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Fables Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover |  | Authors: Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges
Creator: Mark Buckingham
Publisher: Vertigo
Category: Book
List Price: $17.99
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Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 9093
Media: Paperback
Pages: 232
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.6
ISBN: 1401225721
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781401225728
ASIN: 1401225721
Publication Date: February 9, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
All nine issues of the long awaited crossover between Vertigo's two popular series Fables and Jack of Fables are collected here.
The world of Fables is introduced to a whole new set of characters...The Literals. The Literals are characters that embody, literally, different literary genres such as Mystery, Comedy and Romance. One of The Literals goes by the name The Storymaker, one who can vanquish the world of Fables with one stroke of his pen.
When Jack discovers the existence of The Literals and their leader Kevin Thorn aka The Storymaker, Jack must leave his own book and crossover to the world of Fables to warn Fabletown about Kevin Thorn. Does the The Storymaker plan to close the book on the Fables universe once and for all?
The Great Fables Crossover features appearances from Fables favorites such as Snow White, Bigby Wolf, Rose Red, Jack Frost,
Beauty and The Beast.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
 Another Trifecta: Fables, Literals and Jack! February 9, 2010
Scott Allen (New York)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Bill Willingham's "Fables" is the most interesting concept in comics in the last few years. The artwork by is consistently outstanding and for Fables fans that can't get enough, Bill Willingham hit us right between the eyes with the "Jack of Fables" series. Jack Horner, an outcast from Fabletown, is pure living, walking id. Now, comes the "Literals" which are immortal "Genres" such as Fantasy, Science Fiction, even Blockbuster. What happens when all three of these mix? A heady brew called "The Great Fables Crossover," that's what!
"Crossover" is a trade paperback that combines the latest three episodes of "Fables", the latest 3 episodes of "Jack of Fables" and the first 3 episodes of "Literals." Some fans have said that these are the weakest of the series. Not true! Yes, most of the vast original "Fables" story arc is over, and the shorter "Jack" story is complete as well. However, the way Willingham plays with words and ideas about the very act of writing itself elevates this book to a level above all of his previous work. The narrative is not as tight and uniform; the Crossover is a Jackson Pollock compared to the Monet that is "Fables." This book may be less uniformly accessible to the superhero crowd, but much more thought provoking. This subversive book rises to the level of the best contemporary art!
Read at face value, much of this book is pure absurdity. However, Willingham weaves into the story themes such as censorship, the role of editors, rewrites, writer's block, even the constraints of genres themselves. Yet despite all that, the book never bogs down. It is full of witty writing like this, describing the "literal" called Fantasy: "Born from the mists of the end world kingdoms during the time of Prince Lanvir of the Olpen'Dar, Fantasy's beauty is matched only by her puissance in magickal combat. After the third annunciation of the shadow regnum, she ... oh, screw it." What other comic book is full of writing like this - simultaneously mocking and celebrating an entire genre and its confines in a way only a serious reader of the genre itself could?
The art is uniformly outstanding and colors are perfect. I still find it a bit disorienting when different artists draw the different chapters, but that is typical with these trade paperback collections.
"Crossover" is the best collection of the Fables/Jack story yet.
The Fables vs. God. February 9, 2010
S. Curley (Charlottetown, PE, Canada)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Fables began as a series in 2002, and gradually became extremely popular, generating first one spinoff series ("Jack of Fables") and the other original graphic novels and miniseries. "Jack" stayed mostly clear of its mother-title for the first few years, but now "The Great Fables Crossover" makes the first big story told through the entire franchise. Involved are the two aforementioned titles, as well as the three-issue "The Literals" miniseries created solely to provide a third monthly instalment of the story. Some spoilers follow.
This is primarily, in terms of story, spinning out of the events of "Jack of Fables", namely, the activities of the Literals, the meta-fictional embodiments of story. The main threat, Kevin Thorn, was first introduced in "Fables" itself, but the story subsequently transferred over to "Jack". Kevin is the storyteller; indeed, from how he is written here, he is essentially God, the original creator of all the stories that make up the "Fables" universe. However, after a long period of being unaware of his power, Kevin now surveys his original creations and, seeing how far they've overrun their original endings that he set for them, decides it is time to wipe the slate clean.
All of this is very heavy on meta-fiction, which, if you don't like that sort of story style, I suspect would make this story off-putting. There's a lot of ideas about authorship thrown about here, with perhaps the main theme being a struggle between the characters and their creator over who will have control of their destinies. The most affecting moment is when Thorn announces his intent to write out Snow White and Bigby Wolf's relationship, which he considers disgusting, and how the two react to the imminent end of the universe. Incidentally, Snow and Bigby return to the spotlight here, for the first time in a long time, which was welcome. This talk of slate-cleaning also presages major developments in "Jack of Fables" that will be dealt with in the next volume of that title.
Recommended. Fans of Jasper Fforde will really enjoy this.
Love this series! February 13, 2010
J. Evans (Los Angeles, CA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a big fan of Fables, so naturally i couldnt wait till for the next volume to come out. I just finished it less than 5 min ago and i was very pleased. This volume combines the Jack of Fables spinoff with the ongoing Fables storyline. If you've read all the fables but have not gotten around to reading the Jack of Fables books you REALLY need to read those to fully understand The Great Fables Crossover. Yes you can get by, but many many things you'll have to just shrug your shoulders and continue reading hoping that it'll make sense later...but in most cases it wont. I strongly recommend reading the JOF before continuing reading Fables.
You(well, Jack) basically find out that the entire Fables universe was created by the mind of a "literal" named Kevin Thorner. The Literals are people who make up all the elements of stories. Kevin Thorner creates the ideas and writes them and whatever he writes WILL exist or change, he has a twin brother named writer's block, a son named Mr. Revise, etc etc. Kevin is now in the process of trying to wipe out all the Fables because their lives have gone beyond what he had invisioned for them and wants them all gone so he can start a new story. Well this of course doesnt go over very well with the Fables when Jack bears the news, so Bigby and Snow go to investigate and shut down this threat, without fully knowing if its true, since having heard it from Jack.
This series makes me laugh out loud while still having those moments that keep you on edge feverishly turning the pages to find out what happens next. Hands down ones of my favorites. If you havent read the novel Peter & Max you MUST read it. An awesome stand alone book even for those who know nothing of the Fables universe.
One of the Best Fables Stories. The Funniest. February 13, 2010
Enrique Trevino (Cd. Juarez, Mexico)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I love the Fables series, however I hadn't been into the latest collections. I didn't think Vol. 12 was very good and while I thought Vol. 11 was very good, the series hadn't been great in a long time. This book is great. I highly recommend it.
The comic is a crossover between Fables and Jack of Fables. It focuses on supernatural characters called "Literals" which embody different literary ideas "Mr. Revise" is the editor, there is a storyteller, there is a fallacy, there are genres (fantasy, science fiction, ...), there is Dex (deus ex machina) and many other ideas used in the magical world of fiction. The storyteller, not happy with how the world has evolved since he created it, wants to end in and start anew. Obviously, this is a big threat which must be taken care of.
I was a little worried that I would get lost because of it being a crossover with a book I don't read (Jack of Fables), however, I found myself immersed in the story and not feeling confused.
I liked how each title moved the plot in certain directions. Fables had the aspects involving the Fable Farm, Jack had the aspects involving Bigby's and Snow White's quest, while Literals had the story from the point of view of the story teller. It worked great.
My favorite part of the book was the humor. The comic is full of jokes about writing, fiction and genres. I had a blast reading the dialogue between the genres. The comic was hilarious and very interesting. I like how it makes fun of itself, while at the same time analyzing itself.
The art in the book was quite good. I think the best of the three artists is Buckingham, but the other two did a great job and there wasn't a problem for me to read issues from different artists. They had a similar style and it suited the story.
Great book, so great, I must say it again, I highly recommend it.
 "Eyes on the road, Snow! Eyes on the road!" February 23, 2010
H. Bala (Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Our Fables have endured an era of darkness, having gone directly from one grim story arc to the next, from "The Good Prince" to "War and Pieces" to "The Dark Ages." Fabletown lies in rubble, with the seriously frightening Mister Dark now holding dominion there and gradually extending his insidious influence across the land. The refugees from Bullfinch Street have been forced to make their way to the Farm in upstate New York, home of the non-human looking Fables. Surely, now, the Fables are due for something a bit more lighthearted, maybe less taxing. What they get is THE GREAT FABLES CROSSOVER, and it's a lighthearted romp if you ignore the bits where reality itself is threatened and horrible acts of murder are enacted.
Mister Dark's unsettling reach falls on the Farm, infects its residents. Particularly Bigby Wolf and the Beast, who as the book opens are tearing into each other's throat. Both Bigby and the Beast worryingly recognize that they aren't themselves, that an external force is triggering their inner aggression. A solution of sorts presents itself when Jack Horner calls to alert the Fables to a new ominous threat, something which calls for the investigative skills of Fabletown's former Sheriff, Bigby Wolf. So off he and his wife Snow White go to meet the Literals, a race of beings powerful enough to wipe out both Fables and humanity.
To be more specific, the Big Bad is this innocuous looking guy named Kevin Thorn. Except that he's a Literal - and Literals are living embodiments of all manner of literary devices - and Kevin Thorn personifies the creative storytelling force. Thorn is mean-spirited and has a magical pen which allows him to write anything into existence or, conversely, undo all of Creation itself. Bigby, Snow, and several friendly Literals embark on a somewhat diverting road trip, the destination of which is a confrontation with the potential killer of the universe.
That's the main thrust of this crossover, although there are side stories involving the new Jack Frost's search for his father and Jack Horner's return to the FABLES comic book (he essentially swaps places with Bigby and Snow, who temporarily inhabit the JACK OF FABLES title). There's also an evolving subplot regarding a new cult religion inspired by the death of Boy Blue. I'm betting we'll hear more from that corner in future story arcs.
FABLES just may be my favorite comic book currently going, and I've never not enjoyed an issue of it, and the creative team of Willingham and Buckingham continues to amaze me. Even though I'm not really down with JACK OF FABLES, I still had high hopes for this crossover. Except that something goes screwy along the way. In retrospect, I don't know that nine issues were required to tell this story. A lot of running in place happens. Irrespective of the side stories, the main arc flounders for a good while, what with Kevin Thorn, the creative Literal, suffering a case of Writer's Block, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that Writer's Block turns out to also be a living personification. The narrative screeches to a standstill as Thorn pulls out his hair trying to get past the block, not to mention getting sidetracked with news of Bigby and Snow's coming for a reckoning. JACK OF FABLES #34 (part 5 of the crossover) is pretty much all about Thorn putting the hoodoo on Bigby, causing the Big Bad Wolf to shape-shift into ridiculous forms, each change more humiliating than the last. Admittedly, the final transformation had me rolling. But there's a marked lack of plot progression, and it won't be until THE LITERALS #2 (part 6, crossover) that things finally get a move on.
The main story arc is chronicled mostly in JACK OF FABLES and THE LITERALS. FABLES, meanwhile, focuses more on Jack Horner and his sleazy takeover of the Farm, with the big doings re Kevin Thorn being barely acknowledged. I know that Jack Horner has fans, but I find the guy just too amoral and slimy, and his mistreatment of the grief-stricken Rose Red is pretty unsavory. I do like it, though, whenever Jack breaks the fourth wall.
One could overdose on all the meta-textual discourse, in reading this run. The meta stuff injects a layer of the surreal, and maybe, as fun as the literary Genres are and what they have to say, in a way, it somewhat took me out of the story. The Genres are figures which Thorn summons to help him deal with the Writer's Block, and I like that the embodiment of Noir resembles Bogie, Western looks like the Duke, and Comedy, Groucho Marx. The Genres make all these remarks, and they're not insightful as much as they are tongue-in-cheek and satirical.
Other things which didn't work for me: The plot device of Gary the Pathetic Fallacy abandoning Jack Horner to become Bigby's sidekick has no pay-off; Bigby, for the duration, pretty much just ignores him, so, really, what was the point? In reading crossover events, one looks for impactful moments and far-reaching repercussions. But, basically, all we get is a diversion and the introduction of the very bland Jack Frost, part 2. On the other hand, maybe Jack Horner's behavior towards Rose will drive her out of her deep funk, because for sure Willingham has something big in the offing for her. And I can't make up my mind whether Willingham was being clever or lazy with the story's resolution. Really, Dex?
FABLES: THE GREAT FABLES CROSSOVER reprints FABLES #83-85, JACK OF FABLES #33-35, and THE LITERALS mini-series #1-3, this mini-series having been created solely for this crossover event. Artists Russ Braun and Tony Akins do okay, but they're no Mark Buckingham. Buckingham's artwork, thankfully, graces this crossover in several issues. Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges collaborate on the writing chores, and I don't know if it's too many cooks stirring the pot or if it's the meta-heavy premise, but I was left lukewarm towards the sometimes scattershot storytelling. One thing they did right was to put my two favorite FABLES characters, Bigby Wolf and Snow White, back in the spotlight. I only wish the cubs were worked in more. For me, 3.5 stars out of 5 for THE GREAT FABLES CROSSOVER.
Lastly, man, do I miss James Jean's covers.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
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