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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Touching Volume in an Excellent Series, March 26, 2005
The fifth collected-edition of "Fables" is a much more subdued affair than "March of the Wooden Soldiers". It contains several smaller stories that advance further many of the overall plot lines lingering about Fabletown.
First, we learn of Cinderella's more devious nature in "Cinderella Libertine". The less said about this story, the better, simply because its impact lies in its ending. No point spoiling it.
Next, we get a couple of "War Stories", as we follow Bigby Wolf into his past as a spy for the Allies during World War II, on a mission that never officially happened, as Bigby leads a squad of American troops to a castle behind enemy lines.
Finally is "The Mean Seasons" proper, as King Cole discovers he was perhaps not as popular as a mayor as he thought, and his successor, Prince Charming, learns actually governing a city requires a lot more than charm. His new administration, including Beauty and the Beast, also find the elaborate system that Snow White and Bigby have in place to keep the city running smoothly.
Meanwhile, Snow White gives birth to Bigby's litter, moves to the Farm (where the "nonhuman" looking Fables must stay) and meets her father-in-law. Others leave Fabletown for various reasons, including Bigby, who is not allowed on the Farm. And some invisible creature is killing various residents of Fabletown.
While "March of the Wooden Soldiers" was and is my favorite storyline, I have to say that I found "Mean Seasons" to have quite the emotional impact. Writer Bill Willingham, after carefully building the status quo of the series for three years, has swept it away, while paying attention to the logical consequences of those changes. The result is a very touching volume in this excellent series.
DC has wisely fast-tracked this series for trade-paperback format. That's a good thing, since it's an excellent series. I anticipate future volumes.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Year of Change, May 26, 2006
After the horrific events of March of the Wooden Soldiers, it would seem that things couldn't get worse in Fabletown. But the impending mayoral election could overturn the centuries-old status quo, sending the town into a tailspin.
This collection actually starts off with issue 22, even though the previous collection ended at 27. March of the Wooden Soldiers cut 22 out because, while it is an important issue, it interupted the flow of the story. It is a one-shot focusing on Cinderella, Prince Charming's third wife. While many people think she is merely a loud heiress, it is merely a cover. She is really a spy, and she uses her feminine wiles to get what she needs from the people she is assigned to.
The next two issues follow one of Bigby Wolf's missions during World War II. Like most science fiction involving World War II, the Nazis are once again researching the occult and impossible, and they have a surprise in store for the Allied forces. While these issues are good, they don't compare to the amazing March of the Wooden Soldiers story nor the following story.
The four-part arc The Mean Seasons takes place over the course of a year, with each issue occuring in one of the four seasons. Things kick off with Prince Charming winning the mayoral election and the birth of Snow White and Bigby Wolf's children (yes, there are multiple kids). Charming is the first new mayor since the creation of Fabletown, and his presence so annoys Snow White and Bigby that they step down from their positions as Deputy Mayor and Sheriff, respectively. Plus, due to the inhuman appearance of most of the children, Snow White couldn't stay even if she wanted to, since the kids must be raised at the Farm, which is the one place on Earth Bigby isn't allowed to visit due to his actions against many of the Farm's residents back in the Homelands. Beauty and Beast are Snow White and Bigby's replacements, and while both have good intentions, neither of them are equipped for their new jobs. Things only get worse as the year drags on; Prince Charming finds that he can't keep his campgain promises, Snow White has a hard time dealing with her kids, and a mysterious figure is killing Fabletown and Farm residents for seemingly no reason. Finally, Charming, Beauty, and Beast make a startling discovery when one of Fabletown's residents leaves with some forbidden objects to return to the Homelands.
As usual, Fables is amazing. While The Mean Seasons isn't quite as good a collection as March of the Wooden Soldiers, it is still great, and MotWS was so good that it would be hard to top. The story ends with readers dying to find out what happens next, so until then, enjoy.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Series keeps getting better., March 13, 2006
Bill Willingham, Fables: The Mean Seasons (Vertigo, 2005)
I've been reading Fables and Brian Michael Bendis' Powers simultaneously, and hadn't really been able to come to much of a conclusion about whether I preferred one or the other. The Mean Seasons, however, sealed the deal for me: Fables is the better-written series. I mean, Willingham takes a book where, basically, nothing happens and still makes it into something that demands to be devoured in one sitting.
The Mean Seasons takes the fables through the year following the end of March of the Wooden Soldiers. Its main purpose is to wrap up loose ends from older books (such as the Fabletown election and Snow's pregnancy) and introduce hooks for later books in the series. The only real story arc here is a two-parter in which Bigby and a friend from his wartime days spin some tales of Bigby's prowess in battle. Everything else is transitional. Content-wise, when it comes right down to it, the book's as vapid as Paris Hilton.
And yet, like the rest of the series' titles, it's gripping. Willingham makes the day-to-day life of Fabletown and the farm as exciting as Blue's retelling of the fall of the last outpost in the Homelands that kicked off March of the Wooden Soldiers. That takes some doing.
The series just keeps getting better. Can't wait for book six. ****
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