Fairest Vol. 4: Cinderella – Of Men and Mice

Fairest Vol. 4: Cinderella – Of Men and Mice (2014) Mark Andreyko, Shawn McManus

I’ve been hit or miss with the Fables spin-off series. I hated Jack, didn’t much care for Cinderella, but have quite enjoyed Fairest. But I was hesitant when I saw the latest volume of Fairest was Cinderella.

This series continues to tie in with Fables, so we see glimpses of the other Fables, instead of just a focus on Cinderella.

We also get to see more of the mice, some of who played an important part in Cinderella’s original story (I did find the idea of what one of the mice made into men would do once he found himself human both fascinating and amusing.)

One of the interesting thing about this series (and this volume in particular) is how the female characters are portrayed. They are beautiful and shapely, of course, because that was their defining factor in their origin stories, but they have moved well-beyond that, now well able to defend themselves (and in the case of Snow, her children).

For example, we see Cinderella tied up and in her underwear, but she is not portrayed as weak or helpless, which is a pleasant change of pace for comics.

And Snow is able to be both maternal (she loves and adores her and Bigby’s children) and protective–both in a reactive and proactive manner.

And these are skills that it has been made clear throughout the series that both women have honed over the centuries–not innate skills.

Is this the best volume in the series (and its extended family)? No. Not even close. But it’s decent, and it’s also important.
Rating: 7/10

Published by Vertigo

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