Customer Reviews

Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With four collected editions under their belts, writer Bill Willingham and artist Mark Buckingham (and others)have raised the stakes for their series, as Fabletown is finally directly attacked by their mysterious Adversary, who rules the homelands in Europe and Asia.

Willingham has taken some pretty simple, almost cliche ideas, and has spun out one of the best comic books on the market right now. It helps that Buckingham's art, while deceptively simple, is so richly detailed and distinctive, standing as a perfect vehicle for Willingham's quirky plots.

This book first reprints "The Last Castle", a one-shot that details the efforts of the last refugees in the Old World, as seen through the eyes of Little Boy Blue. It's a tightly woven story, that offers little hope, and ends with even less, as the Adversary's overwhelming armies begin a siege and slaughter, while the last armies of the Fables fight to the last man to give the refugees time to escape. In the middle of this is Blue's tragic relationship with Red Riding Hood.

Then, the story arc "March of the Wooden Soldiers" begins in earnest, as, under mysterious circumstances, Red Riding Hood arrives in Fabletown. While Mayor King Coal is anxious to give her asylum (in part to fend off Prince Charming's bid for the mayor's office), town Sheriff Bigby (Big Bad) Wolf is immediately suspicious of this new arrival (he met her, after all), and shares his concerns with Snow White, the deputy mayor and real leader of Fabletown. Snow is, incidentally, pregnant with Bigby's child (or cub). Little Boy Blue also shares Bigby's suspicisions. Those suspicions seem validated when a sinister trio of men in black arrive on Red's heels, issuing demands against Fabletown for submission to the Adversary, and Fabletown must prepare for war.

"March of the Wooden Soldiers" is a completely engaging war story, with a dash of politics, domestic comedy, and romance mixed in. Snow and Bigby are among some of the best protagonists in the medium. And Willingham's sense of pacing and ability to tell unpredictable stories is nearly incomparable. Characters who seem indispensible die in the course of the battle (although, what is death for a Fable?), and the mystery of the Adversary looms large over the series (although Willingham drops some interesting hints in this story). If you aren't reading "Fables" in any format, you should be.

This fourth volume of the collected Fables includes the one-shot special The Last Castle as well as the March of the Wooden Soldiers story arc.

In The Last Castle, Boy Blue relates to Snow White what happened on the last day in Fable lands as the final defenders fought the Adversary and the last boat escaped to our world. Among the cast were Robin Hood and his men, King Pellinore, The Red Cross Knight, Red Riding Hood and many others.

In main story arc, contact has been made from the fable lands as someone has come through the Canadian gate. While King Cole and Fabletown want to celebrate the new arrival, Bigby is very suspicious of the new arrival.

But there is more. Prince Charming begins moving ahead in his bid to run for mayor. King Cole is overjoyed at the sudden surplus of money from Bluebeard's holdings.

But there is still more. Agents of the Adversary have also made it to our world and they are preparing to march on Fabletown. They are numerous and nearly unstoppable. Technology and magic will be used to defend the free Fables from this new menace.

Another fine story with plenty of twists and revelations thus showing that this series is very far from going stale anytime soon.

Following on from FABLES: LEGENDS IN EXILE, FABLES: ANIMAL FARM, FABLES: STORYBOOK LOVE, here's the 4th volume compiled from the series. In it, another bit of 'history'; a major event in Snow's and Bigby's lives is coming closer; strange creatures from the Adversary's lands come into Fabletown and almost destroy it.

This one ramps up the pace, with most of the volume focused around the threat to Fabletown and its inhabitants. Be warned, some nice people die here; reminding us that Willigham is not above killing off his characters if it suits him for the sake of drama. Nothing wrong with that, of course. Just sounding a warning.

As always, top-notch entertainment that kept me reading; and re-reading.

Till Noever, owlglass.com, Author: KEAEN, SELDAIENNA, CONTINUITY SLIP

The March of the Wooden Soldiers collects Fables 19-21, 23-27 and the one shot The Last Castle. 22 will be collected in another volume. Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham continue the engrossing tale of a group of Fables on the run from the Adversary, forced to live in New York City. The Big Bad Wolf, Snow White, Pinocchio, and the rest of Fabletown make an appearance in this latest epic, the biggest story to hit the book yet.

It starts with three men; all dressed alike, seeking to gain access to guns. They soon run into Jack, trying to hatch one of his schemes. The three men are soon revealed as agents of the Adversary who are their for two things; to force Fabletown to give up its magic items and ranks, and to return Pinocchio to where they came from. The choice is clear for the fables; fight or die. But with the distraction of an election, a new face to Fabletown, and Bigby out of town, can the fables muster enough of a defense to save themselves? As mentioned, the collection also features the Last Castle, the tale of the final stand of the fables in their homeland. Among the famous fables appearing are Robin Hood and Boy Blue, the latter whom meets and falls in love with Red Riding Hood. But with death all around, can the two's romance survive?

Should you buy this book? If you're a Fables fan you really don't have a choice, since its an important chapter in the lies of these great characters. If you're new to this world, I'd recommend the first three books (Legends in Exile, Animal Farm, Storybook Love). Fables is a treat, an imaginative take on fairy tales as real people, and something not to be missed.

In a great series, this book stands out as a particularly good installment. Our characters already established, Willingham steps up the action and brings Snow White, Bigby Wolf, and the rest into the first long-awaited battle.

It is hard to talk about this book without spoiling it, but this book really gets deeper into the characters and makes you really fall in love with them. The issue where Boy Blue explains his sad past, and the splash in which Rose Red sees Snow White hug Bigby, are particularly poignant. The action is gripping as well, providing the most can't-put-it-down story of an already addictive series.

This book really reminded me of Brief Lives, in the Sandman series, in that it was a book that answered a lot of questions that had been hanging in the air, and gave the reader a juicy mouthful of everything they had been waiting for. I sincerely suggest that if you have been ho-hum about Fables after reading the first three books, that you stick it out through this TPB, because this one will make you love this series for life.

Another winner by my reconing. The twists and turns continue. A little side story fun, and a war between fairy-tale characters and MIB-attired wooden soldiers takes place in NYC! Who could ask for anything more!

This fourth Fables trade paperback collects the double-length one-shot "The Last Castle" and issues #19-21 and #23-27 of the Bill Willingham series. I'll presume anyone reading this is already familiar with the series and direct the unfamiliar to reviews for the excellent Volume 1-3 TPBs. For new fans, the first two pages of Volume 4 feature capsules of the main characters and summaries of the first three story arcs.
The one-shot shows the last Homelands stand of the Fables against the overpowering forces of The Adversary. It was penciled by Craig Hamilton and P. Craig Russell. This segues into the present-day, seven-part "March Of The Wooden Soldiers" story arc featuring the return of a Fable once thought lost and a new invader threating Fabletown. The 177 pages of penciling for this segment was provided by regular Fables artist Mark Buckingham. I agree with other reviewers about this being the strongest Fables TPB thus far. The cover price offers strong value for an eight issue collection, especially considering Amazon's discount.

This collection of the monthlies opens with reminiscence of a terrible time: the day when the last of the Fables left their magical land. The evacuees made it out one step ahead of the invading armies - and only because the last of their army fought to the death delaying the marauder by that step. Amid the heroism, a tender story goes horribly wrong ...

... then, magically (as most things are among the Fables), seems to go right again. This bit of back-story fills in some of the history of these fairy tale (and often furry tail) beings come to life, but also sets the stage for a new drama in the here-and-now of their exile in our mundane world. Mighty battles rage, unknown to the unmagical mortals around them, while smaller personal trials work themselves out. Oh, and a major windfall turns into a political squabble, kind of like among people of any other kind.

As with good any good series, readers who've followed along are rewarded with extra insight into the actions of and between familiar personalities - yes, real personalities in a comic! I really do suggest that as the best way to work through this long-lived series. But, if you come across any volume at random, don't turn it down. The writers have the knack of welcoming newcomers with stories that make sense, even if you haven't seen the sub-plots building up over the issues that came before. I have to warn you, though, the Fables story line is more addictive than that first peanut. Few readers can or even want to stop at one.

-- wiredweird

I've discovered Bill Willingham's FABLES only recently and I've become an instant fan. And what's not to adore? Great premise. Great characters. Great writing. Super drawing.

While I've loved all the first four books in the FABLES series (I have already ordered 5-7 from Amazon), the third entry, fell just below the best volumes simply because the numbers contained too many arcs. This volume, however, ties all the individual issues together, even the beginning, which focuses on the final battle of the fables against the Adversary. The central story, or the A plot, concerns the near simultaneous arrival of Red Riding Hood and some mysterious fables who have utter disdain for all creatures that they like to refer to as "meat." They turn out to be the title characters of the story. The great battle for Fabletown that culminates the volume is both brilliantly written and drawn.

In future I think I will recommend the FABLES series above all others to people who are completely new to the world of adult comics. They are immediately accessible in a way that other masterpieces like the Sandman books are not (I'm not saying that Gaiman is inaccessible, but that they are better appreciated if they are not the first graphic novels one reads). And the blend of drama, comedy, fantasy, and action would appeal to anyone not blinded by an anti-intellectual disdain of "popular" art (the irony being that self-styled intellectuals who disdain graphic art do so by being amazingly close-minded).

A great entry to a great series. Can't wait for my next stack of books to arrive!

In this volume the Fables are faced with thier worst fear, an invasion by the Advesary from the Homeland. In the story Snow White coordinates the defenses of Fabletown, reenforcements from the Farm are bought in and we see Beast really let loose in this volume. It truly is a great read and I can't stop praising the series I reccomand it to anybody who likes comics but, isn't crazy about superheroes.