Fables: Legends in
Exile
Bill Willingham and Lan Medina
Fairy tale re-tellings have been a
popular genre recently, but Bill Willingham's Fables graphic novel series appeared slightly ahead of the curve,
both in time and in skill. It is obvious from the beginning that Willingham has
constructed a fictional universe that extends far beyond this story, a
functional detective narrative whose novelty lies far more in character than in
plot. Though the plot, such as it is, is fairly straightforward, it is a brilliant
way to introduce a wide cast of characters who will presumably take center
stage in following installments. As a typical detective story, it is well
constructed with plenty of twists to hold readers' interests, a functional and
firmly defined narrative in which to place and develop unusual elements. Also
wise is Willingham's choice to put familiar characters Snow White and the Big
Bad Wolf on center stage, allowing readers to glide into this parallel reality
with relative ease, while allowing the authors to highlight their chosen
deviations from the traditional stories. Character development is key in Fables, and it is truly delightful to
tag along with Willingham's modern, realistic re-imagining of these familiar
faces, of whom Prince Charming, it must be said, is the pinnacle. Recasting the
prince as a vapid and self-serving frat-boy type is fitting and insightful and
inserts an element of humor into an otherwise fairly grim (ha) murder story.
What is remarkable about Fables is
not any of its singular elements- the dialogue, plotting, and art are all on
the functional side- but the way in which they combine to create an enticing
and believable world, populated with characters that are at once familiar,
exotic, and new. The art is sufficient, done in a more traditional comic book
style that suits the narrative well enough to stay out of the way and allow for
efficient storytelling. The collected volume is also accompanied by a short
story from Willingham, and though his prose leaves much to be desired, the
story fleshes out some of the backstory without clogging the main narrative
line, which contains just enough history to entice and explain but not enough
to overwhelm the current plot. Fables:
Legends in Exile is a great debut, a comic that presupposes only a basic
introduction to western culture and fairy tales and one that shows remarkable
restraint in creating a novel narrative fabric that will entice readers to read
subsequent volumes.
Grade: A
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