By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 1/30/2013
TweetOr rather, as seen in this gorgeous Peter Gross/Mark Buckingham-drawn teaser image, the cast of Fables literally drag Tommy Taylor into their world. Vertigo have released this promo for May’s issue #50 of Mike Carey’s excellent series, kicking off an arc which will see the book head into the world of Bill WIllingham’s Fables, [...]
By: Jennie,
on 12/14/2012
A new spin-off series, this one focusing on the princesses. The main story arc picks up with a character who's been asleep for many, many issues.
Part of Fabletown's plan during the final showdown with the Adversary was putting the Imperial City of sleep with an ancient curse. All Sleeping Beauty had to do was prick her finger and the entire city would fall asleep until she was awoken with true love's kiss.
Enter a Bottle Imp with a master plan, a master thief (Ali Baba), a newly awoken Princess, and a newly awoken Snow Queen. The Snow Queen likes stories, and the Bottle Imp has one-- Sleeping Beauty's.
Y'all know how much I looooooooooove back story. And so much back story! I love how this one ties Sleeping Beauty's backstory with her newly awoken life. I love the mix of the Snow Queen with Ali Baba and the Bottle Imp. I love the look at what true love can mean in different circumstances--it's not always the fairy tale ending we wish for. And oooooo.... all the fairies! A great addition.
I also just really love what Willingham has done with princesses in general in this universe. Snow White is the tough as nails administrator who tamed the Big Bad Wolf. Beauty can't quite fill her shoes, but is no slouch. Cinderella seems all beauty and nice, but is a kick ass spy. Ozma looks like a child, but was able to step into Frau Tottenkinder's roles. So far, Sleeping Beauty has fallen asleep (but was willing to do so when strategically necessary). This one fleshes her out a little more.
And then, something that looks like a fun 50s comic noir, but turns into a SHOCKING revelation about one of our princesses.
I am looking forward to see where this series goes-- it's gotten off to a wonderful start.
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By: wizardhere,
on 12/13/2012
By: wizardhere,
on 12/13/2012
By: Jennie,
on 12/13/2012
Bigby is looking for a new place for Fabletown, someplace away from too many Mundys. On a tip from King Cole, he checks out Story City, Iowa, a place where Blue Beard had many investments. As he gets closer, he smells something in the wind that he recognizes, but can't place, which is troubling, but not as troubling as what he's about to discover.
Werewolves. Werewolves that are built from a Nazi experiment and faces from Bigby's time in WWII.
Ugh. Guys. I ordered this book over two years ago, as the release date kept getting pushed back. I had HUGE hopes for a hardcover one-off special story, all about Bigby.Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall is the only other hardcover one-off, and probably my favorite book in the entire Fables world. I was hoping for something of that caliber.
Sigh, it was not to be. The art is very pale and washed-out and that reflects the story, too. The political situation is not fleshed out enough, nor is the culture of Story City. There's lots of shape-shifting (werewolves!) so lots of nudity. To the point where it gets excessive. Overall, I just wanted so much more from this, and it failed to deliver. Maybe if it had been part of the regular arc, an omnibus of a 5-issue story arc with some other issues thrown in, it would be "not my favorite" in the series, but as a separate thing, it was disappointing, especially with all the build-up to it.
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By: wizardhere,
on 12/12/2012
Rabbit's Snow Dance
Rabbit loves the winter. He knows a dance, using a traditional Iroquois drum and song, to make it snow--even in springtime! The other animals of the forest don't want early snow, but Rabbit doesn't listen to them. Instead, he sings and dances until more and more snow falls. But how much snow is too much, and will Rabbit know when to stop? A hilarious fable!
If you liked this, try:
Bear has a Story to Tell
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs
Chloe
Snowmen at Work
Brave Squish Rabbit
By: Jennie,
on 12/12/2012
Yay! More adventures in Cinderella's double life as one of Fabletown's spies! I love this other side to her!
As I mentioned on Monday, the closing scene of Inherit the Wind sets up the story for this one (although we start with a flashback, so it doesn't appear right away.)
The person who killed Kadabra is an old, old nemesis of Cindy's--one she thought she buried a long, long time ago. We start in the USSR, in the early 80s. Lots of sexy ladies in hot tubs. That was the last time Cindy met her old advesary.
Remember how I said we were going back to Oz? Meet Dorothy Gale, mercenary. We get some good backstory on her, too.
With Mr. Kadabra's death, many old secrets and enemies are coming home to roost, with issues involving the other Fable communities around the world. I like the backstory that flushes out these characters that don't quite fit into the main Fables narrative. I also love the deeper look at the international Fable politics.
PLUS! Anansi! ANANSI! What a wonderful surprise to see him turn up as a character.
I hope we see much more of Cinderella's adventures, as she really does open up the the Fables universe.
Plus, she knows how to fight.
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By: Jennie,
on 12/10/2012
It's Fables week! I am horribly behind on reviewing this series. There are several spin-offs in this sprawling universe, so we can cover a different aspect every day this week. We're starting with Fables proper, and I have four omnibus editions to look at, so let's get started.
Fabletown is destroyed by Mr. Dark. Some are trapped in the business office, but most have evacuated to the farm. The first issue focuses on Mr. Dark and a bit of his backstory. The main story arc involves the witches trying to find a way to defeat Mr. Dark. We get into the witches politics and there's a lot of Frau Tottenkinder, which is always WONDERFUL. Ozma and Buffkin also play a big role, setting up the rising role of Oz coming up. (It's kinda fun reviewing these books so late, because I've read other books in this series and other spin-off series, I can see the set up and how odd things come into play later... Willingham is a master at the slow, twisty plot that eventually all ties together.
The end is a story in about a baseball game in Haven. We get some of Fly's personal life and the tough choices of justice that a leader has to make. I love Fly so much. So very, very much. 
Things are getting complicated. More Dunstan and Bellflower. Promises between the Beast and the Blue Fairy that's going to cause MAJOR drama in the future (not that we've seen yet, but it's going to come 'round.) But the main focus is Rose Red. She's spent the past few issues in bed, depressed and guilty and unable to lead when the farm and the community needs her most. We get A LOT of backstory on Rose and Snow. I love backstory. There's a throwaway about a world in a teacup on the back of a turtle-- remember this.
There's so epic battling. I really like how this battle ends. A lot of little stories, a new enemy made AND! some fun bits at the end-- fan questions, a prose story, a game... lots of fun little bits for fans (because let's face it, if you've made it this far, you're a fan.)
This is pretty light-hearted compared to the last volume. Pinochio thinks he has the answer, found in the comic books he loves so much. Too bad he's more into the costumes and names than an actual plan...
But, the Dark storyline wraps up, but how it ends opens up a new can of worms, and we're brought back the heart of the Empire, to wrap up some sleeping ends that were left there in the war. And here's something that happens in the master plotting-- one of these storylines picks up in the next issue of Fables. The other picks up in the new series, Fairest, which I'll review in a few days.
BACK TO OZ! Buffkin leads a band of rebels, but not too well. Shocking ending that has me waiting at the edge of my seat for Fables Vol. 18: Cubs in Toyland (comes out at the end of January.)
This big storyline is that one of the cubs has to be chosen as a successor for the North Wind. Bigby and Snow aren't happy about this, and either are the other cardinal winds who want to chose the successor--one they can control.
Christmas opens up a whole host of other issues and questions. One leads directly to Cubs in Toyland, one opens up new questions about Rose Red's new role, and I'm just waiting to see what happens with Nurse Spratt. That's something that's been simmering for a long time and I can't wait for that to explode.
Remember that turtle and teacup? We get a whole issue about that.
There's a backstory story about a magician in the Empire, back when the Empire still ruled the home worlds. He ends up dead on the farm, which seems odd, until you realize that the discovery of his body is the first scene in Cinderella: Fables Are Forever, which I'll review later this week.
Stay tuned for more of the Fables universe!
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By: Heidi MacDonald,
on 5/24/2012
Bill Willingham, creator of the long-running Vertigo series Fables and it’s spin-off Fairest, has started teasing at some kind of big announcement or two which’ll be made on Twitter over the next few days. Specifically, he’s set up a twitter account called FablesCon, which seems to suggest a Fables-centric convention happening in March next year.
Checking to see who the FablesCon Twitter account follows, you can find writer Sean E. Williams and artist Phil Jimenez in attendence, along with power couple Adam Hughes and Allison Sohn. So already, it looks like a few big names have already agreed to attend.
This would be the next step onwards from recent events like Image Con and MorrisonCon; the former of which was a great success for the independent publisher; and the latter of which still has a terrifyingly large grinning Grant Morrison on the front page of the website. Fables has quite a strong fanbase – a fanbase of Vertigo proportions, but much more vocal than most – so it could be quite a popular event, especially with the guest-list Willingham seems to be preparing. A number of writers and artists have contributed to Fables over the years, so he has a range of creators he could invite. Maybe even James Jean! Swoon!
It looks at the moment like FablesCon will take place in late March 2013, which gives you all plenty of time to sew together that Reynard the Fox costume you’ve always wanted.
This coming December, Bill Willingham's bestselling comic Fables, a series about fairy tale characters who escape to modern day, will be 10 years old. In a decade, the series has 14 Eisner Awards to its name (as of this post) and manages avoid any worn-out welcomes by shifting its main plots around various folklore settings while keeping a mostly consistent cast of familiar characters in play (ex: Snow White marries the Big Bad Wolf). With so many plotlines beginning and resolving, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the author would be a fun storyteller in person, too. Recently, Willingham agreed to sit down with us to discuss Fables, Fables spinoffs, and saying goodbye to House of Mystery.
Omnivoracious.com: Your fans know you as a world-builder. What (or whose) worlds do you love?
Bill Willingham: I was just about to say, “Anyone who creates a world I would want to live in,” but my favorite fictional worlds that I enjoy reading or watching are actually the ones I would never want to live in [laughs]. I mean, like, the Firefly universe? Who would actually want to be part of that? It’s grim and it’s terrible, and bad things happen to everybody.
Omni: Also very dusty.
Bill Willingham: Very dusty. Or, like the Game of Thrones [books]. Wonderful stories, but boy, you would not want to be anybody in that world—especially when the god of that world, George R.R. Martin, just kills people willy-nilly.
Omni: What about your Fables universe? Would you ever consider moving in there?
Bill Willingham: Moving into the Fables universe? Wow, that’s a good one. I would say—right up until some of the recent events that we have planned—yes. That would be okay, but maybe not so much with what we have coming.
Omni: Maybe steer clear of Mister Dark.
Bill Willingham: One hopes. Hopefully, Mister Dark is gone for a while—we’ll see. I suspect that if I ever did end up in the Fables universe there’d be a lot of characters who’d want revenge. I don’t know that I’d last too long.
Omni: You are constantly shifting source material in Fables. The Super Team arc was quite a departure from what readers were used to seeing, pulling influences from comics rather than, say, Aesop’s Fables.
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By: Read Now Sleep Later,
on 7/27/2011
2 Comments on Peter and Max - Review, last added: 7/28/2011
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By: Robin Brande,
on 3/13/2011
Blog: Robin Brande (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Fairy Tales, Writing, Fables, Children's stories, Free fiction, free children's stories, Free stories, Children's Fables, Children's Fairy Tales, Children's Humor, Add a tag
If you’re interested in children’s stories, specifically slightly-skewed fairy tales, you can check out my story THE MUD QUEEN. And for the next few days, it’s free! Just use the special coupon code: GD66Y And don’t forget, for another few days you can also get other free fiction by me. Just go here. Enjoy!
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By: Mary Lee,
on 9/24/2010
Blog: A Year of Reading (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Poetry Friday, fables, Add a tag
 INTRODUCTION Here's a book Of Aesop's Fables, Tales where turtles Turn the tables, Tales with lions, Tales with mice, Tales where ants Give good advice. (to read the rest of the poem, you'll have to get your own copy of the book!) You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman illustrated by Michael Emberley Little, Brown and Company, 2010 review copy provided by the publisher At ALA last June, I got the chance to tell Mary Ann Hoberman that she is a rock star in my classroom. On Poetry Fridays, her You Read to Me, I'll Read to You books are the most popular books on the poetry shelf in my classroom. And why not? They are so fun, and perfectly designed for buddy reading. They are easy enough for struggling readers to figure out, and easy enough for confident readers to read with dramatic expression. They are well enough known that sometimes the audience joins in the performance! This newest volume is a welcome addition to the set. The fables Hoberman chose to include are well-known or have an easily-understood moral. Emberley's illustrations start telling a story of their own from the title page on. Fun, fun, fun! There's more fun to be had today at the Poetry Friday Round Up. Karen, at The Blog With the Shockingly Clever Title, is hosting today. 
10 Comments on Poetry Friday: You Read to Me, I'll Read to You, last added: 9/25/2010
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By: Jennie,
on 8/23/2010
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Cinderalla, Chris Roberson, Graphic Novel, Adult, Fables, Add a tag
1 Comments on Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love, last added: 8/23/2010
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By: Jennie,
on 8/18/2010
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Fiction, Adult, Fables, Bill Willingham, Add a tag
1 Comments on Peter and Max, last added: 8/18/2010
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By: Jennie,
on 8/16/2010
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Fiction, Fairy Tales, Graphic Novel, Fables, Bill Willingham, Add a tag
It's Fables week here at Biblio File!
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By: Tasha Saecker,
on 10/8/2009
Blog: Kids Lit (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Book Reviews, Africa, Picture Books, fables, mice, aesop, wordless, lions, Add a tag
The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney In this almost wordless book, readers revisit Aesop’s tale of the lion who spares the life of a mouse only in turn to be rescued by the mouse. The only words on the page are animal noises that bring the African setting to life. Readers follow the mouse right into the lion’s paws, sigh in relief at the release, and will be riveted as the capture of the lion plays out. Pinkney shows readers the world in focused images, revealing the view of the land the mouse has, the perspective of the lion, and foreshadowing the capture of the lion in the poacher’s net. Each image is beautifully done, filled with details that bring the story to life and invite you to linger over them. His pacing is done with such skill that he can create suspense with a single page turn. From the moment of opening the cover, readers are in the hands of a master story teller who speaks through his art. One of the best wordless picture books I have ever read, this book should be on every library’s shelf. And with that cover, it is not going to sit there long! Make sure you face this one out! Reviewed from copy received from publisher. Copy will be placed in library collection. Also reviewed by Collecting Children’s Books, 100 Scope Notes, A Patchwork of Books, Pink Me, and Fuse #8.
By: Tasha Saecker,
on 9/16/2009
Blog: Kids Lit (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: readalouds, Book Reviews, Picture Books, animals, fables, Add a tag
Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Barry Moser The pair who collaborated on The Three Silly Billies is back with a twist on Aesop’s fable this time. When fox can’t reach the grapes on his own, he asks bear to help. Fox stands on bear’s head, but that doesn’t work either. Beaver is added to the quest for the grapes, but his tail flip doesn’t help. Porcupine arrives and joins the stack of animals to no avail. All of the animals try to offer advice, but fox will have none of it. Possum is finally added to the tip of fox’s nose, but that doesn’t work either. In the end, the other animals are full of ideas of they alone could have gotten the grapes. But fox is such a snit by that point that he marches off, leaving the others to enjoy the “lousy, rotten, stinkin’ grapes” without him. Palatini’s tone is spot on. The lumbering bear is written in a way that makes him a delight to read aloud, the voice bumbling along slowly. Fox is frenzied, the other animals befuddled. The juxtaposition of all of the voices is great fun to read aloud. The writing is perfectly paced as well with each idea building on the next and the anticipation of success a great tension builder. Moser’s illustrations are large and funny. Fox being launched into the air again and again is a real hoot, as are the doubtful looks on the other animals’ faces. He uses white space with great effect to emphasize the distance between fox and grapes. A read aloud with action, humor and animals! What more could anyone want? Appropriate for ages 4-8. Reviewed from copy received from publisher. Add a Comment
By: Kara Schaff Dean,
on 8/20/2009
Blog: Not Just for Kids (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: fables, Aesop, wordless picture books, Jerry Pinkney, Add a tag My list for 2010 Caldecott nominations starts right here! Jerry Pinkney has illustrated some beautiful picture books over the course of his long, distinguished career, but with this retelling of the famous Aesop fable, he has really raised the bar and created a stunning piece of art. Even the physical book itself exudes craftsmanship as the slightly thicker paper used gives the book a feeling of
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By: Jennie,
on 3/4/2009
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Fiction, Graphic Novel, Adult, Fables, Bill Willingham, Jack of Fables, Add a tag
The song for today is I Don't Care (Live) by Draco and the Malfoys. Yes, it's a wizard rock song! And today, it makes me happy.  Um, I read this like, a year and a half ago. We start with a story about how Jack seduced the Snow Queen and became Jack Frost. Then a story arc about Jack's adventures in Vegas. Lots of gambling and women. Jack loses his money, regains it. My favorite part was Lady Luck, personified.  Oh, this has to be one of my favorite volumes so far, after 1001 Nights of Snowfall. This is King Ambrose's story (you may know him as Fly Catcher. After Santa made him remember, he knows what he has to do, and shoulders the burden. I don't want to get too much into it, but... oh. It's wonderful and heartbreaking and if you like this series at all, you must get at least as far as this volume! I also really liked the page borders in this story arc--very well done, especially the candy canes and cookies whenever Frau Tottenkinder was on the scene! The book does take a break in the middle for an interlude with Snow and Bigby's kids turn 5. It was a cute story that comes up again in the next Jack volume, but... my characters look a certain way. This issue was drawn by Aaron Alexovitch. It threw me at first because that's now what Snow White looks like! (Although I did like her curls...) I'm a big Alexovitch fan, but I do get set in my ways. What I did like though, is this story made me expose my first symptom of comic book geekery-- I knew Alexovitch drew it as soon as I saw the first few panels. After becoming familiar with his style for what he drew for Minx (Kimmie66, which wrote and drew, and Confessions of a Blabbermouth, which he drew) I can now spot his distinctive style at 20 paces.  Given the parallelism in titles, I did want more parallelism in stories between this and The Good Prince, which came out around the same time this omnibus did. But, this does tie Jack back into Fables. Something minor that happened in the birthday party issue has major consequences for Jack. Even better, remember a really long time ago (Volume 5, The Mean Seasons) when there was that guy who remembered the invasion of the wooden soldiers? (Not the reporter that thought they were vampires, the other Mundy who seems to have a clue) Well, he's back, with back story. Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out the significance of the tie-in (I don't want to spoil it--sorry for being cryptic). I still haven't figured out how I feel about the Jack spin-off yet. It's not as strong as Fables, but I think it has hope, but I'm afraid that might just be wishful thinking.  After being built up for so long, even though it takes a full volume, the coming war finally came and was... a little anti-climactic. But, I think the only way they could have made it not so would be to stretch it over several omnibus volumes, which means a million individual issues (Fables, is, after all, still published as your standard comic book.) I'm glad though, now that the war is over, that this isn't the last of the series, I want to see what else happens to these people. Also, one word on one of the casualties, here at the spoiler blog.  So, after the promise of the last volume of Jack, I thought this would be full of the war. Nope, just Jack running around various pockets of American mythology and urban legend, trying to stay ahead of Revise. Babe the Blue Ox, however, was quite hysterical. New volumes of each series are coming! Jack of Fables Vol. 5: Turning Pages is scheduled for March 10th (That's Tuesday!) Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages is scheduled for August! Way back in July, Weekly Geeks was having people ask questions about our unreviewed books. Jack of Hearts was on my unreviewed list, and I got some questions! Nymeth asks: What did you think of Jack of Fables? Do you recommend being up to date on the Fables series before picking it up? I'm still torn on it. For the first few, it's ok if you're behind on your Fables, but don't read The Bad Prince without being up to The Good Prince! 
0 Comments on Bigby Wolf is my HERO as of 1/1/1900
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By: Carol Fitzgerald,
on 12/4/2008
Blog: bookreporter.com (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Fables, Bill Willingham, Add a tag Not all of the best presents are given on birthdays or holidays. For graphic novel artist Bill Willingham , creator of the Fables Comics series, the best gift he ever received came at the most unlikely of times --- on a sick day.What is arguably (and since I'm the only one in this particular essay allowed to make an argument, I win) the most important book in my life was given to me as a result
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By: Anne Boles Levy,
on 11/28/2007
Blog: Book Buds KidLit Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: winter, 2-4 and older, Animal Characters, Asian Culture, Fables, rabbits, Add a tag
Rabbit's Gift: A Fable from China The rabbit in this story starts out with an extra turnip, and winds up with a lot of friends. He passes along the extra turnip to Donkey, who he imagines is lonely. Donkey--not knowing it came from Rabbit--passes the surprise treat along to another animal friend he thinks might need it more. And so on, until it comes full circle. An end note states that variations of the story have turned up in places as different as Germany and Jordan, and likely exist "among and beyond these cultures." The understated acrylics cover a lot of ground emotionally, from the animals' kindly nature to the frosty landscape. You can almost feel a chill in the air (though maybe I have the heat turned too low) in Dronzek's expressionistic blending of blues, grays and whites. A dab of yellow in rabbit's white fur tells us something about his disposition--a ray of warmth in the harsh winter. Rating: *\*\*\ Add a Comment
By: Jennie,
on 6/28/2007
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Fairy Tales, Graphic Novel, Fables, Bill Willingham, Add a tag
I can't believe that I forgot to mention one minor highlight of my time at ALA. The one time I really, really wished that I had my camera on the exhibit floor was when I saw Matthew Lesko. And yes, he was wearing the question mark suit. It was kinda awesome. Times like that make me wish I had a camera phone, but for my birthday, I'm holding out for a hammock and a new messenger bag, because mine's lived a good life but is falling apart...  If nothing else, it's pretty long-- it might be the longest volume in the series and is definitely longer than the last few installments. The Adversary is trying to recover from Bigby's attack on the sacred grove. They have terrible plans to destroy Fabletown and the mundane world where it's found. Several of the small, tangent, one-off stories from the past are being worked into the main plot. For instance, Rodney (from "The Ballad of Rodney and June" from Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days), is now being worked into the main plot. Several of the back stories from Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall are now becoming important... There are also several little short side stories-- not full plots, but a few pages here and there about residents of Fabletown we haven't quite met yet, and, it looks like another human might be gumming up the works. I'll be honest, the bulk of this book is short little asides, not the main plot. But it sets up a lot of tension for what's to come. This is the calm before the storm, but the storm clouds are there and the wind is whipping up... There are a few Christmas stories (which pretty much meld into one long story arc). We find out why Santa lives at the North Pole and how he manages to hit everyone's house on Christmas Eve... and I have a feeling the Christmas stories are going to become very important later on-- something big is brewing. At the end, we get a short little section where the writers answer some reader's questions... My only complaint is that the last half of the Christmas stories and the reader's questions is drawn by a different artist than normal. It was a little jarring because it wasn't a reinterpretation of the characters like in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall but everyone, especially Snow White and Bigby, just looked a little... off. A minor quibble though. Fables continues to deliver high quality and smart stories. If anything, the series continually gets better-- now onto the agonizing wait for the next one.
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By: Anne Boles Levy,
on 6/18/2007
Blog: Book Buds KidLit Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: 2-4 and older, Animal Characters, Fables, Add a tag
Out of the Egg It's hard to be vindictive. You want so much to get back at the rude slobs who make your life miserable, the friends who leave you in the lurch. But is revenge really sweet? Matthews updates the Little Red Hen and in a few lines plunges her into our modern ethical conundrums, where leaving cat, pig and rat in the cold won't do. Yet she doesn't let those bums off the hook, either. Y'see, Little Red Hen not only tends her seed, then seedling, and then the tree, she hatches an egg. And the chick wants to play with the cat, pig and rat's offspring, only Mom's still sore about all the work the parent animals refused to do. And isn't life like that? You don't want your kid playing with X because his parents are jerks. But how do you say no? "Mum, that's MEAN!" says the little chick, and I felt sheepish right along with her. But how she gets back at the others -- and pulls the story full circle -- I'll leave for you to discover. It's clever and witty, and not mean at all. Matthews pairs the story's simplicity with bare-bones woodcuts; heavy black outlines and splotches of red or green keep the eye riveted to the key figures. Even so, we get the clear idea that Pig's a trailer trash slut, Cat's a status-obsessed yuppie and Rat's, well, a rat. Rating: *\*\*\ Add a Comment
By: Jennie,
on 6/12/2007
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: mo willems, Travel, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Adult, Nonfiction, Fables, Bill Willingham, barry lyga, Marjane Satrapi, miki falls, mike crilley, YA, Add a tag
So, I was really, really, really looking forward to coming home from class tonight and reading Sons of Empire. But it wasn't waiting for me on my doorstep. Publication is getting pushed back to August. UGH. Don't the good people at Vertigo know that I was counting on that to hold me over until Love Is a Many Trousered Thing comes out in early July? Which was in turn holding me over until THE BIG ONE?  Jack is a new Fables spin-off series. Jack was too big for Fable Town and was living the high life in LA, but now he's been kidnapped and forced into retirement by Mr. Revise-- the head librarian. Mr. Revise doesn't like Fables that are too big for their britches and holds them in his compound until the Mundies forget them, thereby stripping them of their power. This is where Mother Goose now lives. But, we know Jack, and nothing can hold him. If you like Fables, you'll like Jack. It's along the same lines with the same new spin and smart humor. I also want to add that I spent the entire book trying to place Sam the maintenance main. It wasn't until the end, when he did his thing with the tigers, that it clicked.  I don't read a lot of manga. It tends to not be my thing, but there was a question about this at work, so I picked it up. Now I can't wait until Miki Falls: Summer So, it's Miki's first day of her senior year in high school when she meets the new boy in town, Hiro. Hiro pushes everyone away and doesn't want to make friends, or fit in. Miki knows there's something behind his tough exterior and wants in. Slowly, she starts chipping down his walls, only to find a really deep, big secret. I was kinda blase on this until I found out what the secret was. Which I can't say, because that would totally ruin the book. But it's a really interesting concept that has me enthralled. Definitely on the girly side of things, I'm hooked.  I fell in love with Marjane Satrapi's work this spring. Chicken with Plums is a short book looking at an Iranian musician's final days. After his wife breaks his tar during an arguement, Nasser Ali Khan can not find a new one he likes the sound of. Eventually, being unable to find a new instrument to play, he loses the will to live, and decides to die. In the eight days until his death, Satrapi (his great-niece) chronicles his dreams and hallucinations, illuminating his past and the future of his family. The same elements that make Satrapi's previous works great are at play here, with the element of mystical realism, and heartbreak. Her art tends to be stark, which adds to the bleakness that Nasser Ali, and the reader, feels as he waits for Death to come to him.  Those of us who are hep to kidlit best know Mr. Willems from such fantastic titles as Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and Leonardo, the Terrible Monster. That last one is one of my favorites for storytime-- especially that temper tantrum bit in the middle. I really get into that one. Anyway, back in the day, before he started writing hilarious children's books that adults enjoy almost as much as children, but on a whole different level, back when Willems was just a recent college grad not entirely sure what to do with this life... he took a trip around the world. Instead of keeping a traditional travel journal, at the end of each day, Willems drew one cartoon. His cartoons tend not to cover the big tourist things, or the splendor of a country, but rather those little moments that make travel so awesome and perfect. Most cartoons had a caption and Willems has added modern day captions and commentary as well. Some of my favorites were from December 9th, "While ordering lunch, make a mental note to learn the Thai word for 'chicken'" or July 3, "Old enough to smoke, young enough to play hide and seek." Dave Barry's introduction is also hilarious and sets the book up perfectly.  Donnie's the geeky scrawny kid who's always getting picked on in dodgeball with the gym teacher never noticing, or caring. His best friend is a super-cool jock, so they can't hang out together at school (even though I got the feeling this is mor Donnie's imagining of an unspoken rule that his friend really didn't care about). His mother is pregnant and won't let anyone come over to the house, and he hates his stepdad. The only real comfort he gets is from reading comic books and drawing his own. Then, one day, the goth girl, Kyra enters his life and everything changes. Boy meets amazing/weird girl who changes everything has been a trend I've noticed a lot in YA books recently. Maybe this is the boy equivelent of the girl story of girl cruches after hott popular guy and never realizes until the end that her best guy friend is her prince charming after all... I liked this book. Donnie's voice is sharp and authentic. And Lyga's love of comic books shows through, which is why I'm including it in this post, even though it's not a graphic novel. Also, I have 17 books checked out from the library and another 6 borrowed from other people. So, the first part of my "read what you own, doofus" challenge is to, well, read those 23 titles. I'm halfway through the biggest, slowest going one, Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France.
2 Comments on GRAPHIX, last added: 6/16/2007
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Boo! The Fables/Jack of Fables was utter shite, and this smacks of desperation. Thanks in advance for screwing up your best title, Vertigo (not referring to Fables, obvs).
Should be “Fables/Jack of Fables crossover”, obvs. Sorry.
>> Does this mean that Fables is a comic book in the Unwritten universe? >>
Why not? It’s a comic book in this one.
And it’s not like having MOBY-DICK characters show up made people wonder whether MOBY-DICK was a novel in the UNWRITTEN universe. Of course it was.
So for which issues of Fables do orders need to be decreased to Unwritten levels?
From the article: “will only take place in The Unwritten, and not in the Fables series itself.”
I’m looking forward to this. “The Unwritten” has been consistently at the top of my pile since sometime in its first year, and while I stopped reading Fables after they took back the homelands, this should still be a lot of fun.
Also, the “On To Genesis” arc in The Unwritten was an interesting look at the early days of the comics industry as something new and untamed, a revolution of possibility that had to be brought under the cabal’s control.
“I’m looking forward to this. “The Unwritten” has been consistently at the top of my pile since sometime in its first year, and while I stopped reading Fables after they took back the homelands, this should still be a lot of fun.”
Yes, well, the difference in quality between the two series is exactly why I’m not looking forward to this crossover.
Fables and Unwritten don’t exist in the same universe — they exist in the same *multiverse,* #comicbookphysicsmadeeasy
Well, Unwritten already has commented on superhero comics, with the “On to Genesis” storyline.
http://www.vertigocomics.com/graphic-novels/the-unwritten-vol-5-on-to-genesis