Truly Very Pretty To Look At And Fun To Read, Too

Fairest In All The Land hardcover
DC Vertigo
Bill Willingham, writer
Many, too many artists to list them all

If I didn't already know Bill Willingham was winding down his Fables universe of titles, this beautiful volume might make me suspect. It presents an engaging mystery story, just like the very first volume of Fables did way back in 2002. It also takes readers on a quick tour through the various Fables realms and touches on a number of the characters from the series, especially ones who have appeared in this spin-off title, tying up some loose ends along the way.

The point of a stand-alone story such as this one is to be accessible to new readers unfamiliar with the long history Willingham has crafted for these characters, hopefully enticing them to buy other volumes in the series. Willingham does a good job of telling any new readers the significant background on characters, enough so at least that I suspect someone new to the franchise certainly could follow the story. But there is so much a reader unfamiliar with the Fables universe would miss, it almost seems sad for a new reader to pick up this volume.

This story is set firmly among the current events in the Fables and Fairest shared universe, and is narrated by the Magic Mirror. The Mirror and the other various inhabitants of Fabletown's former business office have been cut off since the destruction of the building that linked them in time and space to the rest of the Fables characters. They are trapped physically, confined to their single expansive room, but through the Mirror, the inhabitants of the business office can peek in on happenings elsewhere.

In doing so, they witness the murders of a number of prominent Fables citizens back home in New York and watch as the survivors try to solve the mystery before anyone else dies. Cinderella, Fabletown's super spy, is enlisted by his honor, King Cole, to lead the investigation, much to her consternation. And the business office denizens try to assist using their own magical abilities where possible.

The hardcover includes an introductory and a concluding chapter, both illustrated prose. In between are more traditional comic panels, each scene being illustrated by a different highly talented artist, 31 of them in all. With that many artists, any comics fan should be able to find something visual to appreciate within these covers, and as stated above, the narrative is a delight to read.

He's Tugging At The Emotions

Fables 134
DC Vertigo
Bill Willingham, writer
Mark Buckingham, artist

One of the reasons I don't talk about Fables with every issue I read is because all I tend to do is gush about the title. I haven't much cared for some of the DC superhero work that Bill Willingham has written; his stint on Robin wasn't a half-bad story at all if he'd told it using an original character, but it really didn't fit the established personality of the Tim Drake Robin character; and his work with the magical-based heroes, Shadow Pact, or the legacy-minded Justice Society did nothing for me at all.

I can't say the same for his superhero work from other companies. I've long been curious about his Elementals series from Comico, but still haven't read any of those issues yet. And while those characters are superheroes, my understanding without having read an issue is that the Elementals characters have a lot in common with the Fables crew. That's one of the reasons I'm still curious to try that series someday.

But the world presented in Fables -- as far as I know pretty much wholly created by Willingham himself (Yeah, yeah, all of the characters are ages-old characters from fairy tales and folklore created by others, but the world they live in in this series and their current personalities and voices are pretty much all Willingham, right?) -- is just a fantastic read every single issue. Having said that, every now and then an issue of Fables comes along that is just a step above the usual greatness of the rest. This issue, focused on Little Boy Blue and Bigby in the afterlife, is one of those best of the best.

Blue died way back during the great war to overthrow the Adversary, and Bigby more recently met his end at the hands of the treacherous Prince Brandish. There has been hope offered that Bigby might be resurrected if all of his various pieces can be reassembled owing to the fact that he is a natural shape-shifter. This issue seems to further indicate that possibility while also revealing even more about the supernatural nature of Bigby.

As the issue opens, Bigby finds himself in an unfamiliar forest without any memory of how he got there or how long he's been there. In short order, Blue comes to meet him and explains that he is in a transitional period between worlds/realities/lives; the very nature of reality and life and death is much more complicated it seems than most suspect.

Blue has come to explain some things to Bigby about his situation before moving on. Blue has no desire to go back to his life in Fabletown, having found a measure of peace in his own transition, but he confirms that Bigby can indeed return if he wishes to do so, although the journey will not be easy. Blue also cautions Bigby that going back might not be the best course to pursue and warns that there is more trouble ahead for the denizens of Fabletown.

Of course, if you've seen the news that Fables has only about another year to go before the title comes to an end, the threat of danger lurking doesn't seem like a huge surprise. But the simple discussions between these two characters satisfies on many levels. This issue serves as a quiet, non-action issue in the middle of a larger sprawling epic. It is two old comrades who haven't seen each other in quite some time catching up. There are even a number of revelations given to readers, although in true comic book fashion, the revelations leave more questions than they truly answer.

As nice as the bulk of the issue is, however, the real heart-tugger moments come at the very end. Blue is not the only person to visit Bigby in this transitionary forest before the Great Wolf must decide his course of action. Someone else wants to speak with him before Bigby moves on, whichever direction he chooses to go, and this person represents a truly once-in-a-lifetime, no-parent-would-ever-wish-for-such-a-meeting-nor-turn-it-down reunion. Readers aren't privy to all the details of this second reunion, but we see enough that I think Willingham made the right choice in leaving the rest to the imagination.

A Lot Of Subplots To Keep Straight

Fables 132
DC Vertigo
Bill Willingham, writer
Mark Buckingham, artist

This issue is the second chapter of the "Camelot" story arc, and man, is there ever a lot going on.

The title refers to Rose Red's efforts at inspiring hope. She has decided to re-create the Round Table from Arthurian legend and has sent emissaries out into all the known worlds to return with knight candidates. As part of that effort, she is getting help and drawing together characters from throughout the Fables universe. Not only is she contracting construction of the Round Table and a Great Hall to put it in to Haven's King Ambrose and Weyland, but one of the emissaries she invites is Briar Rose from the first Fairest story arc, Fairest being the new Fables spin-off title.

In addition to that, we see the continuing efforts of the Fabletown witches to piece together all of the shards of the destroyed Bigby. Their plan is that if they can find and reassemble every single bit of the glass Bigby was turned into before he was shattered, they can use the fact that he is a natural shapeshifter to bring him back. To that end, they are employing all of the tricks and spells at their disposal, and even call in a favor from the Lady in the Lake. Lake, as she prefers to be called, is also the proxy along with Sheriff Beast (of Beauty and the ...) in the current marriage negotiations between Gepetto and the Blue Fairy. Of course, that's a whole other subplot as those two characters are now mortal enemies and Beast cooked up the formal marriage proposal as a way to stall for time when Gepetto's and the Blue Fairy's clashes threatened all of Fabletown.

There's also the unfolding bits of Therese's return. She's one of the children of Bigby and Snow White who was lured into Toyland to be the broken toys' new regent. The now adult Therese (time works differently in Toyland) has come home for a visit to tell her parents what happened to her when she disappeared and also to tell them how her brother, Dare, died trying to rescue her. But she has made it very clear she must return to Toyland soon.

And lastly, we have the latest developments with Prince Brandish. He's the rogue who claimed to be betrothed to Snow White and transformed and shattered Bigby before Snow ran him through with his own magical sword. We get a few glimpses of his past to shows us just how twisted a creep he really is, and the surprise of his resurrection during his autopsy. His heart has been magically removed and stored away in a safe place, making him effectively immortal until or unless something should happen to his heart. Of course, immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be for Brandish if Rose Red has anything to say about it.

I know all of these various twists and turns and subplots that interweave and build upon each other don't make it easy for a new reader to pick up an issue and understand what's going on. But as a longtime reader who has followed the story from the beginning, it is one of the things I love about this series. There are almost always little things of importance going on in the background and even a stand-alone issue is very much a part of the larger whole.

There Be Unhappy Spoilers Hereabouts!

Fables 128-129
DC Vertigo
Bill Willingham, writer
Mark Buckingham, artist

In case you missed the header: ************SPOILER ALERT!************

I believe these issues are the last ones of the recent "Snow White" arc in Fables, all of which I have enjoyed reading, as always, except for one major plot point: They've killed off one of my favorite characters -- Bigby Wolf! To paraphrase the Emerald City coroner from "The Wizard of Oz," he's not only merely dead, he's really most sincerely dead. I say that because while Snow and several of the Fabletown witches believe there might be a chance to revive Bigby -- who was turned to glass then shattered -- this entire story arc has been narrated by an adult Ambrose, one of Snow and Bigby's children, and right after the shattering occurs, Ambrose says, "And that's how my dad died."

Now these are magical characters, so anything is possible down the line. But Ambrose's pronouncement seems to be a final nail in Bigby's coffin. To top it off, Bigby would not be the first major character to be killed off in the course of this series. Prince Charming died previously, as did Bluebeard, and both have remained dead ever since. And let's not forget Boy Blue, a major fan-favorite character of this series, killed off in the war against the Adversary. He's still dead, too.

There have been hints in recent months that bad things were going to befall the Wolf family. One of Snow and Bigby's kids has already died and another was forever changed, and not necessarily for the better. Now it looks like Bigby has died. He can always appear again in flashbacks, but it will be sad to know he is gone from the series in such a final way.

As for the rest of the issues, this arc has had Snow treated pretty poorly at the hands of Brandish. Bigby interrupted his search for the pair's missing cubs in an effort to save his wife, but did not fair so well against Brandish's trickery. Naturally, she's sad at Bigby's loss, but Snow is happy to be the one to strike down the villain as she vowed to do early in the arc. And she fulfills that vow with panache and style.

The artwork by Mark Buckingham is one of the highlights of this series, and he doesn't disappoint this time out. Both the fight scenes between Brandish and Bigby in No. 128 and between Brandish and Snow in No. 129 give a clear sense of the action and swordplay.

All in all, nicely done; I just wish they hadn't done that!

UPDATE: Just this past weekend, before this post went up but after I'd written it, news came out of ComicCon revealing the cover to Fables No. 134, which depicts -- Boy Blue and Bigby! No other details accompanied the release of the cover image, but there is renewed cause for hope. Especially since Prince Chaming has also recently been brought back from the dead in the pages of the Fables sister title, Faiest.

Always Within The Rules, Yet Still Unexpected

Fairest 5-6
DC Vertigo
Bill Willingham, writer
Phil Jimenez, artist

These two issues bring the first arc of this new Fables spin-off title to a very satisfying conclusion. This arc involved Ali Baba awakening Briar Rose from her deep slumber, but only after first awakening the also sleeping Snow Queen, who quickly captured the pair along with their whimsical guide, a bottle imp, Jonah. Before the tale is wrapped up, Willingham brings eight other powerful magic wielders into the mix and brings things to the aforementioned great conclusion.

I did not see many of the twists and turns coming in the final installments of this arc, but that is what keeps this universe fresh after nearly 200 issues among all of the related Fables titles. Willingham always stays true to the nature of the characters he is using, but often his research has turned up little-known and long-forgotten aspects of these characters that allow him to continue to surprise readers while maintaining the internal logic of his creation.

Every comics or fantasy fan should be reading these books!

Those Murderous Fiends!!

Fables 115-121
DC Vertigo
Bill Winngham, writer
Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha, artists

I picked this arc of Fables to discuss because I like the Wolf family of characters so much. Boy did that backfire on me.

Once again, the name of this rather lengthy story arc is "Cubs in Toyland." The first issue of this arc had young Therese, one of seven youngsters belonging to Bigby Wolf and Snow White, being "kidnapped" by a toy boat. As one can anticipate from the title of the arc, the boat takes young Therese to Toyland, but their destination is hardly the fun-filled place one might expect. It seems nothing is left living in Toyland as all of the magic is gone from the realm. The broken and discarded toys that inhabit Toyland are still quite animated because they never were alive to begin with, but they are desperately in need of a new monarch to restore the magic and splendor of their home. This is why they have sent out the toy boat that brought Therese.

One might also assume from the title of the arc that Therese is not the only child of Bigby and Snow to come to Toyland. In truth, she wasn't so much kidnapped by the boat as enticed to run away by it. Various taunts from her sister and brothers helped push Therese to that decision. Later that night, after Snow discovers that one of her children is missing, Darien, the eldest of the litter, begins to feel no small amount of remorse for the taunts. The magical nature of Therese's journey prohibits her parents from tracking her whereabouts, but with the help of some other characters, Darien secretly sneaks off to follow and bring his sister back to Wolf Manor.

I won't spoil the remainder of the story by giving further details beyond what one might assume from the title of today's post, and that much information can be gleaned almost anywhere on the Internet. Suffice to say that not everyone makes it out of this story alive, and none of the Wolf clan is left untouched by the events of this story. This isn't the first time Willingham and crew have killed off a beloved cast member in this title. In fact, sometimes it seems that the more popular a character grows in fans' eyes, the greater likelihood that something truly tragic will befall said character. It's one of the things I like/despise about this title. It's just sad when tragedy hits so close to home.

Shades Of Pufnstuf

Fables 114
DC Vertigo
Bill Willingham, writer
Mark Buckingham, artist

You have to be of a certain age and know who Sid and Marty Krofft are to "get" the header for this post, I imagine, but the main point is a young child is led astray by an evil boat in disguise.

I haven't talked much about Fables in this most recent tour of the blogosphere, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the book. Month-in and month-out, it is a joy to read, and I bow before Willingham and his illustrators for their creation of this universe. It's just a book I enjoy after this much time, though, and I don't often stop to think about why or try to put the enjoyment into words. I decided to give it a try with this issue, however, since it is the beginning of a new arc, and while Fables arcs tend to run far and wide of the main story most of the time, this one will center on the Wolf family, some of my favorite characters.

For those not familiar with this series, it involves any and all fairy tale and folklore characters you've ever heard of. They are all real and living in secret in our "mundane" world. Most have come to live among the "mundies," as they refer to normal humans, because of a fierce adversary who long ago drove most of them from their traditional homelands. That adversary was revealed and dealt with among many other tales in the first 100 issues of this series. The Wolf family sprang from the courtship and union of Bigby Wolf (the Big Bad Wolf, a werewolf descended from the North Wind, hence his prowess at blowing things down) and Snow White (her name is a little more readily recognizable). These two started off as co-workers in the Fabletown administration, but they didn't really like each other much. Their love story, a fan favorite of the series, evolved over time and has led to a litter of seven children -- three girls and four boys.

It's always fun to drop in on the Wolf family and see their adventures, especially with the addition of the children, six of whom inherited the ability to fly from their grandfather, the North Wind, and the ability to transform into wolf cubs from their father. These six -- Winter, Blossom, Therese, Connor, Ambrose and Dare -- all appear human most of the time. But what of the seventh, you ask? Ghost is aptly named as he is invisible, as all gusts of wind are. Their antics are always fun to read.

The current story arc beginning in this issue is titled Cubs in Toyland, so one can assume the destination the absconding boat has in mind for its passenger. And by the use of the plural form of "cub" in the title, one can further assume that the one child abducted will soon be joined by at least some of her siblings. But this introductory installment concerns itself with a toy boat cajoling young Therese to find some water in which they can play together. Once Therese finds some non-frozen water in the winter landscape near her home, however, the boat grows to a size which can carry her and sets off. Despite its new size, the boat itself still looks quite toy-like, but its reflection in the water looks much more sinister.

All of this happens against a backdrop of other snippets to keep other story lines advancing. For instance, Bigby and daughter Winter are not at home with the rest of the Wolf clan. Recently, the North Wind died and fate has decreed that one of Snow and Bigby's children is destined to be the new North Wind. While Ghost might seem an obvious choice, few people outside his family know of Ghost's existence, since he's invisible. It seems Winter is the one destined to be the new North Wind, as decided in a previous arc. Winter is being trained for her new role by her grandfather's servants, and Bigby has gone along to protect his daughter as she is only 9 years old. We also spend a few pages checking in with the majority of the denizens of Fabletown, who are trying to reclaim their secret neighborhood in the middle of New York City, an area that was recently lost to them in a battle with an entity know as Mr. Dark. If you've never read an issue, most of this background will mean very little, but this series has such wide appeal, I have little doubt most readers who find the basic premise even a tad interesting would enjoy catching up on the story through the various trade collections available.

A Love Story About Detectives; A Detective Story About Love

Reading the detective stories in Ms. Tree Quarterly reminded me of another series I'd been wanting to try, one I thought was somewhat similar. After giving the first 10 issues of this other series a try, however, I found that the only thing it really has in common with Ms. Tree is that both series are good reads.

Ms. Tree's tales are quite a bit different in tone from those of Mike W. Barr's The Maze Agency. The latter series specializes in done-in-one mysteries wherein the author supplies enough clues along the way that readers who are so inclined can try to solve the puzzle right along with the main characters.

The series stars Jennifer Mays, owner and lead investigator for the Maze Agency. Often assisting her in her sleuthing is boyfriend and crime-fiction author Gabriel Webb. Just as much a part of the series as crime conundrums is the growing relationship between Mays and Webb, much like in the television series "Moonlighting."

Some of the mysteries in those first 10 issues which the characters must unravel involve the apparent theft of the frames from some expensive paintings, a murder over lost episodes of a famous 1950s television sitcom, the apparent return of Jack the Ripper, plus a murder mystery game which turns all-too real and employs a locked-room whodunit at the same time.

Barr's writing is the constant in this series, which began life at Comico in 1988 and produced seven issues through June 1989 with much of the interior and cover art supplied by then newcomer Adam Hughes.

That was it until December of 1989 when Innovation picked up the series and continued the original numbering with issue No. 8, still by Barr, Hughes and Rick Magyar. Innovation continued the series through issue No. 23, with a Special and an Annual to boot. They even put together a trade collection of the first four issues in a black-and-white format.

The Maze Agency Special No. 1 featured a stunning cover by Bill Willingham and Magyar. The Special also reprinted the very first Maze Agency story, which was illustrated by co-creator Alan Davis. I'm not sure where this tale was originally published, or when, but it makes a nice addition to the Special, which also includes Davis' original character designs for Jennifer Mays and Gabriel Webb.

With issue No. 11 of the Innovation series, the art team became more irregular and featured such names as Darrick Robertson, Rob Davis and Robb Phipps. This last penciler, Robb Phipps, did issue No. 14, among others, of which I now own several of the original art pages. From the pages I have, this story seems to involve Mays and Webb attending the execution of a convicted murderer who is killed mysteriously before the state can end his life. Hughes didn't do interiors for the series after issue No. 12, but did return to do several covers beyond that point.

Since the Innovation series ended, The Maze Agency has had a number of revivals, first at Caliber Comics in 1997, and later at IDW Publishing in 2005. I enjoyed these first 10 issues enough, that I have ordered the remainder of the Innovation issues, as well as the IDW ones, and am anxiously awaiting their arrival so I can read those as well. Haven't found anyone yet with the Caliber series for sale, but I'm keeping a lookout for them.

What Went Wrong?

I tried Bill Willingham's book Fables shorlty after its debut in 2000. I bought the individual issues for the first story arc and read them all in one sitting and fell in love with the characters, their situation and the way Willingham's writing made each one of this huge cast a distinct individual I would either come to care about or despise. There isn't a lot of middle ground with many of the characters in the series. And that's not to say that the characters aren't well-rounded multi-faceted folk; they truly are.

To my knowledge, Fables was my first exposure to Willingham's work, but it made me think that he and his fellow collaborators on the main series and it's spin-offs (including fellow scribe Matthew Sturges) were just incredible.

But as much as I love Willingham's work with the inhabitants of Fabletown, I just can't get behind his writing when it comes to the superhero set.

I was sadly disappointed in Willingham's thankfully short turn at the helm of the now-canceled solo Robin title. Here's a creator whose work I enjoy working on a character I enjoy, I thought at the time. How can I lose? But reading the story, it just didn't ring right for me. I couldn't quite put my finger on the problem until reading an article somewhere online at the time of Willingham's Robin issues. The article said Willingham wanted to write a story about a young, inexperienced hero and the mistakes he made while starting out. Well, even though the Robin we're discussing in Willingham's issues was Tim Drake, the third young man to wear the Robin costume, Drake hadn't been a newbie hero for quite some time. The character debuted in the early 90s and several novice stories had been done at that time. Since, the character has been portrayed as not only a competent partner to such heroes as Batman, Nightwing and Oracle, but an accomplished, inventive hero in his own right and leader of a newer, younger set of Teen Titans. You can't shoe-horn the character into the role of a novice any longer, unless you clearly explain in your story that it is a tale from the character's past when he WAS still new, something Willingham clearly did not do. In fact, Willingham took pains to mention current continuity in his story to firmly place it in the current time. In my opinion, he had an idea and tried to make the character fit the idea, which rarely produces good stories.

That should explain my trepidation when it was announced several months ago that Willingham and Sturges would be taking over the writing chores on the Justice Society. I was worried, but I love this team and the legacies of many of the characters, so I gave the book a try. But once again, Willingham is not writing these characters correctly to my mind. Not only do several of the JSA members seem to be acting out of character for their established personalities, some aren't even being consistent from page to page or panel to panel.

Take Justice Society of America No. 30, Willingham and Sturges' second issue, for example. The Golden-Age Flash has just brought Dr. Fate to help him and Stargirl fight against a large number of super-villains. At the top of page 7, an obviously uncertain Fate turns to Flash and asks, "How am I doing so far?" and Flash replies with an OK sign and says, "Just fine, son. Keep it up." Just a few pages later, after the villains have been routed and the heroes are splitting up, Flash turns to the unmasked Dr. Fate and demands, "What about you, pal? You aren't familiar, but ..."

Flash went and got the guy, so he should know who Fate is. He also seems to know that a new person is wearing the costume when he reassures Dr. Fate during battle. But then at the end of the fight, he has no idea who this person is under the helmet of Dr. Fate and almost seems not to trust the individual. What gives?

I still read Fables every month, and it is truly a fantastic book filled with rich characterization and solid story-telling; I highly recommend it to anyone, from die-hard comic fan to someone who just enjoys a good story. But Willingham's super-hero work just seems to fall short for me.

Closing Out July On The Heels Of August

Today we have reviews for the last of the comics which came out in July, as well as a few older comics I managed to read before the August shipment arrived at my door this weekend. I’ll get those books ready to read so the next batch of reviews should be of August books, which is good since August is almost over.

Daredevil 87 (Marvel Comics) — So DD is out of prison now. He managed to escape while salvaging his secret identity thanks to some help from others, and he can start getting to the bottom of who’s setting him up. So really, this entire last arc didn’t really advance the overall plot at all, but damn, it was sure some good reading.

Birds of Prey 96 (DC Comics) — This title seems to be floundering somewhat since Infinite Crisis. Don’t get me wrong; Gail Simone has a great writer’s voice for these characters, but I just don’t care so much for some of the storylines, particularly this one about Black Alice. I just don’t care about her much, I guess.

Civil War: Front Line 4 (Marvel Comics) — More of the same from this title: I really enjoy the insights offered in the Embedded storyline about the reporters covering the events in the Marvel Universe, and I am loving reading about Speedball’s persecution in The Accused, but I’m not so sure about the Sleeper Cell storyline, and don’t much care for the pretensious parallel story that always ends the book. I get the similarities between the Civil War storyline and real world events such as the Patriot Act and the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, etc. I don’t need to be beat over the head with it or made to feel like these stories are more emotional than they are.

Action Comics 841 (DC Comics) — Not sure about this arc yet, but decided to give it a try since it seems to guest-star Nightwing and the Titans. Seems people outside of Metropolis are concerned about whether or not the newly-returned Superman is the real deal or just another pretender. Nice tie-in to previous events. After what happened when Superman died, I can see why people might be suspicious.

New Avengers 22 (Marvel Comics) — Another good Civil War tie-in. Last issue showed us Captain America’s views on the registration act. This issue focuses on Power Man Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and their newborn daughter. Nicely done.

Batman 655 (DC Comics) — This is the opening arc of Batman and Son, the follow-up to an earlier Batman graphic novel in which Bruce and Talia have a son, a boy whom Bruce believes was stillborn. This story has a great deal of potential for emotional conflict considering Bruce’s feelings on family responsibilities. Not too many impressions so far, although this version of Talia seems somewhat darker and colder than usual.

JLA Classified 22-25 (DC Comics) — I’ve never been a big fan of the Detroit-era Justice League, surprising in that I have always liked Aquaman, and he was in charge of that incarnation of the team. But I didn’t know the other main new characters. However, I have always been rather fond of the various incarnations of the Royal Flush Gang. I don’t know why, they always seem kind of lame, power-wise. But I’ve just always liked them. This story ties together a couple different incarnations of the Gang, retroactively adding some sense and cohesion to the two teams, while also making me care a little bit about the Detroit Leaguers. It was a fun read, and is making me look forward to the sorta sequel in JSA Classified 14-16.

Jack of Fables 1 (DC Vertigo) — I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I don’t much care for Bill Willingham writing superhero comics. His run on Robin was mostly bizarre and seemed to take the character back to being a novice, ignoring about 10 years’ worth of stories in the process, not to mention current continuity. But the man can write these Fables characters. I have been hooked on the original title since it began, and decided to give this new spin-off a try. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not, but I WANT to see issue #2 right away after reading #1. That doesn’t happen very often anymore. I’ve read enough comic books that good stories leaving me wanting to read the rest and see what happens, but not really anxious about it. I’m anxious to read this book next month.
Retro-Reviews

Crisis On Infinite Earths 5-7 (DC Comics 1985) — These books comprise the heart of the series. The first four issues are a lot of set-up. Issue 5 comes along with the revelation of the Anti-Monitor as the villain. Issue 6 brings the final five remaining earths together and introduces the coming villains coup. And issue 7 gives us origin and back story details for the new characters created for this series as well as the intensely dramatic death of Supergirl. Heroes and villains have died before this point, but Supergirl’s death lets everyone know that anyone could be next. For those still not convinced, check out issue 8 for the death of ... but we’re not there yet. (Like somebody out there hasn’t read this series yet.)

DC Comics Presents 87 (DC Comics 1985) — This story is one of the better Crisis tie-ins taking place right after Supergirl’s death. Superman is mysteriously taken to Earth-Prime, the earth that is supposed to be the one we readers live on. While there, he witnesses the dawning of powers on Superboy Prime, a character who will play a role in this Crisis, as well as in the later Infinite Crisis. A good book to have if for no other reason than that.

Well, that’s it for today. See ya next time.