Fables is nearing the end of its latest revival, but in many ways it feels like the comic is just starting to find its stride. The penultimate issue of the 12-issue revival arc of the once-popular Vertigo series features a massive battle between three “alpha males,” with the lives of Bigby’s family and the Black Forest itself at stake. In many ways, it’s the inevitable climax that was set up in the arc’s earliest issues, but the issue continues to advance more subplots that makes it seem like Fables isn’t quite done with its new chapter yet.
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For those not caught up on the new Fables arc, the series has picked up right after Fabletown was revealed to the mundane world and Bigby and Snow White departed in the aftermath of Snow White’s confrontation with her sister. Bigby and his family have settled in the Black Forest, a world filled with grand monsters and strange creatures. In the process, Bigby and his family runs afoul of Herne, a “god” of the hunt, and Peter Pan. The use of Peter Pan as an unrepentant sociopath is a fun callback to Bill Willingham’s original plans for the series, where the Adversary was supposed to be Peter Pan before Willingham discovered the character wasn’t yet in the public domain. By this point in the arc, Herne, Bigby, and Peter Pan have all claimed the Black Forest for themselves, making a confrontation inevitable.
While I criticized past issues of Fables for being a bit too meandering, this issue and its predecessor are reminiscent of Fables’ peak, when the series was both unpredictable and poignant. In just a handful of issues, Willingham and longtime collaborator Mark Buckingham advanced the characterization of Bigby and Snow’s cubs, along with Cinderella and the new Jack in the Green, pushing the latter character into the fray and setting her up for a big role in the finale. Even Tink, the seemingly all-powerful enforcer to Peter Pan, is set up as a tragic figure, continuing a long history of Fables characters being more than they first appear.
However, it still feels like there’s too much for one final issue to resolve. While I’m sure the Black Forest will get a fitting finale, Cinderella’s subplot feels like it’s just starting to reach full steam, with hints that the character is going to start her own longterm machinations in the mundane world. Under usual circumstances, Cinderella would be the focus of the next Fables arc, but there’s no confirmation that the comic will continue on past this limited revival.
For the most part, this Fables run has played to the series’ core strengths, focusing on its most popular characters and slowly but steadily building up suspense and dread. At times, Fables has tried to be too cute (the opening issue’s line about female archers was a groan-worthy one that I worry will be revisited in the finale), but Willingham and Buckingham prove that they still have “it,” – that powerful ability to tell a great story with just 20 pages of art and words without doing too much at any one time.
Published by DC Comics
On January 9, 2024
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha
Colors by Lee Loughridge
Letters by Todd Klein
Cover by Corrine Reid
