Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: Back to Baghdad – Chapter 3 of Arabian Nights and Days
Written by: Bill Willingham
Penciled by: Mark Buckingham
Inked by: Steve Leialoha & Andrew Pepoy
Colored by: Daniel Vozzo
Lettered by: Todd Klein
Cover by: James Jean
Editor: Shelly Bond
Publisher: DC Comics > Vertigo
It’s been a good number of months since my last review for the Nexus. I needed to do a lot of soul searching and a massive amount of culling from my pull list, not to mention a ton of catching up, before I was ready to come back and do regular reviews. The long layoff has shown me how much I missed writing these weekly pieces. I’m thrilled to be back!
Let’s get right to the meat of the review.
Fables has been one of a handful of books that’s maintained top-notch quality over the past three or four years. Many other books have had good stretches in that time, but Fables is always fantastic. As I mentioned above, the past several months saw me go through extended dry periods without reading many comics. A number of series saw 4-6 issues pile up before I could stomach reading them. Fables was never one of those books. Other than Fables, Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Jon Sable, and Iron Ghost seemed to be the only books I looked forward to in a given month. Those books were a joy to read and everything else wasn’t.
The current storyline “Arabian Nights and Days” has added a whole new group of Fables to our story, those of Arab legend. These Arabian Fables, led by Sinbad, have journeyed to New York City to open up communications with Fabletown. Unfortunately for both sides, Sinbad’s vizier, Yusuf (think Jafar from Aladdin), is the fundamentalist of the group. He wants no part in any cooperation with the West, and will go to any lengths to sabotage the talks. Yusuf hatches a scheme to unleash a D’Jinn which will not only smash Fabletown, but also leave him as the top man amongst the Arab Fables.
The subplot with Yusuf plays out this issue with a nicely written turn of events by Bill Willingham. Willingham also reveals the fate of Little Boy Blue, who has trouble with the law after an unauthorized journey back to the homeland. There’s even time for some well characterized moments with Fabletown’s mayor, Prince Charming, not to mention a look at the skill of Beast and some of the other heavy hitters in Fabletown. All told, Willingham packs this issue, like nearly every issue of Fables, and expands the title’s world giving the reader his/her $2.75 worth.
Artistically, Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha (along with Andrew Pepoy) turn in a beautiful looking comic. Of course, Buckingham and Leialoha have done that more than thirty times now. Their work captures the fairy tale feel of Fables with relish. The artwork has the perfect blend to capture the lighter moments and also nail the more savage elements, like the fury of a D’Jinn on a rampage. I must mention the sidebars that have long been a part of Fables are fantastic. They really bring home the storybook feel. They’re one added element to savor every month.
