Thursday's Tales - Week 3

Fables and Jack of Fables - A Catch-up Post

Jack of Fables - Volume 9: The End by Bill Willingham and Company

Completion Date: July 17, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with the Series.

Jack Frost seeks to kill a dragon, unaware that it’s his own father. Jack Frost has just set upon the greatest quest in a long and distinguished career of great quests: To kill a dragon. Of course, he is not aware that the dragon in question is in fact his own father. Meanwhile, the Page Sisters find a new purpose in life: restoring the Great Library. This volume includes JACK OF FABLES #50, a special issue that includes appearances by everyone who’s ever shown up in the series.

When I first started reading this series, I would have been hard-pressed to pick a favourite between it and Fables, but then it went off in a direction that didn't really work for me. I enjoy the idea of Jack of Fables, but Fables will always be my first love. I am still sad that this is the end of the series, though. This will probably be filled with spoilers with it being the last book in the series, so if you don't want anything ruined you probably should skip down to the next review. In the earlier Jack of Fables, that was Jack of Beanstalk, Giant, etc fame. Now it has passed on to his son Jack Frost. I like Jack Frost, but his father was much more entertaining. He has been turned into a dragon and only makes periodic appearances now. In this edition, though, they have brought everyone back together again for a very interesting end to the series. The art was wonderful as always and I have overall enjoyed reading this series. If you want to know the details, you should read it yourself. It is no fun if I ruin it for you!

Series:
The (Nearly) Great Escape
Jack of Hearts
The Bad Prince
Americana
Turning Pages
The Big Book of War
The New Adventures of Jack and Jack
The Fulminate Blade (review)

The End

Fables - Volume 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham & Company (reread)

Completion Date: July 25, 2011

Reason for Reading: I never reviewed some of the books in the series.

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Fabletown's sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf (Bigby Wolf), to determine if the killer is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber.

In 2009 I bought this book and its direct sequel with Christmas gift cards. I have been hearing about the series off and on for years, but I don't generally buy graphic novels. Let's just say that by the end of 2009 I was pretty much caught-up with the series and I do not like to think about the money that took. It was fun going back and seeing the start of the series. I had been regretting that I only reviewed some of the books in the series, so I figured with a reread I could at least have something written down for all of them. A lot of people have been comparing this comic to the television show Once Upon a Time. There are similarities, but I think there are enough differences that it is not really the same at all. I have to admit that I would have loved to see a television show of Fables, but I am also enjoying that instead there is something fresh to enjoy. In 2009 when I reviewed this book for the first time I had this to say:

It was great! This is an awesome idea for a series. I am so excited to read more from it. I can safely say that something from Fables will be on my Best of... list for 2009!

Two years later I still consider this one of my favourite series and I am looking forward to reread the rest of the books.

Fables: Volume 2 - Animal Farm by Bill Willingham & Company (reread)

Completion Date: November 3, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with the rereads.

Collecting FABLES #6-10, the second story arc of the fan-favorite, critically acclaimed VERTIGO series. Travel to upstate New York, where the non-human Fable characters have found refuge on a farm, miles from mankind. But all is not well on the farm — and a conspiracy to free them from the shackles of their perceived imprisonment may lead to a war that could wrest control of the Fables community away from Snow White. Starring Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Plus, a sketchbook section featuring art by Willingham, Buckingham and Jean.

I consider to enjoy this series and the rereads. It was nice to be reminded of little details that I had forgotten since reading this book for the first time in 2009. With the series there are lots of fairy tale and bookish connections. There are many that I am sure have gone right over my head, but in this instance I had actually read Animal Farm by George Orwell and could compare the two easily. It was surprising how easy it was to do, too, because there really is a farm of animals from popular fairy tales that were unable to live in Fabletown. They are unhappy with the way things are, though, and begin acting out a scene very similar to the popular novel. After I finished this book in 2009 I was in a huge hurry to move in the series. It just keeps getting better and better. The art is once again wonderful and well-worth checking out.

Series:

Legends in Exile (review)
Animal Farm (review)
Storybook Love (review)
March of the Wooden Soldiers (review)
The Mean Seasons (review)
Homelands (review)
Arabian Nights (and Days) (review)
Wolves (review)
Sons of Empire (review)
The Good Prince
War and Pieces
The Dark Ages
The Great Fables Crossover
Witches (review)
Rose Red (review)
Super Group (Forth-coming)

Thursday's Tales - Week 2

Carol at Carol's Notebook has this Thursday feature called Thursday's Tales that I have decided to adopt.

Jorinda and Jorindel

This is the story about an evil fairy and two young lovers. It is a typical fairy tale in that the woman is captured, turned into a nightingale in this instance, and the male character has to come to her rescue after being let go by the evil fairy. When I was a child I never really paid attention to the 'Damsel in Distress' idea, but now that I am older I obviously notice it a lot more. It's sad that fairy tales can't be a bit more empowering. And, it is too bad that so many people read these stories and believe in the knight in shining armour.

The Travelling Musicians

This was a cute story. A donkey, dog, cat, and cock have reached their older years and their owners have decided they have out-lived their usefulness. The animals decide that they are going to have to set out on their own to avoid terrible fates. It starts with the donkey wanting to go to town to become a musician and he encounters the other animals on his journey. Things do not quite play out exactly how they plan, but they end up with a happy ending.

Thursday's Tales - Week 1

Carol at Carol's Notebook has this Thursday feature called Thursday's Tales that I have decided to adopt. I actually had a similar feature a few years ago called Fairy Tale Friday. I really wanted to read the complete edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales and a few others. I never managed to keep it up, though. Well, actually, maybe I never did it at all in the end. I can't seem to find the posts I think should exist. Moving on... I decided to retry reading Grimms' Fairy Tales just to start it off. I also have a few other collections and there are some that came with my e-reader.

THE GOLDEN BIRD

A trait that often appears in fairy tales is the idea of things happening in three. For this particular story, there are three brothers that first attempt to catch the thief stealing apples from the king's tree. The first two brothers fail, but the third finds out that there is a Golden Bird stealing them. This launches an adventure where each brother attempts to find the Golden Bird. The first two brothers even are advised by a fox what to do, but they still fail. The third brother is ultimately successful, but not without a few problems along the way. He knows to listen to the fox, but he doesn't always do so. It doesn't matter, though, because he wins in the end. I liked this story better than one where the first two brothers don't listen at all, but when the third brother comes along he does everything perfect. This put a bit of a different twist on things.

HANS IN LUCK

This story is just silly. The main character is not the sharpest tool in the shed, let me tell you. The story starts off with him going home and being paid with a piece of silver the size of his head. It is very heavy, though, and he quickly finds someone willing to trade for it. This continues until he is once again carrying a heavy stone. This time it is just a regular rock that he loses in the water and discovers just how lucky he is that he doesn't have to carry it the rest of the way home. So, all the people he has traded with wind up with treasures and he is excited to get home and tell his mother just how lucky he is. He doesn't seem to care that he is going home empty-handed. It doesn't say, but it makes you wonder just how happy his mother was about the whole story...