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Willingham, Bill, Lan Medina, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Craig Hamilton. Fables (The Deluxe Edition): Book 1. 2009.

Not gonna lie, I’ve been meaning to get into this series for a while. One of my coworkers at my old job loved it and she told me I’d like it. But then life (read as: grad school) happened and it fell low on my to-read list.

As it turns out, my boss at one of my libraries is also big into comics. We were talking video games one day and I mentioned I really like the Telltale Games series. He told me to play The Wolf Among Us, which I hadn’t gotten to yet, and that’s based on the comic series. Like I was gonna tell my boss no when he tells me to do something? =P I could do a separate review for the game, because HOLY CRAP IT WAS AMAZING. It was so good it made me start reading the comics.

Once upon a time, in a land called New York City, there was a hidden neighborhood called Fabletown. It was populated with characters you would recognize from your bedtime stories: Snow White, Little Boy Blue, Beauty and the Beast, and even the Big Bad Wolf. They were exiled from their Homelands and have made their new home in the mundane world, keeping themselves secreted away. For the most part, they have governed themselves, but there is a kidnapper – possibly a killer – on the loose. And for one of them, it’s personal: Rose Red, Snow White’s sister, is the Fable who’s missing. Sheriff Bigby Wolf is on the case, and Snow is along for the ride – whether he likes it or not.

This book is awesome!!! It throws fairy tale characters into an ’80s metropolis with a heavy hand on the detective noir. The art reminded me of newspaper comics, with washed out colors and simple panel layouts, yet still finely detailed. I preferred the neon palette of TWAU, so I hope it starts feeling more like that in later books. Due to the language and sometimes violent and sexual nature, it’s definitely not a kid’s comic. But it was a riot, hilarious and thrilling and more than a little naughty. I’m hooked.

Nancy and I hope you guys have a fun and safe Halloween! =D

– Kathleen

Also read: Book Two , Book Three & Book Four