Fables

• Title: Fables #145
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Bill Willingham
• Artists: Mark Buckingham, Nimit Malavia

As the race towards sisterly civil war moves closer, Rose Red and Bellflower step-up in an attempt to kill the out-of-control Bigby who neither realizes is being controlled by the unseen hand of a powerful sorceress. Although the pair make for a formidable team, they are unsuccessful in Fabletown’s second attempt to stop the half-crazed monster.

The Camelot reborn storyline continues (even with a sword stuck in a stone) and it seems less and less likely that Rose Red and Snow White‘s battle of wills won’t end in bloodshed. As foreshadowing of just that, the issue opens with three pages involving a secret meeting between Snow and Cinderella whose unique skills will apparently be put to the test against one of the hardest assignments she’s ever accepted. As for Bigby, with the series winding to a close (and the magic used to effect Bellflower’s dagger) one would suppose that someone might come to the conclusion of other forces being at work. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

• Title: Fables #144
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Bill Willingham
• Artist: Mark Buckingham

Still unaware that the recently resurrected Bigby is being controlled by an outside force, the pair of Ozma (dressed like teen superhero) and Beast housed in the Big Damn Golden Armor) set out to stop him. Along with a giant castle appearing in the middle of Manhattan, the resulting chaos creates one of the funniest lines of the series as a New York cop exclaims “What in the bloody fuckhole of America is going on here?”

Despite magic and armor on their side both Beast and Ozma find defeating (or even slowing down) the wild Bigby impossible. Trying to fight the voice in his head, Bigby has no choice but to eventually murder both Fables continuing his bloody path straight to Fabletown and his wife.

With Bigby’s story in full swing the rest of Fabletown prepares for his arrival, as does Snow White who prepares to meet her husband for what might be the final time. Where Fairest seems to have lost its way a bit, Fables #144 provides a strong tale with an enjoyable back-up story offering the final fate of the Three Blind Mice. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

• Title: Fairest #29
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Mark Buckingham
• Artist: Russ Braun

The latest issue of Fairest splits its attention continuing to examine Reynard‘s misadventures with the angry family of the beautiful farm girl he bedded in their barn (who may not be quite as much of Deliverance cliches as the previous issue suggested) and the continued clamor of the various Fables of The Farm over the five available glamours which will soon be up for grabs in the coming lottery.

More intriguing than Reynard’s tale, the main story on The Farm this month centers around Owl and his wife the Pussycat whose dreams of traveling with her husband to various exotic locales have only intensified since the news of the lottery for the five new glamours.

The Owl and Pussycat story is worth picking up, especially given the husband’s sweet attempt to give his wife a small taste of what she’s been missing for hundreds of years, but even with the twist Reynard’s tale is taking up far too many pages of the series limited number of issues for my liking. For fans.

[Vertigo, $2.99]