Fables #102
Fables #103
Blanche De Chambly
Roedelius
When all is said and done, and the last issue of Bill Willingham's Vertigo series, Fables, has hit the stands, every comics critic and blogger is going to declare it a masterwork, and a landmark and so on and so on. And they'd be right. However, currently at issue 103 (having recently passed the huge 100 issue mark) conventional wisdom says that Fables is currently travelling through a valley, and is in search of a new peak to ascend. However, I think this parrotted view among online comics journalists is merely a comparative response, brought about by all that has come before the current collection of arcs (post-Adversary). Fables was such a consistently awesome series leading up to, and through the war with the Adversary, that the arcs dealing with the aftermath of this conflict, and the setting up of a new one, have suffered by comparison. But really, they are no less awesome, and I've been pretty annoyed with the 3 star reviews and sighs of "meh" that have been greeting each monthly issue of Fables. Fuck all that noise. It's still kicking major ass and The Dark Man is no slump in the world-conquering villain department, so everyone needs to stop checking their Fair Weather reports and get back on the bandwagon.
The latest Fables arc, getting set up in these 2 issues, at once feels totally novel, and yet also like a no-brainer. As the displaced fables rally for war against the Dark Man from their headquarters at The Farm, resident comic nerd, Pinocchio has had the bright idea to harness the cultural mythology of super hero funny books, and assemble a select group of fables into a Justice League-style super team. With this deceptively simple and clever new plot thread, Willingham gets to move the story forward in a potentially action-packed manner, while also plumbing under the surface of his mediums signature mode. I'm really excited by the prospect of seeing how a Fables "super team" plays out, and I think it makes perfect sense that Willingham would eventually get around to tackling this conceit. After all, the super heroes that have largely defined the comics medium are our own modern fables, and while the main series has primarily drawn from the rich well of fairytales past, it makes sense that the Fables series would eventually collide with our modern equivalents. I'm hoping that Willingham eventually blends Urban Myths and Legends into Fables as well, introducing us to the lonely alligator that lives in the sewers beneath New York, or expose the sick and twisted love affair between The Babysitter and The Man Upstairs.
Ok, so Fables is still kicking ass and it's not merely treading water or just "good" as the internet would have you believe, but what do I drink and listen to while reading it, you ask?
I gotcha covered.
Any of the unique and challenging beers of Quebec brewery, Unibrou are a perfect fit for the Fables reading experience. In particular, Blanche De Chambly, with it's effervescent character and old-world style, compliments Fables deft wit and clever blend of old fairytale characters and sometimes even ancient legends with modern storytelling sensibilities. Drinking a Blanche De Chambly in a tall goblet is an ideal transportive beverage while reading about the adventures of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and kingdoms from alternate, literary realms. With this I would pair the music of German avant noise/electronic music pioneer, Hans-Joachim Roedelius.
Roedelius (now in his late 70's and still touring! I saw him two years ago) is one of the hugely influential musicians who defined the era of "Krautrock" having formed and played in bands such as Neu!, Harmonia and Cluster. But it's some of Roedelius' solo recordings that I think particularly fit with a cold Blanche De Chambly in one hand, and a copy of Fables in the other. His records, Jardin Au Fou and Lustwandel incorporate the soundscapes and composition-styles of classical, even baroque music and filter them through Roedelius' experimental approach to electronic music (which is still being copied by buzz bands to this day). His song "Rue Fortune" (from Jardin Au Fou) features martial drumming and a sweeping melody that invokes the heroic deeds of some stoic prince. This simple, but stirring melody is paired with a fucked up wobbly organ that feels like a bunch of carnival freaks taunting that same hero I just mentioned. It all works quite well when your eyes are drinking in the fairytale world of Fables and your liver is soaking up the almost champagne-y effervescence of a cold Blanche De Chambly.
