Fairest #16 – Review

By: Sean E. Williams (story), Stephen Sadowski (pencils), Phil Jimenez & Dan Green (inks), Andrew Dalhouse (colors)

The Story: Prince Charming realizes this is no Bollywood romance he’s stumbled into.

The Review: Not that every story has to be layered with double meanings and secret symbols, but for a reviewer, the more straightforward a story, the less he naturally has to talk about.  After all, why would you need a critic when a synopsis of the plot would suffice just as much?  Fables, for example, wouldn’t have such lasting power if they weren’t crafted in such a way as to deliver a bigger message beneath the simplicity of their actual substance.

This is all to say that I find it very interesting that Williams’ reinterpretation of Nalayani’s character and journey is in many ways less complex and meaningful than the original.  Admittedly, sequels and spin-offs do tend to end up like this, but Fables isn’t usually your typical sequel or spin-off.  It’s possible that Williams will at a later point reveal how deeply layered his story really is—he’d have to if he wants to make any impact with this arc at all—but for now, his individual issues aren’t particularly engaging.