Willingham, Bill - Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers
Wed, Nov. 10th, 2004 06:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterYay! Book four of Fables has finally come out!
I still like reading comics in the graphic novel form instead of reading them on a weekly/monthly basis. I think this works particularly well for comics that have definitive storylines -- I tend to lose the momentum of the tale if I read the installments instead of the entire book.
Anyhow, Fables is a comic book based on the premise that various characters from fairy tales, legends, and assorted folk tales have all been chased out of the Homeland by the Adversary. Some of them have formed a small community called Fabletown in New York City among us mundanes, governed by Old King Cole and Snow White (who really runs the show). It's a great series. This is definitely not the book to start with ;).
I continue to like the series, a large part due to having fun watching Willingham playing around with various fairy tales. But that does get old after a while, and slowly, he's started pulling in more emotional arcs for his characters. The biggest draw for me is still Snow White and her no-nonsense approach to things. And in this book, we get a few more glimpses at who the Adversary is and how he managed to take over the Homeland.
I am a little wary of Snow White's pregnancy so far, given the abundance of women-taken-over-by-their-ovaries stories out there. It hasn't really been a very big part of the current storyline, so I have hopes for the future. And I just really don't want her to be overshadowed by Bigby, who is a pretty cool character in himself. But he's already the Big Bad Wolf and the tough, noir-ish detective, and the son of some wind to boot. Also, I am fanatically devoted to my female characters.
The Men in Black were appropriately scary, and for some reason reminded me of Sandman. And I really like how Willingham continues to take bits and pieces out of fables and fairy tales and continues to weave them in, not just for snarky in-jokes, but for character development. I particularly liked how Pinocchio and Boy Blue got just a little more depth in this book.
And I loved the Kay cameo! I wonder what Gerta (or however you spell it) is doing nowadays. And it's probably a no-brainer, but putting in an obligatory guess that Gepetto is the Adversary, which would be very cool, given the whole puppet master thing. And I rejoice in the return of Rose Red. That is all.
I still like reading comics in the graphic novel form instead of reading them on a weekly/monthly basis. I think this works particularly well for comics that have definitive storylines -- I tend to lose the momentum of the tale if I read the installments instead of the entire book.
Anyhow, Fables is a comic book based on the premise that various characters from fairy tales, legends, and assorted folk tales have all been chased out of the Homeland by the Adversary. Some of them have formed a small community called Fabletown in New York City among us mundanes, governed by Old King Cole and Snow White (who really runs the show). It's a great series. This is definitely not the book to start with ;).
I continue to like the series, a large part due to having fun watching Willingham playing around with various fairy tales. But that does get old after a while, and slowly, he's started pulling in more emotional arcs for his characters. The biggest draw for me is still Snow White and her no-nonsense approach to things. And in this book, we get a few more glimpses at who the Adversary is and how he managed to take over the Homeland.
I am a little wary of Snow White's pregnancy so far, given the abundance of women-taken-over-by-their-ovaries stories out there. It hasn't really been a very big part of the current storyline, so I have hopes for the future. And I just really don't want her to be overshadowed by Bigby, who is a pretty cool character in himself. But he's already the Big Bad Wolf and the tough, noir-ish detective, and the son of some wind to boot. Also, I am fanatically devoted to my female characters.
The Men in Black were appropriately scary, and for some reason reminded me of Sandman. And I really like how Willingham continues to take bits and pieces out of fables and fairy tales and continues to weave them in, not just for snarky in-jokes, but for character development. I particularly liked how Pinocchio and Boy Blue got just a little more depth in this book.
And I loved the Kay cameo! I wonder what Gerta (or however you spell it) is doing nowadays. And it's probably a no-brainer, but putting in an obligatory guess that Gepetto is the Adversary, which would be very cool, given the whole puppet master thing. And I rejoice in the return of Rose Red. That is all.
(no subject)
Wed, Nov. 10th, 2004 07:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Wed, Nov. 10th, 2004 10:51 pm (UTC)Looking forward to see what you think of Fables!
(no subject)
Wed, Nov. 10th, 2004 11:49 pm (UTC)Looking forward to see what you think of Fables!
Heh...It didn't even occur to me until just now that both purchases are fractured-fairy-tale-related!
On a separate note, I think I'm gonna spend tomorrow re-reading the first three books to get myself ready for March of the Wooden Soldiers on Friday, and I'll post my thoughts! :)
(no subject)
Thu, Nov. 11th, 2004 02:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Thu, Nov. 11th, 2004 12:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Fri, Nov. 12th, 2004 08:07 am (UTC)While I really liked this story arc I'm finding that Bigby is getting shown as too powerful, too competent - so I liked that idea that Bigby may be all those things but he's also a scary guy whose priorities may be a bit different from everyone else.
(no subject)
Fri, Nov. 12th, 2004 10:42 am (UTC)I think you hit my problem perfectly -- the last book just made Bigby a little too perfect, what with the scary sense of smell and the wind father and etc. It's nice to remember he has edges.