Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Four

I love what he has done with these childhood stories. He's made them GROW UP just like we who have listened to the stories all this time have grown up. It's fantastic and hilarious and shocking. Great job, man.

The art is awesome, the story is interesting and right up my alley. Cannot recommend this enough especially if you are a fan of fairy tales. Like I said before I cracked this open within just a few hours of it being delivered and couldn't put it down!

I read the first one and immediately ordered the second. I have the 3rd on being shipped out to me. I love this series! My first time reading them and I can't seem to put them down! Try it! It's a little explicit for the younger folk, so please don't buy this for you younguns.

I bought this because the Wolf Among Us was based off this series and boy was I not disappointed. This is if not just as good or even better than the game. Amazing artwork and a very great storyline that doesn't feel drawn out or boring. Highly recommend reading If you're a fan of the game

An entertaining revisionist set of stories examining how classic fairy tale characters would fare in today's modern world. Definitely worth a read and the deluxe format make the experience even more enjoyable.

The entire "good prince" storyline is collected in one go without the focus shift of issue 64, this makes book 8 a much easier read. This storyline is one of my favorites in the series and really paves the way for what comes after.

I've just starting reading the Fables series so I decided to go ahead and buy the 3 deluxe edition hardcover volumes. These volumes are excellently bound, with vibrant colors and top-notch artwork that more than does the series justice. The basic premise of the series is that the childhood fables that everyone knows and loves [snow white etc.] are actually real, and this story chronicles their existence in "our world" aka the normal world. The arcs are amazingly thought out and wonderfully written with great attention to the characters' emotional struggles and their triumphs. There is action, mystery, drama, romance [one of the best parts i think], and the story isn't convoluted with excess "garbage" much like what i've come to expect from basic DC and Marvel publications. I recommend this series to anyone and everyone [except for some younger individuals as some of the themes explored are a bit too mature i think [though that depends on the level of an individual's maturity]].

These Deluxe reprints of Fables have been a great (and fairly cost effective) way to collect the series and put some good looking swag up on your shelf. Typical Vertigo trades, at least in my opinion, are put out as economical and not-particularly-durable options for readers who didn't buy the individual issues. The Deluxe editions offer a serious, classy alternative without the huge markup normally inherent to hardcover omnibus editions.

Here's my one gripe. Half this collection already exists as a fine hardcover volume. 1001 Nights of Snowfall is an OGN not published within the "main" run of this Series. Frankly, I already own it, and buying it twice is ever so slightly frustrating. That said, it is "oversized" from its original printing, and is worth reading for fans of the series (actually, almost imperative). For those reasons it makes sense to have been included here, but feels like a waste of 100 pages.

As for the rest of the book, if you're a fan and intend to purchase these Deluxe Editions, there's actually little reason not to buy this one. If you're not a fan, but intend to read Fables for the first time in the fanciest way currently possible, the hardcovers are a perfect way to do it. And who knows, at the rate these are being printed you have a real hope of catching up.

Prince Charming is a womanizer. Goldilocks is a communist. The Big Bad Wolf is a hard-boiled detective. And they're all living in present-day New York.

The premise may be ridiculous, but the execution is so masterful that it's reminiscent of nothing less than Neil Gaiman's Sandman. It's an engrossing new mythology, full of humor but tinged with darkness. Forget Disney's "Enchanted"--this graphic novel is very much for adults, the story of a struggling underground community of exiles. The art is excellent, the characters are memorable (of course, we already know most of them in some form or another) and the writing is top-notch.

This volume was my introduction to Fables, so I can't compare it to other editions. (This hardcover is equivalent to the first two softcover volumes.) If you already have the comics in some other form, then there's little reason to upgrade to this "Deluxe Edition," which has few extras. But the production quality of this slim, glossy hardcover is very good. It was clearly made to last. I look forward to passing this down to my children some day--when they're old enough.

As the last review indicates, this is a stellar collection of stories from one of the true masters of the artform still working today. The basic premise of the series has been covered by the previous reviewer, so I'll focus some quick comments on the contents of this volume. In "March of the Wooden Soldiers," an ally long thought dead with a strong romantic attachment to one of our more likeable characters makes a miraculous escape from the Homelands to seek sanctuary in Fabletown. Unbeknownst to the community, a group of dangerous minions of the "Adversary" have also escaped, and are heading straight for Fabletown, intent on its destruction.

Bigby Wolf, our suspicious and intrepid sheriff, senses something is amiss and goes on a dangerous mission to seek answers. In his absence, the Adversary's unbeatable army launches an all out assault, while our beloved heroes seem powerless to stop it, and are betrayed from within.

On its face, it would be easy to assume that the conceit of Fables - mythical characters living in the real world - would be so ridiculous as to be easily dismissed. You'd be very wrong. The writing by Bill Willingham here is some of the strongest he's ever done in his long, distinguished career, and the characters leap off the page in a way that, surprisingly, makes them seem quite flesh and blood indeed. One of the more intriguing aspects of the series is the way Willingham's writing inverts traditional expectations normally associated with fairytales on their head, by having the characters display or discuss very human, sometimes crass, sometimes enobling, and sometimes quite mundane traits and issues. The contrast between the 'reality" of the so called 'real' or mundane world and our magical creatures, is often surprising and hilarious, while also grounding the series in a way that makes it incredibly relevant.

The artwork by Mark Buckingham is pitch perfect for the series, although a warning should be sounded for anyone looking for fine comic art. Bunckinham's pencils are competent and serve the series extremely well, managing to bring both a comic and realistic sensibility to the characters in just the right doses. In fact, the art is pretty good, but anyone expecting the fine and delicate pencils of traditional fantasy artists should leave those expectations at the door. Buckingham is creating a distinct visual language for Fables, and while I wouldn't want him anywhere near traditional superhero fare, I would probably be very sad indeed if he departed Fables for other shores. Together with Willingham, Buckingham is producing some of the finest comics currently being published today. In doing so, they are managing to make a sly if perhaps unintentional(?) post-modern commentary on the loss of innocence and general cynicism of western societies.

The quality of these deluxe editions are just right for the price, and are actually pretty good. My major complaint with them is that they should offer more issues per volume, and DC should publish them more frequently. Prior to this year, the good people at Dumb Company (DC) comics were only releasing one deluxe Fables volume per year. But considering how vital and strong this work is, I would think they would be anxious to release them at least twice yearly, as they smartly did with Ex Machina and Y The Last Man, two other excellent series. I see that volume 4 is already listed at being scheduled for February, so perhaps the folks at Dumb Company have come to their senses and realized that you can't keep a good series back and when you're producing good product, you need to highlight it properly.

I can't recommend Fables enough. I think anyone interested in good mature comics, Sandman, Starman, Y, Ex Machina, fantasy, who has fond memories of Beauty and the Beast with Ron Perlman, (lol), or is looking for non-superhero fare with a mature quality, should check Fables out. The tpbs will bring you up to date if you aren't too concerned about format, but the deluxe editions are worth the wait if you want something sturdier.

By chance I picked up Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days) from my local library. After enjoying that book I decided to start from the beginning and follow the series in hardcover. I prefer the glossy pages to the newspaper/comic paper in the other editions, but I did at times have to spread the pages apart to see an entire illustration. Five stars for the content, but overall four stars because of the binding.

Awesome comic. Simply awesome. It's a unique idea that comes as a breath of fresh air from the typical super hero comic book franchises but still manages a classic comic storytelling style, weaving each fables story throughout the comic. The high quality of the comic is matched by the beautiful art throughout. Tempted to pay the $300 or so for the rest of the set, it was just that good!

Having issue 64 as part of this volume spoils what goes on in the next one, it is also unnecessary for the enjoyment of the stories contained throughout the rest of the volume so I don't really know why it wasn't left for later.

I have been collecting all the deluxe series and it has taken an amazing amount of discipline to not break and simply order all the paperbacks simply to get to the next part of the story! Looking forward to increasing the collection.

This review is for those deciding between the Deluxe editions and the TPB's. As several reviews have mentioned the binding on the Deluxe edition could be better. The binding is pretty stiff and the art goes right up to the interior edge of the page. So at the start and end of the book it is really hard to see the detail near the center. This was annoying, but not a deal breaker. Once you get into the book you don't really notice it.

However, the pages are glossy in the Deluxe edition (compared to the TPB's that I have seen) and so the art looks much better. After handling both editions, I think the Deluxe edition will last a lot longer as well.

At the end of the day, I decided to go with the Deluxe edition. The prices are almost identical and the glossy pages make up for the subpar binding. I don't regret this decision. After seeing the page quality in the TPB's I felt like the only two options were to wait for the "Absolute" editions or buy the Deluxe editions. But the deluxe editions are only up to issue 45 (as of Summer 2012) so waiting for the "Absolute" editions could be a very long wait.

As others have pointed out, this book consists of one paperback volume (Volume 5 in the old paperback series) combined with the "1001 Nights of Snowfall" graphic novel.

There's nothing strictly "wrong" with including 1001 Nights as part of this series, but it is not part of the ongoing storyline, it doesn't have anything specifically to do with the events in this volume, and it wasn't published at the same time as these issues.

Also, of course, as others have pointed out, a lot of the potential "Deluxe" buyers probably the original hardcover release of "1001 Nights" already, so while the artwork in this edition is larger, it's otherwise a double-dip.

It seems like a strange choice for this volume since the other stories in this volume flow directly into the "Homelands" story that appears in the next volume.

There doesn't seem to be any specific reason to include it in this volume, except to "stretch out" the "Deluxe" series as long as possible. I think most fans expected to get two paperback volumes per "Deluxe" hardcover in this series, but here, we're up to Volume 4 of the hardcover series, and we've only covered the first five volumes of the original paperback series. The next two volumes after this only cover another three volumes of the original paperback series, so it seems clear that DC/Vertigo is milking the fan-favorite early volumes of "Fables" for every dime, concerned more about potentially selling one additional volume rather than giving fans any kind of value for money.

Combine that with DC's typical cheapness on hardcover editions (using glued bindings instead of sewn bindings), and this "Deluxe" series seems like a questionable value for money.

Around 2001, 2002, I was despairing over the state of comics. I asked my local store if there was anything that was anything good out at the time. He recommended two different titles. One was Y The Last Man and the other was Fables. I was blown away with both. Fables really resonated with me with their clever take on fables. Without giving too much away, Fables are real, and they have been living among us for centuries. They were chased out of their homeland by what they call The Adversary and have been living in anonymity amoung us ever since. They are their own community with its own personalities. Snow White is the administrator of the communication and the Big Bad Wold (going by Bigby Wolf) is the sheriff. Not only are they real, but they have real issues and problems. You will see all sorts of other famous fables including Prince Charming (An incredibly charming and three-time deadbeat divorcee from Snow White, Briar Rose aka Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella), Bluebeard (who may or may not be still killing people), Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince, Little Boy Blue, Jack Horner and many others. The irreverent take on their personalities is both witty and engrossing. Standing their stories on their head and continuing their stories in the real world, it is a totally engrossing and fascinating piece of storytelling. The stories stand up in self-contained stories that weave together into a larger mythology tapestry. In this volume, we find out Snow White's sister, Rose Red (look it up) has been murdered, setting off a strange investigation. The second story is a take-off on George Orwell's Animal Farm. The art varies wildly, at times, from great in the beginning, until it settles in on the art of Mark Buckinham when he takes over the reins, giving the series a consistent look. Unfortunately, he is not as good as the first artist, but he is good. The story is first rate, and depending on your sensibilities will be alternately funny and horrifying at times.

A word of caution to parents out there, don't let the title fool you. This is VERY R-rated stuff and not Disney adaptations of popular fables. There is swearing, extremely graphic violence at times, and very frank discussions on all manner of topics. It is not appropriate for younger kids. But depending on your sensibilities, could be good for older teenagers.

I've run across various volumes and offshoots of this series for the past few years, and finally decided to buy this deluxe volume on a whim and dive in. As a rule, I'm generally careful of pantheon comics that come to me with universal acclaim; The Walking Dead and Buffy Season 8 have taught me that I will be disappointed if I expect too much. However, while Fables isn't quite perfect, it is really, really good.

The first story arc of this volume begins in The Woodland, a New York City high-rise that serves as a kingdom-in-exile for the inhabitants of every conceivable myth and fairy tale. Driven out of their respective storylands by a mysterious adversary, these "fables" are trying to make their way in the world of the "mundanes" by sticking together in their own little community, ruled by Old King Cole and administered by a considerably more world-wise Snow White. The suspected murder of someone close to Snow threatens to throw a tenously peaceful community into disarray, so she leans on reformed predator Bigby Wolf to solve the case.

The second arc deals with an upstate farm that houses the more anthropomorphic Fabletown denizens, hiding them away from the mundanes. The forced seclusion and loss of their ancestral lands have made the farm fables restless; murmurs of revolution roil at the farm, fomented by two of the three little pigs and encouraged by Goldilocks. Snow takes a trip to the farm in order to ease tensions, but is drawn into a sudden, violent coup that could mean chaos both there and in the city.

I don't know what I was expecting when I flew blind into this series, but fairy-tale characters acting out hardcase mystery and quasi-political intrigue were pleasant surprises. Willingham plays most of this stuff pretty straight, and while the result isn't anything that moves beyond the realm of what one usually sees in comics, it's still novel and downright fun enough to keep me turning pages. The artwork is top-notch, particularly the consistent character work. The visual style seems a little comic-retro, somehow; Snow White looks like a 1950s model, and it definitely adds the right visual feel.

My only complaint is that the plotlines, for all of their excitement, are a bit superficial. This is compounded by melodrama that pops up in odd places; dialogue will occasionally take a stilted turn, and characters will artfully cry for a panel or two and suddenly stop. The comic doesn't lack for grittiness in the appropriate places, but I think it gets a bit too airy (and not in the fairy-tale way) in a few others.

As I said, though, I don't expect any different from a decent comic, and Fables is much better than decent. It's a cleverly written, beautifully drawn diversion. I'm definitely sold on the second volume.

I cannot rate this purchase high enough. From the writing to the artwork to the overall quality of the book, (paper, dust jacket, etc.) it's one of my all time favorites. This is where I absolutely fell in love with the characters and story. It sure didn't take long either...I was hooked for good by the end of the second issue and man I knew it. I would rate Fables (in general) barely below Neil Gaiman's Sandman series but I'll go on record saying the start of Fables is just as addictive if not more so. Whereas Gaiman really hadn't found his stride in the first few issues of Sandman, Willingham starts off at full steam here in the first 10 issues. Instantly you will know all the main characters, (Snow White, the 3 pigs, Beauty and Beast, etc.) but you'll realize that you really don't know them, because they've really never been written this interesting before. That's the thing that makes this series so immersive. The artwork is gorgeous yes, but I really couldn't wait to find out what happens next, page after page. There's really no reason to run down the plotlines here, it was more fun to discover on my own how these familiar characters were dealing with the unfamiliarity of our 'real' world after being exiled from their own 'Fable' world.

Fables is mentioned in the same breath as Sandman....a lot. So few are as genuine, as terribly heartbreaking, and written with such love as this most wonderful start to a groundbreaking series. Not for kids...refreshingly so. Seriously, if you choose to buy this, if you haven't read Fables before, your roller-coaster is just at the top of the first hill. It's about to get really really fun, and you don't even know it yet.

This comic was a brilliant read! The murder, the lies, the suspense, and the alteration of our favorite childhood fairytales twisted into 119 pages of comics.

The graphics had the classic comics drawing. Each characters had their own spice. They were all different from the characters we remember as our childhood fairytales. The plot was breath-taking; I was at the edge of my seat. When the murder was solved it had the moment of "Holy crap! I didn't expect that! Look at all the details! How could I not seen that!" Pure magic, kind of remind me of the Detective Conan comics where you just fan girls at the detective skills.
There were gory scenes and sexual contents but it won't be a good comics if there weren't any.

I'm pretty sure the show Once Upon A Time was sort of influenced by the Fables comics. But I personally enjoy Fables better because it is not cheesy and typical. It actually have substance.

I cannot wait until I get my hands on the second book. :)

✩✩✩✩✩ 5 glossy, shiny, golden stars out of 5 stars!

I simply love everything that is Fables. What seems like a "cute" idea blossoms into this amazing epic world. Collected here are a few fantastic stories. We get to see the machinations of two warring factions that just happen to Fables. Its very interesting to see the back and forth between the two. Also, a big part of the book is family dynamics. The complicated relationship between Bigby and his father is fascinating and well done by Willingham. He creates characters that seem alive and has complete understanding of them. The art, predominately by Mark Buckingham is, as usual, perfect. The way he can convey innocence and then true evil just panels apart is amazing. Overall, a great read!