Fairest Vol 1: Wide Awake

Fairest Vol 1: Wide Awake (2012) Bill Willingham, Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, Matthew Sturges, Shawn McManus
If you know me at all, you know that I love Fables.

However, I have not loved the spin-off comics. I straight-up dislike Jack of Fables, nor did I like Cinderella (though Cinderella was not written by Bill Willingham.)

So I was slightly nervous when I preordered Fables.

First off, the cover. I love the art of the cover. It’s beautiful and I love how all the women are rendered. That said, I don’t understand this cover. I’m pretty sure that Snow White and Rose Red are sharing the front cover with Briar Rose, but they don’t appear in this volume at all. And the Snow Queen, who plays a large part in this tale, appears only on the edge of the back cover. So, as much as I enjoy this cover in the way the women are drawn, I do not at all see how it matches anything between the covers.

So what is Fairest? We start not with Briar Rose, but with Ali Baba. He’s wandering the ruins of a great city, searching for any unlooted treasure. The “treasure” he discovers is a bottle imp, who tells him of the location of a great treasure, which turns out to be the sleeping forms of the Snow Queen and Briar Rose.

For the most part, I believe this story should be able to stand on its own. I am not certain, however, the wooden soldier will make much sense to those who have not read the Fables series.

That didn’t bother me, however, as I very much enjoyed Fairest, and am looking forward to the next volume.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Vertigo

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