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Review: Fairest: In All the Land

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FAIRATL_HC_DJ_FRONTFairest: In All the Land is the latest original graphic novel set in the Fables/Fairest universe. Featuring short stories by Bill Willingham, the graphic novel is told through the perspective of the Magic Mirror! The murder mystery contains two illustrated prose chapters that bookend thirty comic chapters, that all combine to tell the story of the worst week of Cinderella’s life. The art is provided by a murderers row of artists, showing off their unique talent with the help of Willingham’s story telling ability.

I’ve been a long time fan of the Fables world and it’s spin-offs, even going so far as to buy original art from Mark Buckingham who contributes here. One of the highlights has been the spy-like mini-series featuring Cinderella, that have mixed the fantasy setting, mashing it up with Bond like spy dramas. Here, instead of having to wait months for a new mini-series, we’re treated to a full story in one go, one that has actual impact in the continuity.

While Cinderella is usually thrown into spy-action thrillers, instead we’re given a murder mystery, as she attempts to figure out who is killing some of the fairest in the land. It’s fun watching this character who usually solves her problems with kicking, punching and weapons, attempt to fill the role of Bigby Wolf, the usual detective/sheriff. Her stumbling throughout is charming and a nice change from what we usually see with her.

Overall the story is really solid, and it’s great to read a graphic novel with these characters. Hopefully we’ll get one or two more before Willingham wraps up his series (or more after he does!). There’s also some nice commentary on the women we’ve come to expect and accept in classic fairy tales. Read the graphic novel and you’ll understand.

The mix of art is an interesting mix as well. I can’t say it added anything for me, but all of these artists are top notch, so seeing all their styles and takes on the same characters is interesting. It being one narrative throughout is interesting as well, as opposed to an anthology of related by standalone stories. Overall, the art is solid and much beautiful to look at.

The graphic novel is a great addition for long-time fans and the fact it has impact on continuity makes it even better. This is how you do a solid graphic novel tie-in.

As I said, I want to see more of this, here’s hoping we do. If not, at least we’ve got a few great graphic novels of this fabulous comic world.

Story: Bill Willingham Art: Chrissie Zullo, Karl Kerschl, Renae De Liz, Ray Dillon, Fiona Meng, Mark Buckingham, Phil Noto, Meghan Hetrick, Russ Braun, Tony Akins, Gene Ha, Tula Lotay, Marley Zarcone, Ming Doyle, Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, Nimit Malavia, Dean Ormston, Kurt Huggins, Adam Hughes, Al Davison, Shawn McManus, Inaki Maranda, Kevin Maguire
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Preview – The Standard #1 – a 13 Page Preview and Comic from Comixtribe

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THE STANDARD #1 (of 6)

PRICE: 3.99
DIAMOND ID: NOV121047 F  STANDARD #1 (OF 6) (MR)
RATING: Teen + Up
FORMAT: 32 pages, color (1 of 6 mini-series)

WRITER: John Lees
ARTIST: Jonathan Rector
COLORISTS: Ray Dillon, Mo James
LETTERER: Kel Nuttall
EDITOR: Steven Forbes
PUBLISHER: ComixTribe
COPYRIGHT INFO: © John Lees

THE STANDARD is the story of two different men from two different eras who share the same heroic legacy. In the past, The Standard was the world’s greatest superhero. Today, he is a celebrity with his own reality TV show. But when a catastrophic event brings the two generations into collision, The Standard is forced to ask if superheroes still have a place in today’s cynical world. THE STANDARD is a six-part superhero miniseries written by John Lees and drawn by Jonathan Rector.

New Adaptation of Servant of the Bones Coming in August

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Official Press Release

New Adaptation of Servant of the Bones Coming in August

IDW Partners With Best-Selling Author Anne Rice to Release New Comic Book Series

San Diego, CA (April 1, 2011) — IDW Publishing is proud to announce a new partnership with best-selling author Anne Rice (Interview with a Vampire, Queen of the Damned), kicking off with a new six-issue adaptation of Servant of the Bones. Rice, the creator of fantastic worlds filled with vampires and witches, takes fans back to the time of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, to tell the story of Azriel, the Servant of the Bones.

“This is an exciting adaptation! IDW has certainly chosen the finest artists and writers for this project,” said Rice. “The script is marvelous. Renae De Liz’s penciling has captured my characters exquisitely.  Ray Dillon’s colors are alive and gorgeous. This Servant of the Bones adaptation is perfect!”

IDW’s adaptation of Servant of the Bones will be written by Mariah McCourt, with art by Renae DeLiz and Ray Dillon. This opulent tale will take readers from ancient Babylon to modern day New York City, from the madness of fanaticism to the peace of faith. Once again Anne Rice fans will be able to enjoy her talent in delivering melancholic and psychologically charged moods through this newly adapted version of one of her most recognized works.

In Servant of the Bones, Azriel is an immortal spirit who is bound to the gold-encased bones of his mortal body. Throughout the story, he struggles to understand whether he is a ghost, genie, demon or angel. He shares his story with the reader as he travels from an ancient Babylon of royal plots and religious upheavals to Europe during the Black Death and on to the modern world in New York City. Amidst the towers of Manhattan, he finds himself in confrontation with his own human memories and the dark forces that have sought to condemn him to a life of evil and destruction.

“Servant of the Bones is a deeply layered, lush, and lyrical story. It’s visually rich, compelling, and asks the really big questions about life, love and death,” said IDW editor Mariah Huehner. “We’re very excited to be working with Anne Rice, one of the most prolific writers of this generation, and we just hope we can do the story the justice it deserves. Getting to work with Renae DeLiz and Ray Dillon, the remarkable team behind The Last Unicorn, assures me that we can.”

SERVANT OF THE BONES #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available August 2011.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for EA Comics.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

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