expired from the library. hard to read. my first graphic novel

The most uneven of the series, to be expected in a first book where characters are still being explored. A good introduction to the tone and general premise of Fables, but not really representative of the later arcing storyline of Fabletown and the Adversary.

#1 is a little too banal and self-impressed with its premise (you almost want to shout "get over it already" to a few characters who have supposedly been living for several human lifetimes in the real world). As with many graphic novel series, it won't hit its stride for another book or so.

While it could be considered "skippable," #1 does set the stage and it's satisfying to look back later in the series at how much some of the characters have changed and grown. ( )

I've been meaning to read Fables for years! I'm so glad I finally got around to it! I usually love any kind of fairy tale retelling so I was excited to get into this. It is full of violence, sex, murder, interesting characters, grown-up politics and has a decent mystery at the heart of the story. Whats not to like?

I have played The Wolf Among Us so I was a little worried that it would be repeating the same story, but this focuses on a different murder mystery to what Bibgy solves in the game, so I didn't notice any overlap. The character are also a little different.. Bibgy is more of an ass, and Snow is a lot tougher.

The inhabitants of the fairytale world had to evacuation to the mundane world and create their own secret community in Fabletown after their realm was invaded by the Adversary. This hardship has forced them to work together, although their is significant friction for various different reasons. There was a general Amnesty in which it was agreed that all previous crimes would be forgotten in the new world. Many of them lost their fortunes in their evacuation and are now having to scrape by, while those who can't pass for "mundy" (mundane) humans (or afford charms to make them appear human) are forced to live in seclusion on The Farm.

Bibgy (The Big Bad Wolf) is the Sheriff and he is investigating the disappearance or possible murder of Rose Red, Snow White's wilder estranged sister. Snow herself also has to balance the politics of trying to keep people happy in a broke government, and her con-man ex-husband Prince Charming is in town.

I really enjoyed it, and burnt through it all in a day. It's dark, murky and funny. The characters are memorable too. I love the take on Prince Charming as a parasitic con man! I want to know more about Belle and Beast's marriage (one of the few to last a thousand years), and Blackbeard is so weird.. I definitely need to spend more time in this world.

I appreciated the short story at the end of this edition that tells of how Bibgy got the position that he did, as he is traditionally a villain who eats people/little pigs/grannies (and nobody has forgotten that)!

I gave it four stars because I wasn't quite at the OMG I need to tell EVERYBODY level when I finished this, but I really enjoyed it. Leaving room for improvement! ( )

564

Okay, so I'm funneling back for my honest first thoughts.

I started this series off with noting book one had truly atrocious artwork that I almost could not stand at all. The kind that was starting to test where my patience with Sandman in my late teens had come from. Though I was mildly intrigued by the world premise I didn't feel like it was played with enough. And somewhere between the art and this, I was holding on by hope and the fact both great friends and favorite authors had said this series was the bees knees. ( )