Action and/or Adventure.

I would say that Fables #82 finished off the main story arc since #1, The Great Fables Crossover is a silly in-between transition, and I predict Fables #86 will likely dive into the new overall story arc that has already been, minimally, introduced.

Favorite Quotes! (You'll have to figure out who is who for yourself.)

Jack of Fables #36-40: Jack 'n' Apes, New Adventures of Jack & Jack (4) (2010)

Mini-review: In Jack n' Apes, we discover that Jack is also Tarzan. In the New Adventures of Jack and Jack, I was hoping Jack Horner would be doing silly adventures with his son Jack Frost, but no. The story arc is just going back and forth between Jack Horner turning into a dragon and Jack Frost, who gave up his frost powers, trying to become a hero. It's a bit disappointing and, unfortunately, I'm looking forward to the end of the Jack of Fables comics. Also, Babe's one-pagers are becoming annoying and are utterly pointless.

Robin and Jack Frost; Gary and Jack Horner as a Dragon

Jack of Fables #41-45: The Kings of Earth and Sky / Fulminate Blade (2011)

Mini-review: This was another heroic story featuring Jack Frost and MacDuff the Owl, without Jack Horner involved. It was an OK story, except there all of a sudden are a whole bunch of sci-fi elements of androids, electrical beings, homunculi, laser guns, and even a space station. I enjoy sci-fi, but in the established context it felt very jarring and like it didn't belong. Again, unfortunately, I'm looking forward to the end of the Jack of Fables comics.

Jack Frost, MacDuff the owl, Deirdre the witch; Jack Frost and a princess

Jack of Fables #46-50: Jack Dragon and Gary (mini one-shots) and The End (2011)

Mini-review: It's funny. It's nostalgic. It's sad. You get to see many, many characters from throughout the Jack series... but then it's the end. I didn't like how they brought back Sam after what happened to him in The Crossover. I didn't like how a baby was randomly introduced for no reason and that the Page sisters hadn't learned to fit into and appreciate the Mundy world. Overall, it was OK. I really enjoyed that last 6 pages or so, but I was bummed how it ended overall.

Now the literals are done as well as most, if not all, of the Fables related to Jack, including Jack himself. We don't officially see what happens to Jack Frost, though. I guess we'll see who comes back because their stories are remembered. I hope the new Fable arc will bring back actual fables again instead of a whole bunch of original characters. The entire point of the comic series is to retell established fable characters' stories, not have a bunch of OCs.

Raven, Pope, Bird Spirit, Others; Jack Frost and Gary

Jack Frost and Jack the Dragon

Mini Blue Ox (various, one-pagers)

Note: These don't have a particular order due to being one-pagers in the middle of other Jack comics. I don't remember if there's any in the Fables' comics, maybe in The Crossover. There's enough of them that I wanted to call them out and count them as a one-shot collection. They're all a-page, 6-panel, internal silly stories by Babe. How is he still around with Paul Bunyan gone?

Fables #86-91: Boxing Days, Witches (5) (2010)

Mini-review: In Boxing Days, we flashback to learn of a special sect in the Empire that made boxes to capture those with powerful magic, and includes Baba Yaga, the Dark Man, and other OCs. In Witches, a plan is being formulated to handle the Dark Man. This is present-day and the reader gets the perspective of several different characters such as Bufkin, Magic Mirror, and Baba Yaga; Black Forest Witch, Ozma, and Geppetto; Snow, Bigby, Beast, Beauty, and King Cole; and many others. I really like that Bufkin got his own little story! There were many references to older works such as Peter and Max, The Crossover, Wooden Soldiers, Magic in Trees, Frankenstien's Monster, Cinderella, and more.

Bufkin, Jinni, Baba Yaga, Magic Mirror

Celebrity Burning Questions (2011, 4 mini one-shots)

Mini-review: These are short stories answering questions that celebrity readers have.

Fables #92-98: Out to the Ball Game (2), Rose Red (5) (2011)

Mini-review: Out to the Ball Game is a story set in Haven with King Ambrose! Fly is definitely one of my favorite characters! Weyland Smith, Red Riding Hood, Trusty John, and others were in the story. There are some really good parts, but some parts are sexist and the characters are dumbed down, which is a bummer. Rose Red is about getting Red out of her depression and telling her and Snow's backstory. Characters include Bellflower, Gepetto, Ozma, the 7 dwarves and their father, Evil Queen, past and current Fabletown leadership, and many others.

Red Riding Hood and King Amrose; Rose Red and Other Fables on the Farm

Mini-review:

Fables #99-100: Pinocchio's Army (prose story), Dark City, Single Combat (2011)

Mini-review: In Pinocchio's Army, Pinocchio tries to cheer up his father and accidentally arms him instead. I really enjoyed both of the other stories, though! In Dark City, the North Wind propositions Mr. Dark to single combat against a witch. In Single Combat, Mr. Dark and the Black Forest Witch fight, Beauty gives birth, and Fabletown/Farm evacuates to Haven. The two exceptions are the Black Forest Witch who goes off with a man and retires, and Nurse Spratt (who ends up helping Mr. Dark).

North Wind and Mr. Dark; Black Forest Witch and Mr. Dark

Nurse Spratt, Beast, and Others

After the Duels (2011, 2 mini one-shots)

Mini-review: One is an OK story of Thumbelina and Elam. The other is a funny story of the Three Blind Mice.

Cinderella: Fables are Forever #1-6 (2012)

Mini-review: This one's a little confusing chronologically. It goes back and forth between different past stories and the present. The main past story is about finding information on a 'Shadow Fabletown' and the present story is about Cinderella facing off with her nemesis - Dorothy.

Dorothy, Cinderella, Toto

Werewolves of the Heartland (2012, graphic novel)

Mini-review: The story starts under the guise of Bigby looking for another Mundy town to move Fabletown to, but it doesn't really have anything to do with that, which is disappointing. The first half retells Bluebeard's backstory and the War Story with Frankenstien's Monster. The second half deals with a secret Werewolf town, related to those two stories. Sounds cool, but it was all just an automatic fight with excessive blood and nudity. I was not a fan of this one.

Fables #101-107: The Ascent, Super Team (5), Waking Beauty (2011)

Mini-review: In The Ascent, Bufkin goes up a never-ending tree to explore more of the business office and ends up in Ev, near Oz. Super Team is about making a group of superheroes out of the Fables characters to defeat Mr. Dark, but the North Wind sacrifices himself to kill Mr. Dark instead. Waking Beauty is a backstory of what happened to her kingdom when everyone was under the sleeping spell.

Bufkin, Magic Mirror, and Frankie; Pinocchio and Ozma

Super Team and Mr. Dark; Little Red Hen, Mr. Ginger, and Porky Pine

Fables #108-111: Inherit the Wind (2012)

Mini-review: Rose Red confirms that the Farm is safe to move back to, we see more of Bufkin in Ev where he's leading a revolution, and the 7 cubs are being tested to see who will be the next North Wind. Mrs. Spratt is pretty, training to fence, and preparing for when the Fables move back to Fabletown - she's also going by the name Leigh Duglas. It's revealed that Ozma had a prophecy regarding the cubs (pictured below), the other three Great Winds show up, and one of the girls is chosen as the King of the North - the new North Wind.

Ambrose (cub), Snow, and Biglby; Great West, South, and East Winds

Fables #112-113: All in a Single Night, In Those Days (2012)

Mini-review: All in a Single Night is another Christmas story! It's 5 small chapters that are named and loosely based on the five Christmas stories of Charles Dickens: The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, The Haunted Man and the Ghosts Bargain, and A Christmas Carol. The Fables move back to the Farm and Rose has a crazy night where she meets the other three Paladins of Hope. She meets Santa Claus (the hope for justice and reward), the Little Match Girl (hope deferred), and the False Bride (the hope of revenge). Rose will need to choose what she's a Paladin of Hope for. I think there might be foreshadowing that Red will bring Blue back life - and Theresa gets an odd toy boat as a Christmas present. In Those Days, is a collection of backstories, including those of Mr. Kadabra and Porky Pine.

Rose Red, Santa, Jiminy Cricket, Reindeer