The threat of the Dark One is rising in New York, in the ruins of old Fabletown. He’s gathering Mundy minions to build him a castle. He’s the biggest threat Fabletown faces yet, but their forces are split. In the old Business Office, Bufkin, the Magic Mirror, and Frankenstein’s head are all trapped with the escaped Baba Yaga. The coven of witches up at the Farm are in the middle of a power struggle. King Cole, Beast, and Beauty are doing all they can to hold both human and animal citizens together, but with Rose Red still bedridden, there’s little hope of pacifying either side. Flycatcher, King of Haven, is struggling with his first ever court case. Does the divided Fabletown stand a chance against the Dark One, or will the divide make it easier for them to be destroyed?

This volume packed a lot of emotional punch. Snow White and Rose Red’s backstory is finally revealed, and drove me to tears at the end of their issue. Though we know some of Frau Totenkinder’s story already, we see her return to her roots to try to banish the Dark One. Beauty and Beast also find great happiness! Their character development has been among the best in the series. The art was pretty consistent throughout this book, with Mark Buckingham appearing most frequently. His whimsical, highly detailed art is most suited to this series, and he has such a way of capturing facial expressions to evoke exactly the emotion the story is supposed to. As ever, looking forward to more!

– Kathleen

Willingham, Bill, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Jim Fern, David Lapham, and Inaki Miranda. Fables: The Deluxe Edition (Book 11). 2015.