Fables Vol 22 Farewell Graphic Novel Review

Fables Vol 22 Farewell
Erica gives this comic one star.Fables Vol 22 Farewell by Bill Willingham
Art: Mark Buckingham, David Petersen, Russ Braun, Mark Schultz, Lee Garbett, Joelle Jones, Gene Ha, Peter Gross, Neal Adams, Andrew Pepoy, Steve Leialoha, Teddy Kristiansen, Michael Allred, Aaron Alexovich, David Hahn, Lan Medina, Niko Henrichon, Terry Dodson, Andrew Dalhouse, Megan Levens, and Bryan Talbot

There were a ton of complaints about this issue being anti-climactic. For one, I’m very happy that Rose Red and Snow White didn’t go into battle with one another. But don’t worry, there was a ton of other problematic happenings than a lack of sororicide.

First, there’s the battle to both their deaths of Cinderella and Frau Totenkinder. Which also managed to destroy the last of Fabletown’s magic wards against Mundy detection and half the castle. This seemed frivolous and too much of an unmoving cat fight. Especially with Cinderella stabbing Frau Totenkinder through the skull with her glass slipper.

I don’t believe that Cinderella could’ve taken on Frau Totenkinder successfully, to their deaths. Even using Frau Totenkinder’s magical trinkets against her. Not without Frau Totenkinder actually being depowered somewhat as rumored.

Additionally, neither character was one that Willingham spent anytime trying to endear to us. I liked Frau Totenkinder despite this. She would’ve been a way more interesting character to explore than some of Willingham’s choices throughout the years. And it was other writers who took Cinderella on to mixed results.

The part I found the most anticlimactic was no resolution between Snow and Bigby. Continue reading “Fables Vol 22 Farewell Graphic Novel Review”

Fables Vol 21: Happily Ever After Graphic Novel Review

Fables Vol 21: Happily Ever AfterErica gives this comic one star.Fables Vol 21: Happily Ever After by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges
Art: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, Dan Green, Eric Shanower, Tony Akins, Shawn McManus, Nimit Malavia, Jae Lee, Terry Moore, Russ Braun, and Chrissie Zullo

I thought this was going to be the final chapter of Fables. Nope, they are dragging it out. Issue #150, the final one, will be supersized and all its own trade. It’s great to already feel ripped off before I even buy it. Woohoo!

Currently, the biggest Fables mystery is how Brandish is still alive. I know there’s a magical spell and all that jazz. However, seems like he would be a prime target for everyone wanting to murder him. I know I do.

It’s hard for me not to cheer for Snow White and actually see a way that Rose Red will win this. I very much hate sexist plots that pit women against each other. I do not care if this legend around their mother Lauda has any credit in historical fables. It plays out as a bunch of sexist bullshit pitting women against each other and only having one women “win” in the end. And here we have Bigby being the prize.

Yep, the two sisters are fighting over a man.

(A man who Snow White married and had seven children with. But we can ignore the proceeding 100+ comic books.) Two women fighting over a man, it’s a misogynist dream come true! Continue reading “Fables Vol 21: Happily Ever After Graphic Novel Review”

Fairest: Of Men and Mice Vol 4 Graphic Novel Review

Fairest: Of Men and Mice Vol 4Erica Gives This Comic Four StarsFairest: Of Men and Mice Vol 4 by Marc Andreyko
Art: Shawn McManus

This book kind of passed the Fairest test, which is the requirement that the tales be about women. Cinderella and Snow White were at the heart of the tale, though Marcel, Ramayan, Crispin, and three blind mice, along with Fairy Godmother and Leigh factor largely into the story. This book also hinges a bit on the other Fables tales, particularly the one where they discover that Fairy Godmother has gone bad/has alzheimer’s and the last Fables trade where one of the young girls discovers a bunch of evil rats.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention how excited I got that Cinderella was going to India, and there wasn’t any culture appropriation and we even had Indian Fables, including the fabulous Ramayan, join in. However, there was a cover where Cinderella was portrayed as a Hindu goddess with multiple arms and holding her shoes. Fail.

There was, however, a big win for diversity. Continue reading “Fairest: Of Men and Mice Vol 4 Graphic Novel Review”

Fables: Camelot Vol 20 Graphic Novel Review

Fables: Camelot Vol 20 Erica gives this comic two starsFables: Camelot Vol 20 by Bill Willingham
Art: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Russ Braun, Barry Kitson, Andrew Pepoy, and Gary Erskine

So Rose Red finally gets her hero’s story. Or her shabby phoned-in one. Instead of getting to learn more about herself and unite the people, Rose gets pushed around by Hope and given Arthur’s Camelot storyline. Where apparently, nothing can change, and Rose is destined to be pitted against Snow, her sister.

Of course, Brandish is still alive, and for some reason, this man is going to drive the sisters apart again. Seriously, fill that stupid hole up with concrete and leave him be.

Oh boring.

Also, we finally kill Bigby, but we still need to have a large story about him. Continue reading “Fables: Camelot Vol 20 Graphic Novel Review”

Fables (Vol 19): Snow White Graphic Novel Review

Fables Vol 19: Snow WhiteErica gives this comic two starsFables (Vol 19): Snow White by Bill Willingham
Art: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Shawn McManus, and Andrew Pepoy

Let’s start with half this trade being taken up by the tale of Bufkin and the overthrow of the Gnome King that ruled Oz. Boring. There were no emotional connections. It felt like reading some kind of dry history textbook, not enjoying the story. And Lily felt like a fetishized woman who did everything for love. Her obsession with Bufkin started out as gross, and then the end where it shows the “three times they fell in love and she pumped out a bunch of babies” made Bufkin also gross. He could only love her if they were the same species. And all Lily wanted was love, babies, and to play house. They only did things when they were different species. Don’t even get me started on the weird note that when they were both Barelycorn, they had a boatload of children, but the children all died.

Then we meet Prince Brandish. Or more that we discover Werian Holt is actually Prince Brandish, who back-in-the-day was betrothed to Snow White after she and Rose Red broke a curse where he was turned into a bear. Frankly, after seeing more of him in action, he was much better off as a bear. Continue reading “Fables (Vol 19): Snow White Graphic Novel Review”