The world is going to end and it’s up to Bo Peep and others to save it. What else is new? Well, in fact, there are new fables being created now that fables are known to the world. This issue wraps up the first story arc; is it good?
Everafter: From the Pages of Fables #5 (Vertigo)
So what’s it about? The summary reads:
Bo’s hunt for Jordan gets bloody! Meanwhile, it’s damage control for the rest of the Shadow Players as San Francisco is under siege by a horde of enraged and undead warriors. Desperate to stop an imminent Mundy massacre at the hands of this ghost battalion, Feathertop is forced to make a bargain with potentially disastrous consequences.
Why does this book matter?
Lilah Sturges and David Justus have proven they can tell a story that’s in the same vein as Fables, but with its own distinct, edgy voice. A little girl who can turn people into zombies and explode people into red goo? Yikes. If you’ve been reading along you gotta read this to find out how it all ends and where it goes from here.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
I think this kid is sick.
Connor steals the show in this issue as he does most of the fighting, but also continues to be the comic relief thanks to his so very chill attitude. There’s a moment that had me laughing out loud due to this character and it’ll be fun to see more of him as the story progresses. There’s something about an arrogant newbie that’s rife for storytelling possibilities. Bo fans should prick up their ears, as she gets a lot more to do in this issue after having been injured earlier in the series. Her actions end up being the most compelling as they are veiled in mystery and also connect with the full page splash that wraps the issue up.
While the resolution in this issue brings a deus ex machina you wouldn’t have seen coming, it’s big and epic in a way that’s fitting to a series like this. Given the nature of it–a story function I think most abhor–it’s a bit on the nose, but it works. The ending works quite well given a few scenes earlier in the series, though if you jump in reading this issue you won’t understand the gravity of what you’re seeing. This series started out feeling like a street level superhero title with espionage vibes, but ends in the biggest of ways. The creative team has certainly stretched the boundaries and made the reader realize literally anything can happen.
The art by Travis Moore continues to have an edgy realistic illustrated look (warning: there are naked breasts in this one!). It helps to have such a realistic depiction when there are ghosts and super powers flying around. Speaking of ghosts, they look like something out of a Disney movie, in a good way. The colors by Michael Wiggam give these apparitions a nice glow/see-through look that’s quite nice.
It can’t be perfect can it?
Connor and his shape-changing abilities go to another level in this issue that completely bewildered me. Given the material I suppose anything can happen, but it seems to break the rules a bit, especially when he uses a healing ability too. Not much is made of it, but it seems like a huge transition that suits the plot, but may not make sense.
I need that can!
Is It Good?
Quite a fine climax to the first story arc in a series that’s been gritty and real whilst blasting you with the supernatural. Everafter separates itself from the pack by making you believe anything can happen.
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