Fábulas: Edición de lujo - Libro 9

Fables: The Deluxe Edition

by Bill Willingham, Andrew Pepoy (Illustrator), David Hahn (Illustrator)

Llega el momento de rememorar La gran guerra y La edad oscura, épicos arcos argumentales que junto a Embustes y los números únicos El día del juicio final y Una vuelta por la ciudad marcaron un antes y un después en esta multipremiada colección. Aclamada tanto por la crítica como por los lectores, Fábulas se ha convertido en una de las principales colecciones del mercado americano. Todo un clásico moderno galardonado con los premios más prestigiosos de la industria, ahora reeditado en una serie de preciosos tomos de tapa dura.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Fiction, Fables, Fairy Tales, Graphic Novels Comics

368 pages, Hardcover

Published October 16, 2018

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

[El Tapiz de Fionavar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalmente se ha desatado la Guerra entre las fábulas exiliadas y el Imperio, todos los acontecimientos que se encadenaron durante los números anteriores culminan en este tomo donde encontramos una variedad de elementos que hacen de la lectura algo extremadamente entretenido.

Aquí se ponen en juego tácticas distintas, espionaje, los habitantes del piso 13 despliegan sus armas mágicas, en definitiva, se va cerrando una etapa del arco argumental donde cuajan aspectos que nos han tenido en vilo por largo tiempo.

Como en toda gran guerra vamos a tener que enfrentarnos a algunas pérdidas inesperadas y a prisioneros que alteran la cotidianeidad de algunos de nuestros conocidos personajes.

Al promediar el cómic suceden algunos eventos que son consecuencia del caos en el que están sumidas las tierras natales. Y esto va a despertar algunas fuerzas que representan un peligro aún mayor que el Emperador. La aparición de Colin a Rosa Roja, anticipa la oscuridad que se viene.

Los dibujos son tan buenos como el guión así que continuaremos recorriendo esta gran historia que nos aventura en mundos que - si bien son familiares- nos generan extrañamiento por el toque que les da la genialidad de Willingham.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE WAR IS OVER! Great ending to the first big story arc with a surprise twist at the very end. Wonderful storytelling. Very recommended

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The culmination of what the series has been leading up to at this point, war with the Empire. I was a little surprised at how the war was handled, the story was much shorter than I expected. I did like the inventive ways that Fables mixed magic and modern weaponry. Mark Buckingham outdoes himself on the art with how he arms the animal Fables.

Then it turns out there are some unintended consequences to defeating a centuries old empire in The Dark Ages. Parts of this are just gutwrenching. You're my boy Blue! Mister Dark is creepy as hell and epitomizes the boogeyman brought to life. Plus, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War and its Aftermath. One of those situations where combining a few of the old trades results in a more satisfying story.

Kingdom Come (70). This is a very nice, tense prelude to War & Pieces. I was also mostly pleased to see a focus on the relationship between Blue and Red, even if it did descend into stereotypical friend-zone inanity [8/10].

Skullduggery (71-72). Another nice prelude to War & Pieces. Cindy is always a great character, and she's used well here ... and Willingham does a good job of continuing to suggest tension for the upcoming arc ... as we learn the invasion has already started [7/10]

War & Pieces (73-75). This is a good enough conclusion to the major arc of Fables ... but it's hard not to be disappointed nonetheless. We get two issues of things going swimmingly, and so we're missing tension. Even when things take a turn for their worst, this all seems too easy. After the rather magnificent Good Prince arc, it was hard for what came next not to be a letdown ... but sadly this doesn't even seem to try. There are some magnificent visuals, and things clash together nicely, but it's not the epic that was needed [6+/10].

Around the Town (76). I suppose it was important to show the Adversary settling into Fabletown, but there's little surprising to this tale [5+/10].

The Dark Ages (77-82). An excellent followup to the war that had some of the hard consequences that its predecessor lacked. It's also lovely to see some of those consequences be of the unintended sort, where the Fables just didn't know what they're unleashing.

Issue #81 may be the most heartbreaking issue of Fables, particularly Blue's conversation with Rose. (I think Willingham had a hard time always selling Rose's selfishness and immaturity, but when you reread this, you better understand where the end of the series came from.)

Meanwhile, the introduction of Mr. Dark makes him feel like a strong and scary new arch-villain. Finally: Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser! All around a strong and enjoyable story [8+/10].

Return to the Jungle Book (77-81). This is a nice focus on Mowgli, and a nice follow-up to the War, but otherwise a shallow story [6/10].

[Arie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been so long since I read any Fables that I completely forgot where I was up to - and inadvertantly ended up re-reading one of the saddest storylines in the entire series.

Still, I have no regrets - at least I've found my place again!

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of Fables wraps up the first story arc with the invasion of the Homelands. We get war stories and spy stories, heroic sacrifices and attempts at redemption. The story is nothing short of epic, and heartrending as we lose some we've certainly come to love... and we get a bit of insight into why the Emperor chose to do wht he did.

Before you even have time to catch your breath "The Dark Ages" begins and ushers in the second Fables arc. Right back from the heels of a massive war more trouble emerges, a foe a good bit more frightening than the Emperor had been. One has to wonder where this is heading, though I will say it really doesn't look good for the Fables about now.

Wonderful writing, and great artwork - though I wasn't crazy about the guest artists this time around.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, we had the big war we were all expecting, and boy, it was a thrill. Maybe shorter than I thought it would be (5-6 issues) but Buckingham did an EXCELLENT job implementing modern weapons to "medieval" fables and mixing them up, offering us some of his best illustrations and spash pages yet. Truly, at vol. 9 he took his art to another level, he experimented and everything he wanted to draw came out great.

Willingham finishes an informal firct cycle with this war between the empire and the exiles (not spoiling the outcome ofc) and right when you wonder what comes next after such big an event, he manages to promise even more. I don't know how exactly but he did. It's extremely difficult to offer your readers an immense crescendo, the result of 75 issues, and start another one without a breath that will intrigue them the same. The expectations (of me and I'm guessing a lot others) were too high and he didn't fail them with the introduction of the new bad guy.

Hats off to both of you and the creative team. I returned to fables after a 3-month pause and i picked up on the same enthusiasm I had before in a blink of an eye.

[Aildiin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a critical book for any Fables fan. It concludes what could be called the first Fables cycle ( the war with the Enemy) and starts the second cycle ( the new enemy being Mister Dark). The conclusion to the war with the Enemy is pretty anti-climatic and not really a surprise seeing what happened in the previous book with the creation of Haven.
The introduction of Mister Dark and the consequences of the end of the War ( narrated in the Dark Ages 5 issues story) are however a mix of great writing and drawing that comes highly recommended. Mixed in with this are few stories with guest artists where the art is really poor in my view and one story involving Cinderella which is decent but doesn't contribute much to the overall story. It should be noted that as usual the cover art for the collected issues is included and these are some of the finest covers James Jean ever drew for Fables.
In term of content, at 367 pages it is the biggest deluxe volume yet and is priced like the previous ones so this is nice too.
All in all this deserves a solid 4 stars ( the Dark Ages story deserves 5 stars).

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not expect the war against the Enemy/Adversary to be wrapped up so early in the saga or the way that it was. I also didn't expect some of the deaths (at least not the way they happened). There were some moving events (Boy Blue's conversation with Red where he talks to her about how she rebounds with people in her life was actually pretty deep and not the type of thing you see expressed that often). There is a big change in the status quo and I am curious to see how this shakes out.

[Nate]

I think I finally understand my main issue with Fables, aside from the uneven writing, pacing, and tone. In this series, Willingham uses centuries-old characters from folklore and fairy tales. The characters exist in the modern age but their characterization feels arbitrary most of the time. Cinderella is a James Bond-type spy. Okay, cool, but take away her name and there's no real indication that she's Cinderella. Snow White is the leader and matriarch or sorts to the fables in Fabletown and the farm. But I can't see much in how she acts that suggests she's the same person from the fairy tale. Again, take away her name and she could be anyone. I'm far from an expert on fairy tales, but it doesn't seem to me like Willingham has a great grasp on the original stories and their characters. Compare to Sandman and Lucifer, two other Vertigo fantasy epics that use characters from religion and mythology and similarly place them in the modern day. The way Gaiman and Carey write those characters makes them feel like the same ones from those myths and legends. You can tell from how they write that they deeply understand the characters’ origins. But I can't say the same for Willingham. The Fables cast feel like entirely new characters who share the names of existing characters from fairy tales, with surface level, obvious suggestions of their background. Halfway through the series, I'm still not sold on their characterization.

That said, I'm going to keep reading because a) I'm a completist, b) I'm halfway done, and c) there are bits of the series that interest me, like Flycatcher, the Homelands, Frau Totenkinder, and Bigby and Snow's family.

So in this volume, the war finally happens, and also ends. It's a little rushed and underwhelming, especially coming after the epic, nine-issue Flycatcher arc. It's like Willingham realized he got there late and had to wrap it up quickly. Meh. There are some good moments, and Buckingham’s art wows, but this culmination could have been far better after all the buildup.

I was more interested in "The Dark Ages” storyline, which follows the fables after the war and sees them contending with a new threat to Fabletown. A new status quo emerges. The stuff with Boy Blue is very affecting, especially his scenes with Rose Red, and I like the Mowgli side story. I’m curious where Willingham is going to take the story in the remaining 70 issues. It kind of seemed like it reached its natural conclusion with the war.

[Petra Valković · Rating 5 out of 5]

Svi prijašnji brojevi ovog stripa vodili su do ovog konačnog trenutka - bitke slobodnih Bajki protiv Carstva. Bitke koja bi mogla značiti povratak Bajki u Domovinu. Bojišnica je razasuta na 3 fronte od kojih svaka ima različitu taktiku. Osobno najzanimljivija i najuzbudljivija bila mi je ona u zraku sa Sinbadom i Kraljevićem Bajnim na zračnom brodu Slava Bagdada kojima je cilj bio uništiti portale i time onemogućiti prelazak neprijateljske vojske u zemlju. Šegrt Plavi kao vojni kurir povezuje ove tri fronte/radnje i jedan je od glavnih igrača u cijeloj priči. Njegov lik mi je uz Vuka i Pepeljugu najdraži i uspio se kroz mnoge brojeve od usputne Bajke prometnuti u ključnu figuru i junaka koji to nije želio biti. Mislim da je razvoj njegovog lika jedan od najboljih u cijelim Bajkama. Pepeljuga u ovom broju dokazuje i pokazuje da joj je mjesto u špijunskoj eliti, a Vuk je s razlogom postao vođa.
Ono sto želim reći je da Mračna vremena rasturaju i radnjom i crtežima i ni na trenutak ne posustaju. Nema praznog hoda, puno je akcije, ponešto humora, woooow trenutaka, ali i onih tužnih. Jer svaki rat ima svoje žrtve. Hoće li to i ostati tako, moram vidjeti u novom broju jer je naravno završilo najvećim mogućim cliffhangerom.
Bajke su jedan od onih stripova koje pratiš godinama, a nimalo ti ne dosade jer uvijek se nešto novo zbiva, uvijek se otvara prostor novim likovima, a stari vam dođu već kao prijatelji. Zato uživam u svakom novom broju. 🥰

[Barbara McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of action and drama. Can't wait to see what's next.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one did a solid enough job. I liked the first half. The second half got a little grimdark (no pun intended) for my taste, but I suppose it was in compensation for the Adversary being defeated. They had to establish that there are still really serious problems. I just kinda wish they didn't all have to be thrown in at once. It was gutsy of them to kill off Blue (and to a lesser extent Prince Charming), since he was easily one of the most likable characters. They maintained the pathos well, while still allowing themselves an out later should they want to bring him back. Good entry. Would definitely read the first half again.

[J. Griff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this volume of Fables (Deluxe Volume 9) was bittersweet. Will the final war with the Adversary commencing there was a lot of blood shed as many long time Fables characters die, in particular my favourite character. Willingham’s writing continues to amazing as he keeps his story fresh & moving in a all-new direction.

[Highland G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first half of this book, sadly the rest was really drawn out and felt like more filler. Thats the biggest issue with this run. Too much time spent dancing around things and cleaning them up but the events themselves are over in an issue or two.
Again we have fill-in artwork that takes me completely out of the story every time.

[Leticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is an entertaining page-turner and I've read my way now through nine collections of stories in a one week marathon. Yay me! I now desperately need water and a protein bar or I'll faint. ;-)

[Mohammad Aboomar · Rating 2 out of 5]

in retrospect, I think this is where the nosedive began. This is where the story stopped being genuine and started being a sad case of milking the cow till it drops dead (as it finally did in the Everafter series, a few years later).

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions)]

TBH I really didn't know where the series was going to go from the vanquishing of the Empire, but it immediately got EVEN MORE INTENSE. Holy plotting, batman.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story becomes darker and darker, more and more sad. War is over. Or is it?
I do not like Beauty and the Beast here at all.

[The Inked Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me ages to finish this volume! Maybe because I was not really invested in the first half. The war finally came and I didn't find it particularly interesting. Could be because I didn't particularly like Boy Blue character so since he was told from his POV I found it quite boring. But I did like the last half of this volume (the Dark Ages and so on)and I actually found Boy Blue struggle with his injury more captivating than any other story about him so far (together with his amorous adventures with the supposedly red riding hood-Many volumes ago!).
I'm curious to see what Darkness will bring.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Binge-reading. Series review to follow.

That said, Cindy kicks all the ass.

[Joseph B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fables first cycle culminates to an epic conclusion, while starting a somewhat unwieldy new mega-arc. War between Fabletown and the Adversary's Empire has been brewing for a long time, and now we see it begin and conclude. In previous arcs, Fabletown has been preparing a first strike as the Adversary's forces ready for a truly evil annihilation of Earth and the Fables. If you've been following Fables so far, I'm sure you've come to love the characters and Willingham handles them deftly here. We see destinies fullfilled, loves expressed, and inner journey's come to an end.

The way the war unfolds is truly imaginative and epic in scope, Fabletown's ingenuous plans come to fruition and of course the Adversary retaliates. Cinderella also has some wonderful moments in a prelude to the War and Pieces arc. One can't say much without spoiling things, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it was all written and Willingham subverted my expectations in a good way. #75 bring the first mega-arc of Fables to a brilliant and satisfying end. Mark Buckingham's art has been a true delight throughout the series, and his best work is in this arc.

Now Fables was intended to end there, but Vertigo wanted it to go on so Willingham came up with more storylines and another cycle. I won't say it was a bad start, it simply feels like it came a little left field and has a so-so start. There's an epilogue issue which highlights how evil the Adversary was, then we move on to the next Big Bad. The Dark Man is inadvertently released, and he is built up as a true terror compared to the Adversary in terms of raw power. Willingham immediately changes the status quo of Fables in an attempt to make things feel fresh, and it works alright.

Overall I'd give the Adversary cycle a huge 5 stars for a satisfying conclusion, and 3 stars to the interesting but what feels unnecessary and hamfisted start to the Dark Man cycle.

[Vicenç Sanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

No tengo demasiado claro cómo seguirá la obra desde éste punto, porque hasta la llegada de éste tomo ésto iba de unas fábulas que se habían visto obligadas a dejar sus mundos natales y que ahora empezaban a plantearse un contraataque.


Pues bien, en éste tomo tenemos la guerra y su final, las estrategias contra el adversario y lo que acaba por parecer una victoria (no diré para quién) definitiva. Pero el comic no termina, sigue adelante con los estragos de la guerra, sus primeras consecuencias... lo que podría ser un epílogo a la historia y terminar así.

El caso es que todo evoluciona, gira, cambia y nos presenta una nueva trama que parece tener cuerda para rato: poderes encerrados por el adversario para contenerlos y aprobecharlos que son liberados. Mundos que vivían en paz que pasan a la anarquía. Y las fábulas que conocemos obligadas a exiliarse de nuevo.

Es un muy tomo, que toca temas duros (como la muerte o el desamor) y lo hace de frente, sin dejarse nada. Es también épico, con una guerra que llega a hacerse incluso corta. Y acaba por ser malrollero, pensando en lo que está por venir.

Eso sí, el tomo anterior, el de Papamoscas no creo que llegue a ser superado en ningún momento durante la obra, me parece una obra maestra en sí misma de obligada lectura. Aun así, a un nivel altísimo que deja la incógnita sobre si podrá mantenerse en el futuro. Yo sigo disfrutando, y mucho más que al principio.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read but it lacks the magic of the last volume. To be fair reading it in volumes versus month by month issues defiantly has an impact on this. The biggest part is that the last volume was more or less one story. Here there are three distinct stories. They are all very interconnected but it’s not like reading a wonderful novel. Also there is a shift in the series and it’s a big one. It is not unearned but reading the issues so close together it does feel like it came on fast. For all that some of the best moments in the series are contained in these arcs. The storyline with Blue is amazing. Prince Charming and Rose Red get character defining moments. And I love the nod to Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. After all what makes a fairytale? Speaking of: “waiting for the blues” (issue 82) has a talking badger do a meta treatise on this that is epic. Also I’m calling this issues cover the best one yet. Most of them are beautiful but this one.. powerful, poignant, perfect.

[Arctialuna · Rating 3 out of 5]

With this volume, the war for the homeland ends and, with it, this first big arch of 9 deluxe volumes.

I've decided to stop buying this comics. I really don't enjoy them *that* much and they are expensive. Moreover, it seems that the following arch is not as good as this first one. Since I nearly enjoyed what I read for now (I feel indifferent to most of the characters, *** SPOILER ALERT*** although Blue's death was painful ***END OF SPOILER*** I can live with this end)

Maybe I will search for the story on the library or online, but Fables was a disappointment to me. I would like to buy more comics, but I learned with Fables that I can't judge a story by it's cover (do I learn that now, really? No. But I can't help to buy books with a beautiful cover sorry).

I haven't read that much comic, really. So if you want to recommend me something, go ahead!

[Soo Yan · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for the first part of this Volume (issues #70-#75), 3 stars for the second part (issues #76-#82). Cinderella is fucking badass and needs more than a couple spinoff series!
Absolutely hated the fact that Gepetto was not only spared, but the higher ups were acting like the rest of Fabletown were being unreasonable for lashing out at him. #76 pissed me off so much, I would give it negative stars if I could. The art style was horrendous and I have no interest in the rantings of an old man about our modern world, much less one that is a genocidal maniac.
#77 onwards was decent, but I felt like they could have written Blue’s death a little better - Swineheart’s arrogance and the Nurse’s flippancy was really frustrating - although I did enjoy him telling Rose Red off. I really dislike her.
Also, I don’t understand why he couldn’t come back as a spectre in Haven?

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, Fables is amazing. This deluxe edition collects two volumes of this great series and its epic. First, the great war with the Homelands plays out here and its fantastic and heartbreaking. The battles unfold naturally and all make sense for the world we're in. The second part of the book was truly shocking and takes the title in a super new and interesting direction. The book moved me and was a joy. The art, mostly by Mark Buckingham is still the gold standard for matching a book's tone. I only want him to pencil these characters. Overall, near perfection. I loved it.

[Kelsey Brennan]

"But Fabletown is run by anachronistic men who cling to romantic notions of war. They couldn't resist the poetic title."

Once again, a book I have mixed feelings about. The art is beautiful in this collection, and I really enjoyed the Cindy story and the actual war stuff, but some of the stories really fell flat, particularly the Blue-Rose Red-Sinbad stuff. There was just a little bit too much "nice guy" wish fulfillment for me.

I'm not sure if I'm going to finish the rest of Fables, it's certainly not a priority right now.

[Yersey Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin duda, uno de los mejores tomos de esta edición de Fábulas. La guerra, con sus victorias y derrotas, siempre trae consigo cosas que ningún bando espera. Aquí hay reencuentros y pérdidas, héroes (con sus sacrificios) y villanos (con sus redenciones), y cuando todavía te estás recuperando de la guerra, un nuevo arco argumental introduce otra etapa para nuestras fábulas. La guerra contra el Adversario podría haber durado un poco más, pero la he disfrutado igual. Y el arte de este volumen... de lo mejorcito.