The final issue of Fables is rapidly approaching, and the series central conflict is finally coming to a head, as Briar Rose and Snow White move towards conflict neither truly wants but each is cursed to be unable to avoid… Your Major Spoilers review of Fables #149 awaits!
FABLES #149
Writer: Bill Willingham
Penciler: Mark Buckingham
Inker: Steve Leialoha & Andrew Pepoy
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Shelly Bond
Publisher:Vertigo/ DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in Fables: A number of bad things have happened, but the worst of them was the shattering of Bigby Wolf, turning the devoted husband and father into the God of Monsters he might have been all along. Snow White has set out to battle her husband to keep him from murdering their children, but she is unaware that her sister Briar Rose Rose Red has triggered the magical prophecy of their family, which has fated the sisters to fight to the death. It’s gonna get ugly in Fabletown, Faithful Spoilerites…
THE END IS NEAR
This issue opens with the last chapter of the story of Snow and Rose’s mother, a woman who was either a brilliant tactical sorceress or a gentle soul who got lucky, but who was nonetheless just foolish enough to fall in love and pass the family curse on to her two daughters. As always, Willingham has crafted a lovely story that plays to the strengths of the fables of yore, but one that maintains a modern vibe throughout, right down to the snarky remarks and Rose accidentally viewing her own mothers wedding night via magical means. Rose, however, has one ace up her sleeve in the form of Bigby Wolf, control of whom she inherited by killing Mrs. Spratt in a previous episode (which is, in itself, another example of how the series undermines melodramatic tropes and tells a story that has the audacity to be messy, just like real life.) As the issue comes to a close, several important events happen simultaneously, involving Grimble the troll, Sir Lancelot, Snow White and Briar Rose herself, leading up to next issue’s final curtain for the Fables. There’s also a lovely backup tale in the ongoing “The Last Tale Of” series, featuring the final story of sleeping beauty Briar Rose, set sometime in our future. Whether that’s an indicator of how the story ends or not is still up for debate, as Willingham and company are experts at making us think we have any idea where the story is going.
A SERIES OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
From an art perspective, this is another simply stunning issue, especially in the various expressions of Rose Red as she slowly comes to term with her place in an ongoing fated magical plot. (Her beautiful attire, a stylized jacket and shirt featuring her rose heraldry, inspired by the magical armor she’s been wearing is pretty amazing, too.) This is a book that never fails to impress, and the backup story, while different from Buckingham’s work, is equally impressive to read, with art that reminds me of the best work of Colleen Doran. If you haven’t been reading Fables month-by-month, though, this isn’t the place to jump in, as I had to buy not only this issue but the last six in order to have enough context for the big character moments in this issue, a reminder that Fables, like Sandman and other Vertigo classics, is not best read in the single monthly issue format. Still, the conflict that was set up in the very first issues of this book nearly fifteen years ago. I have no doubt that issue #150 is going to be a huge, beautiful mess of an issue, and given the sudden, shocking demises that Willingham is known for, I don’t believe that anyone is actually guaranteed to live through #150…
THE BOTTOM LINE: INFURIATINGLY WONDERFUL
Every single time I pick up an issue of Fables, I am reminded why I don’t like to read the book in single-issue increments, but this one most of all, especially with the expected break in publishing between this issue and the pending super-sized #150. Fables #149 is a pretty amazing bit of storytelling, positioning all the players for the final conflict that I just know will break my heart and looking great in so doing, for a fairly stunning 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. I’m gonna miss this book, but for now I’m just filled with anticipation and fear…
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3 Comments
Do you mean Rose Red? Briar Rose is Sleeping Beauty in Fables. That confused me :p
I do. I got them conflated in my mind…
Is it just me who noticed the curse is already broken….. Snow White has SONS! so that alone should show that this conflict between rose red and snow white is very much convoluted from rose red’s part. snow white is just trying to keep her family together. Its simply infuriating to see Willingham waste the last issues of the series with a nonsensical build up. This has been a very disappointing conclusion; as a reader from the beginning, its very sad to see how he’s wasting such great characters with such weak endings. =/
but then again, i guess none of them are really dead considering how often characters just come back based on how popular they are….