Another great chapter in this wonderful series. As this tale continues it gets more and more complicated (in a good way) my enjoyment level grows just as much. This volume spends a great deal of it's time back in fableland with the Advisaray and his council. This really helps to expand the Fable Universe.

If you haven't read these books, then you are missing out... but I warn you that you will be attached and keep coming back for more, so pace yourself a little and don't get upset to wait for the next one, because it's just a little longer

I think Fables is one of the best conceived ideas in modern comics, at least up until issue 50. Ijust found this collection to be much weaker than all that has come before it.

I discovered FABLES perhaps a bit later than many others, but I'm making up for it with my enthusiasm for it. I've now read all of the nine main books, the 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL spin off, and the two Jack of the Fables books (even though Jack is possibly my least favorite character in the books). I look forward to getting the tenth book this June. My point is: this is an addictive series.

The issues that make up this volume pretty obviously are setting up big events in the future. We see a war council held by Gepetto and his minions. We see Snow White and Bigby and their brood visit his father the North Wind. We are introduced to several new characters. We get new wrinkles, such as Rodney Greenwood, who seems to almost like the residents of Fabletown.

But while FABLES has great stories, what I most enjoy is the way Willingham explores all the various facets of their fictional world. From the very beginning the series has never done just one thing. There is an astonishing variety, just as the cast of characters really could be characterized as an ensemble cast. If you were forced to identify the "lead" characters, it might be Snow White and Bigby Wolf, but there have been several issues in which they've not appeared at all, sometimes several issues in a row.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

Another great installment of the beautifully draw, ever humorous, epic of fabletown. How can you not love the Big Bad Wolf and Snow White getting it on?

This is an amazing comic series that just keeps getting better. The art is fantastic, and the stories are familar yet riviting and new. I think that this is one of the best story lines out there for the fantasy fiction folks. The pages aren't glossy, but if you are careful with it, it will hold up just fine.

Bill Willingham, Fables: Sons of Empire (Vertigo, 2007)

Now that we've had our idyllic break from the storyline, Sons of Empire is going to drag us back into the war brewing between Fabletown and the Homelands. This is a book where nothing much actually happens; there's a lot of strategizing and a great deal of setup. Not that that makes it any less riveting. Willingham's series is one of the stronger American comic series on the market today, and the ability to pull off a "bridge" book like this is one of the reasons. ****

This great series keeps getting more intriguing as it goes on. This volume treats of the growing sense of doom as the Adversary (who is really Pinocchio's "father" Geppetto) prepares for war on the Homelands. Yet in Fabletown, there's a calm peace as Flycatcher the Frog Prince becomes a frog again and in Wolf Valley, Bigby, Snow White, and their entertainly bratty pack of cubs go for a holiday visit to Bigby's dad, the North Wind. There's even a very special Christmas story dealing with the most magical fable of all, Santa. The characterization is so rich; the plots charm and enthrall; and the creative uses of tons of traditional lore is phenomenal; as I've said before, this is what "comic books" were meant to be. The art of course is great too; I especially loved the handful of pages by SCARY GODMOTHER's Jill Thompson in this collection. If you enjoy great fantasy, mythology, or just whompin' good storytelling, there's a lot to love here. Specifically, if you've enjoyed the books of Neil Gaiman, Robert Aspirin, or the adult fairy tales and collections by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow, or Linda Medley's CASTLE WAITING or Rachel Hartman's AMY UNBOUNDED or Jill Thompson's SCARY GODMOTHER, you'll likely adore FABLES. The entire FABLES series belongs in any collection of graphic literature.

Bill Willingham's done it again. As with all the other Fables books, Fables 9 is active, deep, intricate and a pleasure to read. It is an ambitious project, however, and unfortunately, the art is at times uneven, so that the characters do not always look alike in different parts of the book, due to the change in artists. However, the writing is consistently good and well plotted..

Vol. 9 continues the fables tradition of continued twisted takes on some of childhood's most beloved fairy tales.
War clouds are forming and it appears that cooler heads will prevail, but will they?
Willingham and company knock it out of park again!
If you like any of the previous comics or trades, you will like this one as well.

At the heart of this collection: evil machinations, plans and schemes in the Adversary's Empire; a long-lasting conflict between a father and a son coming to a resolution of sorts. Add to this a very grim twist on the aftermath of the Hansel and Gretel story that makes Frau Totenkinder look almost benign; a hint that the humblest and maybe most tragic of all the residents of Fabletown may turn out to be their savior; little snippets of background material and vignettes on Fables plus one potentially significant non-Fable.

One of the things I like most about the characters is that even the most evil ones do have a story behind the, which reveals the choices and paths that made them become whom we meet here. And the good ones are never quite as clean as we might like to think of them either. Everything has more than one side and Fables makes a point of virtually never letting us forget that.

As always, or maybe even more so, simply brilliant.

We have seen Fabletown respond to the Empire in a devastating way. We cannot expect the Empire to roll over after just one hit. The first story arc shows us how the empire plans to respond and their council of war. Plus we meet, and discover the history of, Hansel who has been made Ambassador to Fabletown. A strong story that sets the stage for much to come.

In the second main story arc we see Bigby and his pack travel to the lands of his father for a family visit. This is the first chance we have of seeing Bigby with Mr. North. An excellent story that includes a Christmas special as only Fables can pull off and one of the best side jokes I have seen in a while. Unfortunately the art on this one is far from the best.

Also included in this collection are a series of short stories that fill in all sorts of little details about the Fables we know and know of. One series of short stories is concerned with answering readers questions.

Two good stories for the price of one plus all the other stuff equals a real bargain in the graphic novel world. An absolute must-have for Fables fans.

What can I say? Fables continues to be the best comic book series out there--period. Sons of Empire maintains the excellent status quo by setting up a major storyline to come, giving us an interesting Christmas tale, and further exploring the relationship between fathers and sons. Most entertaining, though, is a series of "short stories" throughout the volume that fill in some gaps on lesser characters and events.

Really, if you're not reading Fables, you're missing out on the best series going.

"Sons of Empire" is the latest in Bill Willingham's Eisner Award-winning series "Fables" graphics novels. In the previous edition, "Wolves", Bigby Wolf successfully executed a brilliant plan conceived under the leadership of Prince Charming as retribution for the Empire's attack on Fabletown. As payment for this, his years of service as well as Snow White's dedication, they are given a house as well as the valley formally occupied by the sleeping giants.

Back in the Empire, the ruling inner circle debates as to what to do in response to the Fabletown attack. "Debate" isn't the proper word. What the Adversary and company want is nothing short of the destruction of Fabletown and our mundane world. The main issue is not `should they' but `how should they'.

Anyway Lord Hansel is dispatched to Fabletown as the new ambassador for the Empire. That's `Hansel' as in "Hansel and Gretel" as in the two kids who pushed Frau Totenkinder into her oven. Overnight, Prince Charming and company realize their world will never be the same again. They either step up their game or die.

Meanwhile, Bigby Wolf and family have settled down to domestic bliss in their first Christmas together. However as her Christmas present, Snow White asks that Bigby visit his father with his family. Of course the problem is Bigby blames his father for his mother's death......

At the same time, Pinnochio finds out on a personal level what a monster his `kindly' Geppetto is.

It is interesting in how Mr. Willingham's characters evolve. Prince Charming is proving to be an excellent wartime Mayor of Fabletown. Even when he is angry he is still able to think clearly and act decisively. In this way he is a lot like his wife Snow White. Boy Blue may have the love of his life underneath his nose.... Bigby Wolf is a sensitive, caring father.

But don't forget he's still "the biggest, baddest wolf of all!"

This graphic novel is not at the same level as "The March of the Wooden Soldiers" or "Wolves". What Mr. Willingham is doing is redirecting the series and refreshing it with new plotlines and new characters as well as tying up a few loose ends while building up to a climax. Even so, this is a worthy addition to the series.