That Bill Willingham... there's just no predicting what he's going to do next. Though he's based his characters on classic fairy tales, he makes it clear that as far as he's concerned, he's working with a blank slate, free to do with these characters as he wishes. And that means there's always potential for big change, for big surprises. And there's plenty of that to be found in this issue. Though I love the unpredictability of the book, what really made this issue stand out for me was some sharp characterization that enables the reader to walk a mile in a wolf's... uh, paws.
Bigby Wolf leads Snow through the woods of the Cascade Mountains, and in the process, he shows off some skills that Snow had forgotten about, even if the storybooks haven't. They've figured out that Goldilocks is stalking them, and Bigby decides that the time is soon coming when they'll have to stand their ground. Meanwhile, back in Fairytown, Prince Charming confronts Bluebeard about what he's learned, and a challenge is issued.
Buckingham offers up some interesting page designs here. I love how the more traditional panel layouts of the Bigby/Snow scenes compare with the shield design he uses in the Charming/Bluebeard sequences. The background detail here is meticulous and impressive, but the artist makes sure the characters boast a slightly simpler look. It's a nice mix of dark and mature storytelling with the fairy-tale nostalgia that serves as the foundation of the title's premise.
James Jean's covers really make this book stand out as well. Even on this cover alone, he employs different styles and imagery that sums up this intricate and unpredictable story quite well without giving anything away.
The greatest strength of this episode is Bigby's speech about his feelings for Snow. Willingham pulls off what I might have thought was the impossible: he convinces me of Bigby's feelings for Snow White without sacrificing the character's exotic and feral nature. He convinces the reader of the notion that Bigby is a man and an animal. The writer juggles the ideas of humanity and base instinct quite well, and it makes for a character that stands out as rather unique in comics. That's no small feat.
In the past few issues, Willingham has been leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for his readers, leading them to believe that a showdown between Bigby and Bluebeard was around the next bend. The trail of crumbs ends in this issue, but it leads to an unexpected destination. Prince Charming is a wild card in this series. He's neither protagonist or antagonist. He's a rogue, and he brings a dynamic to the story that throws the traditional hero-versus-villain approach out the window. I also love how the dark and petty conflicts among these characters contrasts with the more wondrous qualities of the characters, those elements that reminds one of simpler stories at simpler times in our lives.
