Fables: The Great Fables Crossover

Ever since discovering Fables I have loved each and every collection. When I review them I often run out of superlatives to lavish upon them. Sooner or later most creative endeavours have to hit a road bump and I believe that The Great Fables Crossover is one such obstacle for the Fables book.

In the comics world crossover is code for: we've run out ideas or we need to shift more of one particular title, sometimes both. Sadly Fables is no exception.

The collection started promisingly. With Brock the Badger starting a cult around Boy Blue and insisting that their hero would return from the dead with the unshakeable faith of the true fanatic. Bigby and Beast were going at it, blood and fur flying, until Snow stepped in and gave Bigby a right royal telling off. It was actually rather amusing to see this huge wolf, spattered in blood, with a shame faced look on his face allowing a slender, but angry woman to send him off like a naughty child.

The action briefly crossed back to Fabletown where it appeared that the sinister Mr Dark was launching a serious bid for control over more of the Mundy world than just the now ruined Fabletown.

The 2nd chapter saw the return of Jack and the real beginning of the crossover. Most of the story covered some nonsense that Jack had gottem himself involved in with some characters called the Literals, who wielded various measures of control over fictional characters. The main problem was that one of them; Kevin Thorn, had gone rogue and was trying to destroy the Fables.

For most of the collection it just felt like Snow and Bigby had been dropped into this for their Fables connection and the fact that they're popular with fans. The story could have been adequately covered in Jack's title with a guest appearance from some of the other Fables.

There was also a side plot about a child Jack had with the Snow Queen back in the Homelands, he was Jack Frost. Again this was a story that could have been quite easily accomodated within Jack's own title, as it concerned him more than any of the other Fables.

I had the feeling that Bill Willingham set everything up in The Dark Ages, but then having completed a major story arc he didn't quite know where to go, but still had to fill a few issues, so he came up with the crossover concept. Given how ultimately disappointing this collection turned out to be I think it would have been best to put Fables on hold for a while until it's new story arc could be properly written. As it stands The Great Fables Crossover is an unnecessary blight on Fables.