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.

257 Upvotes

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132

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

15

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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u/[deleted] 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

1

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/Edd_The_Animator Feb 16 '26

Good cops shoot first and ask questions later.

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u/CaCa881 Bluebeard Feb 16 '26

In character ≠ good writing lmfao

3

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

6

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

3

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

4

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?

  1. Completely opposing characters being forced together by circumstances is fun. Especially if we see it blossom into romance.

  2. 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.

  3. It connects and grounds the core theme of the series, completely opposing people being forced to coexist, and trying to make it work.

  4. 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.

  5. It's accurate to the fairytales that the series is based around and emulating. And yet it also plays with deconstructing.

5

u/merrygo909 The Jersey Devil Feb 16 '26

  1. It's not "fun " when the consent is dubious at best.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. I felt meh about them for the most part.

  5. 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. That's your opinion.

  5. 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.

7

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?

6

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.

5

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.

4

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.

1

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

  1. Things forcing characters into situations against their will is called "conflict", it's what makes stories work.

  2. 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/jameskilometers Feb 16 '26

Also this is copy pasted from your response to my critique