Endings aren’t always happy in fairy tales, and the stage is set for perhaps the bleakest of them all in FABLES: SONS OF EMPIRE, the ninth, utterly superb collection of Bill Willingham’s award-winning Vertigo series. This volume rounds up eight issues, the first four of which comprise a portend of terrible things to come – perhaps even the end of the title.

In this arc, from which the book takes its subtitle, the evil Adversary – led by puppet master Gepetto – plots with the Snow Queen, Hansel and others on waging a mighty war against Fabletown, that section of New York City where storybook characters live unnoticed among humans. Though no aggressive action is taken, spies are placed for an attack in three years’ time – specifically, a four-plague plan of pestilence, fire, winter and famine, in that order.

The way this is plotted – the reasons for revenge date all the way back to the fourth FABLES volume, MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS – gives me faith that Willingham has a stake in a big-picture view of the title, and one he intends to see through to whenever it may end.

With art from MADMAN Mike Allred, a second story arc – in half the issues, but with equal the awesomeness – details a supposed-to-be simple trip to the homelands for Bigby Wolf, wife Snow White and their half a dozen cubs to a secluded castle to visit Bigby’s estranged father. There, Bigby puts his dad on the line to state where his allegiances lie in the rumored upcoming war.

But the real heat occurs outside in the winter weather, when Bigby’s kids go out for their first hunt and encounter forest monsters. This forces Bigby to wolf out and protect his offspring, in one of those sudden bursts of all-out conflict that FABLES does so well.

SONS OF EMPIRE is supplemented with 15 super-short stories that shed light on various supporting characters or burning questions. They’re slight, but cute. Much better is the book’s lone single-issue tale, a Christmas story involving perhaps the biggest fable of them all: Santa Claus.

If you’ve yet to experience one of the true highlights of modern-day comics, by all means don’t start with this collection, but the very first. Work your way up; you’ll be richly rewarded and solidly entranced. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• FABLES: ARABIAN DAYS (AND NIGHTS)
• FABLES: HOMELAND
• FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL
• FABLES: WOLVES
• JACK OF FABLES: THE (NEARLY) GREAT ESCAPE
• VERTIGO: FIRST OFFENSES