Wednesday 8 August 2012

Jack of Fables: The Big Book of War (2009)


This is volume 6 of the spin-off series from Fables collecting issues 28 - 32. It was written by Fables writer Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges writer of the excellent House of Mystery - also for Vertigo. Art duties were shared amongst Tony Akins, Ross Braun, Jose Marzan Jr. and Dan Green.

For those that don’t know Jack of the Tales is a self-centred character whose massive ego meant that he was forced out of the main Fables comic into his own title where he could pursue his main interests of making lots of money and sleeping with hot women. This book continues a long running story line with the librarians and residents of the Golden Boughs Retirement Community. Jack has led the Bookburner to the Golden Boughs where he lays siege and attacks it with the aim of wiping out all fables within it.

As the book is a continuation of a long story line, that continues into the next volume of Fables, it is not really a suitable jumping on point for new readers – but you really, really should be reading both Fables and Jack of Fables anyway. It is fairly standard fare as Jack, more by luck and the efforts of his companions, takes control of the resistance effort and fights off the Bookburner’s forces – not really a spoiler since this is Jack of the Tales and he always comes out on top in most situations. This book is packed with the usual Jack of Fables humour as an increasingly delusional  Jack, both in his own abilities and his perception as himself of being irresistible to any available women, stumbles from one taco to another as chaos reigns around him. Excellent stuff and I really can’t get enough of it.

First published on RevolutionSF on Thursday Mar 10, 2011

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