I'm not really fond of interruptions in an ongoing tale, especially one in which the mysteries are so tantalizing in the first place. Fortunately, while "Cinderella Libertine" is a one issue story that interrupts "March of the Wooden Soldiers," it is also an excellent tale, with a couple really nifty surprises and the exploration of a couple more characters that we haven't seen before. I wasn't taken by Tony Akins's artwork at first, but as I continued to read his art, which has elements of the styles of Linda Medley and Alan Davis, won me over. Willingham continues to surprise and impress with Fables, and though I don't cherish the notion of waiting another month to find out what's going on with "March of the Wooden Soldier," it's hard to complain when this interlude was one of the best Fables stories yet told.
One of the really great ideas that Willingham has come up with in Fables is the notion that the various Prince Charmings from the story are in fact one man. One womanizing, self-involved and utterly charming and good looking man who can get away with being a complete heel. Not only is it just a great idea on the face of it, it has allowed him to give a certain common thread to some of the female characters in Fables, including Snow White, Briar Rose and, introduced in this issue, Cinderella. Their common background makes it easy for Willingham to develop Cinderella quickly as a bitter and maybe even dangerous person.
The real genius of this story, however, comes after we've met Cinderella and dispensed with Prince Charming's part in the tale, and we see a bit of an illicit rendezvous going on in Paris. Be warned, if you're exceptionally spoiler sensitive, you should probably stop reading the review here. While I don't want to spoil anything, even hinting broadly at the genius of this story might give it away. Duly warned? OK. Willingham spends the entire story heading in one direction, only to pull a clever fake out at the end, and I didn't see it coming, even though a second read-through makes it perfectly clear. It's well-executed mystery writing, the sort of thing Willingham also did in his first Fables arc.
As I said in the beginning of the review, I wasn't so sure about Akins's artwork at first. His take on the various ex-wives was very stylized, and it seemed like it might be a bit overly stylized for my taste. As I read on, however, I grew to appreciate Akins's excellent facial expressions and body language for his characters, and he definitely captured the main characteristics of both Cinderella and Ichabod Crane in their look and the way they "moved" on the page. I started off unsure about Akins's work, but by the time I had reached the end of the story I was convinced that he was an ideal regular artist should Buckingham decide to move on.
Actually, this entire story is one that slowly draws you in, leading you to certain expectations and then pulling the rug out from you. This is not a mere stunt story or fill-in, however; Willingham reveals some fairly important details about the way some of the major Fables' characters work, and the notion of a spy for the Adversary certainly resonates with the story going on in "March of the Wooden Soldiers," even though this story isn't really connected to that one in any way. This is a great read for regular Fables fans and also a pretty good introduction for anyone who's been looking for a self-contained jumping-on point.
