“Fables” Deluxe Volume 3 (Vertigo)

Writer: Bill Willingham | Artists: Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Tony Atkins & Jimmy Palmiotti | Colours: Daniel Vozzo

When Little Red Riding Hood suddenly reappears, she’s welcomed as a miraculous survivor by nearly everyone except her old nemesis, Bigby Wolf, who smells espionage and subversion. But will he be able to prove his case before disaster strikes?

Coming back for a third Deluxe collection of Willingham’s Fables, and I am once again impressed, entertained and hooked throughout. The book wasn’t quite as good as the first or second collection, but it was still very strong. This series goes from strength to strength, and I really love the world Willingham et al have created. Another great addition to the series.

“Grimm Fairy Tales” Volume 1 (Zenescope)

Our favourite fairy tales, reimagined

Writer: Ralph Tedesco, Joe Tyler | Artist: H.G. Young

Red Riding Hood is forced to confront the insatiable hunger of a terrifying beast; Cinderella seeks a shocking vengeance for the years of torture she’s endured; Hansel and Gretel realise that the problems they left behind at home are nothing compared to the horror that awaits them on their ill-advised journey; a desperate girl makes a deal with the hideous Rumplestiltskin only to find she may lose much more than she ever imagined; Sleeping Beauty learns that narcissism can be a very gruesome trait to possess; and an envious sister finds her extreme measures to capture the man of her dreams may lead to much worse than just heartbreak from the Robber Bridegroom.

This is the first review in what I hope to be an on-going series, in which I take a look at the first collected volumes of established comic series (I’ve already reviewed Irredeemable and Incorruptible). This volume collects the first six issues in Zenescope’s ground-breaking series of alternative fables. The series has just hit its 59th issue, but it has also spawned a number of short spin-offs and parallel series (Wonderland being perhaps the most popular). I’m only slowly becoming familiar with the Grimm Fairy Tales line of comics, having read just the 2011 Holiday Special and the inaugural issue of their latest spin-off series, Alice.

Like the original fairy tales, each story has a message, and in this series the writers have altered them slightly to look at modern day, as well as classic issues – some of them were surprising and not at all what I’d been expecting. It’s an interesting series and, while flawed, it has a lot going for it and it’s not hard to see why it has managed to establish itself so well.