Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers | Bill Willingham

Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers | Bill Willingham | My favorite book in the series so far -- Just great stuff!

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Fables Vol. 4: Mar...

	Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers Bill Willingham Vertigo, 2004 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 17 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

still rolling along as good as ever

Again Willingham produces a phenomenal comic book, this time going into the Fables history with the Adversary. And the battle.

My favorite book in the series so far -- Just great stuff!

I've discovered Bill Willingham's FABLES only recently and I've become an instant fan. And what's not to adore? Great premise. Great characters. Great writing. Super drawing.

While I've loved all the first four books in the FABLES series (I have already ordered 5-7 from Amazon), the third entry, fell just below the best volumes simply because the numbers contained too many arcs. This volume, however, ties all the individual issues together, even the beginning, which focuses on the final battle of the fables against the Adversary. The central story, or the A plot, concerns the near simultaneous arrival of Red Riding Hood and some mysterious fables who have utter disdain for all creatures that they like to refer to as "meat." They turn out to be the title characters of the story. The great battle for Fabletown that culminates the volume is both brilliantly written and drawn.

In future I think I will recommend the FABLES series above all others to people who are completely new to the world of adult comics. They are immediately accessible in a way that other masterpieces like the Sandman books are not (I'm not saying that Gaiman is inaccessible, but that they are better appreciated if they are not the first graphic novels one reads). And the blend of drama, comedy, fantasy, and action would appeal to anyone not blinded by an anti-intellectual disdain of "popular" art (the irony being that self-styled intellectuals who disdain graphic art do so by being amazingly close-minded).

A great entry to a great series. Can't wait for my next stack of books to arrive!

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Great Story

In this volume the Fables are faced with thier worst fear, an invasion by the Advesary from the Homeland. In the story Snow White coordinates the defenses of Fabletown, reenforcements from the Farm are bought in and we see Beast really let loose in this volume. It truly is a great read and I can't stop praising the series I reccomand it to anybody who likes comics but, isn't crazy about superheroes.

Seriously Twisted

The whole idea of characters from legends and fairy tales living among us anonymously may not be completely original but these comics take the notion to a whole new level and they are great fun, part of which stems from trying to figure out who some of them are. Most are pretty easy but a few take a little thought. Flycatcher, for instance, turns out to be the Frog Prince. The characters have escaped from a conqueror known as The Adversary and now live in Fabletown, ruled by (who else) Old King Cole. His trusted assistant is Snow White (ex of Prince Charming), now involved with the sheriff, Bigby Wolf (the Big Bad Wolf). Violence, betrayal, graphic sex and a lot of seriously twisted humor abound and this series probably should get an "R" rating. Fun though.

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Filling in the story

This collection of the monthlies opens with reminiscence of a terrible time: the day when the last of the Fables left their magical land. The evacuees made it out one step ahead of the invading armies - and only because the last of their army fought to the death delaying the marauder by that step. Amid the heroism, a tender story goes horribly wrong ...

... then, magically (as most things are among the Fables), seems to go right again. This bit of back-story fills in some of the history of these fairy tale (and often furry tail) beings come to life, but also sets the stage for a new drama in the here-and-now of their exile in our mundane world. Mighty battles rage, unknown to the unmagical mortals around them, while smaller personal trials work themselves out. Oh, and a major windfall turns into a political squabble, kind of like among people of any other kind.

As with good any good series, readers who've followed along are rewarded with extra insight into the actions of and between familiar personalities - yes, real personalities in a comic! I really do suggest that as the best way to work through this long-lived series. But, if you come across any volume at random, don't turn it down. The writers have the knack of welcoming newcomers with stories that make sense, even if you haven't seen the sub-plots building up over the issues that came before. I have to warn you, though, the Fables story line is more addictive than that first peanut. Few readers can or even want to stop at one.

-- wiredweird

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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