Once upon a time...
Every fairy tale ever told lives on in Fablewood, where characters play out their stories again and again, daily, for all time. Failure to re-enact
one's tale properly results in punishment or mind erasure by Fablewood's foul ruler, Grimm, and his horde of think police. But little Red defies her story by befriending
gruff Mister Woof. When they're discovered, they flee in search of the legendary Realworld, where nobody's stories are written for them and Red and Woof can be free at
last - but it's far, far away if it exists at all, and every friend could just as easily betray them to the think police as help them.
Review
I've previously read the Outcasts issues of the Fairy Quest series; evidently, this is where the story starts. (There may even be another volume between this and
Outcasts, but for some reason Hoopla doesn't seem to have them, and even lists these ones out of order. But, I digress...) In any event, while I picked up enough
to follow the story in Outcasts, it was nice to see how things started for Red and Mister Woof. Grimm slowly squeezes the life (and the memories) out of the very stories
he claims to protect with his draconian rule; there is no telling who is friend and who is foe, as centuries of retellings have warped the minds of (nominal) heroes and
villains alike, leading to a furtive underground movement of rebels of all stripes and species. The mood can be grim (pun intended), though the art is lively and the story
moves briskly. Enjoyable, though it's not strictly necessary to read these issues first.
In the world of Fablewood, all stories live side by side, re-enacting their roles faithfully under the eye of Mister Grimm and his Think Police.
Deviants are captured, their minds erased, lest the ordered tales fall into chaos and anarchy. Young Red and Mister Woof only want to be friends,
but their story dictates otherwise. They flee into the Dark Woods, pursuing the faint hope of the Mapmaker beneath the mountains, in hopes of finding
a new world where they can live and think as they please... but this is one fairy tale that Grimm doesn't mean to end happily ever after.
Review
Starting quickly, with Red and "Mister Woof" (the Big Bad Wolf) already in flight through a fairy tale world that's dying under Grimm's harsh rule,
Fairy Quest maintains a good pace throughout. Red can be a bit naive, almost irritatingly so, but such is how she was written, and even as she
clings to free will, old habits remain. Woof gets the best lines and the best expressions, though sometimes his more direct method of dealing with
problems isn't the best. Meanwhile, Grimm is established as a truly formidable opponent; if he sees how his tight grip on Fablewood is squeezing the life
from the stories, he doesn't care, so long as order is maintained. It has touches of whimsy, but with a dark and devious subtext, enhanced by the artwork.
I expect I'll read onward for at least another issue or two, to see where Jenkins is going with this intriguing setup.
Red and her forbidden friend Mister Woof have made it to the cave of the Mapmaker, but their journey is far from over. The iron-fisted ruler of
Fairyland, Grimm, still pursues the rogue characters - and the road ahead is at least as dangerous as the road behind. To reach the real world and
their own chance at a happy ending, the pair must follow the Yellow Brick Road through Oz and past Wonderland... but these places aren't the fairy
tales they used to be.
Review
I needed a quick palate-cleanser after my last read (and after another bad news day), so I figured I'd return to this series for the second issue. It
picks up right where the previous installment left off, with Red and Woof in the sanctuary of the Mapmaker's cavern - where they learn the fate of forgotten
stories, a fate that might befall them if they fail. Meanwhile, Grimm and his armies haven't given up pursuit of the pair, even as Wonderland and Oz offer
their own threats. Still an enjoyable riff on tweaked fairy tales, with a cliffhanger promising more adventures ahead.
