With the blood dry at Gotham’s fourth gruesome murder scene in as many weeks, Batman is stumped. The same hallmarks haunt each investigation: brute-force entries, bodies ripped to shreds and stamped with enormous bite marks, and clumps of fur-wolf fur-scattered in the wreckage. The streets buzz with rumors of the “Werewolf of Gotham.” Determined to crack this case, Batman finds no leads and a mysterious, hairy, chain-smoking figure dogging his every move. The Dark Knight’s dangerously close to losing his cool when a series of bombings levels the city’s libraries in the days leading up to the 32nd annual Gotham Literary Festival. As Batman narrows in on the Bookworm and his literary henchmen, he discovers that an invaluable book from another world is at the center of the violence. Stranger still, the wolf is in on it. But what kind of monster is built from such brains and brawn-and is he an enemy or an ally? Worlds collide as a Gotham mystery kick-starts a return to the world of Fables!
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
There is nothing new under the sun, especially at DC so a Batman/Fables crossover is as adventurous as it gets.
Fortunately, DC chose to keep Willingham as the writer, otherwise I am not sure it will be worthwhile.
The plot teases Batman vs Bigby Wolf, which of course is a feint.
The art is good, though it is a hard boiled style which while appropriate to the title, also feels a bit not-so-modern.
Like so many first issues, this one’s hard to grade. This one catches a bit of a supernatural feel and the literary cabal is a pretty fun twist on things.
It’s a bit harder to say what’s wrong with issue 1. I suspect it’s a bit too dark, and it’s just a bit too wordy. I suppose another criticism is while the other characters are memorable, Batman is a bit flat (as mentioned by another reviewer). That last point isn’t a big deal, but overall, the book just doesn’t quite catch the magic of the best Fables books. Indeed, it’s really more of a Dark Night book with Supernatural elements.
The book has hooked me though. I enjoyed Fables quite a bit and my expectations were all over the board. I could see it going different ways. But it was more good than bad and I’m interested in seeing how it plays out.
This is an interesting crossover. Firstly I’m here for Bigby NOT Batman, but seeing as he didn’t make himself known until the last few pages I’m not sure what he’s up to. Also so far the bookish villain is far more interesting, but isn’t that always the problem with Batman? The villains are fascinating, him, not so much.
I truly came for Bigby and stayed for Willingham's spectacular writing. Although, as Bigby's creator and writer I suppose I came for and stayed for Willingham's prose. XD I can't begin to describe how excited I am to be able to read new Fables material as it's released.
This is one of those really well written Batman stories you come across every now and again. One that tells you that it is something special. Though it might not be anything special at all, however, the atmosphere this book gives is really unique. It sort of comes across as a thriller read, for me personally. I really liked what I saw, artwork is superb, and the story promises a lot. I am very invested to see where it all leads to, and, if it can carry what it appears to promise to me as a reader. I must read for the Batman fans that seek that "Detective" element over the action.
My jaw literally dropped when I saw this crossover, because I love Fables and Bigby and gew up a Batman kid. Then I remembered DC comics put out the Fables comics and it made more sense. Storywise I love it. My complaint is paying 4 dollars or in the first volume's case 10 dollars for something I can finish in one sitting.
more of a batman story at the start than a batman and bigby story a little boring but i’m still interested enough in both worlds (fables and gotham) to read the next issue and see more interactions between batman and bigby
I'm a great fan of both Batman and Fables, so this is a crossover I've been looking forward to. So far, so good: a moody, twisted Gotham tale. And I like the Comixology format much more than I thought I would.