Creative Staff:
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artist: Phil Jimenez
What They Say:
The first 6 issue arc follows the misadventures of Briar Rose after she is stolen away by the goblin army in FABLES #107. Fan-favorite artist Phil Jimenez (WONDER WOMAN, THE INVISIBLES) returns to Vertigo to pencil the opening storyline. Award-winning cover artist Adam Hughes (WONDER WOMAN, BATGIRL) provides covers, starting with a wraparound cover on issue #1.
The Review:
When it comes to the Fables universe, I really do end up feeling bad about it because circumstances and time keeps me from being fully involved in it as I’d like. I read the main series for awhile when it first came out, but transitioned to trades and got seriously behind over the years. When the Jack of Fables series came out, the same happened and like Fables, I made it halfway through in trades before I started to miss new volumes and then realized how far behind I was. And I’m still not caught up on either. So when news of a new series hit, it was something I wanted to get in on, even if I was going to be confused from the start as it spins out from some big events in the ongoing Fables series. And this opening issue does make things a bit rough in some ways, but it entices as well with what it offers, both in story and artwork, to make it worth the effort.
With the war in the Fables storyline having resulted in a lot of things, this book starts off in the ashes of it all as we see Ali Baba searching for something, anything, since he is the self proclaimed prince of thieves. What he comes across will provide, at least for now, some of the comedic relief in the book as it’s a bottle imp when he expected a djinn. And the imp, Jonah, is an information based one who knows a whole lot about everything. And how to get under Ali Baba’s skin by promising him to show him the way to some really good things that will appeal to his basic instincts. The downside to it is that it’s deep inside a goblin camp and he really has to show off his skills in order to get there.
While he is stealthy, there are always those that are even better trackers and we get that in Oakheart, one of those who have stayed behind after the war with the Empire and is doing what he can to ensure that the bones of the place aren’t scavenged clean by those that would spoil it. The eventual fight between the two of them is nicely done as it lets us see just how skilled Baba is, but also some of the quirks as well. It all leads towards what the series is going to be about, as we see the prize that he’s been set to get, but it’s just a minor part of the story here at the moment. With Ali Baba as the lead for this issue, it gives us a good look at how he can potentially be a catalyst for things. With this being just the first chapter, of course there are things that aren’t going to flow as one would expect, but it sets up some of the basics in a very fun way.
Release Notes:
This comiXology edition of Fairest comes with the main cover as released with the print edition, which looks great, and we get the full wraparound piece right after that which adds even more of the Fables ladies by Adam Hughes. That’s followed up by the Phil Jimenez variant cover which is very striking in a different way as it focuses on the two women of the first issue that do appear in the book. And that is followed up by the wraparound cover again, though the left half is done in grayscale.
In Summary:
It may be a bit of a bait and switch to some when you have a book with such a great cover featuring the lovely ladies of the franchise overall and then to have only a couple of panels worth of them here, but that’s just a minor quibble as Willingham has started down the road to a larger storyline here that goes beyond just that. By kicking it off with Ali Baba, pairing him up with Jonah the bottle imp and giving us a look at how the city is after the destruction, it’s a good starting point with a fair bit of history to be had there to build off of. It’s not an out of the park hit here, but what we get is enticing and certainly beautifully drawn as Phil Jimenez has a great eye for pacing the fights, dealing with the beauty of the female characters that do appear here and having fun with Jonah. What sells this is what Willingham has done with this particular world for years now and that alone is worth the price of admission.
Grade: B+
Readers Rating: [ratings]