Fairest Vol 5: The Clamour for Glamour by Mark Buckingham and Bill Willingham
Art: Russ Braun, Meghan Hetrick, and Andrew Pepoy
Ugh. These book continue to be utter rubbish. If it wasn’t almost over, I’d have canceled it a while ago. The Fairest title was supposed to be about the women in the Fables verse, but instead, once again, this supports and shows off a male character Reynard. Because dudes >>>>>> women.
The story of Reynard and Meghan gets creepy fast. First, there’s a need to set up her relatives from Reynard’s point-of-view as rednecks who use her to cook and clean for them. Something like a modern day Cinderella. Of course, they turn out not be such bad guys, which feels like a force “wait, you thought they were rednecks? Psych! They kind of are, but rednecks aren’t really the bigots you thought they were. Surprise, we’re right about our worldviews, not you!”
On top of this, there’s the entire creepy pregnancy. If Meghan is so smart, doesn’t she know that having unprotected sex can lead to pregnancy? Sure, I mean, there’s no reason she would’ve expected to be instant full-term pregnancy due to make fox sperm and glamours. But seriously, there’s no conversation about what to do expect for work and support the incoming family.
Gross. Additionally, the entire storyline was rather boring.
The only somewhat redeemable storyline here is Owl and the Pussycat. Even if there are some clear “pussy” jokes in there for giggles. Owl and Pussycat are sweet. And Owl does want her to be happy and not depressed about being stuck on the Farm. Though it seems like with the Homelands open again that they’d just go traveling there. Sure, Pussycat has heard about the entire Mundy world from the human Fables travels, but still, there are plenty of lands to travel.
Speaking of lands, Willingham’s Goldilocks was a giant “fuck you” to every woman reading this title. It’s okay to have an evil woman in a comic book. But what’s not okay is to make her out like a crazy radical feminist as the punchline of why she’s that way.
I just can’t even.
