Fairest #1

I've made many mistakes in my comics-buying life (I wish I'd invested in Golden Age books when I was young and they were dirt cheap, for example).

One of my regrets is that I didn't buy the comic Fables.

I know, it's won zillions of awards, gathered innumerable fans, and been ripped off in the form of two different prime-time network TV shows.

One of these days I'll get around to picking up the collections. I did pick up about 10 issues on sale cheap at a comics convention years ago, and I enjoyed those issues - but I still didn't start collecting the series.

(It's one of Chuck's Rules of Comics: you can't buy everything. Unless you're a lot richer than me.)

But when I saw the first issue of the Fables spin-off title, Fairest, with that incredible Adam Hughes cover (almost worth the cover price alone), and the oh-so-enticing issue #1 on the cover, I gave in.

The inside pages are nothing to sneer at, either - the story is written by Fables creator Bill Willingham and drawn by Phil Jimenez with inks by Andy Lanning (he's an inker too?).

The story starts with a thief finding an ancient bottle, which contains... well, almost a Genie. Which is only fitting, since the thief is Ali Baba, who's had some experience with magic lamps before.

He's led on a search that brings him up against a delightful mystery, as he finds more than one Sleeping Beauty.

The story crackles right along with lots of humor and surprises, and the art is tremendous, with amazing background detail, great character designs and stunning layouts.

I should add that this is a Vertigo comic - not a fairy tale for children, especially considering some of the salty language included.

It's a great start for the series, and definitely one to watch. Recommended!

(Don't repeat my Fable mistake!)

Grade: A-

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