Fairest

This latest spin-off from the megapopular and long-running Fabels series proves there's still plenty of room to explore in the actualized fairy-tale world that Willingham has built up. The action stems from the ending of the sixteenth collected Fables volume, Super Team (2012), with Briar Rose kidnapped by a goblin army and cast into a deep, deep sleep (again). Her charming prince this time comes in the form of Ali Baba, but the fact that he first kissed the other sleeping beauty, the wicked Snow Queen, doesn't exactly portend much in the way of happily-ever-aftering. All the playfully metaliterary references, sharp-tongued dialogue, and spectacular action that have made Fables such an enduring staple in Vertigo's lineup are on display here, though Willingham will soon hand over the writing reins to others as the series looks to explore more classy, classic ladies of lore (Rapunzel is on deck). The artwork, by veteran Jimenez, is cinematic in scope, heroic in tone, and quite beautiful to behold. If you're still on board the Fables express, be sure not to miss this sister series.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist

This spinoff series of Fables, Willingham's hit fairy tales in the modern world saga, begins with an imaginative reinterpretation of the Sleeping Beauty story mixed with a second chance for one of the series' longest-running foes. This volume puts the focus on the many fair princesses and queens of Fables, beginning with a tale of Briar Rose being rescued from her magical slumber by the prince of thieves, Ali Baba. But Briar's returns also means the waking of the Snow Queen, the trusted lieutenant of the evil empire that Briar had been used, as a living weapon, to subdue. But a scheming know-it-all magic imp engineers the rescue of the two women to give the Queen a chance to renounce her past villainy. This is a different, more fantastical take on the characters of the Fable setting, with little to no interactions with the modern world, instead a more imaginative approach to recreating the fantasy at the heart of the tales that inspired the setting. Jimenez's detailed art is fittingly gorgeous and gives the magic all the grandeur it deserves. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.