Fables, Band 8 - Arabische Nächte (und Tage)

Von Bill Willingham und Mark Buckingham

Nachdem die Einwohner von Fabletown wissen, wer der Feind ist, ist es an der Zeit, sich auf die Verteidigung dieser Festung inmitten der Welt der Normalsterblichen vorzubereiten – und das bedeutet, neue Allianzen zu schmieden mit allen, die von den Legionen des Feindes noch nicht erobert wurden. Doch als eine Delegation der arabischen Märchenländer in Fabletown eintrifft, zeigt sich, wie verzwickt es sein kann, neue Verbündete zu gewinnen – besonders, wenn die eine Seite Zugriff auf magische Massenvernichtungswaffen hat!

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: DC COMICS bei Panini Comics
• Erscheinungsdatum: 28. Jan. 2020
• ISBN: 9783957836182

Bill Willingham

Bill Willingham never fought a desperate and losing battle in a good cause, never contributed to society in a meaningful way, and hasn’t lived a life of adventure, but he’s had a few moments of near adventure. At some point in his life Bill learned how to get paid for telling scurrilous lies to good people, and he’s been doing it ever since. He lives in the wild and frosty woods of Minnesota with a dog and a cat he hasn’t met yet.

Buchvorschau

Rezensionen für Fables, Band 8 - Arabische Nächte (und Tage)

[bdgamer-669415 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Very well done. I found it interesting how they chose to portray Arab fables: they own slaves, see the Westerners as infidels, and generally distrusting. The ending was very well done though, so no complaints there.

[elizajane_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.Comments: The main story takes a pivotal turn as the focus shifts to the Fables of the East. Here we meet folklore from the eastern part of the world who are living in Baghdad. Sinbad, is namely the main character introduced and the first 4 issues of this volume contain this story arc. Many of our favourite characters so far make appearances (some very brief) to show what's happening with their respective arcs or to show they haven't been forgotten. Then the final two issues switch to a strange story which has a completely different artist appearance to it and takes place in the Homelands. The story is interesting but appears to have to no real relevance to any story arcs, but hang in there for a surprise ending that will leave you waiting for the characters to turn up again. As a turning point in the series this book takes a bit to get into with all the new happenings, characters and leaving the old plots to fill in the background. But we can see here that while the many story arcs will continue there is now a new direction in the main overall plot. Interesting things are ahead for our friends. And onward I go with the series!!

[rhinoa_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

The Fable universe is extended with the addition of the Fables from the Arabian worlds. They are living in Bagdad and Sinbad with an array of slaves and advisors comes to meet with the major of Fabletown to see about the two cultures combining their strengths after the Adversary has turned his attention to them. They have brought a genie with them, a piece of ancient and powerful Fable magic which could be deemed an act of war. Luckily Fabletown has their own witch in residence, Frau Totenkinder.After the main series of comics there is also The Ballad of Rodney and Jane. They are both wooden people, Rodey is in the Adversary's army and Jane is a nurse. They meet and quickly fall in love, but have some problems with kissing and certain anatomical issues so they petition to be made human ("meat"). Making their dreams come true comes at a price.I loved the Ballad at the end and am looking forward to reading more about Rodney and Jane who I am sure will pop up in future installments. It was also good to get some new Fable characters and it's good to have a scary Fable on the side of good!

[japag_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

This collection brings us two stories. The one involved more directly with the main story line is about the Arabian Fables coming to visit Fabletown, and about the ensuing culture clashes and scheming. The story is pretty mediocre (in Fable metrics :)). The problem here is that Prince Charming, Beauty and The Beast just aren't interesting enough characters. The highlights of the story come when Frau Totenkinder, Boy Blue, or the former Mayor step into the light.The other half of the book is comprised of a story of two wooden people in the Homelands. It is basically a love story, but evolves very interestingly. Fern and Palmiotti's art is interesting, and after a moment's hesitation I decided that it suited the story very well.

[karynmilk · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

Not my favorite entry in this series

[extrajoker · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

Arabian Nights (and Days) is enjoyable, but not my favorite of the Fables volumes. I'm definitely sticking with this series: the characters and stories are engaging and the art is really good.

[sweetiegherkin · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

As promised in the previous volume, the Adversary has moved into the Arabian fables, causing an envoy headed by Sinbad to show up at Fabletown's doorstep. After some initial mishaps, King Cole is set up as the translator/diplomat to reach out to these new refugees and get them situated to life away from the Homelands. But when it's ascertained that the group brought a powerful d'jinn along with them, Fabletown residents begin to fear that a horrible fate may await them all.Let's start with the good things first -- the illustrations continue to be excellent, and I loved the calligraphic-esque lettering used to indicate when the characters were speaking Arabic rather than English. Willingham is still witty, with little puns and jokes interspersed without the darker story. And while Bigby was notably absent still, we did get a glance of Snow White and the cubs living their life up at the farm. And Willingham is up to his romantic twists with a story about two star-crossed lovers of the marionette form in the Homelands as well as the continuing storyline involving Red Riding Hood.But this was definitely my least favorite offering amongst this series so far. The stand-off with the d'jinn fizzled out to nothing, albeit with a rather clever resolution. There's always been a few gaps in logic in this world, but somehow these felt more apparent now -- like how Bigby's father could have probably defeated the Adversary early on but felt he didn't have any skin in the game (even though Bigby was hugely involved in striking out against the Adversary) until now that his grandchildren are around and at risk, or how the fabled Baghdad is accessible through an underground tunnel from the present-day Baghdad, or how nonhuman Fables are banished to the Farm, except for Bufkin and a number of others. My bigger gripe was the whole culture clash theme. I think that perhaps Willingham was trying to say something about the current Western-Eastern divide, but I'm not sure that it came across well if so. Sinbad is shown as a character that can respect others and is able to see diverse viewpoints, and some members of his entourage ultimately decide to become assimilated into Fabletown. But then there's the main "baddie" of this book, Sinbad's chief adviser Yusuf, a huge caricature who seems to be based on Disney's Jafar, complete with diabolical curlicue beard. He - and some others - repeatedly refer to Westerners as "infidels" and are bloodthirsty and vengeful at the smallest perceived slight. Also, the Fabletown residents' shock and awe at the idea that their new visitors have slaves is the right idea morally but is a little rich considering most of them derive from fairy tales written when feudalism -- a small step above slavery -- was at its height. Again, maybe Willingham was trying to make a statement with these cultural observations, but it seemed to fall short of the mark for me.At any rate, I'm hoping this was a one-off issue, and I'm moving on to the next volume with optimistic expectations that all will be right again.

[bookwormteri · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

Oh how I loved this one. The last two are enough to break your heart.

[yorkshiresoul · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Bit 7 of the wonderful Fables opens with Prince Charming, Beauty and The Beast struggling to maintain their power and positions as leaders of the Fabletown community. Snow White and her cubs have been exiled to The Farm, Bigby Wolf has vanished, Boy Blue is in prison for stealing magical artifacts and going on a killing spree across the Homelands, Pinnochio has been left behind with evil Gepetto.The real problem though comes with the arrival of various Arabian fables, Sinbad and his impressively large retinue from Homelands Baghdad, and a little weapon they carry in the form of an all powerful, wish granting Djinn.Willingham has created easily the best graphic saga since Sandman, he easily blends great storytelling with humour and horror, he has created a host of likeable and despicable characters. I'm not quite as keen on Mark Buckingham's art as I was on some of the earlier artists, it is good and competant, but I thought that the work by Lan Medina in the early volumes was a cut above.The book ends with The Ballad Of Rodney And June, a nicely done short story featuring another of Gepetto's Brothers Of The Holy Grove and his would be girlfriend, this sets up two characters who I'm sure we are going to see more of in future volumes.Another good tale from Willingham, it's easy to see why this comic wins so many awards, it really is rather special, I've tried to keep the review low on spoilers, read and enjoy.

[ecataldi-1 · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

I thought this one was fun because we get to meet one of the many world contained in the homelands; the Arabian Empire. So far the Adversary hasn't taken over their lands, but it's only a matter of time. An emissary from their land comes to Fabletown for talks and things escalate quickly when Prince Charming discovers they brought a jinn with them. It's the most destructive magical thing in existence and it could drastically change the direction of their alliance talks.

[saroz_1 · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

Unfortunately, after the high quality of Volume 6, this was not the direction for Willingham to go. The Arabian Fables are depicted as unsubtle racist caricatures, and for the first time, the subtext of Willingham's conservative politics is rapidly becoming text. It is, frankly, an uncomfortable read, and a major disappointment after the upturn of the last few collections.

[wealhtheowwylfing · Bewertung: 3 von 5 Sternen]

The Adversary began his rampage through European fables' homelands, and they fled in a disordered and panicked mob. But the empire is ever-growing, and the Arabian tales are next. A delegation from the Arabian Homelands arrives in New York's Fabletown and provokes much diplomatic consternation. I enjoyed the meeting-of-minds between King Cole and Sinbad, and love any instance Frau Totenkinder gets to deploy her deceptively twisty magic. Beast and Beauty's relationship deepens; it's not all true love conquering all. But overall, this subplot underwhelms. A whole new arena of stories and characters to choose from, and yet the only fables Willingham bothers to name are Sinbad and a djinn. Come ON. The Arabian characters (and their homeland) seem troublingly Disneyfied.

The second and much smaller half of this volume concerns the love affair of two wooden soldiers in the Adversary's army. Their story is beautifully illustrated (Jim Fern's style conveys a Renaissance beauty that is clean-lined yet earthy) and initially, amusing. As their attempt to love each other continues, however, the story grows darker. While Arabian fables are celebrating a new beginning built on trust, the wooden lovers start their lives under the shadow of deception.

[bert.cielen · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

While previously Fables has centered around characters from European fables, this one introduces characters from Arabian fables, like Sinbad and Ali Baba. Which is not really a surprise, since we learned in the previous issue that the same forces who invaded the European Fables' homelands were now staring an invasion of other territories, including the Arabian fables.

This results in a story that's kinda clever, but really not that interesting. You cannot however skip it, since inbetween the ongoing arc is featured.

This collection also features a weak, dreary tale about the love between two wooden characters in the Fables' homelands, ending with a revelation that is designed to shock -- but it really is not that big of a deal.

[5eva5 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

The Fables from the Arabian lands bring a djinn to Fabletown, Little Boy Blue is sent to serve out his sentence at The Farm, and the Adversary installs a couple of his spies in Fabletown. More great stories from Willingham and his crew. The Sinbad storyline ensures that the Fables' saga feels propely global and Rodney and June's storyline adds multitudes to the influential powers of the Adversary. The art (and lettering) of "The Ballad of Rodney and June" is not one I thoroughly enjoyed, but the choice of style does work with the material.

[thedivineoomba · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

This is one of the weaker volumes in the series. I thought the Arabian Fables to be a bit cliched, and Sinbad to be out of character, changing hard views after a few days or weeks experience with the fables. I liked the last story about the wooden soldier and his lady love to be quite heart wrenching.

[renrav · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

And the story continues. So many interesting developments.

[wanderlustlover_1 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

Once more into the fray we go with a whole other section of fairy tales, this time for an entirely different realm. And dealing with how people interact, what they expect, what goes right and what goes wrong. I like the culture barriers. I like seeing Cole be useful, and find his next calling. I liked seeing Charming get taken down a notch, and still make the right choices.

The Ballad of Rodney and June was a little longer than I feel like it needed to be, but I deeply appreciated it and it made me like this trade more.

[raschneid_1 · Bewertung: 2 von 5 Sternen]

I alternate between love and lukewarm indifference when it comes to Fables. At first I adored the high concept fairy-tales-in-Manhattan schtick, but now I much prefer the stories set in the Homelands. The Iraqi War pastiche in this volume was just kind of... awkward.

[krau0098 · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

This is the seventh installment in the Fables series. It was a great book and very entertaining. I didn’t like it as much as Homelands but it was still a fun read.The bulk of this trade covers the story of a delegation of characters from the Arabian Tales that spend some time in Fabletown and suffer a bit of culture shock. The second story is a love story about two of the Adversary’s wooden soldiers.I enjoyed that some Arabian myths enter the story in this edition. Some of this story is funny as the Arabian characters try to adjust to the way the Fables of Fabletown live. I wasn’t really sure what the point of this was though; it didn’t tie in much with the main story. I enjoyed the love story between the two wooden soldiers more. It was an interesting look into how the wooden soldiers of the Adversary’s army were created and at how they live. It just gave some depth and background to “the enemy” troops and fills out the world nicely.Overall an entertaining addition to the Fables series, but not as strong as the previous book, Homelands. I am hoping that the Arabian characters will tie into the story in more depth in later installments. It was great to have them introduced into the story, but they didn’t actually do much. The love story between the wooden soldiers did add depth to the world though and was entertaining. This graphic novel series is recommend to those who love fantasy and urban fantasy.

[crowyhead · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

The opening of this collection finds Prince Charming trying (and failing) to deal ably with his position as Mayor of Fabletown. Boy Blue has returned from the Homelands with essential information about the Adversary, but due to Fable laws about the theft of magical items, he is imprisoned and awaiting trial. Meanwhile, a contingent from the Arabian Nights version of Bhagdad has arrived, and there are definitely some things getting lost in the translation. I felt that this collection was overall a bit weaker than the preceeding one, but then, I tend to find Bigby, Snow White, and Boy Blue to be the most interesting characters, and this collection didn't have much "screentime" for any of them.