Fables | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Vertigo (#1-150) DC Black Label (#151-162) |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Ongoing series |
Genre | Contemporary fantasy, dark fantasy, urban fantasy |
Publication date | July 2002 – March 2024 |
No. of issues | 162 |
Main character(s) | Bigby Wolf (Fables, Boy Blue, Rose Red) |
Creative team | |
Created by | Bill Willingham |
Written by | Bill Willingham |
Penciller(s) | Mark Buckingham, Lan Medina, Steve Leialoha, Craig Hamilton |
Inker(s) | Andrew Pepoy, Steve Leialoha, Mark Buckingham, P. Craig Russell |
Letterer(s) | Todd Klein |
Editor(s) | Shelly Bond |
Fables is an American comic book series created and written by Bill Willingham, published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. Willingham served as sole writer for its entirety, with Mark Buckingham penciling more than 110 issues. The series featured various other pencillers over the years, most notably Lan Medina and Steve Leialoha. Fables was launched in July 2002 and concluded in July 2015. [1] It was revived in 2022 with a 12-issue continuation to the main series, as well as a 6-issue spin-off miniseries Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham , both published under DC Black Label. [2]
The series features various characters from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as "Fables" – who formed a clandestine community centuries ago within New York City known as Fabletown, after their Homelands were conquered by a mysterious and deadly enemy known as "The Adversary". It is set in the modern day and follows several of Fabletown's legal representatives, such as sheriff Bigby Wolf, deputy mayor Snow White, her sister Rose Red, Prince Charming, and Boy Blue, as they deal with troublesome Fables and try to solve conflicts in both Fabletown and "the Farm", a hidden town in upstate New York for Fables unable to blend in with human society. [3] The series also deals with such other matters as the main characters' personal lives, their attempts to hide the Fables' true nature from regular humans (or "Mundies"), and, later, the return of the Adversary.
Fables was a critical and commercial success, winning many Eisner Awards and receiving several Hugo Award nominations for Best Graphic Story. Its success led to several spin-offs and a 2013 prequel video game titled The Wolf Among Us .
Various artists worked on the title. The covers until issue #81 were done by James Jean, after which João Ruas took over as cover artist. The majority of the interior pencil work was done by Mark Buckingham (who reportedly would have been given the writing reins if Willingham became unable to continue it). [4] Other artists include Bryan Talbot, Lan Medina, P. Craig Russell, Mike Allred, Craig Hamilton, and Linda Medley.
The series ended with issue #150. [5] The final issue of Fables was a larger than normal issue comprising most of the twenty-second Fables trade paperback. [6] It was released in July 2015. It resumed publication with issue #151 for a 12-issue arc in May 2022. [7]
Until 2023, Willingham was the sole owner of the IP rights to Fables. [8] In September, Willingham announced that he had allowed the Fables IP to enter the public domain after growing disenchanted with DC Comics. [9] [10] Willingham cited his frustration with DC, stating that for years the company fought him on royalties, media rights, and various other issues. [11] [12] In his announcement, Willingham wrote: "If I understand the law correctly...you have the rights to make your Fables movies, and cartoons, and publish your Fables books, and manufacture your Fables toys, and do anything you want with your property, because it's your property". [13] The decision does not affect any Fables works already in print, which Willingham will continue to collect royalties on. [8] DC denied Willingham's assertion that the franchise is public domain, stating that they continue to own the rights to the storylines, characters, and elements in the comics. [11]
The main characters of Fables are public domain figures from folklore, mythology, and literature. Bill Willingham said the only considerations in deciding what characters and fables to use were "is the character or story free for use?" and "do I want to use it?" [14] A principal character is the Big Bad Wolf (who calls himself "Bigby"), who has not only reformed but gained the ability to take on a more human appearance. At the series' beginning he serves as Fabletown's sheriff.
Most of the characters who appear in Fables are from European stories, the major exceptions being Arabian fables and American fables (from the fable world of "Americana", appearing in Jack of Fables , such as Paul Bunyan, Black Sambo [now known as Sam] and the Lone Ranger). Most of these characters appear primarily in the Jack of Fables spin-off.
Earlier story arcs each take on the form of a different genre: the first is a murder mystery; [15] the next, a conspiracy thriller; [16] and then, a caper story. [17] While the descriptions are only general, there are spoilers.
The series proper is principally being collected in trade paperbacks. Deluxe edition hardcovers are also being produced. The spin-off graphic novel 1001 Nights of Snowfall and other works are available in both hardcover and softcover format.
# | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fables: Legends in Exile | ISBN 1-56389-942-6 | April 25, 2003 | Fables #1–5 and the new prose story "A Wolf in the Fold" |
2 | Fables: Animal Farm | ISBN 1-4012-0077-X | August 1, 2003 | Fables #6–10 |
3 | Fables: Storybook Love | ISBN 1-4012-0256-X | May 1, 2004 | Fables #11–18 |
4 | Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers | ISBN 1-4012-0222-5 | November 30, 2004 | The Last Castle one-shot and Fables #19–21, 23–27 |
5 | Fables: The Mean Seasons | ISBN 1-4012-0486-4 | April 30, 2005 | Fables #22, 28–33 |
6 | Fables: Homelands | ISBN 1-4012-0500-3 | January 27, 2006 | Fables #34–41 |
7 | Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days) | ISBN 1-4012-1000-7 | July 5, 2006 | Fables #42–47 |
8 | Fables: Wolves | ISBN 1-4012-1001-5 | December 20, 2006 | Fables #48–51, maps of Fabletown and the Farm, script for #50 |
9 | Fables: Sons of Empire | ISBN 1-4012-1316-2 | June 13, 2007 | Fables #52–59 |
10 | Fables: The Good Prince | ISBN 1-4012-1686-2 | June 4, 2008 | Fables #60–69 |
11 | Fables: War and Pieces | ISBN 1-4012-1913-6 | November 19, 2008 | Fables #70–75, sketches by Mark Buckingham |
12 | Fables: The Dark Ages | ISBN 1-4012-2316-8 | August 11, 2009 | Fables #76–82 |
13 | Fables: The Great Fables Crossover | ISBN 1-4012-2572-1 | February 9, 2010 | Fables #83–85, Jack of Fables #33–35 and The Literals #1–3 |
14 | Fables: Witches | ISBN 1-4012-2880-1 | December 7, 2010 | Fables #86–93 |
15 | Fables: Rose Red | ISBN 1-4012-3000-8 | April 11, 2011 | Fables #94–100 and the new prose story "Pinocchio's Army" |
16 | Fables: Super Team | ISBN 1-4012-3306-6 | December 14, 2011 | Fables #101–107 |
17 | Fables: Inherit the Wind | ISBN 1-4012-3516-6 | July 10, 2012 | Fables #108–113 |
18 | Fables: Cubs in Toyland | ISBN 1-4012-3769-X | January 22, 2013 | Fables #114–123 |
19 | Fables: Snow White | ISBN 1-4012-4248-0 | December 24, 2013 | Fables #124–129 and the Oz backup stories from #114–123 |
20 | Fables: Camelot | ISBN 1-4012-4516-1 | September 2, 2014 | Fables #130–140 |
21 | Fables: Happily Ever After | ISBN 1-4012-5132-3 | May 5, 2015 | Fables #141–149 |
22 | Fables: Farewell [18] | ISBN 1-4012-5233-8 | July 28, 2015 [19] | Fables #150, plus several extras: "Lucky 13: A Fables Afterword in Three Parts", "Bill's Comic Writing School Lesson 67.3: The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome", "A Fables Gallery", and "Creator Biographies". |
# | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Volume 1 [20] | ISBN 1-4012-2427-X | September 30, 2009 | Fables #1–10 |
2 | Volume 2 [21] | ISBN 1-4012-2879-8 | November 17, 2010 | Fables #11–18, The Last Castle and A Wolf in the Fold [22] [23] |
3 | Volume 3 [24] | ISBN 1-4012-3097-0 | August 17, 2011 | Fables #19–27 |
4 | Volume 4 [25] | ISBN 1-4012-3390-2 | December 14, 2011 | Fables #28–33, Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall |
5 | Volume 5 [26] | ISBN 1-4012-3496-8 | May 30, 2012 | Fables #34–45 |
6 | Volume 6 [27] | ISBN 1-4012-3724-X | February 20, 2013 | Fables #46–51 with maps of Fabletown and the Farm, script for #50 |
7 | Volume 7 | ISBN 1-4012-4040-2 | September 10, 2013 | Fables #52–59 and 64 |
8 | Volume 8 | ISBN 1-4012-4279-0 | February 5, 2014 | Fables #60–63, 65–69 |
9 | Volume 9 | ISBN 1-4012-5004-1 | October 14, 2014 | Fables #70–82 |
10 | Volume 10 | ISBN 1-4012-5521-3 | May 19, 2015 | Fables #83–85, The Literals #1–3, Jack of Fables #33–35 and Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland |
11 | Volume 11 | ISBN 1-4012-5826-3 | November 3, 2015 | Fables #86–100 and the new prose story "Pinocchio's Army". |
12 | Volume 12 | ISBN 1-4012-6138-8 | May 24, 2016 | Fables #101–113 |
13 | Volume 13 [28] | ISBN 1-4012-6449-2 | September 21, 2016 | Fables #114–129 |
14 | Volume 14 | ISBN 1-4012-6856-0 | April 18, 2017 | Fables #130–140 |
15 | Volume 15 [29] | ISBN 1-4012-7464-1 | November 22, 2017 | Fables #141–150 |
16 | Volume 16 | ISBN 9781779524027 | May 21, 2024 | Fables #151–162 |
# | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fables: Compendium One [30] | ISBN 978-1779504548 | October 20, 2020 | Fables #1-41, Fables: The Last Castle, A Wolf in the Fold, Fables: 1,001 Nights of Snowfall |
2 | Fables: Compendium Two [31] | ISBN 978-1779509444 | May 11, 2021 | Fables #42–82 |
3 | Fables: Compendium Three [32] | ISBN 978-1779510358 | August 24, 2021 | Fables #83–113; Jack of Fables #33–35, The Literals #1–3, Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland #1, Pinocchio's Army |
4 | Fables: Compendium Four [33] | ISBN 978-1779513342 | December 21, 2021 | Fables #114–150 |
1001 Nights of Snowfall is a prequel to Fables written by Willingham, it was initially released in hardcover on October 18, 2006. Based on the One Thousand and One Nights , it tells a story from a time early in Fabletown's history when Snow White was sent as an emissary to the Arabian Fables. The Sultan's Vizier secretly presents Snow to Sultan as his next wife in order to delay his daughter Scheherazade from suffering the same fate. Snow must amuse the Sultan with a new story every night to prevent him from executing her at dawn, as he has done with all his former wives.
A spin-off mini-series, written by novelist and publisher Chris Roberson (another of Willingham and Sturges's fellow Clockwork Storybook alumni) with painted cover art by Chrissie Zullo, the miniseries was drawn by Shawn McManus, [34] and (according to Comic Book Resources ' Timothy Callahan) "answers the question of what happened to Cinderella's fairy godmother". [35] Writer Roberson says: "It's On Her Majesty's Secret Service meets Sex and the City ". The concluding issue was released in April 2010. [36]
A six-issue sequel to Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus's earlier Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love series, was released in mid-2011. [37]
A prestige format one-shot in which Boy Blue retells to Snow White the tale of the last stand against the Adversary's forces in the Homelands.
Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland is an original graphic novel written by Willingham with art by Craig Hamilton, and Jim Fern. [38] It was released in hardcover in November 2012. In the story, Bigby Wolf embarks on a quest through the American Heartland to find a new location for Fabletown.
Fairest follows the lives of some female Fables, including Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. It debuted on March 7, 2012, with the first arc written by Willingham and art by Phil Jimenez. [39] Subsequent arcs were handed off to writers of Willingham's choosing. [40]
Jack of Fables focuses on Jack Horner. It debuted in July 2006 and follows Fables #35 ("Jack Be Nimble" part 2). It is co-written by Willingham and former Clockwork Storybook author Lilah Sturges. The series ended with its fiftieth issue in March 2011.
Three issue miniseries comprising one third of The Great Fables Crossover. It is co-written by Willingham and Sturges, and was published April through June 2009. All issues are included in Fables: The Great Fables Crossover, in Deluxe Edition: Volume 10, and in Fables: Compendium Three.
Peter and Max: A Fables Novel is an illustrated novel centering on Peter Piper, his wife Bo Peep and his brother Max, who will later grow up to be the Pied Piper. Written by Willingham and illustrated by Steve Leialoha, it is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook editions. It includes a brief comic-book story that deals with Pete and Bo Peep's adventures after the events in the novel. [41]
Issues #50–54 of The Unwritten , a comic series created by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, were a crossover with Fables, with writing co-credited to Willingham. The crossover arc was compiled into the ninth volume of the Unwritten trade paperback series. [42]
The Fables: The Wolf Among Us video game was adapted into comic form by Vertigo Comics, released digitally first in December 2014 and later as print comic. The story's been adapted for the comic by Lilah Sturges, who has previously written for the Fables series, and Dave Justus, staying otherwise true to the game's story but exploring some characters and back story in more depth. The comic is canon to the Fables universe. [43]
"A Wolf in the Fold", featured in "Legends in Exile" trade paperback and in the "Deluxe Edition: Volume 2", tells the history of Bigby Wolf and Snow White and how they came to the mundane world. "Pinocchio's Army", featured in "Fables: Rose Red", focuses on Pinocchio and Geppetto during the events of the "Rose Red" story arc.
The series follows the events of Fables #150. Debuting in 2016, the series was cancelled after 12 issues.
A six-issue team-up starring Batman and Bigby was released in September 2021. [44]
Title | Format | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
---|---|---|---|---|
1001 Nights of Snowfall | Hardcover | ISBN 1-4012-0367-1 | October 18, 2006 | Original graphic novel |
Softcover | ISBN 1-4012-0369-8 | March 5, 2008 | ||
Fables: Covers by James Jean | Hardcover | ISBN 1-4012-1576-9 | November 18, 2008 | Covers from issues #1 to 75, and TP vol. 1 to 11. |
Peter & Max: A Fables Novel | Hardcover | ISBN 1-4012-1573-4 | October 7, 2009 | An original prose novel set in the Fables universe. |
Softcover | ISBN 1-4012-2537-3 | December 28, 2010 | ||
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love | Softcover | ISBN 1-4012-2750-3 | August 10, 2010 | Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love issues #1–6 |
Cinderella: Fables Are Forever | Softcover | ISBN 1-4012-3385-6 | April 18, 2012 | Cinderella: Fables Are Forever issues #1–6; Fables #51 |
Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland | Hardcover | ISBN 1-4012-2479-2 | November 20, 2012 | Original graphic novel |
Everafter: From the Pages of Fables vol. 1 The Pandora Protocol | Softcover | ISBN 1-401-26836-6 | May 9, 2017 | Everafter: From the Pages of Fables issues #1–6 |
Everafter: From the Pages of Fables vol. 2 The Unsentimental Education | Softcover | ISBN 1-401-27502-8 | December 26, 2017 | Everafter: From the Pages of Fables issues #7–12 |
Fables won fourteen Eisner Awards:
While Fables only advertises winning fourteen Eisner Awards on their covers, the following Eisner awards have also been won by members of their staff for their work on Fables:
Fables: War and Pieces was nominated for the first Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story. [45] Fables: The Dark Ages, Fables: Witches and Fables: Rose Red were also nominated.
Prominent review site IGN has called it "the best comic book currently being produced" in 2006. [46]
Fabletown and Beyond was a comic convention created and hosted by Willingham to showcase and appreciate comic books that fall under the genre of mythic fiction. Willingham announced this new project during his panel at the 2012 San Diego Comic Convention: "We're going to have a nearly-all Fables dedicated con called 'Fabletown and Beyond' – it's Fables and books like Fables". [47]
Fables artist Mark Buckingham was the guest of honor for the first FablesCon, held on March 22–24, 2013, at the Mayo Civic Center [48] in Rochester, Minnesota. Other guests included Gene Ha, Mike Carey, Matt Sturges, Peter Gross, Kurt Busiek, Anthony Del Col, Shelly Bond, [49] Adam Hughes, Chrissie Zullo, and Lauren Beukes. [48]
A television series based on Fables was put into development by NBC in 2005 for the 2006–07 television season. The show received a script order and was developed by Craig Silverstein and Warner Bros. Television [50] but was not developed any further than the scripting stage. NBC later produced Grimm , a police procedural set in a world where fairytales are real. [51] [52]
In December 2008, ABC picked up the rights to develop a pilot of Fables for the 2009–10 television season. Six Degrees creators and executive producers Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner were writing the script for the hourlong drama, again set up at Warner Bros. Television, while David Semel had come on board to direct. [53] [54] There has been no news since concerning a series based directly on Willingham's series and, in late 2010, he said "[t]he TV show that was prematurely announced is probably dead". [55] Instead, ABC developed a new series called Once Upon a Time , which features fairy tale characters such as Snow White and Prince Charming who have been cursed to live in the real world by the Evil Queen without the memories of their former lives. [51] [52] The show's creators, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, stated that they "read a couple issues" of Fables but believe that while the two concepts are "in the same playground", they are "telling a different story". [56]
In 2015, Warner Bros. was developing a live-action Fables film with David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford producing, Jeremy Slater and Jane Goldman writing and Nikolaj Arcel directing, but these plans were quietly cancelled. [57] [58] [59]
Telltale Games developed The Wolf Among Us , [60] an episodic graphic adventure game based upon Fables. With the first of its five episodes released on October 11, 2013 (and the final episode released on July 8, 2014), the game is canon with the comic book universe and is set as a prequel to the comic book. [61]
The Wolf Among Us 2 was set for release in 2024, the final release being currently unknown. [62] It is a sequel to the 2013 game The Wolf Among Us, with the title taking place six months following the events of the previous title.
The popular Blue Tea Games series Dark Parables was inspired by Fables. [63]
Vertigo Comics is an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence, that did not fit the restrictions of DC's main line, thus allowing more creative freedom. Its titles consisted of company-owned comics set in the DC Universe, such as The Sandman and Hellblazer, and creator-owned works, such as Preacher, Y: The Last Man and Fables.
Shawn McManus is an American artist who has worked extensively over three decades for DC Comics and other companies, notably for DC's Vertigo imprint including the Fables series.
William Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series Elementals and Fables.
Mark Buckingham is a British comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Marvelman and Fables.
Jack of Fables is a spin-off comic book series of Fables written by Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges and published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. The story focuses on the adventures of Jack Horner, a supporting character in the main series, that takes place after his exile from Fabletown in the story-arc Jack Be Nimble. The idea for the spin-off comic came after editor Shelly Bond suggested to put Jack in a separate comic when Willingham planned to write him out of the series.
Geppetto is a major character, albeit one that's rarely seen, in the comic book series Fables, written by Bill Willingham and published by DC Comics as part of the Vertigo imprint.
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall is a graphic novel prequel to the comic book series Fables written by series creator Bill Willingham with a variety of artists. It was released on October 18, 2006 by Vertigo.
Boy Blue is a major character in the Vertigo comic book series Fables. He is based on the nursery rhyme character Little Boy Blue. At the beginning of the series, he is portrayed as an efficient but meek office clerk helping Snow White run Fabletown; however, he has a colorful and violent history that is gradually revealed as the series goes on.
Pinocchio is a character in the comic book series Fables. The wooden boy magically brought to life in the story by Carlo Collodi, he was among those Fables who fled to the mundane world and formed a community in New York City.
Jack Horner is a fictional character in the comic book series Fables by Bill Willingham. His first appearance was in issue #1 of Fables and he continued as a regular character of the series until leaving the series for his own title, Jack of Fables. The character is based on various nursery rhymes and fables with characters named Jack, including Little Jack Horner, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, Jack Be Nimble, Jack Frost, Jack O'Lantern, and Jack the Giant Killer, and among others.
The Homelands are the mythical lands from fairy tales, folklore, and nursery rhymes in the comic book series Fables. The majority of those listed have been conquered by the mysterious Adversary, as he has conquered most of the European Fable lands. This is a list of the Homelands that have been directly referenced in Fables and its spin-offs Jack of Fables, Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love, Cinderella: Fables are Forever and Fairest.
John Christian Roberson, known professionally as Chris Roberson, is an American science fiction author and publisher who is best known for alternate history novels and short stories.
Lilah Sturges is an American writer of comics and fantasy novels. She is best known for co-writing with Bill Willingham the Eisner-award-nominated Jack of Fables, and other comics published by Vertigo Comics / DC Comics.
Tony Akins is an artist, penciling and inking for DC/Vertigo who has contributed to the titles Jack of Fables, Fables, Hellblazer, House of Mystery and alternate issues of Wonder Woman for The New 52 relaunch.
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love was an American comic book limited series published by Vertigo Comics in 2009 and 2010, and set in the world of Fables. The story portrays Cinderella as a secret agent, performing missions on behalf of Fabletown. Its title is an allusion to the James Bond novel From Russia, with Love.
The Wolf Among Us is an episodic graphic mystery adventure game developed by Telltale Games, based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic book series, to which it serves as a prequel. The game consists of five episodes that were released throughout 2013 and 2014. Retail versions for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, and Xbox One consoles were made available in November 2014. In the game, the player controls Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown – a clandestine community within 1980s New York City consisting of various fantastical characters from fairy tales and folklore – and must investigate a series of mysterious murders, the first ones to occur in Fabletown in a long time.
Bigby Wolf is a fictional character in the American comic book series Fables published by DC Comics and its alternative imprint Vertigo. The character first appears in Fables #1 and was created by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina. He frequently serves as the lead character among the ensemble cast of Fables and is the central protagonist of Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland as well as Fables: The Wolf Among Us, the comic book adaptation of the 2013 video game The Wolf Among Us.
Fairest is an American monthly comic series created by Bill Willingham, published by DC's Vertigo. A spin-off of Fables, Fairest detailed the adventures and stories of Fabletown's female citizens and heroines. Fairest was described by Willingham as a series of miniseries, with each arc telling self-contained stories.
Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham is a six-issue comic book miniseries that was published by DC Comics from September 2021 to February 2022.
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