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Bill Willingham
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Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book One Hardcover – October 6, 2009

by Bill Willingham (Author), Mark Buckingham (Illustrator), Lan Medina (Illustrator)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 589 ratings
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When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile.

Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters created their own secret society-within an exclusive luxury apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side-called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Bigby, Fabletown's sheriff, and a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, to determine if the culprit is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber.

This Deluxe Edition collects the first two trade paperbacks of the series, issues 1-10, and Bill Willingham's prose story from Vol. 1, as well as character sketches.

AWARDS:
YALSA: 2004 annual recommended list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
·Willingham, Bill. Animal Farm (Fables series). DC Comics: Vertigo.
·Willingham, Bill. Legends in Exile (Fables series). DC Comics: Vertigo.
YALSA: 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens
·Willingham, Bill, Todd Klein, and others. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall. 2006. DC Comics/ Vertigo
As of 2008, Fables has won twelve Eisner Awards.
·Best New Series in 2003
·Best Serialized Story in 2003, 2005 and 2006 (Legends In Exile, March of the Wooden Soldiers and Homelands)
·Best Anthology in 2007 (Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall)
·Best Short Story in 2007 (A Frog’s Eye View, by Bill Willingham and James Jean, in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall)
Hugo Award Nomination 2009:
·Fables: War and Pieces was nominated for the first Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story
Previous page
  1. Part of Series
    Fables
  2. Print length
    264 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Vertigo
  5. Publication date
    October 6, 2009
  6. Dimensions
    7.4 x 0.75 x 11.18 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9781401224271
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1401224271
  9. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Willingham has been writing, and sometimes drawing, comics for more than 20 years. During that time, he's had work published by nearly every comics publisher in the business, and he's created many critically acclaimed comic book series, including Elementals, Coventry, Proposition Players, and of course the seminal Vertigo series Fables, as well as its spin-off series Fairest, Jack of Fables and The Literals. His work has been nominated for many awards, including the Eisner, Harvey, and Ignatz comic industry awards and the International Horror Guild award. He lives somewhere near a good poker room.

Born in 1966 in the English seaside town of Clevedon, Mark Buckingham has worked in comics professionally for the past twenty years. In addition to illustrating all of Neil Gaiman's run on the post-Alan Moore Miracleman in the early 1990s, Buckingham contributed inks to The Sandman and its related miniseries Death: The High Cost of Living and Death: The Time of Your Life as well as working on various other titles for Vertigo and Marvel through the end of the decade. In 2002 he took over as the penciller for Bill Willingham's Fables, which has gone on to become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed Vertigo titles of the new millennium. When not in Clevedon, Buckingham can be found with his wife Irma in the Asturias region of northern Spain.

Lan Medina is the first Filipino artist to win the prestigious Eisner Award in recognition for his work on Fables. He has worked on international comic books including Aria and Stone, plus Mutant X for Marvel.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 140122427X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vertigo; Deluxe edition (October 6, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781401224271
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1401224271
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.83 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 0.75 x 11.18 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 589 ratings

About the author

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Bill Willingham

Bill Willingham

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Bill Willingham never fought a desperate and losing battle in a good cause, never contributed to society in a meaningful way, and hasn't lived a life of adventure, but he's had a few moments of near adventure. At some point in his life Bill learned how to get paid for telling scurrilous lies to good people, and he's been doing it ever since. He lives in the wild and frosty woods of Minnesota.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
589 global ratings
Imagine all the fairy tales were true?
5 Stars
Imagine all the fairy tales were true?
I won't lie...I never read Fables before blind buying this volume. I did hear for awhile just how great the series was, but somehow i put it off. I can't, and won't now. I'm hooked. You will look at characters you are already established with, but now knowing in a different light. I mean who would have ever thought you'd see The Wolfman as a detective? I don't know what these issues looked like when they were originally released on the grade of paper they were on, but this deluxe edition really lets the art shine. My biggest concern is the release schedule...I love the deluxe format of the title, but in the introduction writer Bill Willingham mentions how these will be released yearly....I hope more often than that, because many volumes are out already in trades. I however want to hold out on the deluxe editions, so it will be tough dealing with the delay in getting more Fables in my diet!
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Top reviews from the United States

Emi
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Deal
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2023
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When I bought this book it was on sale, and I could not pass up the offer (even though I already owned the first copy). This deluxe edition contains concept sketches and just feels like a higher quality altogether when comparing it to the standalone volume.

The story is very fun and interesting! The art is to perfection~So much so I ended up giving the first copy of the book to a friend to read (this deluxe edition is staying with me ;)
3 people found this helpful
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sergei kochkin
5.0 out of 5 stars Absurdly creative
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2013
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This is an absurdly creative graphic novel equal in calibre to the works of Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. The oversize deluxe edition with gorgeous dust cover is a fabulous way of reading this sweeping epic of fable fantasy for mature audiences, especially if you are a first time reader like me. When you consider the price of comics these days, this is a high value way of collecting this series since each edition has close to 10 comics and can be found on Amazon at about 40% of MSRP (or around $16 each + shipping). The comics are printed on high quality paper and the print quality is superb. The binding is glued which is not a problem given the size of the publication; it is of course problematic for the larger DC omnibus or absolute editions. Sometimes the comic is printed a little too close to the binding making it difficult to read, but these occurrences are rare. This a much high value product than the DC archives series which retails for $49.95 or higher. My only real complaint is the use of multiple artists on the same fable character across this epic. This normally would not be a problem if the artwork were equal across artists and if there was little variation in how the characters are portrayed. Some artwork is brilliant and some downright crude. Finally some of the stories are trite and should have been omitted. But overall we can ignore these disappointments. I definitely will collect the entire series.
4 people found this helpful
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Vasiliy Vasilchenko
5.0 out of 5 stars It's very easy to get into these stories after the game
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2014
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I've decided to try these comics out after completing The Wolf Among Us, which impressed me A LOT. This game said at the end: "continue fables stories with Fables comic books". I was never too much into serious adult comics, but I've decided to give it a try. First of all, I have to say, It's very easy to get into these stories after the game, but first time you have to get used to these drawings, which are diffirent from the game. After you get used - you're trapped. I've bought all nine deluxe books at the moment and finishing the 5th at the moment. These stories are really adult oriented, these characters are more brutal and tough in some ways.
The first book is a great way to move your adventure from Wolf Among Us to Fables.
The quality of the book itself is great, it is printed greatly. You can have some troubles from time to time to see the center between pages, but there's nothing to look for most of the times, just some decorative parts.
These books series are all designed in the same way, so this Fables Deluxe collection will look absolutely great on your shelf.

If you're new to this universe, I would personally recomend to complete the game (The Wolf Among Us) first and then buy a book. I think, you won't be disappointed!
56 people found this helpful
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Rachel
5.0 out of 5 stars The best rendition of a recycled theme
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2016
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Love this series! Traditional fairy tales are re-imagined into something completely new that allows all these characters to exist in the same world. There's a lot of fleshed out characters who develop throughout the series. The author knows how to keep you turning pages by always dangling something fantastic just up ahead. The journey of Fabletown and it's many citizens is better than other attempts at the idea of fairy tales characters living in our world.

Side note: the deluxe editions are great value because they not only come with the main series issues but also side stories from the same universe. There are A LOT of Fables side stories and the inclusion in the deluxe editions makes it not only less overwhelming but they tend to be placed chronologically. So while the side stories are not required to understand the main arcs, the deluxe editions place them in a way that makes it easy to understand the events that are happening elsewhere in the universe at the same time.
9 people found this helpful
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Romy Gutierrez
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2014
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My fable adventure began with tell tale's epic the Wolf Among Us. I love this series! I'm only on book one but I'm going to buy them all!!! I will say though, the binding isn't perfect. Some of the art is lost due to the way the book was put together. I've bought other hard covers that don't have this problem. But it's usually just a hand that can't n seen or something small like that, none of the dialogue was lost. Recommended :)
One person found this helpful
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aPriL does feral sometimes
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful art, cool stories!
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2022
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I really enjoyed the updating of these wonderful fable characters! The new new Snow White and Rose Red, transformed into modern New Yorkers, trying to keep the lid on a wild bunch of misfits and strong-minded people, magical creatures and talking animals who are refugees living/hiding in plain sight in New York, is very engaging! The writers and the artists have outdone themselves in a creative noir reboot.
One person found this helpful
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Trevor Burnham
5.0 out of 5 stars Pure fun
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2009
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Prince Charming is a womanizer. Goldilocks is a communist. The Big Bad Wolf is a hard-boiled detective. And they're all living in present-day New York.

The premise may be ridiculous, but the execution is so masterful that it's reminiscent of nothing less than Neil Gaiman's  Sandman . It's an engrossing new mythology, full of humor but tinged with darkness. Forget Disney's "Enchanted"--this graphic novel is very much for adults, the story of a struggling underground community of exiles. The art is excellent, the characters are memorable (of course, we already know most of them in some form or another) and the writing is top-notch.

This volume was my introduction to Fables, so I can't compare it to other editions. (This hardcover is equivalent to the first two softcover volumes.) If you already have the comics in some other form, then there's little reason to upgrade to this "Deluxe Edition," which has few extras. But the production quality of this slim, glossy hardcover is very good. It was clearly made to last. I look forward to passing this down to my children some day--when they're old enough.
48 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Pat
5.0 out of 5 stars Great present
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2023
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loved every bit of it
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AWACS
5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME!!!
Reviewed in Mexico on June 6, 2020
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Me encantó, ahora a buscar los demás tomos.
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LABB
5.0 out of 5 stars Melhor edição de Fábulas (Fables) que irá encontrar
Reviewed in Brazil on November 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
Se conseguir entender inglês tranquilamente e não se importar com isso, essa é a melhor edição de Fábulas, como foi traduzida a série Fables da vertigo no Brasil. Vai perceber que a capa que mostra no site é apenas um colete, pois a verdadeira capa dura da edição é só o desenho, o que é lindo demais. Os únicos problemas desse livro 1 (lembrando que a série é dividida em vários livros e só estou fazendo review do livro 1), no entanto, é que não tem muitos extras (possui uma bela introdução do criador e roteirista da série e algumas artes conceituais no final). Uma pena não ter algo correspondente lançado no Brasil (seria até mais barato, inclusive).
8 people found this helpful
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Adam
5.0 out of 5 stars Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book One
Reviewed in Canada on May 7, 2015
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Just like many, many others on here, I decided to pick this up after playing The Wolf Among Us. I decided to go with the hardcover deluxe versions over the paperbacks because hardcovers are better in general, they were a better value, and look amazing. Also the editions after this one include one-shots and stories you would have had to get separately. The stories usually center around Bigby Wolf, a small town detective like character, smarter than he appears, with a harsh demeanor and sometimes brutal way of getting things done (also known as "The Big Bad Wolf") and Ms. Snow White, the deputy-mayor of Fabletown, brains behind the Fabletown operation and all around goody-two-shoes who actually does a lot of pretty badass stuff.

The first story is called "Legends in Exile" and is a great ice-breaker, who-dun-it styled story. It introduces the reader to the world, environment and characters in a well-paced mystery murder involving fairy tale creatures with a dark, realistic, gritty twist. As a reader you are introduced to Fabletown and its inhabitants dealing with the real world, the "Old Kingdoms" where fables used to reside before the Adversary forced them out, and the "Animal Farm," the area that the fables whom can't go home or Fabletown live.
The first story leads directly into the next, titled "Animal Farm." This tale illustrates the goings-on at the "Animal Farm" upstate. Lets just say not everything is as dandy as it seems on the farm, and Snow White gets into more than she can handle.

GREAT SERIES
One person found this helpful
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Puneet
5.0 out of 5 stars Fables: A fantasy-tic tale..oops saga!
Reviewed in India on February 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
I was not so sure about whether I would like this series. Bought book one and finished reading it before I realized that I am out of stock and have not ordered book two yet. The next couple of days went by desperately until I got priority delivery for book two and three.

I usually prefer to read deluxe edition (if available) as it adds to the pleasure of it. A must read for lovers of fantasy in comic book format! Beware it will take about 15 deluxe editions to complete this series. Only 11 have been published so far!
3 people found this helpful
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