Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile [Paperback]

The story is basically your average whodunnit with the twist coming from the fact that it takes place in a community of exiled characters from assorted fairy tales and works of fiction. Snow White's wild child sister has gone missing, her apartment awash with blood and painted with the ominous warning of 'no more happily ever after', and it's up to Detective Wolf to solve the crime before the annual Remembrance day. Why the deadline? I have no idea. And that it is only one of the many perplexing holes in the story.

The overlying problem is the length; this would have made a taut four-issue miniseries but it's been inexplicably stretched into five. Because of this, there are pages of lackluster filler featuring cameos of other literary characters for no point other then to try and be clever and edgy but succeeding only in its abilty to be crude and childish. Instead of getting a good chuckle out of seeing a modern Cinderella or Pinocchio you're struck more by the fact that Willingham writes them with exactly the same voice. Yes, it's funny seeing people who've been Disneyfied cursing, but only the first time around.

Snow White has a chip on her shoulder the size of an ogre and when she isn't tearing into someone she's crying about what might have happened to her sibling. That's it. That's her character for the whole affair. Everybody else is written with about the same voice, always more than slightly bitter and always ready with a witty remark. Willingham has all of the literary world to play with but doesn't take advantage of any of it aside from character names and a few story details that makes the comic feel like a cheap gimmick.

As things progress the story only further unravels. Dialogue de-evolves into random word ballons laced with profanity and almost the whole final issue is nothing but Bigby giving an explanation of the crime that had already been solved in the previous issue. The last few panels try to shoehorn in a romance angle but because interactions between Snow and Bigby haven't evolved at all over the course of the story- in the few places where they haven't been completely abandoned in favor of showcasing another 'hip' fairy tale re-creation- it just doesn't work.

The art is near flawless. The painted covers are beautiful sendups to the old poster-painted dimestore detective novels and the interiors are lovingly rendered with storybook flourishes and the occasional background object that's a little wink at the audience- three chairs in Old King Cole's apartment with three fiddles waiting on them is the one that immediately springs to mind. There's a bonus prose story by Willingham included as an extra accompanied by his own illustrations which suggest where his real talent lies.

For a much better look at fantasy and reality existing side by side in the city, pick up one of the Aria or Sandman graphic novels instead; their authors can weave webs out of even the most obscurely gossamer strands of myth and magic. This prefers to strive valiantly in the direction of a hardboiled detective tale but is little more than slightly poached. Two and a half stars for the art and the novelty but you'll come away with little else.

Besides, Snow White appears like such an interesting character with her attitude and all, along with B. Wolf, but I really think that they've been treated with not enough respect. I think they deserved more development, more texture and depth.

And the end of the story is kinda obvious. Although if you take it as a sort of wink to classic detective novels such as Agatha Christie's, etc, it may acquire a better edge. Though not enough.

I still liked the book, read it quickly and enjoyed it enough to get me the second part. However, I don't see how this can compare to other Vertigo titles such as Sandman or Preacher, which are an absolutely different kind of literature, more mature and the kind that really makes you think and question things.

And I REALLY don't see how this could ever be compared to Sandman... please...

Still, I want to see how the series develops, I have some faith in it. Take a look at the covers for the second book: wow.