(The First?) "Fables Encyclopedia" Release Day

Dust cover art for Fables Encyclopedia

It's release day for the highly anticipated Fables Encyclopedia today, and it sounds better than I could have hoped for. Covering issues 1 to 121 (and including 1001 Night of Snowfall) the book promises an excellent read, including more information on both characters and stories (and you know Willingham will be adding notes on obscure fairy tales and folklore he's included as well).

Since I'm not able to go get a copy for myself just yet, I'm going to re-blog a review by Kurt Isensee aka The Iceman from Geeks Of Doom.

Since Fables issues already numbers well into 130+  and have many (many!) spin-offs, which aren't mentioned as being covered in this volume, it should be safe to assume that a second encyclopedia is already underway/under consideration.

The Fables Encyclopedia, by Jess Nevins, covers issues 1 – 121, and 1001 Nights of Snowfall. After only a few pages, it became clear to me that this is an indispensible tome, serving to compliment, and enhance the issues it covers. Hopefully, there’ll be a second volume in another decade or so. 

It’s loaded with panels from the comics, helping to refresh memories for more obscure characters, and includes enriching sidebar comments from Bill Willingham — check out his notes on the Hope character — cryptically cool! Plus, there are also fourteen pages of issue by issue annotations, as well as lots of behind-the-scenes tidbits, and clever revelations, such as artist Mark Buckingham’s inspiration for Tom Harrow. 

The sheer depth of the Fables Encyclopedia serves as a demonstration/reminder (as if the monthly comic wasn’t enough) as to just how well-read Willingham is, especially with regards to fairy tales/mythology from a number of cultures. It’s also testament to the staggering achievement in comics literature that is Fables. 

Well before the halfway mark, this encyclopedia made me want to go back and re-read my Fables trades. 

So I did. 

Highly recommended.

Notes and annotations!! *swoon*

Summary: it's awesome aka I will be getting one ASAP.

List price is $39.99. (Amazon currently has it for $25.29 for the hardcover and the Kindle edition for $22.99).