In a special review, MC editors Matt Meylikhov and David Harper discuss this week’s “Fables” #129 from Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham. Why? Because it has one of the biggest moments in comics of 2013 so far, and a major turning point for the series potentially. SPOILERS ABOUND! Do not move on if you do not want to be spoiled!
Oh, and because we didn’t mention it, I just wanted to say: what an amazing cover by Joao Ruas. Damn, that guy is talented.
Written by Bill Willingham
Illustrated by Mark BuckinghamSnow White’s life has been shattered in more ways than one. With no one else to turn to, to save her from the ruthless Prince Brandish, who claims to be her only legitimate husband, she has no other choice but to take up arms in her own defense. She received fencing lessons from Prince Charming long ago. Will she remember them well enough now?
David: Matt, I know you and I for a while were on the same track with Fables for a while. It went from being our top book of the past decade in our decade wrap up series to one that was struggling post the Great Fables Crossover to a degree. Then Cubs in Toyland hit (namely, there were other good parts in the mix) and, since, it seems like Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham righted the ship in a big way.
Does the fifth part of the so far magnificent “Snow White” arc work for you? What are you thoughts on issue #129?
Matthew: Well, I’m surprised for one thing. If I’m being honest, I think the book has been mostly coasting since maybe around issue #75? It has had its ups and downs, but for the most the book has been largely directionless since the “main storyline” has ended, turning it from an epic maxi-series into just another ongoing.
That said, with ‘Snow White,’ I honestly feel like Willingham is trying again. Buckingham always brings his all, but Willingham’s focus on the characters seemed out of place, misguided, directionless. Now? Now it is back on point, and for the first time in a long time “Fables” has been one of the first books I’ve had to read whenever it comes out.
David: I don’t know if I necessarily agree with that, as I thought the stuff with Mister Dark was really good too, and he was building the roots of this very arc in that. Not only that, but I think his character work has never been less than exemplary. I guess the word from what you said about the book that was previously true mostly was “directionless.” It was still a well crafted book in all regards, it just didn’t really have much of a drive for the narrative outside of fleeting moments.
But I do think the recent resurgence has put it back at its previous high highs, and this issue…man, what a doozy. Let’s jump into the art before we get into the plot/story/writing, because that is going to be SPOILERVILLE. LEAVE NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT.
Mark Buckingham is a guy who, I think in a lot of ways, has not ranked on our end-of-the-year lists because we hit some serious quality apathy. We’ve just come to expect such uniform greatness from him as an artist, it almost became ho hum. Like, we only noticed when someone else would step in (like Gene Ha’s phenomenal two-issue arc) or if for some reason his art slumped a bit. But on this issue, he nailed each and every moment, and his storytelling – which in my opinion – was at career high levels. What did you think about Bucky’s contributions?
Matthew: I think you’re largely correct — Buckingham is always great, so having the book look great isn’t inherently a surprise. It’d be like being shocked that the sky was blue when you woke up; he’s an incredibly talented artist who brings a very unique visual feel and framing to “Fables” that helps set it apart artistically. So “Fables” looking wonderful is never something in question.
That said, he certainly excelled on quite a few moments in this issue. I think the sword battle with Snow really showed off his eye for pace and framing, and the moment when Brandish broke Bigby was one of the best illustrated moments Buckingham has done since the book began — just so full of detail and emotion.
Continued belowAnd, since we’re in Spoilerville, I will say this: the shattering of Bigby Wolf was incredibly heartbreaking, and went from heartbreaking to even worse thanks to the lettering of Todd Kelin and his placement of “And that’s how my dad died” next to a quiet “Oh, Bigby.” So well executed.
David: Yeah, I think one of the underrated elements lately – and perhaps the tie that binds the recent upswing in quality – has been using Ambrose as an adult as the narrator of the story. It added so much to the story right then, and you’re right, Klein’s lettering and the parallel between those two reactions was so exceptional.
Truth be told, I think with the way Willingham wrote it, the way the art team visualized it and the way Klein handled the script made this the most powerful death in comics I’ve read in quite some time. It of course helps that I’m a huge fan of Bigby – my second favorite character behind Boy Blue (ALSO DEAD) – and that in the Fables world, death seems to stand even though Willingham has a really excellent loophole pretty much all the time, but still, man, that hit me hard.
It helped that Brandish was such a singularly focused villain that it just felt so…vile. So reprehensible. And Snow’s handling of the battle was so spot on, this was an issue that kept a certain amount of emotional distance from its big turn, it made it stand out all the more. The question is, with Prince Charming apparently returning, do you think Bigby is “dead,” or dead dead?
Matthew: Well there is certainly an easy way to have him return. Charming obviously did in “Fairest” recently, and there was that scene way, way back implying Mr. Dark and the North Wind are still around. With a videogame about to come out starring Bigby, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did come back…
But, you know, Willingham knows comics and knows how fleeting stuff like this tends to be. Add to that the adult narration and I’d like to think that Bigby really is dead here. If he’s not, if this really is just a cheap stunt, then somewhere down the line this scene will lose a good deal of emotional resonance. And that will be sad. For now, though, this is perhaps the first death in a major comic (not including smaller creator-owned books like “Chew,” for example) that really felt like it meant something. I kind of forgot what reading a book this big and being surprised felt like, and for the most part I approach this title with a good sense of apathy as of late.
David: Yeah, Toni Chu’s death would be the only one I would say that rated up there with Bigby. That’s a great example, and I agree: Willingham has a lot of rope here for bringing Bigby back, but I just don’t see him doing it. That said, this makes how Mike Carey and Peter Gross handle Bigby’s upcoming appearance in The Unwritten even more interesting.
I do want to add in one other story bit. I loved the way that this and Cubs in Toyland wrapped (well, I guess this wasn’t the end of Snow White) with the same scene, and it puts us back in the position where Therese – as an adult – has returned to her family. I’m really, really interested to see where everything goes from here, especially when you factor in the prophecy about the cubs and how Ambrose is telling the story form the future. I think those elements truly will become the drivers for the story going forward, as well as what is going on with the Blue Fairy and Gepetto in Haven.
Even without Bigby or my Boy Blue, I’m about as invested in the world of Fables as I have been in quite some time.
Matthew: I’m very tentative to fully invest in “Fables” again, probably for the obvious reasons, but I can’t say my interest isn’t piqued on the book. I generally view the book as I do a lot of major comics, though, in that I’m excited when they have genuinely good issues but they’re so quick to disappoint again that I’m hesitant to really cheer too loudly, you know?
Continued belowLike, look at “Walking Dead.” That book was in a serious lull, but I think issue #100 was a step in the right direction. I legitimately got sucked into that book in the same way I got sucked into this. But, the next issue comes and I’m right back where I started, with a sort of general malaise towards what’s going on. I think that some long-running books like this that, really, should have found an ending by now but continue to march on are really just sort of pushing their luck.
So I’m not quite where you are, I don’t think. I’m certainly very interested in what is next in “Fables” #130, but I am not really willing to count myself back on the train fulltime yet. This is a book I really want to be good, and this is a book that has storytelling aspects that I admire, but I’m too mindful of how disappointing it has been to allow one solid issue and tragic, surprising move get me back in fully.
David: I get the comparison, even though I’ve never been as down on either book as you were/are. But I think one thing you have to admit about Fables is, regardless of where it is at any given time, it is a book with limitless possibilities. Sure, the Adversary was the driving narrative for so long that it almost made it seem like the book couldn’t survive without it, but I think the characters are what make it such a rich book for me. I’m genuinely excited about where the book is, and maybe the narrative tension isn’t at an all-time high, but it’s still a wonderful character driven story with superb art.
But that’s just a difference in opinion. Anything else you want to add before we grade this bad boy?
Matthew: No, I think we’ve covered it. And I don’t think you’re wrong; I think the characters are fascinating. But even with fascinating characters, you need to drive them somewhere or put them in a situation in which they thrive. Just knowing that the characters are well crafted isn’t good enough to do more than float the book along, I don’t think.
David: Well, I guess it just depends on what you look for in comics. I agree that they need to be in interesting places doing interesting things, but I don’t think that has been entirely absent. I just think a central narrative pushing the story has been past The Adversary and Mister Dark. There isn’t that unifying factor, but there are still good stories happening. Just not to the scale and level we’ve come to expect from the book, until recently.
That said, this book was very, very good. Top notch art, a historically great/sad death, exceptional character work and just a top notch package. This is a damn fine comic, and I’ll give it a 9.0 overall. What about you?
Matthew: I’ll give it an 8.0. The art was great as always, and it was definitely a step in the right direction for the book. My general qualm for the book remains which is why I won’t get any higher than that (which perhaps seems a bit loaded or snarky, like when my third grade teacher gave me a D+ from D to show I was “improving”), but I want to see the book truly excel again. I think that potential is definitely there, and if anyone can lead us out of the dark it’s Snow White.
