Fables has proven to be a delightful series, and it comes as no surprise to those of us who've been following Bill Willingham's creative comeback in the pages of various Vertigo books over the past four years or so. The allure of this one-shot is that it promises some answers to the dark events that forced these storybook figures out of their fantasy-land home into the real world with the rest of us. Unfortunately, it doesn't really deliver. Sure, Willingham makes it seem as though he lets his readership in on some key information, but we come away knowing little more than we did going in. And that's fine, but there's not really a strong plot here, and what story we do get lacks tension.
It's the Ides of May, and that means a select group of Fables are going to gather for a sombre remembrance of fallen friends. Snow White asks Little Boy Blue about this unusual tradition that's observed by the last group of Fables to escape the storybook lands, and he decides to share the story. He tells her of how he was the right-hand man to a brilliant military man ages ago, and how he defended the last sanctuary of the Fables from the onslaught of the Adversary's army, allowing the final ship-load of refugees to escape destruction.
Hamilton's style is well suited to the task at hand. He captures the medieval and magical tone of the title characters adeptly, and he provides some detailed views of these colorful characters and their stronghold. One can easily see P. Craig Russell's influence in the panel layouts and the inks as well. Unfortunately, there's a grave tone in the script that's not reflected in the artwork. Sure, there's an unflinching view of the violence, but the wide-eyed characters and brighter colors don't really convey the more dramatic and tense tone that the script attempts to foster.
Willingham provides a glimpse at some familiar and not-so familiar storybook characters and sheds some light on why we haven't seen them in New York or the Fables Farm in the regular series yet (and why we'll never see them). I love the large cast he uses here to tell his story, and how he mixes the innocence of these characters with raunchier perspectives and attitudes. Such dichotomous takes on these classic characters represent one of the greatest strengths of the Fables concept.
The main plot here takes the reader off guard. It turns out the main point of Boy Blue's story is to tell of his connection with Red Riding Hood, and the two-ships-passing-in-the-night riff they had going during this climactic period. The thing is that Willingham doesn't convince me of their connection, and it's not until the latter part of the book that it really becomes an issue. Furthermore, Willingham tells the reader -- right from the start -- that the tale is going to be a bloody one, and that a limited number of Fables make it out of it alive. It robs the story of suspense.
