Fables: The Deluxe Edition, Book Sixteen

Fables: The Deluxe Edition

by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham (Illustrator), Steve Leialoha (Inker)

The dust has barely settled from the climactic battle between Totenkinder and Cinderella—and everything is far from happily ever after.

A legendary new adversary has arrived, and he plans to get even with Geppetto for the mess that has been made of Manhattan. But it’s a new day…and with it, a new Jack in the Green has arrived in the Black Forest. And within the emergency room of a New York hospital…a Fable long thought dead returns!

The Deluxe Edition Book Sixteen collects Fables #151-162!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fables, Fiction, Dc Comics

312 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2024

About the author

In 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

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fables is one of my all-time favorite comics, and this belated addition to the series does nothing but enhance its appeal. Golly I love this series. A worthy addition to the Fables library.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did it really take me nearly two years to read this? Oh hell no. I confess to reading this as digital floppies, and I'm guessing some of the delay was on the creative end, some on editorial's, and you might have seen that Willingham and this publisher had a very public falling out.

With that out of t he way I would suggest viewing these final issues as either 1) a coda to the original series or 2) a map to where things could go (and who knows they still might) if Willingham or someone else ever chose to revisit the series.

Keeping in mind who Bigby and Snow are their presence still looms over the series. But, not in such way that the creative staff fail to highlight Snow and Bigby's children as they grow, mature and venture outside the "nest".

Plus, Cinderella gets sometime on screen, and again she shows how smart she is (someday I have to get around to her solo series).

A nice, and fun time revisiting old characters in new tales.

And, I loved the take Willingham has on Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, Mark Buckingham's art is great as usual.

It was nice to revisit these characters again, but the story itself felt a little anti-climactic. It picks up pretty much where the main story ended, and I have forgotten a lot of the character beats, so that might play into it a little.

And I cannot recall if the main villain of this story was featured in any of the earlier ones, not that it's important, but it did make me realise I should probably re-read the whole series.

It's a perfectly fine stand-alone story, but it feels a little like Willingham had two separate ideas and mashed them together into one condensed story. I'm glad it was spread across this many issues, but definitely could have been longer.

Side note, I'm annoyed this wasn't released as stand-alone trade paperbacks (from what I could tell), so this awkwardly sized book doesn't match the rest of them.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a decent enough Fables story. The art and writing are definitely on par with the original series. I thought Peter and Tink could have been better developed and I would have loved more Cindy but I’m glad they included her.

[Joakim Ax · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice revisiting our Fable-friends.

[Vail Chester · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a weird feeling still being a fan of something long after its heyday.
Constantly a mood when you've seen the peak of something like Power Rangers, Star Wars, and especially the MCU, and what's left after that is...less than good?
By no means is this latest installment of the Fables saga bad, but it really felt like an unneeded epilogue when the last volume was bound in 2017 and this one is 7 years late to the party.
We get to know more about Snow & Bigby's kids so we see HOW they reach their prophesied fates as was shown in previous volumes, we find out what happens when Cinderella tries to work with the US government when it comes to magical shenanigans, and if you're to believe the behind-the-scenes stuff about Willingham's initial plans, we FINALLY have a Big Bad-level Peter Pan and a mysterious redhead lass with a bow & arrows (Merida?) who wants to kill him?
So yeah, not bad per se and it's great to see some of these characters again, but otherwise...won't hurt anyone's headcanons to know that the final volume was still the final volume.

[Nathan Zoebl · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars mostly for picking back up with the Wolf family and providing a bit more resolution. Also the dark take on Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, with Tink being the most deadly force in the universe, is classic Fables subversive storytelling prowess.

But did these 12 issues need to told? Not really, but as a big fan of this world, I'll take it, especially since Willingham released the series into the public domain, so I doubt we'll be getting more Fables stories from here.

Not essential reading but consider it an extra victory lap for the biggest of Fables fans.

[Ethan Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does a good job of filling some of the gaps from the time jump in book 15, and it made me feel more fulfilled about the original ending overall. But man, I'm feeling a little bummed right now. It's so bittersweet to think that this is most likely the last *real* Fables story we'll ever get when there's still so many potential stories to be told. I miss it already!

Time to start from the beginning again?

[Wouter Dhondt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man I loved this, and I missed Fables. If only Bill would keep his IRL Israeli bias to himself and out of his comics. Not sure why he feels the need to keep on doing it.

Need to check out the spinoffs I guess, want to read more.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fine. It was unnecessary. Pan was boring. The last issue was like "OKAY AND HERE IS EVERYTHING EXCEPT ENOUGH ROOM TO WRITE MORE LATER." When did Snow and Bigby get so...bland and at the same time, I dunno, very old-school? Meh.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it , you wouldn't know 5 years passed since last Volume, it's just gutting there will be no more

[Nate]

A twelve issue coda to Fables published seven years after the presumed ending. Since Willingham has had a falling out with DC, it’s likely this will be the last we see of the series. And for all my problems with Fables, it’s not a terrible way to go out. It’s a smaller story that largely focuses on Snow, Bigby, and their kids in a new setting. There’s no world-ending threat, just smaller adventures and conflicts, plus some new characters. There are problems, like Willingham’s easy plotting decisions, an out of nowhere five year time jump, an underdeveloped villain, and addressing the should-be-huge plot point of the mundy world discovering fables in an easy, minor way. Also, something happens to the villain at the end that seems to go against the previous characterization of another character. It didn’t quite make sense to me. Still, these twelve issues capture the tone of the original series and deliver some nice moments. The decision to go small here was a smart one.

—

So. Fables as a whole. Even though I read the entire series and had problems with it throughout, I swear I wasn’t hate reading. There were parts I liked. The art, for one, and the overall concept of the series. Also Boy Blue and Flycatcher. But I do have problems.

First, the characterization of these fairy tale and folklore characters feels arbitrary most of the time; they feel like entirely new characters, distinct from their archetypes except in name. And aside from Boy Blue and Flycatcher, and maybe one or two others, I never really felt attached to the characters. Willingham tried his hardest, but I just could not get invested in Snow, Bigby, Rose Red, and the others. This comes down to the writing. The way Willingham writes is clunky, obvious, and easy a lot of the time. His writing is almost too “nice” and “whimsical” (too many exclamation points), and his plotting rarely feels inventive or surprising. That’s the best way I can describe how I feel about it. The story also went on too long; you could tell Willingham didn’t really know where the story was going after the war ended halfway through.

So it mainly comes down to writing for me; with a better writer at the helm, Fables could have been a compelling, enthralling series with memorable characters and epic storylines, instead of the clunky jumble of obviousness we got. This series has many fans, so it’s probably a case of “not for me.” But from where I’m standing, it’s clear how inferior Fables is to other comics of its type.

[lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

gosh, i've missed everyone so much.
i kind of got better closure with this book than from when i finished compendium four 🩵.

love, love, love that she's ressurected but i honestly didn't care about cinderella's part of the book.

that green jack person was kinda whatever.

those two points are the only reason why i rated it 3 / 5 instead of 4 / 5.

i, however, LOVED the wolf family and getting to see more of peter pan 😍.
my favourite panel is when bigby talks about his true feelings about therese and darien's situation. while it was brief, it felt so raw to see him admit how hard it is to be around therese and how much he misses his son. i wish so badly they delved into that with more depth but i'm satisfied we got something 🩵.
i also liked that snow mentioned him earlier. he'll never be forgotten and i absolutely adore that.
blossom having the most spotlight out of the cubs was great because you kinda expect it to be winter since she's the north wind but i don't think it's all that interesting to watch her rule over the other world, lmao.
connor is so underrated and i'm glad we got to learn a little bit more about him this time around because i feel like he's the one we know and talk about the least.

i wouldn't be bad if we got another book (kind of slice of life) about snow and bigby raising the pups. i hope we get that story one day.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given the conflicts between the creator and DC Comics, I imagine that this is the last true Fables storyline... and I'm okay with this being the end, rather than the mixed bag that was the 150th "final issue". (Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham was so bad that I don't acknowledge its existence.) We finally see the adversary that Willingham originally intended, although by the time he's shown up as a threat, he's almost literally a chew toy to the main characters, who've come into their respective legacies. There's some interesting new characters, but the true storyline here is the adventures of Snow White and Bigby Wolf's children, who really become distinct characters, no longer overshadowed by their siblings who sacrificed their lives or legacies in the main series. I'm sad to see Fables go, but this is the high note I wanted to see at its conclusion.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a joy when a series once finished returns for an encore. Or at least it is when the encore can hold up to its origins, and Fables V16 does.

This is a perfect continuation of the original, with Willingham and Buckingham both diving back in as if they hadn't missed a beat. Oh, it's mostly focused on Bigby, Snow, and their brood rather than the larger scope of some of the Fables volumes, but it's a good fantasy that really matches the previous books, especially the heartbreaking Cubs in Toyland (V13).

And it's so delightful that Willingham finally gets to reveal the real adversary, as originally intended. Maybe he's a bit smaller scale than he should be, but it's a lot of fun.

Pity that this is likely the true end, with Willingham suddenly dropping an atomic bomb on his relationship with DC, but nice to get a bonus volume that was never expected.

[Nestor B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing Fables 150, and especially after working through spin-offs like Cinderella and Fairest, it’s incredibly refreshing to return to the world of Fables — written by Willingham and illustrated by Buckingham. They truly demonstrate the vast gulf in quality between them and all the other creators who have taken a shot at the series.

«The Black Forest» focuses on the Wolf/White family but also introduces a number of fascinating new characters, including a villain who is the best antagonist since Geppetto. At the time of writing, it’s been seven years since this book was released, but I’d love to see Willingham and Buckingham produce a mini-series like this on a regular basis.

This book reminds me why I love Fables.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so nice to have Fables back even if it took 2 years for the 12 issues to come out and with Willingham's falling out with DC, we probably won't see any more (at least from this creative team which is the reason it was so good.) This is mainly about the Cubs, Bigby and Snow's children as they become adults. There's a new big bad that acts more or less like Prince Brandish, just less interesting. I do wish we at least got some backstory to flesh him out more. Some other old favorites are along for the ride as well, along with some new characters. It was really nice to visit this world again.

[Aildiin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biggest thing this book achieved is make me nostalgic for Fables and make me want to re-read all of it. This is going to be a huge endeavor but I am looking forward to it.
Otherwise the story itself isn't bad but the first 2/3rd of it is rather slow and not on the level of the old Fables stories. The end is however quite good.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to have another volume of this, though, ultimately, nothing much really happens. Kind of a meandering story where once this used to be a very tightly-plotted book. And whatever happened to turn Peter Pan into such a jerk? Oh well, guess this is probably going to be the last we see of these characters and this world.

[N. Niemeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what Volume 15 should have been! Volume 16, while seemingly the end of Fables from Willingham, recaptures much of what made the early Fables volumes so much fun. Loose ends are tied up, Bigby and Snow beat the bad guy, and their family grows. This undid the funk Volume 15 put me in. If only there were more!

[Will Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably only 4.5 stars, because I would've liked a little more exposition for the baddies and one of the stories felt a little, just...there. (Cinderella in the real world).
But I loved how it all tied up at the end and it made me happy for who the baddie was because I've always thought they were a shit in their own story, ha.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently what Fables needed was over half a decade off - they came back with a sharp, clever, self-contained story that follows several of our main characters and introduces new ones, but most importantly gives them a proper villain to face.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cinderella bits are the weakest part of the collection, and 90% of the Fable-verse gets short shrift to run around with Bigby's family, but overall a nice reminder of how good Bill Willingham can be.

[Manu · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I heard a new Fables had released last year, I just had to check it out. And it was awesome. All the good things about Fables are still true. Really loved the new take on Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fitting return to the series. The focus is just on Bigby and Snow White's family, along with a small subplot involving Cinderella, but that makes sense when there was such a big cast and everything had been wrapped up pretty well in the original series' conclusion.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

damn, how I missed Fables.
only complaint is how much I want more...

[Caleb Bollenbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful return to one of my all-time favorite comic worlds. Everything I wanted and more. Shame on DC for ensuring we won’t get any more 😭😭😭

[Gerard de Bruin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een waardig slot (?)

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not absolutely essential reading in the same way the original series was, but an enjoyable enough read and an interesting epilogue to a classic series.

[Spidey · Rating 5 out of 5]

No tenía muchas esperanzas de la continuación pero al final te atrapa en sus fabulas como los anteriores