Mary Louise Eklund

Category: Fables

Comic Comment – The Fate of The King of Wolves

Keeping true to form of long arc followed by a short one, Fables issues 122 & 123 comprise a mini arc entitled The Destiny Game. The last time we visited the Fables title the Cubs In Toyland arc had just completed. The last few stories involving Bigby and Snow’s cubs have centered on the San Diego 2009 Comic Con One Page Fables predecitions. We’ve seen Winter become the North Wind, Therese did an evil thing, Darien died to stop her. Though she could be the pauper too – because now she is one. Ghost killed people before s/he learned that was wrong, except no one died to stop Ghost that I can remember. This two story arc is concerned with Ambrose as an adult, we see his fate. We also learn how Bigby and his cubs came to have their designated fates. Another excellent story with fantastic art brought to us by the team at Fables.

The second story of the issue continues to follow Bifkin’s adventures in Oz. It moves to the title story in the next issue. Bifkin’s revolution continues and now he’s found himself the leader of a great nation. Faced with the same issues as George Washington, offered a kingship, needing to lead but wanting to retire to his beloved library Bifkin has some hefty choices to make and ideas to implement.

First the legal disclaimer: All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

Now for the creative team on this arc first story entitled The Destiny Game: Written and Created by Bill Willingham – Guest art by Gene Ha – guest colors by Art Lyon – letters by Todd Klien – Special Thanks to Zander Cannon – Issue 123 also included Andrew Pepoy in the Special Thanks – Assistant editor Gregory Lockard – Editor Shelly Bond

The creative team for the A Revolution in Oz: Bill Willingham, Writer/Creator – Shawn McManus, Artist – Todd Klein, Letters – Gregory Lockard, Assistant Editor – Shelly Bond, Editor.

It seems every time I comment on Fables it becomes a love letter to them for doing what I dream comics can do. Last commentary on Fables I mentioned how they evoke my childhood love for Classics Illustrated. This arc pulls on that more with the adult Ambrose being the author/narrator of the tale. The illustrations are the same fine quality as those beloved comics from long ago. The structure of the tale reminds me of many of the classics. I was entranced at the first and not disappointed by the story or the art.

Ambrose explains how Bigby got the fate of marrying his beloved Snow and having seven pups with the destines of “to become Gods and Monsters that lay waste to worlds.” Whose fates were later refined by Ozma’s one page prediction from SDCC 2009.

Here in the story Bigby prefers his wolf form and rules the forest. He longs to kill his father. He runs into the green skinned woman that doles out fates. Upon chasing her he makes a deal to hear his fate. It is one of death in three days. He goes to mourn his fate in his forest.

There he meets a familar background character – the turtle wearing the teacup world on her back. She’s a vain queen whose fate was to become this turtle and warn others. She explains that the green skinned lady doesn’t read fates, she assigns them! She’s the messenger for the 3 fates.

Here we see the Fates give their messenger 7 important fates. The same number of children Bigby later has. Is it coincidence? Are the important fates the children that are to become Gods and Monsters? The story doesn’t answer these questions. We are left to ponder and draw our own conclusions.

Just how Bigby gets the fate of Snow and his cubs instead of death in three days is answered. Also how Ambrose knows this story when even Bigby doesn’t know the fate he’s given in full is also answered. It worth the read to see how the simple tale sheds new light on the fates that have unfurled in the last few Fables arcs.

Finally we are left to ponder this part of Bigby’s fate “You’ll outlive all your children but only after you’ve died seven times.” Any guesses on how THAT is going to come into play? I see fodder for Willingham to build many more excellent arcs around the Wolf family.

The Revolution in Oz story is just a few pages in each each issue. Here we see the the final defeat of the current Emperor. It pays to have an animated hanging rope on your side. The Toms of the Emperor are fleeing leaving Bifkin’s revolutionaries in power. So now what? That’s why the story takes the title role in the next issue as I said.

*****Page Scans**** Warning****Maybe Considered Spoilery********

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January 9, 2013
Comic Comments – Cubs In Toyland

I’ve been putting off writing about the Fables 114 – 121 Cubs in Toyland while I sorted out how I felt about this powerful arc. It’s another arc centered on Bigby Wolf and Snow White’s cubs. This answers more questions related to the San Diego Comic Con 2009 One Page Fable‘s predictions. We saw that Winter became the North Wind to succeed her grandfather as ruler. We think that she’ is the first child – the one to be king. Now with this arc the fate of two more of the cubs is established. In the back of each issue my beloved Bifkin continues his revolt in Oz. It provides a light comical relief to the heaviness of the story.

First the legal disclaimer: All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique. No more than three pages total from any one issue is reproduced.

Now to give credit to the wonderful creative team that brought us this powerful arc. Cubs In Toyland credits are as follows: Bill Willingham, Writer/Creator; Mark Buckingham, Pencils; Steve Leialoha, Inks; Lee Loughridge, Colors; Todd Klein, Letters; Gregory Lockard, Assistant Editor; and Shelly Bond, Editor. The credits for A Revolution In Oz Chapters 2-8 are: Bill Willingham, Writer/Creator; Shawn McManus, Artist; Todd Klein, Letters; Gregory Lockard, Assistant Editor; and Shelly Bond, Editor.

Normally I talk story first but this time I’m going to talk art. As always with major arcs the art is wonderful. It was in this arc I remembered what Fables art reminded me of… Classics Illustrated Comics from my childhood. The comic books that told the classic stories like Black Beauty (my favorite at the time) or Pinocchio (not Disneyified version) ore Rumpelstiltskin and such. I loved those so much. Probably why I enjoy Fables art so much. This is used in the telling of the main arc – Cubs In Toyland. The secondary arc, or comic relief arc, is more cartoony. I enjoyed it and smiled at the story being an Oz fan and all. However, it’s light fodder compared to the main one as it should be.

The A Revolution In Oz arc continues to follow our Bifkin former librarian now Revolutionary Leader in Oz. His Barleycorn girlfriend rescues him from the noose. He rejoins the revolt and becomes its leader again. He plans a bloodless coup but this is Oz and things never work out as planned. I enjoyed the characters and the parody of revolutions – the various stages. It’s a fun but serious arc that moves Oz forward down the path of Revolution that Bifkin has set. Only will there be regrets?

Now for the main arc – I’ve put it off long enough. I had to do some soul searching about why I liked but cringed at this arc. I know why – it places children in positions a loving adult never wants to see a child placed. Children having to make adult decisions about things without having the benefit of adult experiences. It wrenches my gut much like Torchwood: Children of Earth did. This hits the same emotional notes that were struck in X-Men that drove Wolverine to found his own school. We in the modern “first” world countries think children should have time to be children and not face adult burdens. We want to protect them but in this arc as much as Snow and Bigby want to and are capable of protecting their children they can’t.

That brings me to another aspect of the story that made it very hard for me. Good parents who have lost their child/ren to circumstances beyond their control. As I’ve said before I like crime shows. Often it is a gut punch – the thought they did everything they good but evil still befell them. That’s Snow and Bigby as parents in this arc, they are good parents but evil befell Darien and Therese. As Snow and Bigby looked first for one child then for two my heart broke for them. I’m a mom I get it. I am so relieved that Aaron made to being an adult without tragedy. It’s a risk every parent takes but does their best to minimize.

The story centers on Therese. She receives a boat for Christmas. Here it plays upon her vanity, her wanting to be better than others. She’s taken away to Toyland and made Queen. Only there are a few things young Therese doesn’t get – there is a weight/price to ruling a heavy mantle to being Queen and these toys hold a dark secret, one she only discovers too late after she too is drawn into their dark fraternity.

At home Darien the cub who feels the responsibility of leadership of the pack sets out to find his sister. Lord Mountbatten helps him and they both wind up in Toyland. We learn the true dual nature of the clockwork tiger in the process. Darien becomes a true hero in Toyland taking care of his sister in the bleak land. He uses his brother Ambrose’s interests in ancient magic to pull off this feat. Despite never seeming to pay attention to Ambrose’s ramblings Darien has absorbed the deep meanings so much he can use them. His story draws heavily from the Fisher King legends. It’s well written and tragically beautiful while wrenching your gut every step of the way.

Therese now fully gains the weight of the Queen’s mantle. She’s learned there is a price to decisions, sometimes prices we didn’t see. With her new insight she takes command of her position and sets out to save her land, her subjects, and herself as best she can. However the hardest lesson of all is that the past can’t be undone we can only learn, change, and atone for our errors even grave ones made in youth. Once she is strong enough she returns home only to tell her mother of Darien, herself, and assume responsibility for all that has transpired. Finally Therese is mature she’s taken responsibility for herself and her actions. Unlike her siblings She is now an adult both physically and emotionally as time moved differently there from here.

There are many levels to the story. It’s well written. Like all good tragedies when you are finished it is satisfying but sad. Hat’s off to Fable for using all mediums of the comic book to bring a powerful story to the page.

***** WARNING SCANNED PAGES BELOW MAY BE CONSIDERED SPOILERY BY SOME*** You have been warned.

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December 10, 2012
Comic Comments – Pull List Update

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a post updating on my pull list status. Some comics have fallen by the wayside and others have come on the list. Let’s look at what I am reading and why.

If you’ve been to Cons you’ll laugh and nod while reading.

The Adventures of Comic Con Girl had me laughing and nodding. I’ve been to Cons and I know of what they are parodying. This is a limited run and fun to laugh at ourselves. I look forward to her adventures and know if this was on-going it’d drop but for the short limited it’s worth the read.

This issue Logan IS the bomb.

Actually I’ll have to say it wasn’t Logan being a bomb that brought me back. What brought me back into this title was the previews of this issue. I loved how the team reacted and worked together after the Logan bomb went off. How they supported him and worked with each other to figure it out. I like that kind of X-Men story it’s too much inter fighting and not enough teamwork stories lately. So I went back to issue 50 just before Northstar’s wedding issue. Oh Logan blew at the wedding reception luckily he’d left the tent to walk off his ‘too many canapes’ that were upsetting his stomach.

You wouldn’t know it today since I’m heavily Marvel and Independents but DC and I go way back. So far back that my first word was Batman, not Mom, not Dad, but Batman. However I burned on DC decades ago. I’d tried about every five years or so to make a foray into their titles to be disappointed. However the free Earth One I got with the preview of the Batman story line hooked me. That was a title I liked with just Batman. I put my old buddy back on the list in hopes we can renew our friendship. Would be could to welcome him back with Wolverine and Bigby as a favored hero.

I liked Top Cow back in the day. Then with the buzz surrounding this and the kickstarter project I just gotta see the results. So this went on the pull list. I’ll let you know what I think.

I’m staying with this title out of nostalgia. I loved Dark Shadows back in the early 70s and this has kept the vibe. Unlike the Depp/Burton butchering of it, this held true to what I adored. So as long as they keep up with the original I’ll keep this on my pull list.

Deadpool‘s own title the best of the Merc with a Mouth. I enjoy him as the antidote for the overly serious superhero/villain stories. He’s staying on the pull list for the fun that he is.

Fables is a staple of any pull list I ever create. when starting a pull list first on the list is Wolverine and second is Fables. Fables for consistence excellence in writing and art. I’ve never been let down by them in the years I’ve been reading.

The latest and currently on-going spin off from Fables. Just like the main titles have never let me down – neither have the spin-off titles. So I’m on board.

I have a handful of favorite characters in Marvel beyond Wolverine. One of the is Nick Fury. When this started set in the 60s with great cover art I was interested and haven’t been disappointed. I’ve heard the tale of Fury in WWII many times but Fury in the 60s-80s not so much and enjoy this take on him.

Another favorite Marvel man of mine is Gambit. He’s had his own title many times – this is his 5th. I wouldn’t miss it. I’m waiting for the first arc to complete before reading but I have flipped through. I’m anxious to see what he’s like here as teacher by day – superhero thief by night.

I’m a fan of the Ghosbusters movies. The first DVD I ever bought was the first movie. So I had to try this comic, they had me at John Beluishi as Jake Blues was the guardian angel of Ackroyd’s Dr. Raymond Stanz sold me on the series.

With the pleathra of paranormal “reality” shows and my penchant for loving those types of stories I had to try out this title. I’ve not been disappointed and it still sits on my pull-list in a well deserved spot.

When Marvel Zombies were introduced I loved them as a novelty gag. I didn’t nor am I interested in a series based on them. BUT a Halloween special SURE! Zombies, Marvel, and Halloween pass the candy corn I’ve got reading to do. I’ll also be getting the Holidays special just like last year. Hopefully I’ll be more timely in reviewing it.

Speaking of zombies – this centers around zombies in Wisconsin. I couldn’t resist. I’ve not read waiting on complete first arc before I dive in. I know it’s been highly praised and is in multiple reprints to meet demand.

I read great reviews of this and jumped in at issue 6 which was sold as a good jumping on point. I liked it so much I went back and bought issues 1-5. I’m a fan of the odd and strange. I’ve been intrigued by UFO tales since there was a bulletin board outside my 3rd grade class about them back in 1974. This story is good at weaving in all the classic tales, theories, incidents, and such into the telling. I am enjoying it very much.

Okay another type of story I enjoy the heist/scam story. Think Oceans 12, The Heist, The Sting, etc. Scam struck me as being in that vein. I put on the list and was surprised when I got issue 1 that it’s more than a double sized issue. I’ll stay on to see where it goes. So far so good.

Okay I jumped on this for two reasons 1) awesome reviews 10 out of 10 rating this I gotta see and 2) I’ve had to make similar decision (not so extreme) working in the rad waste industry as a consultant. I’ll be honest I’ve not read them yet again waiting for a full arc so I can judge. But if it lives up to a portion of what the reviewers claim – it’s awesome.

I got this to see where the over all Marvel universe goes post AvX interruptus. I hop on and off the New Avengers boat as the title and arcs grab me. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay on this Uncanny Avengers title but for now I’m willing to stay for at least the first arc.

I’m on and off the X-Force boat like I’ve been the Avenger boat. Anytime Cable isn’t there I’ll consider it. I don’t like Cable and avoid him unless Deadpool is there then I consider it REAL HARD. So here we have Wolverine and Deadpool my most favorite character and one of my other favorite Marvel men. So I’m on until this title ends at issue 35, which is 4 more issues.

Okay I’ll admit it I hopped on this title after falling for the TV show it inspired. Yes they are two different stories with the same characters and kinda the same plot but not exactly. Both are excellent both get my time, neither am I dropping. Good writing will always keep me enthralled.

Remember back at Fables I said whenever I start a pull list… well this is the first title on it. My favorite character by far in the comics is James “Logan” Howlett. This title at times rocks and other times sucks (like the most recently completed arc sucked.) At times it’ll be so bad I’ll drop comics all together for years (AHEM Evolution arc I’m looking RIGHT AT YOU) but then something awesome will come and I’ll be back. So this time I put on my barn boots and waded through the last arc of Sabertooth Reborn and hoped for better. Isn’t that always how it is with the one you love they’ll drive you crazy.

This would be number 3 on my pull list. I love this title and hope, hope that they assign strong artists to it. I adore the growth of character it took to make Wolverine headmaster of his own school. Five years ago we’d thought it’d been Scott but no it’s Logan who inherits Xavier’s dream and carries on. It makes perfect sense in many ways. I love watching it be carried out. I hope this title is around for a VERY long time and sits there on any pull list I make with Wolverine and Fables.

The final title doesn’t have a preview cover released yet – Wolverine Max. It’s a Wolverine title so yeah it’s on my list. It’s another retelling of the Wolverine tale so I might like it if it’s limited like Wolverine Noir was or I might get bored and dump it. Been there done that don’t need another universe to follow… like recent First X-Men title for me. Only time will tell. Check in to my next pull list post and see if it stayed or read the Comic Comments I do and see what I think.

Until next time!

October 16, 2012
Comic Comment – What’s on the Pull List Now?

Once again I’m been messing with my pull-list. I hear of such great comics I just have to jump in and give them a try. Then there are old faithfuls that almost always get unless the arc is so bad I suspend it until they are through it. So what’s on the list now and why?

A bit of legalese – All images are the property of their owners I reproduce them here under the Fair Use Doctrine of the copyright law for commentary and critique.

Adventures of Comic Con Girl (Antarctic Press) won me over with the title alone! I mean really how can I a fangurl pass up a book about a fangurl’s adventures? At various comic cons no less! I’m in! It just started. I’ll start my comments with issue 1.

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August 8, 2012