Vertigo’s Fables tells us the more adult version of what our Fairytales were about. In truth an entire universe has been cobbled together, along with all the interesting things like Adultery, War and Politics. Three riders of a modern apocalypse there.
Fables takes a rest from it’s normal continuity of debauchery in a magical world to present the story of Snow White and Rose Red. If you’re unfamiliar with the original stories of olde, try here. However do not be under the impression that this is some story for children. In essence, these first two parts present a “Where have we been, where are we going” kind of story, discussed between the Mother and Rose Red, notably with the absence of Snow White.
The two books show us the girls in two separate ages. Issue 95 has the girls as children and deals with their interaction with a certain princely bear and a meddlesome dwarf. Issue 96 separates the girls through treachery and focuses primarily on the trials of Snow White, her time with a very different 7 dwarves and her eventual success. The end positions us at two periods in time: Just after Rose Red learns of Snow White’s success and some time far distant from that.
At the end, we are left with a great sense of foreboding. Considering the decidedly blue tone the entirety of the 2 books has taken, the third book can be expected to have the same feel. Elicit titillations to be sure. Read them all together to get the greatest continuity. The artwork is superb with a wonderful storybook feel to it, making the crudities of what is being said even more stark.
Fables is a book of contrasts, the innocent versus the actual. This story arc epitomizes that brand in craft.