The Fables series finale begins

After finishing Camelot, I started wondering about the seeds Willingham was planting that point toward very bad things happening to Fabletown and the Farm where our various heroes and anti-heroes make their homes. The series has had a couple of board-clearing events in the past but this one felt different. Turns out I was right. Last year, Willingham announced he was ending both Fables and the spinoff, Fairest, this summer. Specifically the last issue will come out July 22, 2015 and be 150 pages long. I really hate this news. Fables is my favorite comic series. I’ve read every book starting very close to the launch after it started getting a lot of notice. Endlessly inventive, entertaining, thrilling, there are not enough adjectives to describe Fables. If the events that are set in motion in Camelot are what finally brings it all to a close its going to be a great final ride.

Camelot picks up directly after the events of Snow White with Snow and the cubs reeling from the loss of Bigby Wolf. When Snow’s sister, Rose Red, insists on sparing Prince Brandish (he survived the fatal stabbing…it’s complicated) it drives a wedge irrevocably between Rose and Snow which may foretell the coming doom.

Rose Red, newly minted Paladin of Hope, has decided in the wake of Bigby Wolf’s death what Fabletown needs is an army of virtuous knights traveling the worlds and giving people second chances. So she commissions Weyland Smith to cut her a Round Table and with it she will rebuild Camelot. Several people, specifically the Lady of the Lake (just Lake now) and Morgan La Fey, think this is a bad idea after what happened last time with the whole everyone died thing. But Rose is determined that this time things will be different, they will be better, this time Camelot will stand and survive. So she puts the call out for knights to try out for her service and through the course of auditions learns that the legend of Camelot may be inextricably tied to Fate. No matter what her or anyone tries to do there may be no changing the tragedy destined to come.

Since the various Fables know the story of Camelot the fun with the setup is figuring out who is going to fill the various roles this time. Morgan is now in the Merlin role so her and Lake go see if they can figure out who will be the betrayer and settle on Rose’s sister, Snow White.

I could go on but either you know what happens, don’t understand a word of this, or don’t want to be spoiled because you are not caught up. The art is wonderfully detailed and same as ever. The story is complex and layered with foreshadowing of the coming battle brewing as well as the rich character details and dialogue the series is known for. It’s clear to see this final conflict is going to send the series out with a bang.