Customer Reviews

Jack of Fables, Vol. 3: The Bad Prince

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

 

 

Even though Jack is perhaps my least favorite Fable in the wonderful imaginative universe that Bill Willingham has created, I once again have been completely blown away by one of his collections. This addition to the sequence features some truly wonderful twists. There are also a number of additions to the overall Jack narrative that significantly increases the complexity of the tale.

The big surprise is that the revelation that Jack is the not the original of the Jack/John stories, but the copy. If you've read any studies dealing with European folktales, you have undoubtedly encountered the idea of Jack stories (very similar in Native American folklore concerning Coyote stories). There are a host of stories centered on this character, more of a type than a specific individual. Here the idea is introduced that through the Powers that Be, Jack was a copy of John, insted of the other way around. The stories were actually about John, whose memories Jack has been provided.

The real meat of the story, however, lies elsewhere, as we learn a great deal more about Mr. Revise and hints about the particular kind of being that he is, as well as the revelation that there are others like him. I am not buying the individual issues of this series as they come out so I have not checked to verify this, but I suspect that the next group of issues focus on this. Suffice it to say that this book is crucial in introducing essential plot twists to come.

The book also ties in rather nicely with Volume 10 of the FABLES story, in a couple of ways. First, this volume is entitled JACK OF THE FABLES 3: THE BAD PRINCE, while the other is FABLES 10: THE GOOD PRINCE. Second, in the Jack volume a sword is rammed through his chest by someone who appears to be Merlin. In the FABLES volume we learn that the sword may have resulted from more than just that.

All in all, another great addition to one of the best ongoing comics series around. If you love comics, you should definitely add this to your collection, but only after you've added the previous FABLES and JACK releases.

I always say to myself, "Nah, I'm done with Jack." But another paperback comes out gathering the comics issues, and again, I am drawn to the rascal.

It's hard to describe how likably unlikable he is. I mean, he's selfish, vain, greedy, thoughtless, ill-tempered, yes, but he's also clever, energetic, funny, and outrageous.

In this adventure (we've seen him as a Hollywood mogul, in a concentration camp of sorts for Fables, in Las Vegas with Lady Luck), he's on the road...again. As an escapee from Golden Boughs (where storybook characters go to be forgotten, against their will), he's got a sidekick in the Pathetic Fallacy (this development cheers my English Lit degree heart to no end), who has memory issues. Mr. Revise is making sure the forgetting continues, and that includes erasing the memories of escapees so they forget Golden Boughs.

He and P.F. are captured by the Page sisters, but things go, as they will around Jack, quite wrong.

There are a couple of fabulous plot twists--the one with Excalibur and the one with Wicked John, and be careful of one of the following reviews which has serious spoilers, in case you care about surprises that way--and there is a nice bit of humor.

There is also an inclusion of a flashback tale that's intended as a Halloween season treat. Devilish goings on are both funny and dark. Just right for the holiday.

The whole Fables franchise is a delight. I've read all the ones available in bound-paperback form. And I still await the next adventures of the Fables folks, including wascally wicked Jack.

Just plain fun, and with good dialogue to boot(unlike soem of the comics I read this week.)

Mir

Reason for Reading: next in the series.

This entire volume except for the last chapter is devoted to the title story arc "The Bad Prince". Jack has a run in with Excalibur and learns a shocking truth about his existence. All the regulars are here and it was great to see the return of Paul Bunyan and Babe from Vol. 1, though they've been shrunk down in size as punishment for their part in the Great Escape. A new character is introduced and an old character from Fabletown shows up. This is a minor character who pops up now and then, though he has caused trouble in Fabletown, and in this volume we learn his true identity, which is a bit of a shocker and questions are answered in this series "and" ones that have been posed in "Fables" are also being answered.

I really enjoyed this volume. The story arc is a lot of fun. Jack is not able to take advantage of anyone this time around as he is the one getting the short end of the stick through out. But in a twist of events, this time, he's the one who wins in the end. A bit of a turn around on Jack's usual plights. The volume ends with a single Hallowe'en issue where Jack reminisces about the past and tells the story of how he came back from the dead, bargained with the devil and got the name Jack o'Lantern. A fun story. Loved this volume and am on my way to place an order for Vol. 4.

The adventurous spirit of the prior two volumes set the bar for me going into this volume. I wasn't expecting to find deep characters or a 'profound' plotline going on as I started this trade, but I did expect to be entertained. I felt this volume was a little weak compared to the prior two, just for lack of 'action'. To be honest, Jack seemed to be in a state of meloncholy through most of the edition, and the Jack/John dynamic was somewhat dissapointing to the character himself. The backstory that the volume developed was less original in its humor than what I had come to expect.

I would like to give points to the last episode in the book though, with the 'multiple-devil's' and the artwork for that short. It was an original, creative and humorous account, one that was on par with the prior two editions; a good read overall.

However, I've been impressed enough by the series so far to take a look at the Fables line that this spin-off is from.

This volume has two stories. The first one consists of four issues and it is hard to describe. It does a lot in terms of giving the series more depth. It gives us more background on Revise, it shows us a lot of Jack's past by having him cross paths with Wicked John (a very similar guy to Jack in personality and in looks, the only difference seems to be the color of their hair). It introduces the notion of "Literals" which will have repercussions later and it gives a big spotlight on Gary, the pathethic fallacy. Even though this story seemed to not be very plot driven, I think it was very good, mainly because it has a ton of humor. Almost every page has a funny scene in it. In the volume, there are three pages that focus on Paul Bunyan's pet, and this pet is hilarious. Each one of those pages consists of the pet having delusions, such as being the inventor of graham crackers or a kind pirate.

The second story is one issue long. Another fairy tale kind of story. Doesn't have a huge impact on the overall story arc, but it is a nice short story involving Jack. This time it is about his time as Jack O'Lantern. Jack makes a deal with the devil and ends up being in our world without being alive. It is hilarious to see how reckless Jack is. This story is much weaker than the Jack Frost story in my opinion, but it is still worth telling. I really like the side stories that Willinghma gives us. It's been a great joy reading stories from his FABLES universe.

For Fables fans that can't get enough, Bill Willingham hits us right between the eyes with "Jack of Fables!" Jack Horner is a bold Fable that is an outcast from Fabletown. Mr. Revise, who has a plot to make fables disappear by erasing their stories, captures him. This volume details his capture and escape, with the customary flashbacks, which are twisted versions of old fairy tales involving Jack.

Despite being the fact that this set of Jack of Fables is almost devoid of plot, full of exposition and back-story, Willingham still delivers. Jack may already be my favorite character of all the fables. He is a handsome cad, egotistical, and boorish. And he constantly tries to score with the girls - so he's basically a teenage male in an imaginary immortal body.

The art is lively and cool, drawn this time by Tony Akins and Andew Pepoy instead of Willingham's usual collaborators. I guess Willingham creates too much cool material for any one artist to keep up with.

The lack of a plot in this compilation made me pine for the full Fables for the first time during the "Jack" series. The mobius loop of the storyverse makes it all worthwhile. I can't wait to read the next volume; let's hope its not another case in which Jack doesn't do jack.

Loved the book; and even though I made the mistake of beginning with Vol. 3 instead of one. I now want to read the entire series.
Series tracks the lives of a group known as the Fables. It is an interesting twist on all the fairy tales we knew as children.

Willingham's JACK OF FABLES companion series to FABLES lovingly and laughingly extends and macerates this creative world of fairy, folk, and myth tales. This latest addition to the growing oeuvre is fun and highly entertaining fare. The characterizations of such stock characters as Jack (Horner; and the Beanstalk; Frost, and we learn here, O'Lantern), the Snow Queen, and Paul Bunyan (in greatly "reduced" circumstances and oh! the fate of poor blue ox Babe) engage and delight the imagination as do more original concept beings as Gary the Pathetic Fallacy (a truly brilliant ideation), Kevin the Literal, Mr. Revise, and the Page sisters. While definitely a character-driven tale, the plot is intricate and intriguing and easily lost on those who aren't paying attention. These are comics for the literate and are a darkly luminous joy. No Disney princesses here.

Jack of Fables is back, and just as rougish as ever. This is vintage Willingham, though perhaps a quieter tale than previous Jack of Fables stories. Jack spends most of his time stuck in the Grand Canyon with his double, Pathetic Fallacy and a few other characters who want to revise him into a more mortal existence. This spinoff of the Fables series lacks the punch of the main line of stories since Jack is too self-indulgent to participate in the liberation struggles of the main Fables community. A well-written diversion form Fabletown with good characters, good art, but nothing more.

If you've read my other reviews of Mr. Willingham's work on 'Fables' and the 'Jack of Fables' you'll find I am a tremendous fan. One of the things I have marveled at is how Mr. Willingham keeps the series engaging and fresh. In this, the third of the Jack novels, he finally stumbles.

For those of you not familiar with the series, in Mr. Willingham's universe, the characters of folklore and mythology are real. A lot of them have been forced from their worlds to live in secret in our mundane world. One of these is Jack as in Jack Frost, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.

In order to really understand the series, you should start at the beginning and stop reading this review.... :-)

For those of you familiar with this series, Jack, the Pathetic Fallacy and Wicked John have been captured by the evil librarians of the Golden Boroughs Retirement Home. The van crashes into the Grand Canyon where our favorite scoundrel get a sword through his body. The sword is Excalibur and only the one true king can remove the sword.

In this graphic novel, we learn more about the nature of the Pathetic Fallacy and Mr. Revise. We also learn the connection of Wicked John and Jack and why they hate each other. Despite these tidbits the story is uneven. The characters spend much of their time bickering. this simply appears to be a means for Mr. Willingham to fill in gaps in the story and the narrative.

While this is better than the average fantasy graphic novel, it still falls short of of the overall excellence of the 'Fables' series.