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Bad Doings and Big Ideas: A Bill Willingham Deluxe Edition
Collecting dark tales of the fantastic by Fables creator Bill Willingham!
She’s one of the Sandman’s former lovers and a woman feared by gods. She is Thessaly, the fan-favorite character from The Sandman: A Game of You, and the last of the deadly Thessalian witches. Now, Thessaly is on the run from a creature called Fetch, who might be composed of different beings killed across the eons by Thessaly herself.
Then, in Proposition Player, a professional Vegas poker player collects vouchers for the souls of a roomful of people as a bar prank, not realizing that he’s just anted up for a game he never imagined. Joey is suddenly caught in the middle of a battle between heaven and hell. Can he bluff his way out of it?
This title also features numerous short stories starring members of The Sandman’s cast, as well as dark fantasy tales from House of Mystery and more.
Collecting: Flinch 7, Proposition Player 1-6, The Dreaming 55, The Sandman Presents: Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of D.R.E.A.M., The Sandman Presents: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dreams ... But Were Afraid to Ask, The Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad 1-4, The Sandman Presents: Thessaly ... Witch for Hire 1-4, House of Mystery 1, 2, 7, 9, 13, 16, Halloween Annual 1
She’s one of the Sandman’s former lovers and a woman feared by gods. She is Thessaly, the fan-favorite character from The Sandman: A Game of You, and the last of the deadly Thessalian witches. Now, Thessaly is on the run from a creature called Fetch, who might be composed of different beings killed across the eons by Thessaly herself.
Then, in Proposition Player, a professional Vegas poker player collects vouchers for the souls of a roomful of people as a bar prank, not realizing that he’s just anted up for a game he never imagined. Joey is suddenly caught in the middle of a battle between heaven and hell. Can he bluff his way out of it?
This title also features numerous short stories starring members of The Sandman’s cast, as well as dark fantasy tales from House of Mystery and more.
Collecting: Flinch 7, Proposition Player 1-6, The Dreaming 55, The Sandman Presents: Merv Pumpkinhead, Agent of D.R.E.A.M., The Sandman Presents: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dreams ... But Were Afraid to Ask, The Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad 1-4, The Sandman Presents: Thessaly ... Witch for Hire 1-4, House of Mystery 1, 2, 7, 9, 13, 16, Halloween Annual 1
512 pages, Hardcover
First published November 22, 2011
3 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
Bill Willingham
993 books2,819 followersIn the late 1970s to early 1980s he drew fantasy ink pictures for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic and Expert game rulebooks. He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series Elementals published by Comico, which he both wrote and drew. However, for reasons unknown, the series had trouble maintaining an original schedule, and Willingham's position in the industry remained spotty for many years. He contributed stories to Green Lantern and started his own independent, black-and-white comics series Coventry which lasted only 3 issues. He also produced the pornographic series Ironwood for Eros Comix.
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 23, 2013
I've been trying to classify Bill Willingham's writings for a little while now, and I think this book finally manages to help me make up my mind.
It's all "Neil Gaiman Lite" material.
That's not nececessarily a bad thing to be compared to, but it also implies that it is nowhere near the artistry or the originality of the, erm, original.
Whereas Gaiman can come up with an infinite number of ideas (or so it appears), Willinghtam is able to come up with a few good ideas, but lacks the true ability to actually produce something great with them. The over-all result can still be "good", but it will never attain "great" status.
Willingham did find a niche with his Fables series, but let's face it, taking characters from children's fairy-books and putting them in a modern setting has been and is being done all the time. So yeah, good idea, but not a great idea. Taking another writer's character and telling a story about them is also done... it's not like the taking of the concept of a character like say THE SANDMAN and changing everything that had ever been done in the past to come up with something completely original sort of thing.
There is a certain pleasure in reading the "furthure adventures of Thessally", but it pales next to what the original stories were.
Ah well, at least it came in a nice over-sized book that'll look good on the shelves while it gathers dust.
It's all "Neil Gaiman Lite" material.
That's not nececessarily a bad thing to be compared to, but it also implies that it is nowhere near the artistry or the originality of the, erm, original.
Whereas Gaiman can come up with an infinite number of ideas (or so it appears), Willinghtam is able to come up with a few good ideas, but lacks the true ability to actually produce something great with them. The over-all result can still be "good", but it will never attain "great" status.
Willingham did find a niche with his Fables series, but let's face it, taking characters from children's fairy-books and putting them in a modern setting has been and is being done all the time. So yeah, good idea, but not a great idea. Taking another writer's character and telling a story about them is also done... it's not like the taking of the concept of a character like say THE SANDMAN and changing everything that had ever been done in the past to come up with something completely original sort of thing.
There is a certain pleasure in reading the "furthure adventures of Thessally", but it pales next to what the original stories were.
Ah well, at least it came in a nice over-sized book that'll look good on the shelves while it gathers dust.
January 3, 2019
As far as anthologies go, I'm always sceptical. I hate reading something that changes illustrators every now and then, even when these are stories that came out separately at first and were bound together afterwards, as it happens here.
This is a collection of the most important works of Bill Willingham before and between the Fables series. It's interesting to read early stuff that were to be implemented in Fables, ideas and characters that didn't manage to sell well enough to hold their own series but found a spot in that vast ultra-universe.
Surely, some stories are somewhat weak (I didn't care much for the dream world and merv Pumpkinhead even tho he has his moments), some others i loved (the 2 thessaly mini series and the proposition player were really good, too bad they didn't sell well to manage a continuation) and some i found ok (the horror ones although they had strong illustrators to back them, clearly aren't Bill's strong card). I suppose that's what happens in any collection, but in this case we had the same writer and we can at least enjoy a similar writing style.
To be honest, I wasn't all that enthusiastic when i started "Bad Doings and Big Ideas", it's seer volume had me suspicious on how it can keep me interested. 500+ pages of unfinished or hastily semi-finished work of only one author is interesting when you're a hardcore fan of him, and I wasn't. I still am not, but it won me over, I enjoyed it, learned a bit more about the way of thinking of a comic book creator (loved the small introductory notes) and came to the conclusion that Willingham has one of the most interesting and vast imaginations in the industry. Not exactly my style but fascinating still. I hope he continues to provide original ideas (or catch up to some old ones) for many years to come.
Bill I'll see you again in Fables Deluxe Vol.9, our trip together is not yet over. :)
This is a collection of the most important works of Bill Willingham before and between the Fables series. It's interesting to read early stuff that were to be implemented in Fables, ideas and characters that didn't manage to sell well enough to hold their own series but found a spot in that vast ultra-universe.
Surely, some stories are somewhat weak (I didn't care much for the dream world and merv Pumpkinhead even tho he has his moments), some others i loved (the 2 thessaly mini series and the proposition player were really good, too bad they didn't sell well to manage a continuation) and some i found ok (the horror ones although they had strong illustrators to back them, clearly aren't Bill's strong card). I suppose that's what happens in any collection, but in this case we had the same writer and we can at least enjoy a similar writing style.
To be honest, I wasn't all that enthusiastic when i started "Bad Doings and Big Ideas", it's seer volume had me suspicious on how it can keep me interested. 500+ pages of unfinished or hastily semi-finished work of only one author is interesting when you're a hardcore fan of him, and I wasn't. I still am not, but it won me over, I enjoyed it, learned a bit more about the way of thinking of a comic book creator (loved the small introductory notes) and came to the conclusion that Willingham has one of the most interesting and vast imaginations in the industry. Not exactly my style but fascinating still. I hope he continues to provide original ideas (or catch up to some old ones) for many years to come.
Bill I'll see you again in Fables Deluxe Vol.9, our trip together is not yet over. :)
February 24, 2012
So this book isn't really a graphic novel or part of a series of comics. Instead, it's a compilation of Bill Willingham's work from his early days. Before "Fables", that is. In it, we have a wide variety of tales (and a wide variety of artistic talent), all of which are prefaced with introductions by Willingham. Particular favorites of mine are the stories set in the world of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Merv Pumpkinhead as a spy? Yes, please. Not one, but two arcs involving the inscrutable Thessaly (a character I always wanted to hear more about)? Absolutely! Top it off with some entertaining vignettes spanning comic genres and you've got one heck of a fun read.
September 6, 2017
Bill Willingham is a veteran comic-book scripter best known for FABLES, a long running series where characters and creatures from fairy tales and folklore do their best to live like normal people in an enclosed community hidden within New York City.
This big hardcover book collects all his non-FABLES work done for DC's Vertigo imprint. It's a mixed assortment of stories featuring witches, poker players, fantasy characters, gods and demons -- all told in Willinghams whimsical and satiric style.
There are some incredible artists working with Willingham on the various stories, including many that would make the list of greats: Mark Buckingham, Bernie Wrightson, Richard Corben, Phil Jimenez, David Petersen, Paul Pope and more. Before he became super-busy as a scripter, Willingham also illustrated many of his own stories -- his art style is like his writing - - whimsical and very appealing.
One of the high points is the inclusion of all six issues of the PROPOSITION PLAYER limited series, about a poker player who takes souls along with his winnings and then finds himself in a tussle with angels and demons for possession of them. The horror stories he wrote for HOUSE OF MYSTERY are suitably creepy, with the stand-outs including the disturbing "The Hollows" and the Poe-like "The Hounds of Titus Roan".
My favorite tales in the book are the two THESSALY - WITH FOR HIRE mini-series, expanding on the character from Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN universe. A real treat for fans of his work.
This big hardcover book collects all his non-FABLES work done for DC's Vertigo imprint. It's a mixed assortment of stories featuring witches, poker players, fantasy characters, gods and demons -- all told in Willinghams whimsical and satiric style.
There are some incredible artists working with Willingham on the various stories, including many that would make the list of greats: Mark Buckingham, Bernie Wrightson, Richard Corben, Phil Jimenez, David Petersen, Paul Pope and more. Before he became super-busy as a scripter, Willingham also illustrated many of his own stories -- his art style is like his writing - - whimsical and very appealing.
One of the high points is the inclusion of all six issues of the PROPOSITION PLAYER limited series, about a poker player who takes souls along with his winnings and then finds himself in a tussle with angels and demons for possession of them. The horror stories he wrote for HOUSE OF MYSTERY are suitably creepy, with the stand-outs including the disturbing "The Hollows" and the Poe-like "The Hounds of Titus Roan".
My favorite tales in the book are the two THESSALY - WITH FOR HIRE mini-series, expanding on the character from Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN universe. A real treat for fans of his work.
September 17, 2022
I always find it interesting to revisit a great comic writer's early work and see how their sensibilities crystallized over time, and this collection works exceptionally well in doing that for Bill Willingham, the creator of Fables. The work collected here spans about a decade, starting with Willingham's "Proposition Player," a short-lived Vertigo-y series with a great premise that can't quite find its footing, and working all the way through "Thessaly: Witch for Hire," a fun, rompy fantasty-comedy set in the Sandman universe that feels the most like Fables of anything in here. It's very cool to see him grow and experiment as these stories continue and the characters become more specific and nuanced and the ideas become less broad. For the educational aspect of this, I loved it.
But, in terms of strict reading, this isn't the most blistering comic I've read recently. Many of the stories feel plodding and undercooked, likely because they had to be blasted out in one-shots and tiny miniseries without much room to grow. I'd always find myself wanting a little more of the stories that were working and a little less of the stories that weren't. It just never quite feels complete somehow.
Personally, I would recommend just reading "The Thessaliad" and "Thessaly: Witch for Hire," two separate but connected minis about the witch Thessaly. They're the strongest works in here by far, and the most entertaining to boot.
But, in terms of strict reading, this isn't the most blistering comic I've read recently. Many of the stories feel plodding and undercooked, likely because they had to be blasted out in one-shots and tiny miniseries without much room to grow. I'd always find myself wanting a little more of the stories that were working and a little less of the stories that weren't. It just never quite feels complete somehow.
Personally, I would recommend just reading "The Thessaliad" and "Thessaly: Witch for Hire," two separate but connected minis about the witch Thessaly. They're the strongest works in here by far, and the most entertaining to boot.
March 25, 2019
Four stars at least for this mammoth undertaking. It's not the ephemera I thought, for we get several full-length pieces, most of which work (I didn't really dig either Thessaly four-parter). Mostly we're in Sandman's Dream worlds, mostly we're being arch and flippant with it, but the opening piece is perhaps the most interesting, if not quite the best. What looks like a wordy, wannabe ribald look at life in a casino lurches into being something much more serious and theology-based. It was still fun, mind, although I'd rather the ravens would naff off home. One other work showed nothing that was wrong about The Sandman, and everything that was right about Fables, so stands out for me. We also get some fun short pieces, including a handful from the House of Mystery. There was little all told I found disfavour with, much of it is wonderful to look at, and on the whole this really does tick many boxes, completist or not.
December 27, 2023
3 Stars: Keep it on my self, but will be the first to be culled when I run out of space.
I think that thing that I most enjoyed about this collection was the intro pieces added by Bill before each entry. They provide some insight and context for the entry that follows.
In general it was a joyful romp through Bill Willingham's work other than Fables (although it does carry the Fables branding), but in they end there is nothing to really that stands out as a must read. More than once I was waiting for a story to reach its denouement just to have it seem to stop. This is very frustrating.
Overall it was a bit more brain candyish than I’d expected having arrived here via the Fables series but still enjoyable.
I think that thing that I most enjoyed about this collection was the intro pieces added by Bill before each entry. They provide some insight and context for the entry that follows.
In general it was a joyful romp through Bill Willingham's work other than Fables (although it does carry the Fables branding), but in they end there is nothing to really that stands out as a must read. More than once I was waiting for a story to reach its denouement just to have it seem to stop. This is very frustrating.
Overall it was a bit more brain candyish than I’d expected having arrived here via the Fables series but still enjoyable.
June 9, 2018
As much as I like most of this guys stuff, there is a reason many of these stories didn’t work out. This book was a slog. It is nice to see how his story telling evolved into something worth reading though. Thank goodness.
March 10, 2019
I enjoyed revisiting some old friends from the world of the Endless and meeting new ones. The first story, Proposition Player, was very entertaining.
I look forward to reading Willingham's Fables in the not-so-distant future.
I look forward to reading Willingham's Fables in the not-so-distant future.
November 26, 2023
Preposition Player was god-awful, and took up the first third of this collection.
Beyond that, it was much better. The Merv Pumpkinhead comic was very funny, and the Thessaly comics were highly entertaining.
Perhaps this should’ve just been part of a Sandman universe collection.
Beyond that, it was much better. The Merv Pumpkinhead comic was very funny, and the Thessaly comics were highly entertaining.
Perhaps this should’ve just been part of a Sandman universe collection.
November 28, 2023
Solid. I liked the thess stories the best. Pumpkin head was ok
August 26, 2024
A few of these I had already read but I enjoyed most of what was new to me.
February 26, 2014
b>Proposition Player. An amusing light urban fantasy. In some ways it feels like a take-off of Sandman’s “Season of Mists”, but there are still some interesting original characters here and some unusual dilemmas. [6/10]
It Takes a Village. A shallow short story that’s good only because it’s funny [6/10].
Danny Nod (Dreaming #55). This one is pretty shallow too, but it’s a fun look at the Booklands that clearly shows the future of the Fables, born from the setting of the Sandman … which is kind of cool [6/10].
Merv Pumpkinhead. This James Bond / Pumpkinhead satire is often funny but also runs a bit long [6+/10].
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dreaming. And here Willingham finally pays out the humorous Dreaming writing he’s been building up for years. This has lots of great bits and also some really fun metastory [8/10].
The Thessaliad. Willingham shows off a very strong understanding of Thessaly and her life here. You can see hints of Proposition Player in the plethora of gods playing with the mortal world, but everything else is pure Sandman. Willingham does a good job of writing what feels like a real continuation of Thessaly's story, helped by the continuity of the attractive Shawn McManus art [7+/10].
Thessaly: Witch for Hire Another fine Thessaly story. Willingham could easily have written a regular Thessaly series. Here, the interaction between Thes and the Fetch is great, and there is lots of fun urban mythology. The end is once more reminiscent of Proposition Player, suggesting Willingham was haunted by his early ideas [7/10].
House of Mystery. Some of these stories feel a bit truncated, but they're generally strong and fun to read [7/10].
Overall, there's some strong non-Fables material here, that's well worth reading to see how Willingham's urban fantasy & horror work has evolved. Some of it is more thematically repetitive than I'd like, but it's still good stuff.
It Takes a Village. A shallow short story that’s good only because it’s funny [6/10].
Danny Nod (Dreaming #55). This one is pretty shallow too, but it’s a fun look at the Booklands that clearly shows the future of the Fables, born from the setting of the Sandman … which is kind of cool [6/10].
Merv Pumpkinhead. This James Bond / Pumpkinhead satire is often funny but also runs a bit long [6+/10].
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dreaming. And here Willingham finally pays out the humorous Dreaming writing he’s been building up for years. This has lots of great bits and also some really fun metastory [8/10].
The Thessaliad. Willingham shows off a very strong understanding of Thessaly and her life here. You can see hints of Proposition Player in the plethora of gods playing with the mortal world, but everything else is pure Sandman. Willingham does a good job of writing what feels like a real continuation of Thessaly's story, helped by the continuity of the attractive Shawn McManus art [7+/10].
Thessaly: Witch for Hire Another fine Thessaly story. Willingham could easily have written a regular Thessaly series. Here, the interaction between Thes and the Fetch is great, and there is lots of fun urban mythology. The end is once more reminiscent of Proposition Player, suggesting Willingham was haunted by his early ideas [7/10].
House of Mystery. Some of these stories feel a bit truncated, but they're generally strong and fun to read [7/10].
Overall, there's some strong non-Fables material here, that's well worth reading to see how Willingham's urban fantasy & horror work has evolved. Some of it is more thematically repetitive than I'd like, but it's still good stuff.
January 10, 2013
There should definitely be more compilations of this sort published, not only because there's so much god material out there to be collected, but also because it's hard to find copies of some of the one-shot story arcs that get published. Most of them don't last long enough to have enough issues to make up a graphic novel (due to their lack of selling power), but collecting a selection of short runs by a well-known author can work from a marketting perspective. For someone (like me) who likes to collect all of the stories by her favourite authors, collections like this are a lot more handy than trying to find the single issues of the comics (often years after the fact).
It also helps that these storyarcs (no matter how short lived) are actually quite fantastic reads. I particularly liked The Thessaliad and Thessaly: Witch for Hire because Thessaly is kind of a bad ass, but the shorts about the Dreaming were wonderful, and the Danny Nod library adventurer story was so amusing that I'm going to be laughing over that one for years to come.
It also helps that these storyarcs (no matter how short lived) are actually quite fantastic reads. I particularly liked The Thessaliad and Thessaly: Witch for Hire because Thessaly is kind of a bad ass, but the shorts about the Dreaming were wonderful, and the Danny Nod library adventurer story was so amusing that I'm going to be laughing over that one for years to come.
April 11, 2016
I would describe this as a "would-be anthology" of Willingham's work before Fables, his acclaimed series. I've recently started up Fables and came across this hefty volume in a library.
My comics knowledge is limited so bare with me, but to me, there was some great, some good and a couple, very few and far between, so-so stories.
To enjoy a comic, I personally need a good combo of story and art. Given that this is a collection of stories spanning several years and many collaborations with different artists, most of the art had a different spin on it, which made every page fun. As far as stories, I'd say I enjoyed about 90% of them and the 10% I did not like was due to the very small and unpleasant font choice that hindered my reading pleasure.
If you're a fan of Willingham or simply getting into comics, I'd recommend picking this up, enjoy!
My comics knowledge is limited so bare with me, but to me, there was some great, some good and a couple, very few and far between, so-so stories.
To enjoy a comic, I personally need a good combo of story and art. Given that this is a collection of stories spanning several years and many collaborations with different artists, most of the art had a different spin on it, which made every page fun. As far as stories, I'd say I enjoyed about 90% of them and the 10% I did not like was due to the very small and unpleasant font choice that hindered my reading pleasure.
If you're a fan of Willingham or simply getting into comics, I'd recommend picking this up, enjoy!
March 28, 2012
The tales are great - some of the horror ones were particularly good. I could see some of the story devices in this deluxe volume that were in the Fables series. The nice thing about this book was the use of characters from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. Those stores were fun to read and to revisit those characters. The first few stories were from a short lived series about a gambler of souls - which I thought was an okay series. It would be interesting to see where that series would have gone if it was continued. I can't wait for the next volume of Fables and Cinderella by Bill Willingham!
November 7, 2014
Oh I love Bill Willingham and his twisted, entertaining mind!!!
September 4, 2012
Great stories. Want more of them all, especially Proposition Player.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews