Copper kettles, woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string...

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall

I’m not afraid to say it. I’m a girl and I like girly things. Yes, I like my superheroes, solid action movies (No, you get off my plane!), and, okay, watching crazy car chases on one of those über-dramatic truTV video shows, but I also need my Austen time and twinkly earrings. I read chick lit as guilty pleasure (ah, Sophie Kinsella, you’re my savior in between The Enchantress of Florence and A Game of Thrones), and I have a (very) secret soft spot for almost all of the Disney princesses. Not so much Snow White. Never liked her.

In any case, all of this is why I just eat up stuff like Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall. In this graphic novel, creator/writer Bill Willingham combines many of my multiple personality interests: comics, old school fairy tales, and action. Most importantly, he imbues many of the stories with the haunting, timeless feel of mythology and legend (rather than just mere folk tale), giving classic fairy tales more of a powerful punch - and certainly getting my attention (I’ve been obsessed with ancient mythology since the fourth grade.)

Yes, the book is yet another one of those “the true story of…” Snow White / Hansel and Gretel / the Big Bad Wolf / insert miscellaneous, overexposed fairy tale character here. We’ve all been there before. But this particular graphic novel - an introduction, or prequel if you will, to a series of graphic novels called Fables - is still a kick to read.

The book itself is made up of a series of stories told Scheherazade-style by Snow White to Scheherazade’s own King Shahryar, each one a (definitely R-rated) true story of a famous fairy tale character, and each one illustrated by a different artist (including famed Sandman artist Charles Vess). My favorite is the story of Snow White and Briar Rose’s encounter with the witch of Hansel and Gretel fame, who then tells her own story (in this version, she was the witch mentioned in all those tales - think Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, the Frog Prince… she was a busy, busy enchantress). Snow White and Briar Rose’s story is illustrated beautifully in a grown-up Yoshitomo Nara-by-way-of-Holland style by Tara McPherson, while the witch’s story is illustrated as a sort of glowing folk art by Esao Andrews. It’s captivating.

Many of the fairy tale characters in the various stories are fleeing a mysterious enemy called, appropriately, The Adversary. Who, apparently, plays a major role in the subsequent series, Fables. But that’s really beside the point here. You read for the cool, elegant illustrations, great writing, and just because it’s fun. I don’t even like Snow White and I’m recommending a whole novel narrated by her! What else is there to say?

January 17, 2009 | Filed Under Graphic Novels 

comments

Leave a Reply




  • string theories

    What line of work you in, Bob?

    - Ryan the Temp to "Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration" at The Office's Christmas party

    Add to Technorati Favorites

  • featured brown paper packaging

    What is it with accessories and DVD sets these days? Are knick knack companies going through some rough times? Or are studios just really desperate to sell DVDs? (Probably the latter.) First there was A Christmas Story (Ultimate Collector's Edition), with its cookie cutters, recipe book, apron, commemorative Christmas tin... (Whoa, I know.)

    And now there's The Notebook (Limited Edition Gift Set), which comes with a scrapbook album (with stickers!), notecards, envelopes, and "themed" bookmarks. But... wait for it... no new DVD extras or features! So totally worth it. Check out Entertainment Weekly for the lackluster DVD set review (a grade of D - harsh). Or, even better, Amazon's video montage of the contents, set to the soothing, Jane Austen movie-esque sounds of The Notebook's theme music. Hey, they know their audience.