Fables - TPB Vol 22 (a/k/a Issue 150) - Farewell

Sadly, the amazingly well-written, beautifully-drawn, captivating and always entertaining series, Fables, has come to an end.  DC Comics began this series under its Vertigo imprint some years ago, and during the course of its 150-issue run, it has spawned two spin-off series (Jack of Fables and Fairest), a couple of Cinderella mini-series, a few graphic novel specials, a video game, and legions of fans. This series was a pre-cursor to the Once Upon a Time show on ABC right now, as Fables is the tale of fairy tale characters who have come over to the real world to live.  That, however, is where the similarities end.

I have followed the series all these years, and I have pretty much enjoyed each and every story.  Bill Willingham, the author and creator of the series, has managed to weave an intricate, on-going tale about these characters, in a lot of ways, creating a fairy tale soap opera.  I have grown to like the characters (even the mean, nasty ones), so knowing this would be the final issue has been bitter sweet.

I am definitely of the philosophy that a series should end while it is still good and not continue under the helm of a different creative team simply for the sake of generating more sales from the book.  Sandman, by Neil Gaiman, is a perfect example of this.  He wrote the series, and when he was done telling stories, the series ended.  So, it is only natural that Fables would finally reach the end of its stories.

This issue, which ended up being a trade paperback all on its own, did not disappoint.  We finally get to see the conclusion to the battle between Snow White and Rose Red that has been building for so many months now, as Fables choose sides and get ready for the last battle (hmmmm, C.S. Lewis anyone?).  I won't spoil it by revealing the outcome, but I will say that I was very pleased with how it ended, and quite frankly, it was the only logical way to do it.

This issue also contained a slew of "The Last Story of ...." which reveal what happened to all of the Fable characters after the end.  Particularly loved the seven "Summer Prophecy" pages, which let us know what happened to Snow and Bigby's seven children.

While I have become very disenchanted with a lot of comics being published today, Fables has been the one constant that I've always enjoyed, and I'm sad to see it come to an end.  Thanks to Bill, Mark, Steve, and the countless other artists involved in the series over the years for producing such a magnificent book!

RATING:  10 out of 10 happily-ever-afters for ending the series in a way that should satisfy every reader (especially me!).