After fifteen wonderful volumes juxtaposing antique stories with the modern world Willingham cements his genius by turning to modern heroic stories. Namely comics. There is a wonderful examination/ parody of comic conventions and storytelling. The “assembling” of a super team of Fables, with a clawed wolf-man, a bestial creature, a man in a metal suit, etc. is just brilliant. “The F-Men” indeed.

There is a standalone story that shows us what has been happening in the fallen Empire’s capital city and no doubt sets up the next storyline. There is also one concerning Bufkin and the goings on in the Business Office too which launches another new plotline.

The art is great with Buckingham taking care of the main story and providing a sketchbook at the end. He does a Silver Age style very well. The star is the Bufkin story that not only has astonishing levels of detail in every panel but such astounding colouring that it almost turns the very environment into a character. Most of it is virtually monotone but decidedly richer than you have seen before. Then it switches to oversaturated glorious Technicolor (think of the film reference) at the key moment.

For this masterful colouring a great volume turns into a Double Thumbs Up!

353/12

Tomorrow: True Faith – Garth Ennis