Fables... not your usual bedtime stories kiddies...

Most of us when we were but wee lads and lassies, have either read or been told stories filled with magic and monsters, of mighty heroes and evil beasts, of handsome princes and damsels in distress, of knights in shining armour and fire-breathing dragons, of wishes that come true and the ultimate realization of every young romantic... the happily-ever-after. These were stories of "once upon a time..." and "in a land far far away..." that usually finishes off with "and the moral of the story is...".

Fairy Tales... Fables...

Who hasn't heard the story of Snow White and her diminutive companions? Or of the 3 little pigs and their encounter with the Big Bad Wolf? Do you still remember the infamous Jack and his adventures after scaling the giant Beanstalk? How about Goldilocks and the 3 Bears? Timeless tales each and every one, with the ability to entrance readers and listeners as each new generation rolls along.

Cut to the dawn of the new millenium, writer Bill Willingham introduces a new twist on everybody's favorite fairy tales. He writes the regular monthly comic book aptly titled: Fables. Aimed for more mature readers, Fables is a fresh take on those same children's classics we all know and grew up on.

for those who want to catch up on the previous issues... Fables is also available in Trade Paperback editions

Published by Vertigo (sister company of publishing giant DC Comics), Fables took classic fairy tale characters and inserted them into the "real" world. After a mysterious enemy known only as the Adversary systematically conquers the storybook Homeland, the creatures of story and folklore are forced to abandon their respective worlds and journey into ours. The fables (coined by Willingham to denote these characters of myth) establish their own secret community in New York and name it... Fabletown (what else?). With the use of magic provided by their resident witches and wizards, Fabletown manages to look like any ordinary community in New York... at least on the outside. A rural compound located at upstate New York houses The Farm where the more "imaginative" looking fables take up residence which is also protected by the same magic that guards its urban counterpart from Mundane (as the people from our world are called by the fables) eyes.

As far as characters go, Willingham took great creative liberties in re-imagining the histories of the Fabletown residents. The principal players include Snow White long since divorced from the philandering Prince Charming (who was also divorced by succeeding wives Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty), is now the deputy mayor of the community. She manages the day to day workings of Fabletown. The Big Bad Wolf who now goes by the name Bigby has reformed his ways and works for the town as it's resident security officer and sheriff. Now able to change from wolf to human form at will, Bigby Wolf makes sure that everybody in Fabletown keeps the peace. Jack Horner who is more commonly known as-each-and-every "Jack" character in the stories is still trying his luck in any get-rich-quick scheme that comes to mind. Goldilocks is all grown up and still living with the 3 Bears at Fabletown's upstate Farm, although she has developed somewhat of a political left-wing mindset. Bluebeard is one of the town's benefactors seeing that he is one of the few fables that managed to escape into our world with his wealth intact. Many more characters are introduced in the course of the series whose classic and traditional backgrounds are cleverly made-over by Willingham's humorous takes

Bigby Wolf and Snow White

Bill Willingham manages to take these characters and breathe new life into them by portraying their more human side, be it dark or innocent, or even light and amusing. He plays with the idea of how such a diverse group of storybook characters can co-exist in the same reality. How does Little Red Riding Hood feel about having to live in a place where her mortal enemy The Big Bad Wolf is the peacekeeper? Or how would you even try to begin to get Dragons and Giants go about un-noticed in such a media friendly world like ours? How about the sorry predicament most of the fable community are forced to endure? Back in their own respective lands, most of the fables were wealthy and lived in relative luxury. The onset of their relocation to this Mundane world of ours forced them to work to be able to make ends meet. Case in point, although Beauty and the Beast may be Fabletown's poster couple for married bliss, they still have to work their butts off to put food on the table. Beauty works as a clerk in a bookstore and Beast does boiler room maintenance work for the Fabletown buildings. Cinderella, now estranged from Prince Charming, ironically has her own little shoestore which she has to manage herself. The immersion of the fables in these all-too-human experiences often results in entertaining situations.

Such is the picture that Bill Willingham paints for the followers of this innovative book. And by pictures, this book ain't some hole-in-the-wall operation in terms of the visuals either. The art team has included pencillers Lan Medina, Steve Leialoha, Craig Hamilton and industry veteran Mark Buckingham. The series has garnered 7 Eisner Awards from 2003 to 2006 that included "Best New Series", "Best Serialized Story" and "Best Cover Artist". Truly a title that is worth looking into, Fables will give readers a chance to revisit their childhood heroes and share new adventures set in our own backyard. Yep... these may not be the bedtime stories that we were used-to... but they make for one heck of an interesting alternative read.