Fables Vol.1: Legends in Exile (Fables, #1)

Fables Vol.1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham, James Jean, Lan Medina, Craig Hamilton, Steve Leialoha

Age: Adult
Category: Fantasy, Mystery & Crime, Graphic Novel
Rating: 4 stars

Melissa Thinks: For those of you who don’t know, the Fables graphic novel series has spawned a video game by the name of The Wolf Among Us. It is through this quirky video game that I discovered and fell in love with the Fables universe. Hundreds of years ago, the fairy tale characters we know and love were exiled from their homes, forced to find refuge in a place void of magic: New York. In present day NYC, the fable creatures live in a community known as Fabletown, where they’re faced with monetary, political, and magical issues that threaten to tear apart their carefully crafted community.

The first issue of the series begins abruptly with the news that Snow White’s sister, Rose Red, has been murdered. It is up to Snow and the reformed big bad wolf (of Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood fame), now sheriff of Fabletown, Bigby to find out exactly what happened and why.

The most important aspect of theses graphic novels, of course, is the characters. Most of them, if not all, will be recognizable to you, but they’re different than you’ll remember, deeper and darker. This works to their advantage and it brings the reader closer to the characters and the story. Of course, the artwork is another of its shining qualities of this series because where would a graphic novel be without the illustration. It has a 90’s Sunday paper comics feel to it. The dialogue is hardly ever contrived as it can be in many comics, which seem to rely on plot and art instead of characterization and content. It’s dark, gritty, and funny as hell.

I would recommend this series to anyone who is skeptical about comics or graphic novels or who is new to this genre. The recognizable characters, background information, and themes will make the transition from novels to comics easier.