Ever since Neil Gaiman ended his series “The Sandman” in 1996, several comic books have attempted to seize the throne left vacant by the “King of Dreams.” Gaiman’s series was easily one of the most entertaining and intellectual comic books ever printed. Throughout its run, he weaved a tale of Morpheus, also known simply as Dream, who was the King of Dreams. Gaiman’s work chronicled Dream’s exploits, along with the many characters in his life. His sisters, Death and Delirium played pivotal roles, and the series was a huge success for DC Comics.
I have to admit, it is difficult to explain this series to those who haven’t read it. It is very much a Greek tragedy tale that has been turned into a deconstruction of fairy tales, myths, literature and aspects of modern society. But, any description of “The Sandman” could never do the series justice. Gaiman wrote the book for almost 10 years, and in that time, he received a plethora of awards, had collections of “The Sandman” on the New York Times best-seller list and cemented his status as a genius creative talent along the way.
But, as I said, Gaiman finished the series in 1996. When he brought it to an end, readers in love with his style and his take on mythical characters have looked for a similar comic book ever since.
Over the past few years, I’ve heard praise for DC Comics’ “Fables,” a series written by Bill Willingham. It is based on fairy tale characters that inhabit the real world. More than a few readers have told me that “Fables” reminded them of Gaiman’s work.
At first, I decided to do what I usually do when I hear a series being compared to “The Sandman.” I ignored it. In comics, as with most industries, when one book is a critical hit, or is well respected, other books with similar themes will follow, and often, reviewers or readers will say that the new series is “just like” a series that was actually good. It’s a shame — all too often I’ve wasted money on comics that I had heard were “just like” Gaiman’s books, or were similar to Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” or Moore’s “Miracle Man” series. So, it was with trepidation that I sat down and read the first two collected volumes of “Fables.”
I can officially say that, in my hesitation, I ignored a wonderful series. Willingham created a vibrant world full of familiar characters in interesting situations, and while it isn’t quite the next “Sandman,” the series has a wealth of merits on its own.
The books concern the lives of fairy tale characters that have been forced from their various comfortable fairy tale lands to live in real world New York.
Central to the series are King Cole, who has become mayor of Fabletown (a city for the fairy tale characters that is disguised as a skyscraper); Snow White, who is divorced from Prince Charming and works as the mayor’s aide; Bigby Wolf, who is in fact, the Big Bad Wolf, but has learned to shape shift to hide his wolf-like appearance — he’s the sheriff of Fabletown, and Jack Horner, who has had adventures in the “Jack and the Beanstalk” story. He’s become something of a rogue in “Fables.” There are many other characters here. Willingham brings characters from all types of fables, myths and literature into this world. It’s a lot of fun just to see the what familiar characters are up to in this world. Just wait until you see Willingham’s take on Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Willingham is also careful with how he handles his overall plot. Little is revealed about the true identity of “The Adversary,” the leader of the force responsible for taking over fairy tale lands and evicting the Fables. Willingham held that secret close until long into the series, and I‘m not going to reveal the enemy’s identity here, but it is a good surprise.
Willingham also does something intelligent with how he frames his story. The first story arch, collected in “Fables: Legends in Exile,” is a murder-mystery that involves Bigby Wolf investigating the murder of Snow White’s sister, Rose Red. Using Bigby’s investigation as a way of introducing readers to each character’s history and motivation was a great way to pull readers in to the world of “Fables.” The next collection (appropriately titled “Animal Farm”) introduces readers to a farm outside of New York where the Fables who can’t pass as humans are forced to live. Just as in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” the creatures have a desire for more and Snow White must act as the mayor’s emissary and quell a revolution on the farm.
I’ve got to stop here because, as I said, I’m late to the party on this title, and I’m just now reading the third collection of the long-running, ongoing series. It’s a blast following the further, “grown-up” adventures of many of the fairy tale characters that we have all grown up with.
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