Mi metto d’impegno e riesco a seguire con una discreta attenzione il nono volume delle Fables. Al solito non è semplice, le storie si intrecciano, mentre termina la guerra dei mille mondi, inizia l’età oscura, e poi rosa rossa, il dottor cuor di maiale che non riesce a guarire Blue Boy che morendo rifiuta la donna della sua vita, Pinocchio che lavora per garantire a Geppetto l’amnistia, un vero e proprio caos che, comunque, è bello quanto disordinato. La qualità del disegno e l’imponente struttura grafica del volume sono alla base di una lettura che per essere piacevole richiede spazio. Mi convinco, comunque, sempre di più che una volta terminata la raccolta e la prima lettura questi racconti vanno letti tutti insieme per poterli apprezzare fino in fondo, senza perdere il filo del discorso. ( )

A few decent side stories, and then the epic battle between The Fables and The Empire, with some unexpected losses and reforms. The war effort is spearheaded by someone very surprising. And, in the aftermath of the war, the rise of a new adversary, a dark lord who seems to be more evil than what the Fables faced previously. ( )

This volume of Fables wraps up the first story arc with the invasion of the Homelands. We get war stories and spy stories, heroic sacrifices and attempts at redemption. The story is nothing short of epic, and heartrending as we lose some we've certainly come to love... and we get a bit of insight into why the Emperor chose to do wht he did.

Before you even have time to catch your breath "The Dark Ages" begins and ushers in the second Fables arc. Right back from the heels of a massive war more trouble emerges, a foe a good bit more frightening than the Emperor had been. One has to wonder where this is heading, though I will say it really doesn't look good for the Fables about now.

Wonderful writing, and great artwork - though I wasn't crazy about the guest artists this time around. ( )

The sky is always falling in Fables. ( )

I think this one is the largest of the deluxe releases so far containing issues 70-82 and includes a larger selection of sketches in the extras pages for good measure. It all kicks off with a one-shot story of the preparations of the Fables for the impending war. Last minute adjustments to the plans that have been set in place. Cinderella then takes centre stage in a two-part story where she's sent to retrieve a very important package that may prove vital to the war effort. War and Pieces is a 4-part storyline (plus an epilogue) that encompasses the war of the Fables against the Adversary before dealing with the immediate aftermath in Around the Town. Big changes occur within the 5-parter (plus an epilogue) The Dark Ages with a new bad guy in town before finishing with another one-shot Return to the Jungle Book.

Some sad times in this edition as well as some pondering on the very nature of the Fables existence. An end to one story arc and the beginning of the new to get to grips with all served up with the usual deluxe glossy paged treatment. Although Mark Buckingham does most of the work on these volumes there are still a couple of guest artists for the one-shots and it's strange to see well known characters wearing different faces when these come along. But if that's all I've got to complain about apart from the war itself being over a lot quicker than I anticipated then all is well with the series at this point. ( )