Fables 162 Featured Reviews 

“Fables” #162

By | March 18th, 2024
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

A saga twenty-two years in the making, barring a gap of seven years, finally comes to a close with the seemingly final fates of the various characters of “Fables” in the last chapter of ‘The Black Forest.’

Cover by Corinne Reid
Written by Bill Willingham
Illustrated by Mark Buckingham
Inked by Steve Leialoha
Colored by Lee Loughridge
Lettered by Todd Klein

It’s the finale of “The Black Forest”, and with it comes earth-shattering ramifications for the world of Fables.

Tink has become something far more powerful than anyone could’ve imagined, but will she be defeated and things reach their happily ever after?

“Fables” as an overarching story has had quite a journey, across multiple spin-offs and more. Technically, the story already had its conclusion with “Fables” #150 back in 2015, so people coming back to it now are likely just here to see more of the characters they enjoy. As this twelve-part continuation comes to its own close, there are still some questions, but how effectively does this saga about storytelling wrap up once again?

Bill Willingham does not waste any time in this finale, more or less immediately solving the major issues at hand and crafting a story that is definitely able to be seen as the last look at this saga. For a last look, it is primarily rather peaceful, more devoted to the denouement after the major action rather than the final defeat of the villain (which is rather fast), despite what the solicitation above may indicate.

Addressing the quality of the work is incomplete without first looking at the pseudo-subtitle or tagline to the story, which encompasses its tone. To quote it directly, “In which we conclude the story of the Black Forest, knowing that stories never really end.” By some interpretations, this could be conceived of as the overall lesson of the closing chapter, as Willingham spends far more time on what will happen going forward than on what has more recently occurred. We look in on how things will develop for various (but by no means all) characters, crafting a possible, likely future for them that makes it seem all but certain that this second “last story” is more definitive.

In some ways, the main villain of ‘The Black Forest’ is almost an afterthought from Willingham, dealt with more so that the story can wrap up, rather than as the central focus himself. His fate is horrific, but it seems oddly placed, as though the story only put a cliffhanger in “Fables” #161 to drum up interest in the ending, rather than really being worth it. Not to say he is not memorable, nor that his fate is insufficient, but rather it is purely the placement in terms of issue number in the twelve-part story that is a little strange.

Out of necessity, there is some lack of clarity as to who various characters are. Some are named, including Bigby Wolf, Snow White, Cinderella, Pinocchio, and others, but several are left unnamed by the story, including the person who solved the conflict with the primary antagonists. This lack of clarity may come across as not great for a reader dropping in, but as far as narrative problems go, it is very understandable. After all, it is highly unlikely that readers of the conclusion to ‘The Black Forest’ are just dropping in on part twelve of twelve.

The artwork of “Fables” #162 is on point, bloody and gruesome at times, and decidedly wholesome at others. The overall feel provided by the pencils of Mark Buckingham and the inks of Steve Leialoha is one of dark shadows at the edge of heroes as they always have since the story’s start, but with them shining through nonetheless. For instance, the moments of violence are very bloody and worrisome, but framed in a way that it does not overtly focus on the actual impacts, albeit without turning away fully either. Close ups of heroes and villains (and anyone in between) draw attention to imperfections, making them feel all the more real despite being, by their very nature, fairytale figures. This relatability, this quasi-realism, makes the horror of the fairy creatures of the story, of their true forms, much more horrifying by comparison, emphasizing their utter wrongness and how they do not belong amongst the “mundies,” to use the terminology of the story itself for non-Fables.

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The colors provided by Lee Loughridge fully bring the entire piece together, merging the mundane (“mundy”) world with that of the Fables themselves in ways that make even the most fantastical pieces feel real and natural. The green of the forests (ironic, given the arc title, but perhaps that was somewhere else) is distinct from that of the ultimate hero who saved the day. The brown of fur versus that of dirt, helping Bigby’s wolf form to stand out.

The lettering from Todd Klein helps to focus in on the difference between most Fables and the famous fairy. The more flowery font on the latter makes it out to be something much older, much more threatening than a common story, and something that the villain of the tale should never have crossed in the first place. Even beyond what happens to him, the text itself, not just what it says, almost foreshadows how much of a bad idea his actions around said fairy were in the long run.

From the writing to the artwork, from the colors to the letters themselves, this is a rather great culmination of the world of “Fables” itself. If there is never another story to take place after this one, it would be just fine as is, albeit perhaps not “happily ever after” for all.

Final Verdict: 7.0– Despite not really living up to the solicitation, this denouement is rather effective, provided you already know the rest of this saga (or in the very least this twelve-part revival).


Gregory Ellner

Greg Ellner hails from New York City. He can be found on Twitter as @GregoryEllner or over on his Tumblr.

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