Ironic Contradictions

The ever addictive graphic novel series of Fables is one of the smartest and most fun graphic series I've read in a long time. The one issue is that it's not always structured or coherent fun (at least not yet). That said due to the continuing strength of the fractured fairytale series I fully recommend these novels to fans of fairytales, graphic novels/comics and television shows like 'Grimm' or 'Once Upon a Time'.

In a way, Fables is structured like a procedural type of drama. It has a set of returning characters and each volume is like a continuing episode of the previous graphic novel. In this particular edition Snow White's pregnancy continues to develop, along with the stigma and issues connected to that; Prince Charming runs for mayor; Bigby hunts out dangers to Fabletown and Boy Blue's love life is brought under the spotlight.

Now some more snobbish or literary motivated individuals might take affront to the fact that I've taken a break from my more literary endeavours to read an addictive 'comic book series'. Or the very fact that my most recent books are in fact lightweight comics and graphic novels with the exception of Eliot's The Wasteland and Other Poems. However, I hold firm to the idea that our lives are made up of stories and genres and therefore see no problem with variation and reading multiple graphic novels for a change. In fact I would claim that those who do not read graphic novels at all are far more limited and read less broadly because they do not take the time to develop an education in popular culture alongside the older more literary driven works. That is what I aim for in my reading as of late - a grounding in both classical and contemporary works to try and reach a balance between two types of readership.

If you're wanting a quality fantasy graphic novel series to start with some deeper ideas and themes. There are plenty of interesting twists to the old fairytales in this series - I particularly love how Prince Charming is made out as a womaniser because of how he pursues so many princesses in all the stories - which reveal how old fashioned ideas and morality both succeed and fail in modern society. But aside from all the ideas and interest these graphic novels just have plain good stories (and you can read one in an hour's sitting - or so).