Random Ravings 2 - Black Bob's Hamburger Suit

Just the one item this time out as right from the second edition I get to use the flexibility of this slot to fit in around my personal life - in this case a four day period of illness. But being bed-ridden did mean I managed to read:

Fables - The Wolf Among Us

I'm a huge fan of the "Fables" comics series and all of it's various spinoffs. I have every trade paperback on my shelves and it's very rare that one of the stories fails to enthral me - or at the least be highly enjoyable. This means I was certainly looking forward to reading the two-volume collection of the series that is based on the recent TellTale video game of the same name. I'd never got round to playing the game, so I came into the story completely cold.

I guess I should explain the set up for the uninitiated. "Fables" was a monthly series from Vertigo that debuted in 2002. It concerned the adventures of various people from fairy tales and folklore who fled in exile to our Earth after the mysterious "Adversary" conquered all of their Homelands. Most human-looking Fables formed a community in New York City whilst the monsters and anthropomorphic animals lived at "The Farm" further upstate. As the series progressed across 150 issues, the Fables learned the identity of The Adversary and formulated a plan to defeat them and take back their worlds (that's really only the tip of the iceberg). There were multiple spin-off series featuring specific Fables, but it all tied into one giant cohesive tapestry as it was overseen by creator and main writer Bill Willingham.

The cast was, as you can imagine, very large but the real core characters were Snow White, the deputy mayor and Bigby, the reformed Big Bad Wolf who now takes human form as the cigarette-smoking, trench-coat clad sheriff of Fabletown. Over the course of the main series their relationship gets pretty complicated but with "The Wolf Among Us" it's in a very different place, because this series is set in 1986, almost twenty years before issue one of "Fables".

The story is primarily by Matthew (now Lilah) Sturges who has previous experience in this fantasy world as the co-writer of "Jack of Fables", which ran for fifty issues. The art is from a large rotating team which includes Shawn McManus and Travis Moore. This is driven by the fact that the series was originally published as a weekly digital series in 48 parts before being collected in comic book form and finally trade paperback.

The story starts when Bigby Wolf saves a Fable operating as a prostitute from the clutches of an over-intoxicated Woodsman. When he later finds her severed head on the doorstep of his apartment block, it triggers an investigation that features Ichabod Crane, black market 'glamours' (disguising spells), embezzlement, Georgie Porgie running a strip club, ribbons that force silence, the Little Mermaid, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, death, secrets. lies  - and a web of manipulations by the slippery Crooked Man.

This being a "Fables" story of course it's a *lot* more than that, but to reveal any more would spoil the enjoyment. Certainly there are a plethora of characters involved and a number of big twists. There are also a lot of flashbacks which fill in the history and motivations of key individuals. To be honest I found a few of them a little confusing, so it probably would benefit from a second read. There is also a slightly disjointed feel to the books, which is probably down to the multiple artists. All are quality draughtsmen and are able to capture the essence of the people and the world, but a characters look can sometimes change dramatically mid scene because it crossed over the weekly publishing boundary - which is quite jarring. Having said that, it's wonderful to see any of Shawn McManus's artwork (I've followed him since the original "Omega Men" days).

I think you would gain more from this series if you have read at least some (of not all) of the previous comics. Gaps are filled in which have only been hinted at before and it's extremely interesting to see your favourite Fable only beginning to learn their roles in a society of exiles. You know that none of them can be in real danger as this is a prequel tale, but it's an interesting journey - and always fun seeing Bigby bust a few heads. But that ending? I'll leave you to make your own mind up about what it means...

All in all I enjoyed both volumes and it certainly gave me another chance to spend time with the some of my favourite characters since the original series finished. It's a solid piece of escapist entertainment. Maybe I should go and try the game now...