Graphic Novel Reviews: Homelands, by Bill Willingham

Homelands, the sixth volume of Bill Willingham's Fables, picks up the pace considerably from the previous volume, The Mean Seasons. It includes two short stories in addition to the main arc, Homelands, and the comic only continues to get more and more interesting as the mythos and characters are developed and explored.

The first, Jack Be Nimble, is a two-part story about Jack's scheme to ensure his immortality. As the Fables are stronger the more people know of them and believe in them, Jack has figured out how to increase his popularity: found a Hollywood studio and put out a series of hit movies about himself and his adventures. The scheme works, but he has called attention to himself and put the rest of the Fables in danger; as a result, he isn't seen again (except in his own comic book spinoff, Jack of Fables). adparams.getadspec('c_billboard1');

The main story, Homelands, follows the adventures of Boy Blue, who has escaped back to the Homelands with the help of the Witching Cloak, taking with him the Vorpal Blade and the body of Pinocchio. He wanders through the Homelands, slaying monsters and dragons, with the goal of uncovering the Adversary, the man behind the takeover of the Homelands.

In the middle of the arc is another stand-alone issue, this time about the return of Mowgli to Fabletown and the discovery of a spy for the Adversary. Mowgli is hired to find Bigby and it turns out that the spy might not really be dead. While this is a one-shot, it foreshadows more troubling events, leaving lots of room for future development later on.

Twisting fairy tales into new and unusual forms is Fables' stock and trade, but Homelands provides the best twist yet with the ongoing adventures of Boy Blue and the discovery of the Adversary's identity. One of Fables' strengths is that even though the main characters keep shifting - from Bigby and Snow White to Prince Charming to Jack and now to Boy Blue - they are all well-developed and entertaining characters, and the excitement of the story ensures that no one is ever missed for too long.

With Homelands, the Fables storyline only continues to grow more intense and original, equal parts disturbing and fascinating. The reader is left with the continuous impression that the story can really go anywhere from here. Homelands is suspenseful and satisfying, promising more amazing works to come.