Comic Info
Comic Name: Fables
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artist: Mark Buckingham/Steven Leialoha/Inaki Miranda/Andrew Pepoy/Dan Green
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2011
Fables #97
Reprints Fables #94-100 (June 2010-January 2011). The Farm is in a state of disarray as the Dark Man is growing in power in New York City. With factions vying for control of the Farm, Rose Red lies in her bedroom mourning Boy Blue. Flashing back to her childhood with Snow White, Rose learns how she and Snow became separated and now must decide what to do about. Meanwhile Frau Totenkinder is searching for a means to end the threat of Mr. Dark, as Ozma and the other witches wonder if this will be the Fables last stand.
Written by Bill Willingham, Fables Volume 15: Rose Red is a DC Comics fantasy series published under the Vertigo imprint. The volume collects the “Rose Red” storyline, a single issue, and the oversized Fables #100 (January 2011). Following Fables Volume 14: Witches, the collection features art by Mark Buckingham, STeven Lejaloha, Inaki Miranda, Andrew Pepoy, and Dan Green.
Fables is a great series and this volume continues the strong tradition. I love it when Fables really dives into the “fabled” past of its characters and this one heavily ties into Rose and Snow’s past. When I was young, I remember not understanding how the “Snow White and Rose Red” fairy tale tied to the “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” story. While in reality, there was no tie; Willingham crafts the story into one tale like he has done with other stock fairy tale characters in the past. It is a fun solution to the Rose Red and Snow White problem and continues to show the ingenuity of the series.
Fables #100
The “Rose Red” five part storyline is followed by a stand-alone issue called “Dark City in Fables #99 (December 2010) which stands to set-up the threads of the big battle story in Fables #100. It does feel a bit like filler, and I actually wish there had maybe been either another set-up issue or that this story had been woven into the “Rose Red” storyline…It feels like a bit of a downbeat from the fun “Rose Red” story.
“Dark City” leads into the big battle of Fables #100. Fables #100 was massive and almost a “collection” by itself. It had a whopping $9.99 cover price (a bit of an issue for me), but in the Fables 15: Rose Red collection, it the bonus material found in the comic. I have to say, I was a little let down by Fables #100…After the dramatic death of Boy Blue, I was expecting more death and carnage in Fables #100. There were really no deaths…Totenkinder survives her battle and so does Mr. Dark. The issue also had a bit of a weird flow due to the chapter breaks, but I always enjoy Fables supplementary stories with minor characters (and most of the backup stories prove to be threads to new storylines past Fables #100).
Fables 15: Rose Red despite some minor criticism continues to show why the series is one of the best ones out there. I wish that this series had been developed for TV as some talked about but now with the success of shows like Once Upon a Time and Grimm, Fables fate as a TV or film seems rather doubtful. Fables 15: Rose Red is followed by Fables 16: Super Team.
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