I have never read an issue of Fables in my life. I knew of Fables. I saw the title at my local library, but I had never had the compulsion to read it. Luckily, Fables 1001 Nights of Snowfall doesn't burden you with the task of reading all existing issue of Fables in preparation to read this book. 1,001 Nights is a prequel, as the book's introduction will tell you.
The Fables comic book series takes place in modern New York, while 1,001 Nights takes place before all the Fables established their sanctuary, called Fabletown. Fables are called such because they are the classic characters we know from literature, Disney movies and the like. In fact, the main character in this book is Snow White. Yes, that Snow White. In 1,001 Nights, she is in the role of ambassador for Fabletown. Snow travels to visit a sultan and ask for his assistance.
The main conflict that Fables have had to endure is between themselves and The Adversary. More on that later. Snow's job is to convince the Sultan to join the Fables in their conflict with The Adversary, but the Sultan has other things on his mind. You see, the Sultan has a habit of marrying virgins - and then killing them. Guess who's next on his dance card?
Fortunately, Snow is not the average woman, so she crafts a plan to stay away from the gallows. So Snow White beings to tell magnificent tales to the sultan, King Sharyar - wait a minute! As soon as I heard the title of the book, I already knew that this very situation was familiar, but if you don't know, please look up "1,001 nights" or "Arabian nights" for the source material. Writer Bill Willingham has decided to use a fable to tell a fable, which was my first indication of how Willingham goes about playing with these great tales.
Snow White starts, of course, with a tale about her own life, the story of what happened after she and Prince Charming lived "happily ever after." I'll keep the juicier details to myself, but what you should know is that neither Snow White nor the Prince come off looking like completely likable people. This story is called "The Fencing Lessons." Prince Charming has to investigate grisly murders that threaten the peace between the land of humans and the land of dwarves, who live underground. At times, I was thinking of a procedural TV show like Law & Order when the prince surveyed the crime scene or when he questioned people. The language used is not out of some dull period piece, which I am thankful for. Jon Bolton's illustration is, at times, photorealistic. As I read, I felt as if this story could work on television or in a movie because most of the faces are given life, as if they were patterned on specific people. What was more surprising than who the killer turns out to be is what the killer's motivation was.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - Snarkattack
I'm a big fan of this series - I wait for the issues to be collected in trade paperback form and buy them like so to devour in the space of a couple of hours! Can't wait to get my hands on this one.
3 - Vichus Smith
Unfortunately, trades aren't really in my budget. I only have this and the first two trades of The Losers, which is excellent.