Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
This 10th volume in the best-selling, award-winning series collects the epochal "Good Prince" storyline.

Flycatcher, a background player in the FABLES series, is drawn into the spotlight as he discovers the startling truth about his own past as the Frog Prince. At the same time, he learns that the Adversary -- Gepetto, the manipulative Fable who forced the Fables community into exile -- plans to destoy his foes once and for all. Only Flycatcher and his army of ghosts has a chance of stopping the Adversary from wiping out his home. But how can the meek Flycatcher undertake this deadly task?

Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

The Janitor King June 18, 2008
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

"Fables 10: The Good Prince" is latest of Bill Willingham's outstanding Fables series. If you are not familiar with the series I recommend you read no further. Start at the beginning. In order to truly understand and enjoy this series and put this book done with a sense of satisfaction, you have to start at the beginning.

Even if you're familiar with the series, I'll try and not spoil it by giving away too much of the movie. :-)

This series of stories centers around Flycatcher, the Frog Prince. Recently he has come to terms with the death of his wife and children at the hands of the Adversary. He's not the same anymore. He's no longer the dim-witted, happy- go- lucky genial janitor of Fabletown. He's a man in mourning and he's finally ready to do something about it.

Along with the Forsworn Knight and wearing his armor guided by visions, Ambrose descends into the Witching Well on a desperate mission. He is the only man for the job. But before he can start, he needs the help of those at the bottom of the well........

Meanwhile, Prince Charming and other leaders of the community are preparing for war. Prince Charming is a first rate wartime leader. They have been made aware that Lord Hansel and company have a mission to rescue the heads of wooden soldiers captured in the battle for Fabletown. In the process they are a distraction while the Adversary plans to destroy our world.

As the events unfold, we find out so much. Things like who is the real power in Fabletown. We learn who originally wore the armor of the Forsworn Knight. We find that the Adversary is more than a talking puppet but someone still pulls his strings with ridiculous ease. Of course Bigby and Snow are hardly retired.....

It never ceases to amaze me how this series remains fresh. Mr. Willingham is a genius. In my previous review, I have never given proper credit to the artwork of Mark Buckingham. He is my favorite artist of the series. His style is heavily, unabashedly influenced by the late, great Jack Kirby. Look at the portrait of Boy Blue on page 32. It's very reminiscent of Kirby's Kamandi. The goblin soldiers and their uniforms remind me of Mister Miracle and the denizens of Darkseid.

This is a worthy addition to the series and reading it was a joy.

3 out of 5 stars

A disappointment June 24, 2008
8 out of 12 found this review helpful

I've been a fan of Fables for a long time--I love the writing, the art, the characters and the story. I'd been a little sad to see the series fall in quality over the last few storylines, and was really looking forward to this story, as it seemed to promise a return to the glory days--an epic plotline on par with "Homelands" or "March of the Wooden Soldiers."

I was, unfortunately, disappointed.

The problem is, I think, in the plotting. I won't give much away, but suffice it to say Flycatcher, the innocent, pure janitor who only recently remembered the fate of his family under the Adversary, goes on an epic journey to redeem himself and their memory. How what he ends up doing really connects with them isn't made clear, which is a fault, but much bigger is the general lack of real conflict or character development. There's only one point, right at the end of the story, where the reader really fears for the hero's survival. I mean, given the artificial nature of narrative, the reader understands implicitly that yes, the hero probably survives at least until the climax of the story, but each tribulation that Flycatcher faces is easily overcome. They should have spent more space showing the struggles rather than summarizing their difficulty, and they should have made them more difficult overall.

It just seems as if everything is laid at the hero's feet. Yes, this is occasionally how things work out in real life (presidencies, college acceptances, cush corporate positions), but it doesn't make for very compelling reading. As a result, not only is the story dramatically flat, but the main character doesn't seem to develop all that much. Flycatcher at the end is pretty much the same Flycatcher we've loved since the beginning of the series--and after all this, he shouldn't be.

Interspersed in Flycatcher's main story are snippets of Fabletown preparing for war with the Adversary. This was interesting, but I feel it detracted from Flycatcher's journey--if he doesn't get a break from his struggles, why do we? And by the end, I didn't feel I'd read a complete story--the dramatic payoff of the Flycatcher story was too light, and the war promised more compelling drama.

Technically, the story leaves something to be desired. The writing is riddled with overly wordy, stilted, unrealistic dialogue, with characters monologuing about what they're doing or planning instead of getting on and doing it. The series has always had this problem to a certain extent, and even the best of writers do it every once in a while, but it really shows here. And though I'm a tremendous fan of certain aspects of Buckingham's art, it's been getting a little sloppy of late, and seems particularly rushed in certain parts. On the other hand, he still manages to deliver some stunning vistas and clever cuts. The best art of the book is in the guest artist's issue, however.

I struggled to decide whether to rate this two or three stars; in the end, my affection for the series won over my criticisms. But I hope they pick up the ball for the coming war and ramp up the drama. Our heroes need true obstacles, not wave after wave of easily-dispersed faux-foes. Heaven forbid, it might be useful to kill a few of them off, like they did in the early days of the series. This book hasn't soured me on Fables, but I will be looking to the next plotlines with a more critical eye. I've seen how good they can be; I expect to see that quality again.

3 out of 5 stars

Plot, plot, plot August 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I have to agree with the previous 3-star review by Ethan Jennings: this latest addition to the--up to now--consistently excellent Fables series is indeed a disappointment. After Santa's ominous warning in Volume 9 I expected a heart-wrenching story of Flycatcher coming to terms with his long suppressed grief over his family's murder, after which he'd move on to great and valiant deeds... Instead I find a story plotted with a very heavy hand, with most if not all of the seams showing. I'm sorry to say that the really wooden characters in this story arch aren't Pinocchio's siblings but all the others, starting with our ex janitor. He--and the Forsworn Knight, and Frau Totenkinder, and even Bufkin--is not allowed to develop but instead seems a plot puppet that advances a flat and predictable story with leaden steps, from plot point A to B to C all the way to Z.

Sorry for the--kind of--spoiler, but the fact that Willingham has resurrected a number of characters long dispensed with makes me wonder if one of the reasons for the below standard delivery is that he didn't want to mess with the real story and the characters driving it. The appearance of a certain grove of trees, however, makes me wonder if he hasn't taken the edge off the upcoming war (I read the damn things in TPBs, since I gave up on individual comics a long time ago, so even though the story is out by now I'll have to wait until November for the next volume). I wonder if another clue can't be found in Willingham's dedication to Buckingham: he confesses that the artist has championed Flycatcher as more than a background character from the start and that "this story is all his fault". Perhaps the writer wasn't altogether behind this one? And yes, on top of all this the dialogue is explicative and repetitive.

One of my continued responses to the previous Fables stories has been, simply put, delight: in the inventiveness, the humor, the roundness of the characters, the pacing of the story. I was really looking forward to this one, but sadly these qualities are lacking in The Good Prince.

5 out of 5 stars

As good as it gets... June 24, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Like another reviewer said, if you aren't familiar with the series then you shouldn't be looking at this book. Start at the beginning, as there's a LOT of story to catch up on.

This volume gives us the chance to catch up with Ambrose AKA Flycatcher after he has regained the memory of what really happened to his family. After a semi-false start, he finally realizes what he has to do and gains the help of the last fable that anyone would ever has expected... the Forsworn Knight. Flycatcher then descends into the witching well in hopes of saving not only a kingdom, but himself as well. Many loose threads are answered, such as exactly who was tossed down into the well when people thought it was Baba Yaga's body thrown into the well (hint- it's *very* subtly answered). We also get to once again see everyone who was thrown into the well, both good and bad.

While I do admit being impatient at some parts, the story really was well done. It was also fun seeing the one shot of training at the Farm where the artwork took a distinctively playful turn and we get to see Snow White & Bigby's cubs (ALL of them) get together for a happy birthday. The artwork as always, is beautiful for the volume. The storyline may not answer everything, and it may not be the end of the series, but it gives us a good look into the future of the series.

5 out of 5 stars

Why aren't you reading this? June 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Contrary to what others might have said about the quality falling off in the last few storylines, I find each volume fresh, wonderous, and endearing,especially this latest volume. This particular tale of Flycatcher,could stand on it's own as a great fairytale,but the rich tapestry of the Fables universe, is overwhelming.This series should be as popular as Harry Potter.It was so refreshing to have a smile on my face when I read the last page.Highly recommended!

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