Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana [Paperback]

Bill Willingham (Author), Matthew Sturges (Author), Various (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 2008

Jack hits the road in seach of a lost city of gold in this new collection featuring issues #17-21. Aided by his sidekicks Paul Bunyan, Humpty Dumpty, Gary the pathetic fallacy and the mysterious Hillary Page, Jack's in for the adventure of a lifetime!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Jack and his merry band of misfits (at the moment including Gary, the Pathetic Fallacy, Humpty Dumpty, and a very begrudging Raven) head into Americana (the American Fableland) on Jack’s never-ending quest for pelf. Also on the treasure trail is Hillary Page, a librarian from the Golden Boughs, with Paul Bunyan and, as a sort of divining rod, his blue ox in tow. As usual for Jack, things get complicated, what with teaming up with Miss Page, gluing Humpty together again, and the Bookburner and his zombies after them. Another rip-rollicking adventure, with slick, self-centered, total-cad Jack in fine form. Fables and Jack fans won’t be disappointed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (December 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401219799
• ISBN-13: 978-1401219796
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.3 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow Down!, May 3, 2011

By 

Robi (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana (Paperback)

This collection had some of the elements of a great story but the pace just killed it. It's like the writers wanted to comment on some of the great American story backgrounds, knew what they were (Chicago-Gangland, NYC-The Big City, The South-Antebellum), but couldn't fill the scenery with interesting characters. In Gangland Jack and company become bootleggers... for 3 pages. Then they're in a 40s song-and-dance routine in The Big City (thankfully for only a single page). Likewise, a witch hunt in The Colonies and an Indian Raiding Party are only a single page each. Slow down! Tell us a real story with actual Fables from these places instead of just flipping through the great American backdrop. What's the rush? I burned through this volume is less than 30 minutes, about how long a normal comic book alone usually takes me, NOT a graphic novel collection. Oh, and I forgot, I LOVE zombies. Can't wait for World War Z to come out. In this book they're like Keystone Cops for some reason. Maybe it's a good reason waiting to be told, but I'm seriously having doubts: they talk to each other and make moronic statements as they fulfill their old jobs and hobbies, police force, teenage daters, etc. What classic zombie fable is that from, because it certainly isn't Romero.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jack on a Treasure Hunt through the Americana Folklore Landscape..and we get ZOMBIES!, December 16, 2008

By 

Mir (North Miami Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana (Paperback)

Sly, greedy, self-centered, up-to-no-good Jack is back, and he's on a hunt for the treasure of Cibola. Accompanied by Raven (who had previously--erroneously--been Wicked John's companion), a glued-back-together Humpty Dumpty (with one key missing eggshell piece), and the Pathetic Fallacy, he's off to get the loot.

But Jackie-boy and his sometimes quite-reluctant crew are gonna have to deal with another quester crossing their path: One of the Page sisters who has a personal mission into Americana, and she's got a regrowing Paul Bunyan and the hilarious Babe the Blue Ox (still having snarfolicious fantasy adventures in his own head) for bodyguards.

If you like zombies, be prepared for a hilarious use of them (and a social commentary, no doubt, about the "good old days" of the American pre-sixties heydays). A new character--powerful and sinister--is met up with, too. There's a touch of roaring 20's speakeasy days fun as well. And boinking, cause it's Jack, after all.

When Jack's Americana adventure is concluded, there's a detour to a one-shot story: "Gary Does Denmark," where the Pathetic Fallacy tries to put on Hamlet with Fabley folk, and you know it's just not gonna go easy or work out normally.

Enjoy.

4.0 out of 5 stars A NICE PLAY ON OLD AMERICAN LEGENDS, December 9, 2011

By 

MISTER SJEM "sonofhotpie" (CALIF BAY AREA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana (Paperback)

In the fourth installment we get to see Jack in the fabled America, a mix of different historical eras all over the land. There's a nice play with the Three Page Sisters, some more info about Literals & Fables, a good spread of Old American Legends and, of course, the hunt for gold. ARTWORK: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING: B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus; LITERAL/FABLE FOCUS: B to B plus; WHEN READ: December 2011; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.