Reviewer: William Cooling
Title: Out of the Woods Pt. 1: March of the Wooden Soldiers
Writer: Bill Willingham
Penciller: Mark Buckingham
Inker: Steve Leialoha
Colourer: Daniel Vozzo
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Shelly Bond
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
After last month’s B-Movie inspired one off, Fables returns to its usual mixture of legend, myth and soap opera. The regular art team returns and Willingham turns his attention to developing the plot threads left hanging at the end of issue 17.
At the very end of issue 17, we were confronted with the shock news that Snow White was pregnant with Bigby’s child cub. This issue, we see her try to deal with the ramifications of the shock news whilst also trying to get over the injuries inflicted on her by Goldilocks. Willingham shows White to be an extremely strong willed person, who is determined to get back to business as usual. Although, with the picture he paints of her physical state, he hints that she may be failing. He handles the issue of her pregnancy with sensitivity, and from a surprisingly conservative viewpoint when dealing with the issues surrounding abortion and the father’s involvement. Whether this is Willingham presenting his own beliefs or him staying true to the character he has developed I don’t know, but it’s a welcome change from the usual “Liberal Realist†view of the world presented in comics.
In another storyline developed from issue 17, we see Prince Charming try to get 500 signatures so he can force a special election for Mayor. This is a wonderfully cheeky bit of satire of the disgraceful shambles of democracy in action, as recently seen in California. Willingham brilliantly introduces this piece of social commentary without compromising the title’s fantastical feel, nor does he descend into a polemic rant about the current situation. The recall election (a term never actually used in the comic) is presented and justified as a plot device (one that will be fair reaching if successful), with the satire as an extra bonus for those who want it.
Willingham also introduces a brand new storyline focusing on the arrival to Fabletown of a famous lady. In this issue he shows her journey, which includes a rather charming evaluation about how magical the modern world is and some old-fashioned goblin bashing. However, he also shows the deceased Colin (having only jumped on with issue 14, I’ve never seen him before) give Snow White a cryptic warning that may be connected to the famous visitor.
Buckingham and Leialoha, who make a welcome return after a one-issue rest, expertly depict all this. The art, whilst similar to Y: The Last Man’s Pia Guerra in that it has a very simple and clear style that completely focuses attention on the story, is superior in a number of ways. First and foremost, are their excellent character designs, especially the way they imbue them with tons of character and charm. For example, their King Cole perfectly captures the look of an amicable, slightly incompetent old buffer who is perfectly capable of being ruthless when needed. In addition, Buckingham is equally adept at drawing both the realistic and the fantastic. He is able to present his art in very effective, and at times, very inventive page layouts. The art team is ably rounded off by the superb colouring of Vozzo, who achieves the difficult feat of being bright and direct, without being garish.
No writer since Chris Claremont at his peak, is as good as Willingham in juggling many different plot lines together, whilst still delivering a coherent whole. Like Claremont with the X-Men, Willingham uses the super-powered beings at his disposal not to indulge in power fantasies, but as a hook to entice us into a soap opera world of relationship traumas, dodgy mayors and exotic strangers. Willingham develops likeable characters that engage in realistic relationships but never sinks into a decompressed rut, where such character building is included at the expense of plot. The story is fast paced with many different strands (not just the three main ones) and develops well, climaxing with a cracking cliffhanger that has you eagerly waiting the next issue (another Willingham speciality).
