World Famous Comics: Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince
Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince
By: Bill Willingham Publisher: Vertigo Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Vertigo Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: June 17, 2008 Release Date: June 17, 2008
Product Description: This 10th volume in the best-selling, award-winning series collects the epochal "Good Prince" storyline.
Flycatcher, a background player in the FABLES series, is drawn into the spotlight as he discovers the startling truth about his own past as the Frog Prince. At the same time, he learns that the Adversary -- Gepetto, the manipulative Fable who forced the Fables community into exile -- plans to destoy his foes once and for all. Only Flycatcher and his army of ghosts has a chance of stopping the Adversary from wiping out his home. But how can the meek Flycatcher undertake this deadly task?
The war begins This book continues the thousands of pages that have gone before. The series of books carries one whole story arc. So, if you haven't read the nine books that came before, anything you learn about this story will count as a spoiler when you read the whole series. Please, start at the start - you'll like this even more when you get here.
In the last book, Fly was transformed. The enchantment that held him as the guy mopping the floor passed. In this collection of the original monthly comics, he takes on the role he was born to, or maybe something even bigger.
A vast war has been brewing, hundreds of worlds against the tiny outpost of Fables. Fly starts that war. He brings an improbable, maybe impossible army to bear, establishes an outpost within the heart of the belligerent empire, and starts building roads and farms. Not weapons, not battalions, just a nice place to live. As my father told me, "Doing well is the best revenge," and Fly's happy little kingdom does very well indeed.
You just have to see this to believe it. We've all grown up - the "glory" of war consists mostly of dead or maimed soldiers, ravaged civilians, and victorious nations with crumbling economies and war debts that will take generations to clear. This book is fantasy, yes, but Fly finds a better way.
-- wiredweird
Fly's destiny is finally revealed. Bill Willingham, Fables: The Good Prince (Vertigo, 2008)
Flycatcher has regained his memory, and now, as Prince Ambrose, it's time for him to claim--or reclaim, as it were--his destiny. With some surprising allies, he undertakes a quest that may well change the balance of power in the upcoming war between Fabletown and the Empire. Meanwhile, Fabletown are preparing for what they assume will be an all-out attack by the Empire on the mundane world, and to do that, they're going to have to find themselves some very specialized teachers. Willingham is doing a great job with the politics of this thing, above all, and that's what makes it the compelling series it is; the characters are great, but this one's definitely situation-driven. I'm not usually a big fan of political thrillers, but between this and Ex Machina, it's been quite the season for them. ****
Series keeps its excellent pace and plot As the last collection of Fables I read was some months ago, I was curious to see how well I might be able to slide myself back into the narrative that Willingham has excellently created to this point. I was not disappointed.
'The Good Prince' manages to deftly weave together parts of the scenery, previous chunks of story from Fables as well as integrate yet-untouched tales into the plot, and all rather amazingly. The art is all very evocative (with the possible exception of the brief interlude with Bigby and Snow White; whoever that artist is, he or she seems to be operating on a different wavelength from the rest of the artists on the series) of the sorts of stories that Willingham wants to create.
I was somewhat curious as to how some of what happened came about (like why suddenly Ambrose/Fly was "Da Man") and the story managed to stay one step ahead of me (with maybe the last "battle" being the exception).
I am most curious to continue the series now, as not only has it been a heck of a read so far, but now it would appear that the balance between the Fables and the Adversary has been irrevocably tipped in the Fables direction - how will this all pan out??
The Kingdom of the Good Prince - a balm for the Emperor's thorny rule First, there was Boy Blue's arse-kicking incursion, which resulted in who knows how many casualties for the Adversary (see Fables Vol. 6: Homelands). Then, Bigby Wolf's secret retaliatory strike at the heart of the Adversary's Empire (see Fables Vol. 8: Wolves). Now, as the end caption of issue #60 reads: "Single-handedly invading the Homelands. Third time's a charm." It's Prince Ambrose's turn. Except that he doesn't do this single-handedly.
(Catching up on this amazing title, for those who need it: FABLES scribe Bill Willingham imagines characters from myth, folklore, and fairy tales as real people who long ago were driven from their Homelands by the monstrous Emperor. These days, these folks live among us, inhabiting a piece of Manhattan's Upper West Side even as they hide their true nature from us. As we come up to this story arc, things have come to a head between these denizens of Fabletown and the Emperor. The stench of war taints the air - or maybe it's just smog, I dunno.)
Some SPOILERS now.
THE GOOD PRINCE recounts one of the most moving story arcs Bill Willingham has ever produced for FABLES, not to mention one of the most epic, taking up almost a whole year to chronicle. If you're at all any fan of Flycatcher, then you're gonna soar to the moon because he becomes the central character for a good while. From the start of the FABLES series, Flycatcher's been one of its recurring ancillary characters. We don't know too much of him, other than he's the Frog Prince of the famous fairy tale, but that he's lost the awful memories of his family being slaughtered. In Fabletown, this unassuming guy's been reduced to perennial custodial status, thanks largely to Bigby, who was looking out for him (there's a good reason). But, recently, Flycatcher, a prince whose real name is Ambrose, has had his painwracked memories restored to him and this becomes the catalyst for THE GOOD PRINCE cycle. And, so, after weeks of near catatonic despondency and after some straightening out by Ride and his best friend Boy Blue, Fly finally sets out to do big things in memory of his massacred family. By the time Flycatcher's epic story concludes, he'll have gained a haunted kingdom and played a key role in Fabletown's upcoming struggle against the Emperor and the Homelands.
Working thru a kind of magical intuition, Flycatcher gathers a curious assembly to him, comprising in part of characters we thought we'd never see again. His right hand man is a once glorious knight in need of redemption (that enough of a clue?). Two deceased Fabletown villains return, as well as a recent traitor. Flycatcher begins his quest with a harrowing journey thru the dead lands within the Wishing Well, this being the path he chooses to return to the Homelands. Once there, he means to establish a kingdom, as a refuge for those subjects unwilling to live under the Adversary's iron rule. This act of rebellion doesn't at all pass unnoticed, and so very soon the Emperor is deploying various armies to Flycatcher's tiny kingdom of Haven. Except that Flycatcher doesn't believe in the brutality and horror of war. Even though he now wields the legendary sword in the stone. He finds another way.
FABLES Vol. 10: THE GOOD PRINCE collects issues #60-69, including the nine chapters of "The Good Prince." As well, there's an interlude issue (#64), very welcome because we get to check in with the Wolf household as my homie Bigby, Snow, and the cubs celebrate the cubs' fifth birthdays. This story also marks the children at last finding out about their invisible brother, Ghost. Aaron Alexovich's cute, lighthearted artwork definitely shifts away from the solemn mood of Fly's storyline. Meanwhile, Prince Charming and his inner circle have learned of the Emperor's intent to war with Fabletown. And, so, Willingham also presents cutaway segments devoted to Fabletown as it girds for war, with its residents undertaking various combat training (including sniper school).
This is a really terrific read. THE GOOD PRINCE ranks very much up there as one of my favorite FABLES stories. This is the tenth TPB, covering sixty-nine issues, and writer Bill Willingham just keeps it going. There's a richness and depth here which is rarely found in other comic book titles. Guy makes you care for his cast of characters. He's so good at this that he had me totally absorbed with Flycatcher, that odd, formerly negligible dude with the mop and the frog cap. Also engrossing are the passages which dwell on Fabletown's gearing up for war, the meticulous plannings and the meetings that went into it. Meantime, longtime workhorses and respective penciller and inker Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha not only provide continuity in the visuals but, as a bonus, this trade also reproduces James Jean's fabulously ethereal covers to this run of FABLES.
One very intriguing tongue-in-cheek aspect in all this is Fly's asking the magic mirror to keep his friends apprised of his doings. This results in Fly's exploits suddenly becoming a must-see TV event for the Fabletown community - Willingham's pretty cool nudge at the ribs at reality television. Another thing I like about THE GOOD PRINCE is that Flycatcher, while having come up the world in a big way, at his core remains the same unassuming cat we've come to know. I love the coda, which has Fly donning his old hat for old times' sake - a moment of respite to go out on, as the big bad war looms over the fables.
A Good Tale About a Good Man The Good Prince--a more appropriate title for a book has never existed. Fables is, far and away, the best comic book series running at the moment. The Good Prince comprises issues 60-69 of the title, and having read the entire run thus far, I can attest that Fables just keeps getting better and better.
In The Good Prince, Flycatcher takes hold of his lineage and accepts his true name of Prince Ambrose once more. While Fabletown and the Homelands continue to plan and engage war with one another, Prince Ambrose offers a third refuge, one without violence or political espionage.
Prince Ambrose is given the armor of the Foresworn Knight who turns out to be a rather famous figure from our favorite legend. He then uses that armor, as well as a certain well-known sword, to travel through the land of the dead and take up uninvited residence in the Homelands. Prince Ambrose collects friends and foes who were tossed down the Witching Well while making his way through the land of the dead and offers them a sort of pseudo-life as long as they remain just and true. For friends, this is not a problem; for foes, well, let's say that some struggle at being "good" more than others. But set up his kingdom, and it grows and grows, despite constant attacks from the Adversary.
What I really love about The Good Prince is that Prince Ambrose refuses to kill. He wants no bloodshed from either his own startup kingdom or the Adversary's armies. He is resolute, but he is also noble, kind, virtuous, and admirable. In today's comics, we don't see that very often.
A wonderful subplot in The Good Prince is also the political maneuvering between Fabletown and the Homelands. Fabletown takes full advantage of Prince Ambrose's distracting the Adversary and whittling down his armies to prepare an army of their own, one which may be quite capable of making sure all Fables can return to their own homes--not just Prince Ambrose's kingdom--anew.
Fables is such an imaginative concept, but Bill Willingham really goes above and beyond with intricate plots and charismatic characterizations. I've loved Fables for years now, and I don't see any signs that Fables will lose my love anytime soon.
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