HA! I knew it! I knew it knew it knew it! I KNEW that this was gonna be the Adversary’s true identity. Called it about a year ago, even! Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of the big reveal is that it happened less than 4 years into the series. It’s a mystery that Willingham could have easily let go for another 3, 4 or even 5 more years, but rather than artificially milking it, he seems to have let the story lead itself to it’s climax naturally.

When FABLES launched three and a half years ago, readers were led to believe that once the mystery of the Adversary’s identity was solved, that would likely be the end of the book. However, the reveal has actually opened more possibilities than it’s closed off, hopefully leaving fans of the series in a very happy state. It’s almost hard to believe that a book whose cast consists entirely of borrowed characters from fairytales could have so much depth and complaxity.

Ultimately, the latest issue of FABLES is as strong as any to date, and this is a series that’s managed to maintain a fairly high level of quality over it’s 40 isssue run. Willingham and Buckingham have really created something to be proud of here, and I’m eagerly awaiting the recently announced second FABLES title. Unlike most new series of the last 5-10 years, FABLES’ universe is actually strong enough to lend itself to multiple titles running simultaniously. The years in the characters lives that have been skipped over in the course of the book alone could fill dozens of issues without diluting the draw of the original title or concept. It’s easy to recommend this book to anyone who’s been intrigued by it in the past, but with the warning that they’re best served grabbing back issues and trades rather than jumping in this month.

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