The premise behind Fables is that ages and ages ago, there were vast and numerous kingdoms, home to magical creatures and legendary peoples. These fantastical worlds are actually real, living, and breathing settings based on fairy tales and folklore. These peoples refer to themselves as ‘Fables,’ and the kingdoms had kept to themselves mostly until an enemy called the Adversary appeared and started to conquer what is now referred to as the Homelands. Many were killed and slain… but what remaining survivors there were had fled to our world, the ‘Mundane’ world. They keep their existence secret and us ‘Mundy’ people are oblivious to their community of Fabletown. All had lost their homes to the Adversary, and the Fables resolved to band together, forgive past grievances with a general amnesty, live out their immortal and still magical existence in our world, and the story of Fables begins.

Writer Bill Willingham does, I think, a wonderful job of reinventing many of our familiar folktale characters. These are not the same innocent fables you knew as a child, but more adult, human, and believable individuals. Here’s a rundown of the main characters in the first book, “Legends in Exile.”

• Snow White: Deputy mayor of Fabletown, but she, for all intents and purposes, runs the administration of Mayor King Cole. In the first story arch, her (less well-known) sister, Rose Red, is missing after her apartment is found in disarray with blood everywhere, beginning the mystery story as to what happened. She had divorced her husband, Prince Charming, a long time ago after finding that he and Rose Red had an affair together. The introduction of Prince Charming is actually quite funny as well; having lost his kingdom and wealth left behind in the exile, he uses his magical charm to seduce a Mundy waitress into paying for his meal and letting him crash at her place for a couple weeks. He even goes to the extent of writing a note in the morning to have her take care of his dry cleaning and helping himself to the money in her purse!
• Bigby Wolf: Also known as the ‘Big Bad Wolf.’ The same one that blew down the houses of the 3 pigs, remember? He had a notorious reputation before the exile to Fabletown, but due to the general amnesty, all past transgressions were forgiven. He eventually gained the ability to shift into human form and became the sheriff of Fabletown. His detective skills shine through in the first story arch as well as his gruff nature. He’s one of my favorite characters, due to his general bad-assery and attitude. Eventually, later on in the series, his feelings for Snow White come out and they marry and have kids. Awwww…
• Jack Horner: The same Jack Horner of the nursery rhyme. He was also the same Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Jack and Jill” and many other mythological Jacks… he’d been dubbed Jack of the Tales. He’s the boyfriend of Rose Red, a trickster, and always tries to come up with get rich quick schemes.

There are many, many other familiar characters that have developed into very complex individuals living in our world. Pinocchio has been made a real boy… but although over 300 years old, remains a boy permanently and unable to hit puberty. Many of the non-human fables, such as the three little pigs, the bears of Goldilocks fame, and Shere Khan from the Jungle Book, live up in a remote community, called the Farm, away from the Mundy world. Eventually, in the series, we even discover the true identity of the Adversary. I won’t spoil it, but I think it was a great revelation and excellent story-telling by Willingham.

I would highly recommend the first book. It’s a great story, and does well as a stand alone representation of the series, but I’d probably guess that you’ll get hooked and will want to read more and find out what happened to other Fables such as Little Red Riding Hood, Mowgli, Frankenstein’s Monster, Beauty and the Beast, and even Santa Claus. The series is still going, and its pace has picked up dramatically since its beginning with the Adversary coming close to invading the Mundy world and the current storyline focusing on Flycatcher, the Frog Prince. Introduced in the first issue as a bumbling, innocent janitor that ate flies, yet deeply cared for his friends, he undergoes a tragic transformation: learning the truth that his family was slaughtered in the homelands and becoming horribly depressed. However, he encounters the Ghost of the Forsworn Knight, revealed to be the ghost of Sir Lancelot who then becomes Flycatcher’s guide to realize his destiny. Flycatcher then obtains Excalibur and claiming the role of the Once and Future King, and begins building an army to battle the Adversary and avenge his family. It’s AWESOME.