Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Posted in Graphic Novels on 15. Apr, 2010
- ISBN13: 9781401203696
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
$5.00
Product Description
The Eisner Award-winning graphic novel is now available in trade paperback.
In this original tale set in the early days of Fabletown, long before the FABLES series began, Snow White travels to Arabia an ambassador from the exiled Fables community, only to be captured by the sultan, who wants to marry her (and then kill her). But the clever Snow charms the sultan by playing Scheherazade, telling him fantastic tales for 1001 nights.
Running the gamut from uncomfortable horror to dark intrigue to mercurial coming-of-age, 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL reveals the secret histories of the FABLES cast through a series of compelling tales. Writer Bill Willingham is joined by an all-star roster of artists including Charles Vess, Brian Bolland, John Bolton, Michael Wm. Kaluta, James Jean, Tara McPherson, Derek Kirk Kim, Esao Andrews, Mark Buckingham, Mark Wheatley and Jill Thompson. FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL is both a welcome entry point to the critically acclaimed series and an essential part of Willingham's growing FABLES mythos.
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
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Once upon a time, long before the events of Bill Willingham’s ongoing “Fables” series, Snow White was sent on an embassy on behalf of Fabletown to seek an alliance with the Arabian nations. Once there, she found herself trapped by the sultan and scheduled to be married, bedded and executed, all within the next 24 hours. Snow, cunning thinker that she is, distracts the sultan with a story, and her subsequent stay of execution draws out longer and longer as she spins tales of fables behind the fables.
Charles Vess, one of my favorite fantasy artists, provides the book’s foundation, working with Michael Wm. Kaluta to give brilliant, highly detailed and colorful life to Snow, the sultan and his fantastic court. Each of Snow White’s stories features the work of a different artist, and the differing artistic styles provides eye-pleasing transitions between tales.
This book is certainly intended for mature readers; youngsters are probably not ready for a naked Snow White, the ugly truth about her time with the dwarves or the fate of the Frog Prince’s wife and children. But for adults, whether or not they read the Fables series, this is a masterwork of prose and artistic storytelling. Set apart from the regular series and yet deeply grounded within it, “1001 Nights of Snowfall” is a richer, fuller, more satisfying collection than anything the series has yet produced.
Scheherazade herself should envy this treasure trove of stories. I only regret the book held only a handful and not the full set of 1,001. This is easily one of the best graphic novels of the year.
by Tom Knapp, Rambles editor
Rating: 5 / 5
This long-awaited addition to the _Fables_ lineup gives, along with a framing story based on the _Thousand and One Nights,_ background on many of the best-known Fables…as well as some that we haven’t met yet. We find out why Snow White is so touchy about the dwarfs, what really happened to Flycatcher’s family, why Bigby hates his father and the story of Frau Totenkinder…and that’s just the most well-known of the Fables whose backstories are presented.
The art is by a stable of guest artists, including James Jean, the Fables cover artist, who does a spectacular job illustrating Flycatcher’s story. All of the art is good, and some is better than that.
If you’re a Fables fan, you’ll definitely want this book. It may not be the best place to begin for a Fables newbie, but once you’ve gotten to know who is who, you’ll definitely want it.
Rating: 5 / 5
The only reason this doesn’t get a full 5 stars is that it cannot be read as a standalone collection of stories, as i thought. You cannot use this volume as an entry point to Fables. Essentially, it’s a series of flashbacks regarding the origins of some characters from the Fables series, masked as 1001 arabian nights “frame stories” told by Snow White during her imprisonment in arabian territory.
So, as any prequel, it should be read after 2-3 TPB volumes of Fables otherwise it’s just like watching the flashback parts from Lost episodes without the events happening on the island.
On the bright side, it has some of the greatest art in comics i’ve seen and the variation makes it even greater. This is the kind of comics that i find perfectly crafted: a single writer for story consistency and a variation of illustrators to provide different perspectives on the same characters.
It also got some awards so it’s a warm recommendation but as i said, only after getting acquainted with the characters whose origins and dark secrets are presented here.
Warning: don’t buy this for your kids even if it looks shiny and contains pictures of Snow White, Prince Charming and goblins. Fables is a series for mature readers, with mature (even sexually oriented) themes dressed in a fairytale form and it achieves that without falling into parody or mockery (which makes it great). It walks the same path as the works of Neil Gaiman or Roger Zelazny with a stronger mainstream appeal (meaning that you don’t have to read volumes of mythology and classic literature or to buy companion books in order to understand all the references).
Rating: 4 / 5
Originally, fairy tales and fables were gore-filled, fantastical stories with dire warnings and messages. What if all those stories were real?
The world of fairy tales and “Fables” is the backdrop for this collection. Prince Charming really married Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella (didn’t you know it was the *same* Prince?). Snow White escaped not only the evil Queen of her own story, but she had to flee from a greater menace, “The Advesary”. This evil tyrant has chased all of the European fables out of their own worlds, and into ours.
This story is a bit of a prequel to the series. As such, this book reads very easily on its own. Personally, this was my first book in the series. Although there are several trade paperbacks of the Fables comics out now (seven as of this writing with #8 soon on its way – we hope!), none of those are needed at all to enjoy this book.
In this story Snow White is sent from the exiled world of the European Fables to the world of Arabian Fables. Her goal is to speak with their ruler and join forces against “The Adversary”. Through her efforts to gain the support of the Arabian King this story unfolds. This book is a collection of stories from the European Fables. We learn much more about many of the faces familiar to those reading the comics.
Whether you are a fan of the series, a fan of fairy tales or fables, or looking for a graphic novel that tells a rich, layered story with great depth and beautiful art – this book is for you!
Rating: 5 / 5
I love Fables. It’s tied with Linsner’s Dawn as my favorite Graphic Novel series. I am constantly pulled into the Fables’ world and am never bored to reread their stories. I didn’t think it could get any better than it already was. But this book did. I nearly wept at the tale of the Frog Prince. I found Bigby’s origin to be completly inline with his character. And the return to life and subsequent telling of her history of Hansel and Gretel’s witch was an amazing story. I think the best way to enjoy this book is to have first read at least a few books of the Fables ongoing (Homelands being my favorite volume) but it is certainly an accessable title to anyone new to the series.
Rating: 5 / 5