| Fables | |
|---|---|
 Cover page ofLegends in Exile | |
| 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,Snow White,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 | Todd Klein |
| Editor | Shelly Bond |
Fables is anAmerican comic bookseries created and written byBill Willingham, published byDC Comics'Vertigo imprint. Willingham served as sole writer for its entirety, withMark Buckingham penciling more than 110 issues. The series featured various otherpencillers over the years, most notablyLan Medina andSteve 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 miniseriesBatman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham, both published underDC Black Label.[2]
The series features various characters fromfairy tales andfolklore – referring to themselves as "Fables" – who formed a clandestine community centuries ago withinNew York City known as Fabletown, after theirHomelands 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 sheriffBigby Wolf, deputy mayorSnow White, her sisterRose Red,Prince Charming, andBoy Blue, as they deal with troublesome Fables and try to solve conflicts in both Fabletown and "the Farm", a hidden town inupstate 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 manyEisner Awards and receiving severalHugo Award nominations forBest Graphic Story. Its success led to several spin-offs and a 2013prequel video game titledThe Wolf Among Us.
Various artists worked on the title. The covers until issue #81 were done byJames Jean, after which João Ruas took over as cover artist. The majority of the interior pencil work was done byMark Buckingham (who reportedly would have been given the writing reins if Willingham became unable to continue it).[4] Other artists includeBryan Talbot,Lan Medina,P. Craig Russell,Mike Allred, Craig Hamilton, andLinda Medley.
The series ended with issue #150.[5] The final issue ofFables was a larger than normal issue comprising most of the twenty-secondFables 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 toFables.[8] In September, Willingham announced that he had allowed theFables IP to enter thepublic domain after growing disenchanted withDC 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 yourFables movies, and cartoons, and publish yourFables books, and manufacture yourFables toys, and do anything you want with your property, because it's your property".[13] The decision does not affect anyFables 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 ofFables arepublic 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 theBig 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 inFables are from European stories, the major exceptions being Arabian fables and American fables (from the fable world of "Americana", appearing inJack of Fables, such asPaul Bunyan,Black Sambo [now known as Sam] and theLone Ranger). Most of these characters appear primarily in theJack of Fables spin-off.
Earlier story arcs each take on the form of a different genre: the first is amurder mystery;[15] the next, aconspiracy thriller;[16] and then, acaper story.[17]
The series proper is principally being collected intrade paperbacks.Deluxe edition hardcovers are also being produced. The spin-offgraphic novel1001 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 andFables #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 byMark 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 andThe 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: AFables 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 andA 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 andFables: 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 978-1779524027 | 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 toFables written by Willingham, and was initially released in hardcover on October 18, 2006. Based on theOne Thousand and One Nights, it tells a story from a time early in Fabletown's history whenSnow 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 daughterScheherazade 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 publisherChris Roberson (another of Willingham and Sturges's fellowClockwork Storybook alumni) with painted cover art byChrissie Zullo, the miniseries was drawn byShawn McManus,[34] and (according toComic Book Resources' Timothy Callahan) "answers the question of what happened toCinderella'sfairy godmother".[35] Writer Roberson says: "It'sOn Her Majesty's Secret Service meetsSex and the City". The concluding issue was released in April 2010.[36]
A six-issue sequel to Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus's earlierCinderella: From Fabletown with Love series, was released in mid-2011.[37]
A prestige format one-shot in whichBoy 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 byPhil Jimenez.[39] Subsequent arcs were handed off to writers of Willingham's choosing.[40]
Jack of Fables focuses onJack Horner. It debuted in July 2006 and followsFables #35 ("Jack Be Nimble" part 2). It is co-written by Willingham and formerClockwork Storybook authorLilah Sturges. The series ended with its fiftieth issue in March 2011.
Three issue miniseries comprising one third ofThe Great Fables Crossover. It is co-written by Willingham and Sturges, and was published April through June 2009. All issues are included inFables: The Great Fables Crossover, inDeluxe Edition: Volume 10, and inFables: Compendium Three.
Peter & Max: A Fables Novel is an illustrated novel centering onPeter Piper, his wifeBo Peep and his brother Max, who will later grow up to be thePied Piper. Written by Willingham and illustrated bySteve 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 ofThe Unwritten, a comic series created byMike Carey andPeter Gross, were a crossover withFables, with writing co-credited to Willingham. The crossover arc was compiled into the ninth volume of theUnwritten trade paperback series.[42]
TheFables: The Wolf Among Us video game was adapted into comic form byVertigo Comics, released digitally first in December 2014 and later as print comic. The story was adapted for the comic by Lilah Sturges, who has previously written for theFables 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 theFables 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 onPinocchio andGeppeto during the events of the "Rose Red" story arc.
The series follows the events ofFables #150. Debuting in 2016, the series was cancelled after 12 issues.
A six-issue team-up starringBatman 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 theFables 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 fourteenEisner Awards:
WhileFables 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 onFables:
Fables: War and Pieces was nominated for the firstHugo Award for Best Graphic Story.[45]Fables: The Dark Ages,Fables: Witches andFables: Rose Red were also nominated.
Prominent review siteIGN 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 ofmythic fiction. Willingham announced this new project during his panel at the 2012San Diego Comic Convention.[47]
Fables artistMark Buckingham was the guest of honor for the first FablesCon, held on March 22–24, 2013, at theMayo Civic Center[48] inRochester, Minnesota. Other guests includedGene Ha,Mike Carey,Matt Sturges,Peter Gross,Kurt Busiek,Anthony Del Col,Shelly Bond,[49]Adam Hughes,Chrissie Zullo, andLauren Beukes.[48]
A television series based onFables was put into development byNBC in 2005 for the 2006–07 television season. The show received a script order and was developed by Craig Silverstein andWarner Bros. Television[50] but was not developed any further than the scripting stage. NBC later producedGrimm, apolice procedural set in a world where fairytales are real.[51][52]
In December 2008,ABC picked up the rights to develop a pilot ofFables 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, whileDavid 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 calledOnce 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 andAdam Horowitz, stated that they "read a couple issues" ofFables 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-actionFables film withDavid Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford producing,Jeremy Slater andJane Goldman writing andNikolaj Arcel directing, but these plans were quietly cancelled.[57][58][59]
Telltale Games developedThe Wolf Among Us,[60] anepisodicgraphic adventure game based uponFables. 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 gameThe Wolf Among Us, with the title taking place six months following the events of the previous title.
The popularBlue Tea Games seriesDark Parables was inspired byFables.[63]
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