"Fables, Vol. 1" By Bill Willingham (Writer)
0In Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile, Bill Willingham crafts a compelling noir-infused fantasy that breathes new life into familiar fairy tale characters by thrusting them into a modern, urban setting. The premise is bold and immediately captivating: after being driven from their mythical homelands by a mysterious adversary known as the Adversary, iconic characters such as Snow White, Bigby Wolf, and Prince Charming have taken refuge in a hidden community within New York City known as Fabletown. Here, stripped of their grandeur and forced to adopt human-like anonymity, they navigate a society where the legends of old must coexist with the mundane demands of the real world.
The plot of the first volume centers around a murder mystery that sets the tone for the series’ blending of genre conventions. When Rose Red is presumed murdered, Bigby Wolf—formerly the Big Bad Wolf and now reformed as the town's gruff, cigarette-smoking sheriff—investigates the crime. The narrative structure pays homage to the hardboiled detective tradition, echoing the works of Raymond Chandler, yet the stakes and context are laced with whimsical irony due to the fairy tale backdrop. Willingham exploits this contrast to build tension and humor, allowing archetypes to evolve beyond their original molds. Snow White, for example, is no longer a passive damsel but a bureaucratic and fiercely capable deputy mayor who manages the volatile dynamics of the exiled fables.
The most striking feature of the volume is its subversive treatment of myth and morality. Characters carry the psychological residue of their past lives but are reshaped by exile, survival, and a society governed by pragmatic secrecy. Willingham uses this opportunity to critique nostalgia and the idea of unchanging morality. Prince Charming, formerly the quintessential romantic hero, is portrayed as a manipulative narcissist who uses his reputation to seduce and scheme. Similarly, Bigby Wolf’s transformation into a protector echoes themes of redemption and identity, suggesting that even the most villainous figures can evolve within the constraints of new narratives.
The world-building in the first volume is deceptively deep. Fabletown is a complex community sustained by rules, politics, and unspoken tensions. There is an ongoing negotiation between those who can pass as human and those who must live on a secluded farm upstate—an allegory for class and racial segregation. The tension between visibility and concealment becomes a recurring theme, both in terms of their survival strategy in the mundane world and in the personal transformations many characters undergo. The concealment of their true nature in order to fit into human society speaks to broader themes of assimilation, loss, and identity.
Mark Buckingham’s art, combined with Steve Leialoha’s inking, provides a grounded yet expressive visual tone that complements the duality of fantasy and realism. The artwork resists cartoonish exaggeration, opting instead for character-driven nuance, which helps anchor the magical premise in the gritty, believable reality of noir storytelling. This balance reinforces the idea that while these characters originate from tales of wonder, their struggles are now grounded in emotional complexity and sociopolitical intrigue.
What makes Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile more than just a clever twist on childhood stories is its layered narrative and mature thematic depth. It interrogates what happens to stories—and the people in them—once they are displaced, forgotten, or forced into roles they never chose. Willingham not only entertains through genre fusion and intertextual play but also raises questions about exile, governance, and the human cost of legend. The first volume successfully sets the stage for an expansive saga, offering both a satisfying mystery and the promise of deeper revelations to come.