Review by Frank Plowright

That Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham revived Fables after concluding the series in 2015 came as a surprise to almost everyone, but ‘The Black Forest’ began serialisation in 2022, and picks up almost immediately from where the series previously ended in Book Fifteen. The remains of Fabletown have been revealed in New York, but most residents have now returned to their homelands. Will Willingham and Buckingham returning to their homeland equal previous achievements?

There’s no doubt of Buckingham being on form. Every page has a gorgeous artistic grace, the imagination he brings to layouts featuring characters he’s drawn so often before remains fresh, and he loves drawing animals. Plenty feature. All new characters are designed to reflect their personalities, and some, particularly Bigby and Snow White’s children, require modification to reflect them being slightly older. The one questionable redesign appears to be Peter Pan. His Disneyfied version wouldn’t do, as it wouldn’t supply the necessary malevolence, but surely Buckingham could have devised something more striking than a man in a suit for his first incarnation.

Peter Pan is revealed very early as a power beyond Geppetto, so creating the existential threat for the dozen chapters, while we’re also occupied with the activities of the wolf cubs, initially sent by Bigby on a quest to have an adventure now they’ve returned to his home. That’s Hesse, the Black Forest of the title, in which lurk many dangers, but it has a protector in the form of Greenjack, who’s just taking the role on. There are also new dangers on Earth, but this coda isn’t a comprehensive catch-up, and many favourite characters aren’t seen.

A compelling characteristic of Fables throughout is Willingham’s ability to turn audience expectations on their heads, and while there are instances, increasing toward the end, much of ‘The Black Forest’ is straightforward storytelling. Several situations are set in motion and they’re then resolved, entertainingly and imaginatively, but without great surprises. There’s a feeling that a decision was taken at the beginning that ‘The Black Forest’ was to occupy a dozen chapters, and over the first half there’s a very leisurely pace, yet even so some characters, Cinderella in particular, are lost within.

There’s a jump forward of five years halfway through, and the pace picks up. Happenings on Earth are more smoothly accommodated, events move toward a crisis and the second half is as thrilling as the Fables of old. Buckingham is excellent all the way through, but his best art is reserved for the final chapters. These offer a creative new reckoning of the power rankings in the Fables world, the surprises come thick and fast, and this time Willingham reveals how unclear prophecies from previous volumes play out. There are clever allusions and one great, viscerally raw moment for Bigby referencing earlier events.

For most fans of Fables the stronger second half of ‘The Black Forest’ will more than reward the slower first half, and anyone really invested in the cast will even appreciate the cast spotlights despite the slower pace. More Fables from Willingham and Buckingham is unlikely, so this provides a definitive epilogue.