I'm getting the sense that Fables is not a "status quo" book. Willingham's new story expands on story elements already laid down, such as the romance between Bigby and Snow, the underhanded tactics of Bluebeard and the psychotic behavior of Goldilocks, but he's exploring new territory. Certainly I didn't expect the confrontation between Bluebeard and another character engaging in uncharacteristic chivalry, or the way that duel ends, and I was surprised by some of the revelations about Bigby as well. Buckingham and Leialoha go all out on this issue as well, with a well-done swordfight and exceptionally good work on the wilderness setting of the Bigby/Snow story, as well as an impressive rendition once again of Bigby's wolf form.
Despite his sour demeanor, I think that Bigby is easily my favorite character of this series. Every time we learn something about him, we learn that his gruff exterior is a front, and that he's probably one of the most intelligent and even sensitive characters in the book. His story of why he feels the way he does about Snow has an element of tragedy, as it seems like he's really given no choice in the matter, and it makes him seem a little more noble for resisting what his feelings have been telling him for years. There are also some fantastic sequences that show off his physical prowess, including Buckingham's terrific design for Bigby as an enormous wolf or the neat little trick that he reveals this issue as result of his mixed heritage.
Aside from a funny one-page interlude with the flying monkey, the rest of the book is pretty much taken up by Bluebeard and Prince Charming, and I was very surprised by the interaction between these two. Last issue we learned that Charming was backing the spy effort into Bluebeard, and this issue we see him showing a lot more bravery than we've come to expect from him. The duel plays off some previously revealed information about Bluebeard, and it shows a side of Prince Charming that we don't see very often, but which fits in with the guy who in the stories rescued several damsels from their fates.
Willingham knows how to surprise, even after a year has passed in which the reader can get used to the rhythm and style of the book. The revelations about Bigby's abilities, or his parentage, is a nice touch that fits right into his origin as a Fable, and it comes with some spectacular visuals courtesy of Buckingham and Leialoha that make the abilities come across as impressive. In addition, while I've learned not to trust first impressions after Willingham brought Snow back from a seemingly fatal head wound, the end of the Charming/Bluebeard duel carries some fairly major implications for the series.
Even with more than a year of high expectations behind it, Fables continues to impress. Willingham and his co-creators have crafted a variety of interesting characters and situations in amongst a great premise, and the range of stories, from romance to caper to murder mystery, show that there's a lot of rich, untapped potential in the series for the future.
