Fables #145 Review

What will the Fables next plan to stop Bigby be? Read on to find out.

The official description from Vertigo:

A Vertigo “Defy Covers” issue! Chapter five of “Happily Ever After!” In the aftermath of Bigby’s battle with Beast, Rose Red and Snow draw their lines in the sand, but it turns out sand is a crappy medium in which to draw anything with clarity. In the meantime, Fables begin leaving for the Homelands – but is it even possible for them to go home again? Also featuring the Last Story of Cinderella in which the fabled blonde faces her toughest assignment yet.

Happily Ever After gained a whole lot of momentum in the last issue, with Ozma and Beast’s attempt to stop Bigby ending in the most horrific way imaginable, with both character getting killed. So what has our Fables learned from this failed attempt at stopping the Wolf God? Nothing, as both Frau Totenkinder and Rose Red attempting to succeed where Ozma and Beast failed.

Though this outing doesn’t prove quite as exciting as the last, Bill Willingham still keeps the momentum going, as though the concept of repeating last issue seems rather lazy, Willingham turns this into something rather clever and unique. It is however the side story that really captured my attention, with the events involving Cinderella that start on the cover (yes they aren’t random speech balloons) leaving a lot of speculation as to the teased war between Snow and Red. The unmerciful attitude of Red towards killing Snow’s husband, Bigby, also captured my attention, with her general attitude towards Snow adding tension.

The artwork of Mark Buckingham yet again proves fascinating, with the unique borders around his work, and the layout itself proving very enthralling. It is however the way that he captures the character emotion that really captivated me, with the dynamic action also adding to the excitement. Additionally inkers Steve Leialoha and Andrew Pepoy, and colourist Lee Loughridge all managed to give a wonderful finish, with the soft, vivid colours adding brilliant tone. Nimit Malavia‘s art on both the cover and the story that continued from it also proved impressive, being a very unique way to open the issue.

Fables is certainly starting to shift things into a higher gear as we crawl ever closer to it’s end, with Happily Ever After becoming a very exciting tale. This Has Been the Last Cinderella Story also adds some mystery to open, with the continuation from the cover being rather clever. Highly recommended.