Stephanie Kay
Oct 13, 2007, 10:16 pm
<a href ="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/1006/JackOfFablesCv4.jpg"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/1006/JackOfFablesCv4t.jpg" hspace=10 align=left alt="Jack of Fables #4"></a>Reviewer: Alan Bergin, alan_bergin@yahoo.com
Story Title: Jackrabbit
Then with any luck...things get hectic.
Writers: Bill Willingham & Matthew Sturges
Penciller: Tony Akins
Inkers: Andrew Pepoy
Colorist: Daniel Vozzo
Letters: Todd Klein
Cover Art: James Jean
Assistant Editor: Angela Rufino
Editor: Shelly Bond
Published by: Vertigo/DC Comics (www.dccomics.com/vertigo)
Jumping onto a title that's fifty-odd issues into its run, can be a daunting, not to mention damn expensive venture. Having heard of the wonder that was Fables from every reviewer on this site, I felt the need to splurdge. Five TPB's later and I'm inches away from catching up with the 'told you so' brigade that are the Comixfan staff. Yes, Fables really is that damn good. Old favourites like Goldilocks, Snow White & the debonair Prince Charming are resurrected from the stories of our childhood, albeit with a few radical alterations. What's wonderful about Willingham's scripts is his ability to so emphatically draw you into his twisted fairytale scenarios. Instead of merely pilfering the names of some of the most revered fantasy heroes in a cheap effort to cash-in on childhood memories, Willingham pays careful attention to making these characters just as appealing to both their longtime & newfound fans. I could wax poetic about the majesty that is Fables for quite a while, but chances are that if you're reading Jack of Fables, you're probably more familiar with the title than me, your friendly neighborhood reviewer.
I explained in an earlier review that you're better off reading the original book before approaching this, the spin-off series and while this remains the more favourable course of action, a great deal of satisfaction can be gleamed from leaping headlong into the Fables family with its bastard son, Jack. In the course of four issues, Jack has amassed his own little troop of would-be heroes as they attempt to escape the confines of their prospective prison. It's to Willingham & Sturges' credit that they can effectively manipulate such a large cast of characters. We've been introduced to Mary Mary, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz posse, a gaggle of fairies & nymphs, Mother Goose, Black Sambo & the one and only Humpty Dumpty (amongst others). It's great in a sense, because even though the series is only on his fourth installment, we almost instantly feel like we know these guys. More importantly, we can all look forward to seeing how Willingham & Sturges screw-up our perception of them!
This issue is primarily concerned with a prison-break. The scores of captive fables scramble to coordinate their efforts and try to secure their freedom. It's an amusing adventure, whose enjoyment is topped-off by the presence of our lead protagonist/antagonist Jack, who makes no qualms about telling his companions that he'd turn his back on them, despite their overall usefullness to the plan...the jerk! The escapees largely effective escape is complimented by the glaring ineptness of their captors' defences. The bad guys aren't necessarily resting on their laurels, but it becomes apparent that we'll have to wait for the next installment to see if they can at least partially recoup their losses.
Tony Akins and Andrew Pepoy are once again charged with the task of depicting the adventures of Jack and friends. Without straying too far from the style of the original series, our artistic team successfully manage to capture our attention, with wonderfully quaint images of escaping mice & munchkins as well as scenes of abject & gruesome violence. Poor Toto! In terms of the artwork, each installment of this series has been top-notch. Congratulatory pats all-round.
Jack of Fables #4 should be everybodies cup of tea. The artwork is a treat for the eyes, the opposing casts of heroes and villains are shaping-up nicely and most importantly, it's a damn fine story with healthy doses of adventure, fantasy and humour. Also, did I mention the sexually-ambiguous nymphs? Al recommends.
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vnone.jpg
Buy Jack of Fables #4 online now from X-WORLD and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=2359&cat=JACK+OF+FABLES)
Story Title: Jackrabbit
Then with any luck...things get hectic.
Writers: Bill Willingham & Matthew Sturges
Penciller: Tony Akins
Inkers: Andrew Pepoy
Colorist: Daniel Vozzo
Letters: Todd Klein
Cover Art: James Jean
Assistant Editor: Angela Rufino
Editor: Shelly Bond
Published by: Vertigo/DC Comics (www.dccomics.com/vertigo)
Jumping onto a title that's fifty-odd issues into its run, can be a daunting, not to mention damn expensive venture. Having heard of the wonder that was Fables from every reviewer on this site, I felt the need to splurdge. Five TPB's later and I'm inches away from catching up with the 'told you so' brigade that are the Comixfan staff. Yes, Fables really is that damn good. Old favourites like Goldilocks, Snow White & the debonair Prince Charming are resurrected from the stories of our childhood, albeit with a few radical alterations. What's wonderful about Willingham's scripts is his ability to so emphatically draw you into his twisted fairytale scenarios. Instead of merely pilfering the names of some of the most revered fantasy heroes in a cheap effort to cash-in on childhood memories, Willingham pays careful attention to making these characters just as appealing to both their longtime & newfound fans. I could wax poetic about the majesty that is Fables for quite a while, but chances are that if you're reading Jack of Fables, you're probably more familiar with the title than me, your friendly neighborhood reviewer.
I explained in an earlier review that you're better off reading the original book before approaching this, the spin-off series and while this remains the more favourable course of action, a great deal of satisfaction can be gleamed from leaping headlong into the Fables family with its bastard son, Jack. In the course of four issues, Jack has amassed his own little troop of would-be heroes as they attempt to escape the confines of their prospective prison. It's to Willingham & Sturges' credit that they can effectively manipulate such a large cast of characters. We've been introduced to Mary Mary, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz posse, a gaggle of fairies & nymphs, Mother Goose, Black Sambo & the one and only Humpty Dumpty (amongst others). It's great in a sense, because even though the series is only on his fourth installment, we almost instantly feel like we know these guys. More importantly, we can all look forward to seeing how Willingham & Sturges screw-up our perception of them!
This issue is primarily concerned with a prison-break. The scores of captive fables scramble to coordinate their efforts and try to secure their freedom. It's an amusing adventure, whose enjoyment is topped-off by the presence of our lead protagonist/antagonist Jack, who makes no qualms about telling his companions that he'd turn his back on them, despite their overall usefullness to the plan...the jerk! The escapees largely effective escape is complimented by the glaring ineptness of their captors' defences. The bad guys aren't necessarily resting on their laurels, but it becomes apparent that we'll have to wait for the next installment to see if they can at least partially recoup their losses.
Tony Akins and Andrew Pepoy are once again charged with the task of depicting the adventures of Jack and friends. Without straying too far from the style of the original series, our artistic team successfully manage to capture our attention, with wonderfully quaint images of escaping mice & munchkins as well as scenes of abject & gruesome violence. Poor Toto! In terms of the artwork, each installment of this series has been top-notch. Congratulatory pats all-round.
Jack of Fables #4 should be everybodies cup of tea. The artwork is a treat for the eyes, the opposing casts of heroes and villains are shaping-up nicely and most importantly, it's a damn fine story with healthy doses of adventure, fantasy and humour. Also, did I mention the sexually-ambiguous nymphs? Al recommends.
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vnone.jpg
Buy Jack of Fables #4 online now from X-WORLD and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=2359&cat=JACK+OF+FABLES)