Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
After the fairly disappointing previous title in the collection of Bill Willingham’s otherwise entertaining Fables, the otherwise forgettable Arabian Nights (And Days), Wolves brings back one of the most interesting of characters to stride through the mythic streets and overwhelming wilderness, the previous Sheriff of Fable Town, Bigby Wolf.
The theme of solitude and repentance lives long in the minds of many fables as it does in the eyes of humanity. The long road to freedom, to shake of the chains of dishonour is a road that many don’t realise they have to take when dealing in a modern world. It is a tricky one to master but it must be taken with every step accounted for and it is one in which Bigby Wolf has endured.
It is the art of being lost that is the overwhelming message throughout Wolves, the art of concealing the heart from what it truly wants because to have it, to be able to have it close to you will tear it apart. Protecting the one thing that keeps you alive can also be the one thing that kills you, as Bigby Wolf finds as he drinks himself into oblivion, being lost is only true when you no longer want to be found.
In some small part it’s easy to see that Bill Willingham needed to bring back one of the most popular and intriguing characters to be drawn in his graphic novels. It is easy to see also that the character has been missed as he offers much in the way of showing the readers the darkness the hides underneath the fur of their own lives. Dignity and despair go hand in hand, it’s how you deal with both attitudes that marks you out as different to the rest of the pack.
With an escalation in the war against the Adversary and his wooden troops, Fable Town is under renewed pressure and black times may be headed the way of all the citizens under the rule of Mayor Prince Charming, having Bigby Wolf back in the fold might be the biggest advantage that the Fables have in their arsenal.
A wonderful return to form for all concerned with the making of Fables, the fur has flown and now the story can continue.
Fables: Wolves is available to purchase from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall