Graphic Novels: Fables by Bill Willingham

Fables Volume 20: Camelot by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Russ Braun, Barry Kitson

Fables Volume 21: Happy Ever After by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy

Fables Volume 22: Farewell by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha

And they all lived happily ever after.

Okay, they didn’t really, but after all this time it was great to see this series wrap up so wonderfully. It’s hard to write a review after 150 issues because people who are this far into the series aren’t really looking for advice on whether or not to continue; they’re committed.

Still, Fables ranks up there with some of the great series I’ve read- even if it took
me an extraordinarily long time to get to the end. Over all these years I’ve grown to love these characters separately from their traditional fairy tale selves; the universe that Willingham created has expanded their stories beyond traditional borders and we are all richer for it.

I've had the last 20 issues of Fables sitting in my closet for almost 10 years waiting to be read. I know why- I was missing an issue... #131. I don't know why I didn't have it; did it get lost in a move or did I just not pick it up when it came out? No idea! But it stopped me in my tracks & every time I went back to the comic shop they didn't have it either, so the issues piled up, unread. I mean, you can't just skip over an issue!

Anyway, it's 2021 and we live in a world of digital comics now! And while I was quick to adjust to the Kindle for my every day reading, it wasn't until the last year or so that I made the leap to digital comics (& boy, do my old eyes thank me). Now, I can zoom in and really appreciate the images and lettering and... well that's a review for a different time, but I realized that I can go back & appreciate some of the older books I hadn't looked at in a while AND conquer my giant "to be read" pile.

Enter the end of Fables. Thanks to Hoopla for supplying me with issue #131! I worried that I would have forgotten some of the storylines, but after 130 issues some things do stay with you. I was able to jump right back in to Fabletown and the Farm and enjoyed spending more time with all of these characters. I'm only sorry it took me so long to pick this series back up. These issues are just as wonderful as I expected them to be- story, artwork, the whole shebang. I enjoyed every moment leading up to the big finale and seeing what the mind of Willingham had in store for these characters. I just read that Willingham and Buckingham are reuniting to revive the series & that issue 151 will be out next year so I guess it wasn't quite "Farewell."  Looks like my timing couldn't have been better then; looking forward to the next chapter!