Fables #112 – Review

By: Bill Willingham (writer), Mark Buckingham (penciller), Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, Dan Green (inkers), Lee Loughridge (colorist)

The Story: Santa, that toy boat better not have my name on it.

The Review: I have quite a few friends of diverse religion and some of no religion at all.  While most of them find the materialistic and holly-jolly parts of Christmas annoying cloying, none of them are untouched by a sincerely given gift, happy holiday wishes, or a good rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”  I suspect this holds true for most people; whatever your feelings of the holiday, it’s the time of year when you take comfort in the simple things in life.

So it goes for the exiles of Fabletown, who after a couple years of anxiety and persecution can finally return home and celebrate.  No matter how cynical you may be, I’m sure you can’t begrudge the sweet sight of this motley crew of talking animals and certified weirdos exchanging presents, making merry, and simply enjoying each other’s company.  Seeing them come together like one massive, oddball family reminds you how much they’ve grown over the years.

And speaking of growth, Rose Red does some of that in this issue as she is dragged by a cricket (who remains nameless, so hard to say if he’s the one and only Jiminy) to meet Hope’s other paladins, or at least, the ones who survived.  Seeing the paladins, the hopes they represent, and what they do to enforce them, offers plenty of the clever and compelling interpretations Willingham so excels at.  Santa Claus as the hope for justice?  Brilliant, as is his reasoning: “I reward those who do good punish those who do bad.  That’s the story of justice in a nutshell.”

Not all is fun and games in this Christmas Carol-like journey, however, as you discover that hope isn’t always strictly a positive emotion.  The meeting with the False Bride proves quite grim, a bitter antidote to the silly, even saccharine portions of the issue (including a pretty funny bit where Santa’s reindeer gossip about his having a fling with Rose Red).  Ultimately, the Bride has the most practical advice for Rose’s future career as a paladin, but she also makes it clear that sometimes the most sinister hopes are the ones that have the greatest chance of fulfillment.

Green Lantern #56 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (writer), Doug Mahnke (pencils), Christian Alamy, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne and Doug Mahnke (inkers)

The Story: The New Guardians, Chapter Four: A really creepy Hector Hammond is sprung from prison by an even creepier former guardian. In the meantime, Hal is trying to deal with Larfleeze, who is discovering the true meaning of Christmas. Why does Hal bother? Larfleeze has done something that interests Hal very much – he has trapped the entity of greed in his orange lantern. Hal might need access to that trick soon– for the other six entities. As always, there’s a complication…

What’s Good: Johns and Mahnke have delivered another fun ride full of characterization and surprises. The dialogue is crisp and relatively spare, considering the heavy conceptual lifting it has to do. Hal and Larfleeze and Hammond have distinct voices, interests and intents and that comes out in the writing. The humor and irony are equally good (Larfleeze contrasted against the concept of Santa Claus) and lighten the load for the heavier stuff that hits later on. Johns and Mahnke also use Hammond’s telepathic abilities to full dramatic effect to show us, in pictures only, a glimpse of Larfleeze’ past and motivations. It was a cool window to press my nose to and left me itching for other views of this fascinating, ultra-powerful, unstable muppet.