Fairest

Given what a mixed bag the Fables series has been, volume 4 was fairly solid. Not a fantastic book, but a fun frolic with Cinderella that ties back to the Fables series. Recommended for fans of the series, but if you aren't caught up on the over 20 volume Fables series, this book is not going to make a lot of sense.

Fairest is supposed to be a Fables spin-off about the women of the series. Unfortunately, this is the second volume (in a four book series so far) that is really about one of the male characters. In this volume, readers are taken to the Indu fables region, and introduced to Nalayani, a strong woman sent by her village to ask for help from the Maharaja. When she gets there, it turns out that the new Maharaja is none other than Price Charming, a popular Fables character thought to have died during the battle with the Adversary. As to be expected, Price Charming tries to woo Nalayani, but she is immune to his magical charms. Instead, he falls in love with her, breaking a magical curse that was going to kill him. The rest of the plot revolves around Nalayani trying to save her village, and some internal politics involving the Indu fables, but really the bulk of what is important in this book is that Price Charming is back, and he's in love FOR REAL this time. Unfortunately, I could not care less. Prince Charming is missing some of the, well, charm he had in the main Fables series, and he is too much of an arrogant prick with none of the good character traits that he developed overtime. His sudden discovery that he is in love with Nalayani seems as fickle and short-lasting as the love he's had for the other women in his life, but the narrative suggests that this time things are different. He also looks like Riker from Star Trek, and this unfortunate detail keeps making me forget who I am supposed to be reading about (why can no one illustrate Fables characters like their main artist?). Overall, this was a decent enough read, and probably an important one for fans of the main series to read, but it isn't very memorable, the characterisation feels a bit off, and I really want to read some stories about the women of Fables that aren't actually all about the men.

This is a pretty kickass story set in Japan and steeped in its fable lore. Inaki Miranda's art is beautiful and lends much to the story.