I was recently introduced to a comic book series that has existed for some time called Fables. I never got interested in the book as a monthly, but was pointed to it through the collected trade paperbacks that now exist.
There have been five collected books on the series so far and I have devoured them one after the other over the last few weeks. I'm only sorry that I've now caught up and have to wait for the next collection to come out.
Fables is the unusual and fun idea of using the characters from children's fairy tales and fables and put them in modren settings. The characters from our childhood readings have been driven from their original homelands by a shadowy conqueror known only as the Adversary. The Fables (as they refer to themselves) have been forced to live in a sort of underground community that coexists with 'the mundys' (mundane normal humans)in the city of New York.
As the series opens we are in current day New York City even though the Fables have lived there for many decades. Old King Cole is the mayor and Snow White is his no nonsense deputy mayor. As story lines progress we are introduced to many characters as the Fables deal with living in the real world,(sort of).
From murder mysteries to armed insurrection, the stories are fun and interesting. From seeing the appointed sherriff Bigby Wolf (as in Big Bad...)investigate, to seeing Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella having lunch and comparing notes on their mutual ex, Prince Charming, the stories are both compelling and entertaining.
If light, fantastical fare is your bag, I can't recomend this series enough.
Tank (who would also recommends reading this in the collected trades since you get whole storylines that way and once you start you aren't going to want to stop and wait a month for the next installment)
