âFables: The Wolf Among Us Vol. 1â review
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
4/5
A spin-off of the popular Fables series and based on the award-winning game of the same name, The Wolf Among Us has a lot to live up to. Thankfully, it seems that Matthew Sturges and Dave Justus have been able to succeed and improve upon at least some of their source material. Though not as epic as Fables, The Wolf Among Us is a great introduction to the universe originally created by Bill Willingham, and narratively it exceeds that which was presented in the game.
For those of you who have read either the Fables series or the Fairest series, this narrative acts as a prequel.
Bigby Wolf is the sheriff of Fabletown, a neighborhood in New York City that merges fairy-tale and reality by having storybook characters live in an urban setting. But a chance encounter with a former princess/current prostitute has him questioning everyoneâs Happily Ever Afterâand when her decapitated head turns up, it opens the floodgates for some serious intrigue.
If you assumed that this would be just a basic retelling of the Telltale game, youâd be wrong. Written by Sturges and Justus, this comic goes a long way into filling in the gaps left by the game. Donât get me wrong, the game did an amazing job, but its medium just did not allow for this level of detail. Personally, I feel that the comic book was a lot more successful in creating suspense, but it lacked the character development presented in the game, especially with the side-characters.
The Wolf Among Us is illustrated by Shawn McManus, who previously worked on Fairest, and the art is mostly good. There are some awkward anatomy issues, especially with Bigby, but they are infrequent.
Overall, I like the series and would recommend it. Though, if you plan to play the game, do that first so the ending isnât spoiled.
