The way Willingham was building up the previous issue of Fables, I was expecting this issue to be just a well-executed plan, a series of genius tactical maneuvers that left our heroes mostly untouched but certainly a little battered. I was right on two counts, at least, but Willingham does not have in mind a situation that is mostly bloodless and all about the illusion of change. No, the assault on Fabletown by the Adversary's forces is bloody and deadly and something that will definitely leave its marks on the series. It's darker than I expected, and the deaths and surprises come quickly, and in the end, it all feels less like the dark fantasy that has been the tone of the series and more of a war comic with a fantasy touch to it. The same elements of humor and imagination are to be found here, and the issue still feels very much like Fables, but Willingham serves notice here that he's not afraid to shake things up, and as a result I'm more involved in the series than ever.
Fables has done a pretty good job of subverting my expectations from day one, and this issue is no exception. It seems like every page of this one has some surprise to offer, whether it's the shocking (or maybe just seeming) demise of a major character or a new twist of strategy from the Fabletown camp. I read this issue and was surprised to see Willingham being this willing to muck around with the characters he's spent so long building up, and while he certainly has a core of characters that remain relatively safe and an endless supply of new characters to create, I think it's a good sign that he's willing to shake up the status quo in the name of a good story.
Because Fables tends to be something of a character-based piece that is usually leavened with humor, I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed an issue that was little more than pages of action. Willingham misses a couple chances to hit on character stuff that he might have taken if he'd had more room (I was hoping that the trolls would be keeping count of their foes, as a payoff for last issue's wager, for example), but in general the mixture of action and characterization remains pretty solid here. There are some interesting revelations about the true character of Prince Charming and King Cole, when taken out of the political roles they've been in for the past couple stories, and there's some real tragedy to be found in these battles as well. Even though it seems pretty likely that Fabletown will emerge victorious in the end, Willingham gives a sense throughout of a potentially doomed battle, and the sense that win or lose, this battle will cost the Fables dearly.
I've always thought that Buckingham was a good artist, but I'm starting to realize that, at least on Fables, he is a spectacular one. Not only does he continue to impress with the double-page spreads (this issue has a particularly great one of the big fighters taking on the Adversary's forces), but he also does great panel work, and his artwork is no small part of why the action in this issue feels so big. It can be a little overwhelming at time, with the number of characters on-panel, but Buckingham's work is always clear and always exciting. In addition, little touches like his designs for some of the Fables, like some of the nonhuman grenadiers, are terrific.
There's something to be said for consistent quality, and Fables has had that from the start, but there's also something to be said for a series that, two years in, can still shock and surprise. Fables has that too, and this issue, a turning point in "March of the Wooden Soldiers" story, proves it.
