Saving the Day in a nice pair of heels GothamGal on: Fairest Vol. 4: Of Mice and Men

GothamGal is a devoted comic fan. Reading comics from an early age (TinTin, Archie, Katie Keene and much more), she has recently revisited her old interest and is branching out into the streets of unread comics and graphic novels! While she favors DC Comics, Marvel is slowly winning her over—but Vertigo, Image and IDW have so many new things to offer, she might just say she’s a comic fan—with no labels. She fights for literature, education and the right for ALL to read comics!

Today is a special review, Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s celebrate with a strong, female character…

Happily ever after may not be in the in cards for everyone, but that does NOT mean an end for some of your favorite fair tale characters—and Fairest: Vol. 4: Of Mice and Men proves it!

Cinderella may be known forever for her appearance at the Ball and landing the Prince, but in the Fables universe, she’s a fierce and resourceful operative who sells shoes by day ,when she’s not at various locations around the world, saving the Earth for the residents of Fables and Mundies (human, non-magical folk).

When mice the size and shape of men begin to show up and attempt murder on a Fabletown resident, Cinderella traces things back to the one person she knows to be responsible—the only problem is that she has not spoken to her fairy Godmother in quite a while. And, to be fair, things did not end amicably for the two. After finding her,  FG gets shot. Cinderella has to track down the assassin, going all the way around the globe, and calling in a few favors from some old friends (and lovers) in order to track down the assassin (whom is very close to Cinderella) and get back to Fabletown with the information.

I love writer Marc Andreyo and artist Shawn MacManus’ take on Cinderella. While there are a few racy scenes, Cinderella is dealt with respect—she’s like James Bond in crystal slippers. While other universes might take certain liberties with female secret agents/part time fairy tale princesses, these guys have managed to make a character that you don’t question—she seems very capable based on what she’s already done in the series and where Fairest: Volume 4  takes her. Originally, I was not a fan of the way Cinderella acted within the universe, but I have no doubts as to her awesomeness now.

This was a perfect read and review for International Women’s day. We NEED more strong women with great stories in comic books, and Andreyo and MacManus really make me believe in this concept being achieveable in this generation. Sure, they’re following a bigger editorial story, but after the 3rd volume (which I was not too fond of), Fairest: Volume 4 makes me feel better about the series. It’s definitely something I want to pursue reading.

I loved how they make ancillary characters, like the three blind mice or Dockery, really matter in a story. With Fables, there is a tremendously large potential cast of characters. While Fairest focuses on the women, it is also refreshing that they don’t forget non-female characters, making them truly inclusive. I also love the characters that pop up, almost as easter eggs, that prompt readers to research and figure out where they may lie within future Fables universe interactions.

Without spoiling anything in the book, I think there was a character that was glaringly not showing up—and I wondered when that character might show up in the future. Another drawback is that, while the book DOES state that the events take place AFTER Fables Vol 20: Camelot, I am not that updated on that series, so there were a few things I was able to infer, but missed out on. Perhaps a page in the back with author notes, or a character listing, would have been great to have.

Fairest: Volume 4: Of Mice and Men is available from your favorite retailer. I picked this up in graphic novel format, and I cannot recommend the series enough! Happy International Women’s Day!