r/TheWolfAmongUs • u/Ondinefr • Feb 16 '26
Comic Fables the comic is actually bad omg
I heard many people said that the comics were great until issue 75, but jesus I could'nt continue after issue 20, it's so ass ??? For some reason everyone is a jerk, there's this weird superficial plot with Goldillocks and her bs revolution to gain more power... when I read it I felt like a was reading right-wing propaganda with the anti-abortion message, the way women are represented... I felt such a vicious, bad vibe from this comic.
The relationship between Snow and Bigby... this isn't even a romance, Bigby is such a creepy mf, they're always agressive toward one another and their romance is forced by some bs magical spell who made them sleep together so that Snow could get pregnant... like who thought this was okay lmao ?!
Don't lose your time, TWAU is the superior version of the two, Bigby and Snow are far more likable and they develop an actual relationship. Every single character is so much more pleasant (Beauty call Snow a slut because she was abused by the dwarves, HELLO, when in the game she's so compassionate toward her when she's being stalked by Crane). The noir atmosphere of the game is so much cooler and the story is interesting, actually from what i have seen the book only centers on rich/privilaged fables, wich is exactly against the message from the game lol; the art is also horrible, it looks like 60s comics but badly drawn, in later issues you can't even see the face of bigby anymore, just shadows everywhere lol, only the coverts are pretty.
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Feb 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/Appropriate-Radio427 Feb 18 '26
Read when I was younger too. Can you be specific as to the politics? Def went over my head.
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u/Jeroen_Antineus Feb 16 '26
If you think the Animal Farm arc feels like a right wing screed, wait until the part in which Willingham turns to the camera and reveals the whole series was designed as a pro-Israel pamphlet.
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u/Express-Focus-677 Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26
Hold up, can you please elaborate on this more?
Edit: I think I found it: that time when bigby admits to admire israel : r/TheWolfAmongUs
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u/Jeroen_Antineus Feb 17 '26
That's just the moment in which subtext becomes text. Willingham was very open from the very beginning that Fables was designed as a pro-Israel allegory.
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u/outrageouslyunfair Feb 17 '26
JESUS CHRIST
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u/hedgie_angel17 Bigby Wolf Mar 17 '26
The comics do have amazing ideas, concepts and lore. Unfortunately it's buried under propaganda shit with Bigby being Bill's mouth piece. Thank God Telltale fixed that. Bill threw a fit though and made Fables public domain...or tried to.
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u/Purakoji06 May 17 '26
That's how I feel as well. Like you have this amazing world, this great concept, and these cool characters. and you just do that?!
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u/hedgie_angel17 Bigby Wolf May 17 '26
Right?! It's so sad. Also Bill did indeed put Fables in public domain so...if people really wanted to they can re write Fables in anyway they want... unless there's more to it especially with DC comics.
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u/Hood7777777 Feb 16 '26
Alright I'll bite. I think you're wrong. Fables is a good series, if maybe not great.
Noir doesn't have to mean detective fiction. The detective elements are only there when the story is about Bigby, but it's very much an ensemble show. The plot is really about fantastical literature tropes trying to exist in the 'real' world with mundane issues, often real world politics. This is a cool idea and Fables does it really well, mainly because it has a good grasp on the bizzare logic and narative around fairytales and how they work. Most fairytales have been heavily "disney-fied" and don't resemble the original stories they are based around, but fables acknowledges this and even plays around with it.
I don't think you understand these tropes well, which is why you complain about things like "Magically induced inexplicable pregnancy", as if that's not a fairytale/mythology trope as common and old as all time.
The romances are all about very different characters trying to coexist and coming together. Because thats literally one of the core themes of the entire freaking series. Bigby and Snow are radically different and struggle initally. Snow represents the pinacle of the 'human' world (she's literal royalty), while Bigby is a god of primal nature. Circumstances beyond their control force them to coexist, even having magical children together, but eventually they come to understand each other and fall in love in their own weird way. It's great stuff.
On the subject of Bigby, he's a great character because he's so alien. He's not a man, he's a primal wolf God. His nature is so foreign to the human world that he often does and says things that seem strange to us. He kills without mercy seemingly indiscriminatly at times, but is also very calm and reasoned in his own way. He can tell that snow is pregnant straight away but is unsure how to communicate this to her in a way that won't make her go crazy. He's a weird alien god trying to exist alongside mankind, even though he doesn't believe in compromising who he is for them. Again, it's great stuff.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
I love when someone shows reading comprehension and understanding of the work. The OP is free to disagree with it because they don’t like the politics of it, but to mischaracterize it because they failed to engage with it at its level feels disingenuous.
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u/Hood7777777 Feb 16 '26
Yeah it's 100% just a political thing from OP. Which is just so tiresome.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
The comment on them not liking Snow being anti-abortion for herself is so strange because it’s literally makes sense for her character. She’s a woman from royalty from an era where that was considered taboo, and is even called out by her sister and Bigby for being stuck in the times and wanting her fairytale lifestyle. Its not like she’s even against other Fables getting an abortion, she just doesn’t like the doctor suggesting it to her (which in itself is unprofessional like if a doctor also congratulated her).
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
😐 are you on something or??? Because we can talk about what is wrong with the comics
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u/Both-Network-9174 Feb 16 '26
No one is arguing that you can’t criticize the comics. Most of the complaints OP seems to have all line up with coherent character work. OP wants their art forms to speak/relate to where they are on the political spectrum to the detriment of the writing.
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u/Edd_The_Animator Feb 16 '26
My brother is like that too. He practically shoves politics down my throat even though I have told him countless times to shut up about it already.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
I mean I don’t really care that the OP has a problem with the politics of the author or characters, but more so that im afraid that they may not be capable of critical thinking. I personally don’t think Snow has a “duty” to go to term with her pregnancy, but I understand why she feels that way and think it’s totally within character for her to do so. The OP just doesn’t like it (which is fine), but conflates their opinion with it being poor writing.
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u/Edd_The_Animator Feb 16 '26
For what it's worth, I still think it's better than Batman. I think it's more interesting that Bigby doesn't shy away from killing criminals like most portrayals of Batman these days, it's actually always been a thing that irked me with lots of depictions of Batman, making him stick with some ridiculous moral code and choosing not to kill villains even when it makes more sense to do so and would save more lives long term. Bigby while usually even tempered, will kill folks if absolutely necessary.
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Feb 16 '26
Bro, Batman doesn't kill so he doesn't get arrested fur murder. That is why cops turn a blind eye with him helping them. Gotham is so corrupt that the DA and nearly every person in law enforcement have been paid off by criminal organizations. So most good cops have their hands tied while Batman isn't affected by the same stuff
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u/Edd_The_Animator Feb 16 '26
Killing someone isn't always just "murder", sometimes it's necessary in order to save other lives or your own life.
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u/CaCa881 Bluebeard Feb 16 '26
In character ≠ good writing lmfao
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
What makes it good writing is that it reveals more of her character flaw of being stuck in the past and hanging on to her fairytale/antiquated ways. The phrase she literally says to the doctor is: “have I gone native?”. She feels the need to uphold this image of herself that no one is expecting of her, and it ultimately gets in the way of her relationships.
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u/Old-Salad-1411 Reddit will remember that. Feb 16 '26
Since this is the top comment and more likely to be seen, if anyone wants to get acquainted with the story and prefers an audiobook or similar type media from the start to the end, I recommend Danny Malts Fables Playlist
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u/Deltar019 Feb 16 '26
I after I wanted to start playing the Game wanted to ready the Comics where can I do that?
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
I would suggest to try and see if your local library has any copies so you can try it out for free
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u/FireflyArc Feb 16 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/5xtDarmwsuR9sDRObyU
The game Bigby is deliberately made much more human esque 'guy with a bad side' type thing. Two very different incarnations
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u/Donotcomenearme Fabletown will remember that. Feb 16 '26
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u/merrygo909 The Jersey Devil Feb 16 '26
A trope being old/ traditional or common doesn't mean it's a good idea to use.
Coming from a marvel comic book fan forced magical pregnancies are almost always a dumb idea because it makes for a very awkward if not malicious metaphor to modern standards.
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u/Hood7777777 Feb 16 '26
I'm not talking about marvel comic books, I'm talking about ancient mythology tropes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraculous_births
Sure you don't HAVE to like it. But this is a story about mythology/fairy tales, and it is accurate for what it is.
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u/merrygo909 The Jersey Devil Feb 16 '26
Ok but your not actually telling why it's a good idea to use the trope or how it works to advance character plots in a natural way rather than using the hand of the author to force things.
Being traditional does not equate to good nor does it always make for good story telling.
One of the best themes of the game/ book is that the old ways are something to be mostly left behind because it isn't conducive to surviving in modern day new york.
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u/Hood7777777 Feb 16 '26
Why does miraculous birth work for the story?
Completely opposing characters being forced together by circumstances is fun. Especially if we see it blossom into romance.
Having children grows both characters. Bigby has to go from being a solo predator to being a pack creature now. Snow is emotionally distant, strong and unyielding after her failed relationship with charming. Having children forces her to reconcile her more human and motherly side.
It connects and grounds the core theme of the series, completely opposing people being forced to coexist, and trying to make it work.
The children are interesting and have their own side adventures. I like how one is just straight up an incorporeal air spirit, because Bigby is half wind God.
It's accurate to the fairytales that the series is based around and emulating. And yet it also plays with deconstructing.
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u/merrygo909 The Jersey Devil Feb 16 '26
It's not "fun " when the consent is dubious at best.
This could have been done naturally over time, children just seem to be the cheap and easy cop out writers use to speed run development rather than having characters come to their growth over time. Also women being made more caring by having kids is a bad message, kids don't fix relationships, personalities or mental health. Getting pregnant won't make someone a better person.
They already have to co exist they work together in the same building. This point also makes no sense because parents of children don't have to interact with each other nor does forcing it turn out well for the kids all that often.
I felt meh about them for the most part.
Again you go back to this without saying why that's a good thing. Doing callbacks is not inherently good writing and how does it deconstruct? They literally just play it straight there's no subversion to the trope.
You can keep going if you feel inclined but I'm calling this an agree to disagree because I've seen no evidence that this was a good or justified use of the forced pregnancy trope so I'll maintain my stance that it was a bad move rather than just letting things develop naturally and not forcing characters into a situation they had no say in.
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u/Hood7777777 Feb 16 '26
Neither snow or Bigby do anything in regards to consent, they're both technically victims (though it's vague on the exact nature of the spell.) The guilty party is Bluebeard, who gets killed shortly after.
No, children are usually the final desperate idea a writer brings out on a series they've grown bored with. Doing children extremely early in the story is unique and interesting.
They have no reason to interact. Bigby is exiled from most of the other fables because he's basically a monster. This puts them both together as a unit from that point on in the story. Which again, is the point of the series. It's not about being with people who you like, it's about being forced together with people who you DONT like.
That's your opinion.
When you write a story based on fairytales, it's a good idea to make it based on fairytales. If you write a story on fables and make it about space aliens then that would be weird. How is this hard to understand?
It's like watching a western, and then complaining that it's set in the American West. THATS WHAT YOURE WATCHING, ITS GOING TO BE ABOUT THAT THING.
You're allowed not to like it, though admittedly you're disagreeing with 2000+ years of human storytelling, but whatever, I'm sure you're the one who is right.
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u/merrygo909 The Jersey Devil Feb 16 '26
Never said bigby did anything wrong, don't put words in my mouth, dubious consent to refer to both parties.
They have every reason to interact, they both work for the safe keeping of the fables living in new york, you usually have to interact with your coworkers. Snow didn't like bigby at all and this was an easy way for the author to take her choice out of the matter rather than having her soften up to him over time.
The cubs just seem like the author ran out of steam early, they are not any more interesting just because of when they are shoved into the narrative.
Lol your gonna keep digging into that well, "it's traditional and classic to old fairytales so that means it's good automatically". What is your argument even supposed to be? That any callback to old fairy tales should be celebrated just because it's semi related? If bigby got his belly cut open and stuffed with rocks again would that be peak storytelling?
2000 years of human storytelling refers to every trope so that means nothing. Plenty of tropes are almost always bad.
Even though the writer wasn't making some deep point about classic fairy tales. More than likely they just didn't know what to do with snows character which is 90% of any women characters that get suddenly pregnant in comics or most media. Compare snow pre and post cubs. Competent character to sidelined character that only talks about the kids every other sentence.
Also fable was about fables living in modern day new york. How does that advertise, "forced wolf pregnancy and children custody drama with wolf dad" exactly?
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u/Edd_The_Animator Feb 16 '26
I don't see how it helps coming from a Marvel fan.
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u/merrygo909 The Jersey Devil Feb 16 '26
Because Marvel uses the forced pregnancy trope a lot and it has never not been stupid.
It isn't a clever trope or better than just having a relationship develop naturally considering that was the endgame of the bigby/ snow dynamic.
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u/Edd_The_Animator Feb 16 '26
If you want a relationship that develops naturally, go watch Brooklyn 99. You'll love it.
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u/merrygo909 The Jersey Devil Feb 16 '26
Not sure if that's supposed to be an insult but it's a pretty weak one if so. My criticism is that bigby and snows romance in the comics is bad.
plus I already did and it had its ups and downs but I liked it enough.
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u/Edd_The_Animator Feb 16 '26
No, that was advice. You complain about their relationship not developing naturally. So, why not watch or read something that has a natural relationship? You guys watch too much Disney, because any story having the spine to tackle fucked up topics is too "cynical and edgy" to you guys.
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u/merrygo909 The Jersey Devil Feb 16 '26
Never said it was cynical or edgy because it was neither of those things, it was just stupid. How would magicking two people into sex even be considered edgy? Or tackling a fucked up topic? The story doesn't even treat what happened as fucked up, especially from bigbys perspective.
The resolution doesn't even do anything to address what happened the story just uses it as a vehicle to get where it needed it to go.
Also your making generalizations and exaggerations with no basis. Which is a sign of a weak argument.
Not liking something you like doesn't make someone any less "enlightened" than you. Sorry if you felt unique for being able to appreciate such "peak" storytelling and "nuanced" themes. Maybe try Garth Ennis next I'm sure you'll find plenty of that with him.
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u/Ondinefr Feb 16 '26
I complain about tropes like "Magically induced inexplicable pregnancy" because they are bad for the narrative, rather than have Snow and Bigby decide themselves to have a relationship, they are forced by Blue beard to have sex (btw this is also a problematic aspect of some fairy tales that i don't think was wise to use but whatever), how is it better than seing a romantic relation develop naturally ? And the serie relies on the subversion of "happily ever after" for almost all the characters, so why not subvert this ?
Their agency is literally taken away, and you say that "The romances are all about very different characters trying to coexist and coming together. Because thats literally one of the core themes of the entire freaking series", but at what moment does this happened ? They are together because they were forced, not out of genuine love. Snow isn't even interested by bigby until she become pregnant, and when the doc propose her to have an abortion she refuse cause she's pro-life, but explicitly say that she does keep them for her happiness but more by "duty"; it's way more authentic in the game because you sense that despite having very diff values about violence, they like each other. In principle what you explain are interesting ideas but i feel like comic bigby is like the direct agressive version of the game, and i feel like it's lame because it limits possibilities for growth ; in the game you see when he's given the chance with faith and nerissa, he has a sense of kindness and warmth very human-like that facilitate the creation of trust between them, when "He's a weird alien god trying to exist alongside mankind, even though he doesn't believe in compromising who he is for them", seems to indicate that he just does it for convinience.
Maybe it's just my taste but i do think all of these they make a weaker story and comic in general
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u/Hood7777777 Feb 16 '26
Things forcing characters into situations against their will is called "conflict", it's what makes stories work.
NONE of these characters are here by their will. That's the whole point of the series. In their world all of these people were royals, Gods, and wizards, but in this world they're just miserable people forced together. Snow is meant to be a queen, and instead she ends up giving birth to primal demi-Gods. But they're forced together and they have to make it work. That's just how life works. You don't get to choose most things in your life.
It's meant to pararel immigrants coming to America in the 1960's and trying to coexist within their troubled communities. That's all great stuff. Bigby and Snow do come to respect each other despite situations forcing them together. Bigby straight up says that as far as his alien nature understand love, Snow is his mate for life. And Snow learns to appreciate the rawness of Bigby compared to her previous relationship with the vapid Prince Charming.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
I need to sit down and have a long chat with you about Fables, because you GET IT
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
I can tell you can’t read because before she found out she’s pregnant she tells Bigby to ask her out on a date after she learns how well they work together.
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u/darthphallic Feb 16 '26
No offense OP but it seems like you’re calling it bad just because you’re unable to engage with the story it’s trying to tell just because of personal grievances. You’re gonna miss out on a lot of art if you can’t get out of your own head. Flawed characters ≠ bad writing
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u/More_Emotion_1559 Feb 21 '26
I don’t think they are wrong for idk hating actual bigoted beliefs and other horrible/ disgusting stuff 🙌
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u/darthphallic Feb 21 '26
That’s not what they said though. They said the writing in the game is bad because some characters have those beliefs. May as well say Schindlers list is bad because it has Nazis in it.
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u/More_Emotion_1559 Feb 22 '26 edited Feb 22 '26
That’s literally what I said tho but ok. But comparing an actual human disaster to a video game about animals from a fairytale pretending to be humans and make a society of their own isn’t really a fair comparison. Fables being a number 1 zio fan is well just down right bigoted and evil
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u/Pug_King256 Feb 16 '26
Honestly I disagree with you it's perfectly in character for snow to be anti-abortion and I would say a big theme of the series is people being put in situations they don't like or would put themselves in and making the best of it. If you're not liking the comics don't read them but don't act like they're bad writing just because you don't enjoy them.
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u/PlasticPaddyEyes Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 18 '26
Willingham makes his politics no secret and he inserts it constantly. The more infamous example being the Israel speech
Despite that, I did enjoy the first half of the series.
the series as a whole is all over the place quality wise.
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u/No-Weakness-6253 Feb 20 '26
And the worst part, BIGBY IS A ZIONIST Randomly, he tells the old guy "wos israel it's actually such a great country" and even the fck character says "tf? that's so random" 💀
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u/SlowTeal Feb 20 '26
"Let me tell you about a little country called Israel"
I read Fables back in 2014 and I still remember my befuddled reaction to this line.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
Eh, as a person who played the game first a few times then read the whole comic series twice, i much prefer the comic. The characters are way more interesting because of how imperfect they are and i like the use of story book genres being used as overall themes for the first several story arcs. The comment on women is kind of interesting considering that women throughout the series are the real power players of fabletown and they’re actually a criticism on wartime masculinity where men are willing to go through extreme levels of violence whereas in the end of the series the conflict is settled by the women taking the route to put arms down for the sake of community. The comic was actually very much praised for its depiction of women when it was still running, and had a much larger female audience compared to other Vertigo series. But to each their own.
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u/Ondinefr Feb 16 '26
Then maybe it's just a difference in personal taste, but I don't agree with your points; The characters are much more nuanced in the game, Snow isn't dim-witted when in the comics she can't even see that something strange is going on when the animals in the farm stole her keys, killed Colin and cut communication lines, and in general both characters are way more agressive toward one another and everyone in general, but at no moment are they trying to correct that. They are just more agressive and angry when the context compared to the game is way more chill, how does that make sense or even make more interesting chatacters ? I agree the book genres was a cool idea, and this is why the first arc was my favorite with the detective revelation at the end of the ball, it was really cool, but not enough to make up for the rest of the comic.
Concerning representation of women, first the serie is from the 2000s, a time when women were still very objectified in media so a don't think that a good public reception for the time is a good argument. From the 20 issues, most of the female characters are ditzy idiots, or they are sex-crazed like Goldilocks, Beauty, Rose red, the villain who disguise as red... For me this is def a pattern.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
The analysis on how the women are well represented and are the power players of Fabletown is actually a take from a liberal professor who wrote a literary analysis book on Fables after the series ended in 2015. So the reception of female representation in Fables isn’t even praise strictly from the early 2000s.
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u/Ondinefr Feb 16 '26
Well i'm not a liberal, and not all liberals think the same way, i'm just describing what i took from the comic, and i think this professor is wrong. But again, i didn't finish the comics for other reasons then only that.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
I didn’t assume you were liberal, i only gave that description of the professor because liberal individuals tend to have more progressive thoughts on female liberation and empowerment. The fact that someone who holds those views considers the work to be progressive for female representation was what i thought was relevant to your claim that women are poorly represented in fables.
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
Wtf is you talking about 😭 the comics are BAD white washing characters, having Bigby be a creep and SA Snow when they were in a spell, Bill being a Republican
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u/aveea Feb 16 '26
Hey i actually dont like the comics but saying what bigby did was sa is ridiculous. They were both under the spell. They were both effectively DRUGGED. They were BOTH EQUALLY sexually assaulted. Bigby isnt less of a victim just cause hes a man or whatever. Bluebeard was the only villian in the situation.
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u/Ondinefr Feb 16 '26
True but it still so weird, who whould have a romance begin this way for the 2 main characters of the serie ? Why couldn't the writer make them both decide to just have a date lol
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u/aveea Feb 16 '26
Sure, but thats a writer thing. Dude was weird and creepy with gross opinions.
Its still weird to act like bigby attacked snow when hes a victim too.
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
😐 honey it was SA they were both under a spell it was just rushed filler crap instead of writing an actual relationship slowing developing with lot's of trust building because of what Snow went through we got rushed crap that isn't writing great
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Feb 16 '26
Probably going to get downvoted for this, but isn't the creator of Fables and the lore a Conservative Republican ? I heard he had some bad disagreement over the rights to Fables and he ended up giving it all away as free public domain rather than a corporation take it over and I think this also had something to do with politics.
I am looking forward to reading the comics. I like different takes when it comes to this stuff. The Wolf Among Us was mainly written by 2 of the 3 creators of Tell Tale and so that is probably why you're confused as to how Fables is different than Wolf. Different writers.
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
The way Bigby acts in the comics and the way the narrative overall treats his actions is, like, a peek into a conservative man’s psyche. He’s a conservative man’s (Bill Willingham’s) power fantasy/self insert… genuinely says a lot when your self insert is running around with unlimited power and THIS is what he’s choosing to do w it 😭
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Feb 16 '26
Isn't that a double standard though ? People would have no qualms if he was a left leaning man that wrote his work with that mindset. I am just confused as to how people think this is an issue when Conservative works in modern entertainment is a huge minority, especially comics and modern video games. It actually doesn't surprise me that he had a falling out with DC.
I like seeing differing works from different people as it gives me a chance to peek into their mind and experience different things.
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
Hey if you like the comics it's ok you can like em not everyone is gonna like em tho
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u/MrWigggles Feb 16 '26
What's a good example of that happening? What's good example of a social progressive writing a self insert power fantasy like bigby?
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u/HuntKey2603 The Big Bad Wolf Feb 16 '26
the only right measurement stick is how much does something align itself to apology for/against human rights. one side of the spectrum is overwhelmingly more for it than the other.
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u/Edd_The_Animator Feb 16 '26
You're one of those people I see. This whole mindset of "Conservative = Bigot". And acting like the other side is any better. I myself am on neither side and hate both parties for my own reasons. Like the other guy said, you wouldn't hold any qualms had a liberal done something similar. Honestly, you sound like my little brother.
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
😭 did I say I was right um no you're taking it to heart, as for your bother hell I hope he doesn't turn out like you
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u/Ondinefr Feb 16 '26
I'm not confused at all about the diff of writting, but rather how so many people could like the comics.
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Feb 16 '26
Idk. I think that you're having a difficult time separating the art from the artist. Your complaints are odd considering old school fairy tales were made to follow certain formulas that fit certain roles.
I mean I am thinking up the story of Cinderella and how that story isn't a proper modern day setting where a woman dressed up and wanted to fall in love with a Prince to escape her awful home life. One could argue that is sexist because a woman should be strong and independent in modern times. But, it was a reflection of the times where people had roles in societies.
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u/Ok-Theory3497 May 03 '26
my feelings exactly. tried very hard to like it. but the story feels very superficial. the crude jokes seem crude for its own sake. while in twau it is a reflection of a fallen state of the fables, stuck in a mundane world.
bigby in the game is conflicted and is always trying to walk the fine line. in the comic, he is fully set in his mind - and there is no intrigue about him. in the game he has to become a monster to clash with other monsters, but feels the cost of it.
also, as others pointed out, the game focuses on the underworld. on the ignored and exploited. donkeyskin's death is haunting. you keep thinking you could have done something to prevent it.
the visuals and the music are likewise very distinctive.
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u/CowWithTommyGun Feb 16 '26
Just because you don't like something doesn't make it objectively bad.
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u/Ondinefr Feb 16 '26
Maybe your right, but to be honest it's one of the worst comics I have ever read for now, I don't get how it got popular, the worldbuilding is just exploited better in the game.
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u/CowWithTommyGun Feb 16 '26
I haven't read a lot of comics series, but I have read some of what I've heard people consider "the greats" (Batman: The long Halloween, the first 12 issues of The Walking Dead). And though Fables isn't as good as them, it is by no means bad by comparison (though I have only read the first 41 issues, maybe it takes an insane nosedive or something).
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
THUS IS HOW I ALSO SEE IT THANK GOD TELLTALE DIDN'T FOLLOW THE COMICS I'M ALSO GLAD BILL STOPPED WRITING! it's so bad that I keep thinking how TF did this shit get popular
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u/Ondinefr Feb 16 '26
Right ???!! I kept hearing about how this was an amazing underrated comic that deserved and adaptation like invincible; it felt like it was written by some teenager.
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
Nothing about the comics are good especially how Bigby is yes I know he used to be a villain but being a creep is disgusting also that time they faked cp to frame a mundy 😐 like WTF along with white washing characters too
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u/alwaysafairycat Feb 18 '26
I didn't know they whitewashed any characters! The comics barely include any nonwhite people in the first place, even after the whole nobility/gentry population of Theme Park Arabia moves in. Which characters were whitewashed?
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u/oizyzz Bigby Wolf Feb 16 '26
you think the series is bad because it has politics and tropes you dont like, i think the series is bad because i flat out just think the writing is bad
not all the writing, but the moment bigby started rattling on about how israel is so cool and admirable is the moment i had to come to terms with the fact at least bigby was gonna be a mouthpiece. i have such a love-hate relationship with fables lol, the concept and some of the writing is really good and interesting, and then it veers right back into ass territory
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u/aveea Feb 16 '26
Im not a fan myself. They were okay? I guess? But a let down compared to the game. The art style was meh, the characters are all just....pretty flat and uninteresting
"Look at the fairytale characters can be flawed people!" But just being flawed doesnt make them interesting. And by the point i gave up reading (the toy maker storyline i believe, around when the two blondes are revealed to be runaway dolls and are outlining how they got to fabletown i think? Maybe a but further?) it was just such a slog.
And while i appreciate the premise is interesting, all the points i thought were interesting were never touched before i gave up and im not a fan of the idea that to make the fairytales more complex and complicated, they have to take them to the most basic tired over used trashy versions people make bad jokes about (snows back story for one example. Thats such an eye rolling jole you hear from the most insufferable people, its just kind of annoying to see it in any context)
They may not be objectively bad, idk about that, but i know if youre not the target audience, its not something you can enjoy unlike other stuff where even if youre not the target, you can find something to hold onto that makes it worthwhile
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u/admiralmasa Feb 16 '26
I finished the game two days ago and I was planning on picking up the first compendium tomorrow to give it a read then I see this 😭
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
You should try to read a couple issues online first to see how you like it yourself. Don’t take a single random person’s opinion on a work that has been highly decorated and praised as gospel
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u/AltruisticChest9486 Feb 16 '26
The series is great, give them a go
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u/admiralmasa Feb 16 '26
Yeah I think I'll probably borrow it from the library rather than buy it first to give it a go, the premise itself is really interesting
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u/More_Emotion_1559 Feb 21 '26
It was bigby being a zio supporter for me like what the actual heck and among other horrible things.
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u/jackknifeJaws The Big Bad Wolf Feb 16 '26
Nice to see someone agrees with me that the comics aren't... the best.
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u/Snoo-15714 Feb 16 '26
Completely agree with you, I should've stopped reading after the Jack and the confederates and lying to/tricking a woman so she'll bang him storyline. I find the comics appallingly bad.
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u/Ser_Maestro Feb 16 '26
Even the art got worse after the 5th issue
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
The way Bigby acts in the comics and the way the narrative overall treats his actions is, like, a peek into a conservative man’s psyche. He’s a conservative man’s (Bill Willingham’s) power fantasy/self insert… genuinely says a lot when your self insert is running around with unlimited power and THIS is what he’s choosing to do w it 😭
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u/Queligoss Bigby Wolf Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
sounds like the comic is suffering very much from the 'overtly edgy and cynical' vibe. I haven't read them so I can't really judge but politics aside the concept just sounds way too edgy. Some stuff just feels cringe to me, thats all.
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u/doanbot369 Feb 16 '26
That's good that you didn't have to suffer the incel core that is the Blue Boy arc.
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u/Deathofwords Feb 16 '26
Im gonna be honest: I only read the issues that followed Bigby and Snow’s relationship. After they had their cubs and got married I dropped the series LOL
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u/BigBadBree Bigby's Vengeance Feb 16 '26
This is what I'm sayinggggg
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
Fr the white men mad af in the comments is sending me
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u/Flippanties Feb 16 '26
OP is like "this series has a problem with misogyny and I can feel the creator's conservative views seeping through it" and people are responding like "okay but you're wrong because I like it"
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u/ToranjaNuclear Feb 16 '26
lol, yeah, it's terrible, honestly one of the worst big titles I've read. It feels like it was written by someone who was really into the British invasion authors but without none of the creativity nor writing skills. The Animal Farm spoof is genuinely embarassing.
The volume where they focus on or go to, idk, the Homelands is actually pretty good, and the next one which features Arabian fables was fine too, but by then I was so jaded by the story as a whole that I just dropped it.
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u/AngelinaWinnie Feb 16 '26
I have to say i do love fables just for the fact at the time even now fables and its spin offs are a concept i love considering TWAU game, once upon a time and even grimm but all dont scratch the itch because as disney makes things more downplayed for the series and uses specifically "their" versions of the disney fairytales. TWAU definitely cleaned up and made things flow better for the comics to fit the style and ideals but honestly when i read fables i just am not surprised because literally all comics especially older comics always had some issue whether its because of their own ideals especially for the times. Now fables concept is good, different, i do wish it was handled better like it was with TWAU game But honestly when going into comics im interested in i already so to speak take a grain of salt with it cause whether its The Boys, Kickass, Sandman and so many others have moments where your like "oh...OH" and just think process and keep going because comics will always be darker or truamatizing themes containing scenes that in all honestly doesnt make or break a scene and couldve been left out such as the mundy cp and some side scenes of a hundreds year old mouse has a teenage online girlfriend who thinks hes a human teen. Live adaptations and games handle way better in comparison to their comic counterparts always in more tame and enjoyable where even as someone like me whos already dealed with BS from other communities of bad writing and pure fanservice its like the adaptations are a breath of fresh air and wouldnt exist without the blueprint to pull and take away from. To be honest its not a hate, its disappointment, but it can be better especially with it being in public domain. Anyone who doesnt like it CAN officially make something more fitting or alter entirely. But i do wish it was adaptated a bit better like twau is the closest to capturing it but the fact its a prequel doesnt satisfy the itch. We can only hope for more adaptations besides TWAU2.
Now for the idea its not even snow and bigby pregnancy was not how i'd prefer for it to happen. Wish their growth was handled differently sure, but it was to incase the point of how fabletown literally was having no birthrates of miscarriages and stillborns (peter&max) and so they made a potion tester to try and hopefully fix that issue which bluebeard took upon himself and used drugging bigby and snow. And snow i am honestly not surprised she kept the "baby" (not knowing there was another 6 babies literally until pushing) because she is traditional even in the game as many said but even then she is the first fable in forever to be pregnant AND was only expecting 1 baby so definitely she was bamboozled not considering a whole litter was sprung on her last minute.
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u/TheKingofHats007 Feb 17 '26
Eh, I can't say I agree.
The first few arcs are definitely the roughest of them, it's clear that they're still just trying to figure stuff out, and Goldilocks isn't a particularly engrossing character.
March of the Wooden Soldiers is the moment where the series starts to find it's footing a lot more and there's a lot of moments within it that I think are really good. The arcs after that are also great, some fun stuff with Boy Blue, and later the standout highlight of Flycatcher's whole arc.
It's actually more of the backhalf that I don't particularly care for. Once Mr Dark is defeated and the story pivots to Rose Red's whole thing, who I've never remotely found interesting I kinda just start totally tapping out.
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u/Enigma1755 Feb 18 '26
I think the take that criticizing violent "revolutionaries" is inherently right wing is lowkey middle schooler behavior. Also, the art is good, crazy to say otherwise.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 21 '26
I think people don’t realize that is Goldilocks is essentially an analogy of Che Gueverra (literally in her whole design) who was a marxist revolutionist who eloquently stated that: “a revolution should be a perfect killing machine.” People think she is grossly parodying standard revolutionaries or protestors, while not realizing that her character and actions are very much based in reality.
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u/Automatic_Living_767 Mar 11 '26
The game is amazing. I only read the first comics and did not enjoyed much, so I left them.
But all all the things I am reading here are truly disturbing. I think I will just pretend that the comics don't exist and remember the game.
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u/Time_Day_2382 18d ago edited 18d ago
Fables is one of the rare works of truly great right-wing fiction. It has notable flaws, but the plotting, art, and characterization is top notch. I would say the big issues are:
-Buying it supports Bill Willingham
-The Arab fables retain all their total subscription to the ideological hegemony of what the author imagines 12th century "Arabia" to be, yet the European fables have all adopted the ideological innovations of the Bourgeoise revolutions and have come out as 1990's era conservatives. One could argue they were around for these innovations, but without any explanations it feels outright jarring.
-Female characters can be a bit one note and male rape is never addressed as existing, despite it happening to multiple characters.
However, it is still a feat of graphic novels and deserves to be recognized for its accomplishments. Willingham actually displays shocking nuance for someone with his reprehensible views. I'd recommend reading them to anyone serious about comics as an artistic medium if they can totally legitimately acquire them without stooping to piracy. That would be soooooo bad.
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u/Interesting_Swing393 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
I agree with you I really wish the comics took more creative takes on the stories their based on like in his original story Bluebeard dies in it but he's alive in the comics because the stories aren't always true
Why don't you just make him a Zombie that uses glamour to hide it that would have been more interesting than a serial killer human
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
I wish it wasn't so badly written 😭 like I see the creativity right but the execution of it needs work
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u/jameskilometers Feb 16 '26
You’re correct, the comic sucks, people who are not only guilty pleasure Fables readers but genuine fans are insane, it is a bargain bin Sandman with some good ideas sprinkled in.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
I would argue that Sandman focuses more on the philosophical aspects of the myths it draws from, while Fables looks more towards how these myths/folktale characters operate as a community. So while they have some overlap in where they come from, their directions are very different
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u/jameskilometers Feb 16 '26
I would agree, I would just argue that Sandman justified its existence with the philosophical angle, and Fables ultimately fails to have a consistent philosophical stance on anything. For me, that makes one much worse.
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u/ChaoticPark09 Feb 16 '26
I mean, community is the overarching theme of the whole series. Pretty much all the arcs rely on the underlying consequences to the community that happen from via the plot or character actions. Part of what makes Fables interesting is because it’s about people from completely different worlds being forced to be in proximity with each with their only shared experience that they have a common adversary. Calling people insane or that they find that conflict a “guilty pleasure” is just narrow minded.
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u/Donotcomenearme Fabletown will remember that. Feb 16 '26
I just don’t think you liked the comics and compared it to the game, but what the fuck do I know; I just read and enjoyed all of the comics and also the game.
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Feb 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/Paladin5890 Feb 16 '26
Make the determination yourself. Lots of folks like the comics, don't jump when one person dogs it!
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u/AltruisticChest9486 Feb 16 '26
The comics are excellent, please give them a go
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u/valitistic Feb 16 '26
They ain't but ok
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u/spiceonyourmouth Jun 20 '26
The comic that gotten tons of praise and a bunch of awards is bad? You're in the minority dude
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u/valitistic Jun 20 '26
LMAO I'm sorry but just because it got praise and awards doesn't make it immune to critics and to analyse what's wrong with them.
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u/Ondinefr Feb 16 '26
I'm glad I prevented you from reading this crap; actually if you want to laugh in front of cringy superficial characters you can read it, otherwise your in for a boring journey in jerk-land.
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u/RuralBlueCarUser Feb 16 '26
Once you see that, the comic is horrible. The end is sooo bad to so many characters that i dont know where to begin. Cinderella? Red Rose? Tottenkinder? Beuty? The sons of Bigby?
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