The Other Guy Who Learned the 12 Dancing Princesses' Secret (Comic)

From a comic by Sam aka Charmingly Antiquated

We found this in our web wanderings focused on Twelve Dancing Princesses (the tale of the month for the next Australian Fairy Tale Society Member Exclusive Ezine), and had to share this short but wonderfully different comic, telling the story of the princesses who danced their shoes to pieces and one boy who found out their secret..

From 'Sam' the artist, aka charmingly antiquated:

In the original fairy tale, the princesses drug a whole lot of hopeful would-be princes, fully aware they’ll be executed in the morning. and then they dance all night, every night, so hard they shred their shoes. that’s…always unsettled me a bit. the princesses might not be actively malicious, but they’re not really kind, either, and they’re definitely not human.  

What always surprised me the most, though, is the guy who sees these casually murderous dance machines and goes ‘i wanna marry one’ instead of ‘f- this sh*t i’m out’. so this is the comic about that other guy.

And we will never see the tale the same way again. Sleep tight! (Except for those who will be dancing all night...)

Article: Alternate Fairy Tales for Grimm Fans in 'The Girl Who Married a Lion: And Other Tales from Africa'

This recommended collection of African fairy tales, published in 2004, is by the New York Times best selling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mystery series. The TV series adaptation is worth a look too - wonderfully shot and acted. The way the stories are presented, both in the book and on film, it's no surprise to find a collection of tales coming from the same author. Clearly one influenced the other and, although the mystery series is not an adaptation of fairy or folktales (along the lines of Once Upon A Time or NBCs Grimm) it's a wonderful study of how fairy tales, with their ability to cross genre lines often and easily, can be inspiration for other genre styles and methods of storytelling.


But we digress.

This short article by Carrie Puckette, Staff Writer for The Clarion is wonderfully succinct and an enticing introduction to this different collection of fairy tales. These ones aren't as well known as Grimm's and Perrault's but they're just as wonderful to share with families and great alternate storytelling material. We'd love to see some of these adapted for film or theater in the same way Grimm's have been.

Being such a short piece, we're sharing a large part of it.

If you like fairy tales, but you’re bored with the Brothers Grimm, you can find a new variety of fairy tales from another culture in “The Girl Who Married a Lion: And Other Tales from Africa.” 

The book is a collection of originally oral stories from Zimbabwe and Botswana as arranged by Zimbabwean author Alexander McCall Smith. 

Appropriate for all ages, this 200-page collection contains a wide range of stories, including animal stories, mystical encounters, and moral parables.
Some of the stories within include “Guinea Fowl Child,” “A Bad Way to Treat Friends,” “Sister of Bones,” “Milk Bird,” and of course, “The Girl Who Married a Lion,” and many more, depending on what type of fairy tale you like. 

You can read the rest of the short article HERE.

Thanks to NPR, you can read a preview of a few of the stories HERE.

There's also an audiobook version available to hear with a free trial HERE, which sound worth the effort, with authentic narrators and a full cast.

Fairy Tale Bonus of the Day:

An artist named Kel McDonald, created a comic version of the title story in 2013, which is worth sharing. 

Enjoy.

You can find this and many others of McDonald's comic creations HERE.

"The One Hundred Nights of Hero" - A New Graphic Novel in the Tradition of Arabian Nights

In the tradition of The Arabian Nights, a beautifully illustrated tapestry of folk tales and myths about the secret legacy of female storytellers in an imagined medieval world.

What are the Thing trees, indeed. Are you intrigued? I am!

This new graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg, was released in the UK on September 1st (you can find it HERE) and will be released in the US on December 6th (pre-orders available through Amazon).

Here's the rest of the blurb:

In the Empire of Migdal Bavel, Cherry is married to Jerome, a wicked man who makes a diabolical wager with his friend Manfred: if Manfred can seduce Cherry in one hundred nights, he can have his castle--and Cherry. 

But what Jerome doesn't know is that Cherry is in love with her maid Hero. The two women hatch a plan: Hero, a member of the League of Secret Story Tellers, will distract Manfred by regaling him with a mesmerizing tale each night for 100 nights, keeping him at bay. Those tales are beautifully depicted here, touching on themes of love and betrayal and loyalty and madness. 

As intricate and richly imagined as the works of Chris Ware, and leavened with a dry wit that rivals Kate Beaton's in Hark! A Vagrant, Isabel Greenberg's One Hundred Nights of Hero will capture readers' hearts and minds, taking them through a magical medieval world.

I don't know a lot about it, except to say that I'm definitely curious, and this writer and illustrator has a habit of wowing critics so this one's on my "to watch for" list. It helps that The Guardian has a brief but lovely write up too. Here's an excerpt from the review:

Hero tells stories to distract (Manfred, her husband's friend), taking in dark swamps, floating greenhouses, cursed daughters and a harp that sings of murder. Danger lurks within these tales and after each dangling cliffhanger, but Hero weaves a web that has soon snared the suitor, the sentries and most of the townsfolk. Greenberg’s artwork is whimsical, and her plots reference countless fables. 

Greenberg has generously previewed quite a few pages  and scenes, on both her Twitter feed, Tumblr and Instagram (often using them as commentary on her excitement and nervousness about the upcoming release, which work so very well) so I've assembled, what appears to be the beginning (or very near the beginning) of the story. Take a look.

 

Page45 (yes, that's the name of the comic book news site) has a more extensive review, which I'm including an excerpt of, since it mentions all those things that we love: plot twists, folk and fairy tales and the power of story:

Will handmaiden Hero similarly succeed in saving the virtue of her beloved mistress Cherry from the predatory advances of her husband’s lascivious and quite ridiculous best mate? Whom her husband’s encouraged for the sake of a bet and proving a point! Hero’s certainly won over the guards with her carefully chosen and craftily spun yarns, but where has the one hundred and first night gone?
The answers will prove elevating. I even anticipate an air punch or two.
This is a book about stories and storytelling; of sisterhood and story spreading...
...What Greenberg has done here with the Scheherazade scenario – which elements she has incorporated and how she’s repositioned them – is ever so clever and makes for much mockery of man-pride.

Yes. We definitely want to read this.

To give you more of an idea of Greenberg's style in comics and storytelling you can read her graphic short story The River of Lost Souls, for free, online HERE. It will especially appeal if you also enjoy myth and begins with a forgotten coin on the banks of the river Styx...

Fairy tale bonus of the day:

I admit I was torn as to whether to make this one it's own post as I'm just as thrilled about this illustrated story as a new Scheherazade-based graphic novel! 

Isabel Greenberg and award winning author Zoe Gilbert, (whose short stories are often inspired by folk tales and folklore), were asked by Microsoft (stay with me) to "project test" the new suite of tools in Office 2016, designed to make online collaboration easier. They had just two weeks to create, from scratch, a completely new illustrated story and the result is The Mud-witch. (Yes those are webbed hands you see there!)

I initially forgot to embed the video, (sorry!) showing the collaboration and creation of words and images. It's fascinating, just from a story-creation point of view, plus, you know, folklore!

(Did your ears perk up? Mine did and it was worth the dive into the PDF available online HERE - if you can't see it embedded below - to read and view it.)

Goodbye "Fables" :'( Thank You For All the Fairy Tales

Today is the very final release of the last installment of Bill Willingham's Fables and it's a very special finale, made with care, love and, in true Willingham-form, a few surprises:

On Wednesday, July 22, “Fables” will take a bow with its 150th issue, which is a full-sized, 178-page graphic novel (that doubles as the series 22nd volume). Titled “Farewell”, the graphic novel will wrap up the story Willingham and Buckingham have been telling alongside a deep roster of other talented creators like Steve Leialoha and Andrew Pepoy for over a decade. (source)

An Open Letter of Thanks to Bill Willingham

Dear Mr. Willingham,

A huge and heartfelt thank you for being a wonderful writer, researcher and advocate for fairy tales and folklore in general, and for persisting with this world and these characters for so long. It seems so short now... 

You've been an inspiration to so very many, and people are really only just beginning to understand some of the innovative work, writing and art you (and your Fables teams) have done. 

We can't thank you enough.

We also thank you for introducing us to Mark Buckingham, James Jean and a host of other talented people, who now have a special place in our hearts for treating the Fables characters with such care and excellence.

We hope the yet-to-solidify Fables film does your work justice and inspires a whole new generation of fans, bringing good things back to you as well. We also look forward to seeing your work studied in Universities around the world.

And we can't wait to see what you do with fairy tales next!

Best wishes, with grateful thanks.

Sincerely,        

Your Fairy Tale Friends & Fans

 Once Upon A Blog... Fairy Tale News

Tomorrow is the Beginning of (the 10 Chapter long) Happily Ever After for Willingham's "Fables"

Issue 141 - 1st of the Happily Ever After finale chapters. Cover by Nimit Malavia

Issue 141 of Fables is the last big turning point in Willingham's popular comic series, marking the beginning of The End (for real!) for the long-running, critically acclaimed, fairy-tales-like-you've-never-seen comic-cult favorite.

In true classic storybook-ending style, this story ends as it begins, with the sisterhood conflict of Snow White and Rose Red - but turned up to 11.

“HAPPILY EVER AFTER!” part 1. Good knight vs. bad knight. King Arthur vs. Morgan le Fay. Rose Red vs. Snow White. The two sisters are caught up in the roles Camelot has set for them, and now they’re ready for battle. Plus, don’t miss the backup story illustrated by P. Craig Russell!

I admit I'm not caught up yet, having yet to navigate my way through the various crossovers etc but I've kept a general eye on things and have been following the Fairest spin-off, which also culminates at Issue 150.

Note: Issue 150 will be 150 PAGES LONG! I'm kind of looking forward to that actually. Since it has to finish, I have fairly high hopes that this will finish well and Willingham will pull out all his stops to add the notes from his fairy tale research that he hasn't yet been able to use. *fingers crossed* And I'd like an annotated version of the comics with reference to all the research too please... (No I did not happen upon a genie and am making outrageous wishes, I'm just choosing to be extremely optimistic!)

This seem like a pretty significant point in time for alternate fairy tale pop-culture influence so I'm going to do what I can to personally follow the final ten issues. It's unlikely I will comment on them until the finale is said and done, if then. It's just one of those events that should be marked by people watching the influence of fairy tales in pop-culture (and vice versa).

A little bit from Willingham on the finale arc (note Flycatcher is "The Frog King" for those a little hazy on the many, many denizens of Fabletown. He's also a fan favorite, and included on my short list too):

"I'm not saying that everyone dies and everything's horrible. But as the story plays out, it becomes clear that that's it. The story comes to an end."

Some characters in Willingham's expansive Fables cast will have their final curtain calls in the main story line — others star in short backup stories in the last run of issues, beginning with Flycatcher in No. 141, and then moving to Sinbad, Cinderella, Prince Charming and others.

There will also be some skipping around in time, Willingham says. "The final story of Flycatcher for example takes place at some undisclosed time in the future, but apparently he's had time to have kids between now and then."

The article mentions how Willingham made good use of a Fables forum to keep track of all the questions of character fates, unresolved plot-lines and other fan puzzlers (smart!) and will be dealing with a lot of those danglers in the final arc as well. Hopefully that will be satisfying story-wise without being too "i" dotting and "t" crossing.

You can read much more about The End HERE (though it might seem a little confusing if you're not a decent way into the series).

I read vague possibilities of Fables one-off "specials" in between the lines of Bill Willingham's admission that it's not as easy to let go as he originally anticipated.

"Just doing this last story line," he says, "these pesky characters keep suggesting, well, if you've done this then here's something nice, or here's something that could happen to this character down the road."

Oh - and don't forget: the movie is still actively in development. Things are still looking very good for a Fables film.

Interview With A Leg! I mean "The Leg". (Actually it's the creator of "The Leg", aka Van Jensen, which is still pretty awesome.)

By now you should have heard, from many places, all about this curious-and-awesome Mexican folklore based graphic novel of The Leg: The Remarkable Reappearance of Santa Anna’s Disembodied Limb. 

If you missed my post from a week ago (when a special Kickstarter was launched on Cinco de Mayo to get it printed), you can catch up HERE. If nothing else, be sure to check out the trailer. It is made of awesome! (Folkloric treasure trove!)

Creator and word wrangler, Van Jensen, whom you will know from his amazing three volumes of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer!, kindly found time to answer a bunch of questions on folktales and more (we even talked spaghetti) and allowed us a closer look into the story and the folklore that's woven through The Leg.

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Hi Van! Thank you so much for agreeing to let us behind the curtain a little and scratch your brain about your latest project. What with Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer! getting a new multi-volume release, a new graphic novel and a Kickstarter that's jumping along in leaps and bounds (huzzah!) among regular work and other projects you have brewing, we know you're a busy man! 

Van Jensen at work

So first of all, your hero is possibly the most unusual hero ever written. How on earth were you inspired to give life to an amputated limb?
This all goes back to a Mexican History class I took as an undergrad, and the professor randomly mentioned the anecdote of Santa Anna losing his leg in the Pastry War and then giving it a full military funeral. Later, the people exhumed the leg to protest Santa Anna. I have no idea why, but that story struck me as fascinating, and I kept thinking about it for years. At some point, it morphed into this question: What if the leg was still alive? What would it do? Where would it be? 

Santa Anna's wooden leg, Illinois

So, this is a true(ish?) legend that you've given additional (zombie-like) life to. I need to know: have you been to Springfield, Illinois to see the real Leg? (And how 'ish" is this LEG-end anyway?)
As far as I know, that fake leg is the real deal. There's been a lot of fascination over the years with Santa Anna's fake leg, especially in Texas given the Alamo connection, and then the King of the Hill episode. I haven't seen the leg in Springfield, but perhaps a road trip is in order! 

So this wasn't just the Van way to get on the zombie train?
It's funny, but I never thought of this as a zombie story. I don't know why, but it just didn't dawn on me. Maybe it was my subconscious! 

What is it about Mexican lore and folklore that fascinates you? 

Starting with that class I took, it was really the realization that, despite the nearness of Mexico, I knew very little of its history. And it has a fascinating, bizarre, violent history, complete with a wealth of folklore and fairy tales. Some of the folklore especially has a lot of European influence, but even then, these familiar stories have a new spin on them. And then there are crazy native legends, like the story of the Witch Wife.  

I worked a lot of that into this book, but there's so much more that I wanted to include but couldn't.  

Your hero has an unusual sidekick (ahem) for a spaghetti Western with a folkloric twist: a little girl named Ana. Can you tell us about her? How did she come to be, why is she so important and why does she get so attached to this leg?
Ana is a young girl who was separated from her parents and is stuck in an orphanage. She believes she's destined for greatness, because her lineage traces back to Santa Anna. But what she doesn't realize is that Santa Anna was famously promiscuous, and so her connection to him is a source of dishonor, if anything. Then she discovers the Leg, and they help each other as they strive to reach Mexico City and save the president from assassins. 

Ana is a voice of innocence, and it is through her that we see the Leg's personality emerge. She humanizes him, allowing him to connect with a literal part of his legacy. There's also a kind of Calvin and Hobbes aspect to their relationship, which was just a lot of fun to write. 

We're told the Leg has to save Mexico; a tall order for anyone, let alone a lone leg with nothing but a boot and a kid to help him! What is the Leg's greatest threat? (Other than centuries of toe cheese?)
Ha! Well, as the story begins, the Leg discovers that there is a plot to kill the president of Mexico, and he takes it upon himself to save the day. Along the way, there are some major threats he'll have to face. But at its core, this is a story of discovery, and the Leg learns that his greatest enemy is himself. Santa Anna was renowned for his ego, and the Leg must overcome that part of himself to win the day. 

The story is full of references to legends and tales and I was continually delighted to discover what you'd woven in, in each chapter. Without wanting to spoil any surprises, can you tell us what have been your favorite folkloric elements that you've woven into the narrative? 
The lost tribe of northwest Mexico were a lot of fun. There's this legend of shape shifters living atop a mountain, and I HAD to include them. There's also some witchcraft, and the details of the spell came from an actual Mexican healing spell I tracked down. 

Are there legends, superstitions, tales or creatures you still wish you'd been able to work into the story? (Do tell!)
Oh, yeah, tons! I actively avoided La Llorona, although it is a really cool story, it's just overly common. The first draft of the script included the Pedro Urdemales trickster character, but I had to cut that to save space. It's a really fun legend though. 

If you could have one aspect of 'Other' from The Leg be real for a whole day, what would it be?
The talking crow would be fun to have hanging around. I always imagined that crows had a lot to say, although maybe I'd regret it. 

Are there any things you included in the way of "folkloric Easter eggs" that readers who know their legends and tales should keep their eyes peeled for? (eg I'm thinking of a particular house-on-one-leg design myself and I noticed an eagle that keeps appearing. Is this a reference to the Mexican fairy tale The Greenish Bird?)
The house-on-a-leg for sure! The eagle is a reference to Santa Anna mostly--that was his nickname. There are some teases throughout as to the identity of the crow, which ultimately is revealed. There are a few other references, especially ones worked in by Jose into the art. One that's kept pretty subtle is the Judas statue, which references a pretty weird piece of Mexican tradition of detonating statues of Judas. 

How did you get yourself in "the Mexican mood" to write this (Art? Music? Tequila? Continuous re-runs of Once Upon A Time in Mexico?) and were their references or resources you kept close?
I'm such a boring writer. I don't listen to music or drink. Pretty much, I just lock myself in a room and get to work. But I did read a lot about Mexican history and folklore. There are a ton of great books, but I remember Judas at the Jockey Club as being one of the best. It's been eight years since I wrote this story, so my memory is a little foggy! 

Fast forward to finding the perfect artist for The Leg in Jose Pimienta: how did you find him and how did you pitch your story? (And how did you decide how far to take the design to make the boot emote without turning it into a version of the Hogwarts Sorting Hat?)
It was at Comic-Con in 2011. A friend introduced us, and Jose was looking for something to draw. I didn't have anything, but then I told him about The Leg on a whim. At that point, I'd given up on ever publishing it because it was so weird. But Jose really perked up, and he told me that he grew up in Mexico, and he wanted to read the script. So I sent it to him, and he responded right away asking to illustrate it. The whole thing seemed kismet, so I readily agreed. 

Jose did an amazing job with the book. It's so incredibly hard to get emotion out of a boot, but he nailed it. I can't say enough about him. He's been a dream to work with, and I'm thrilled to finally share his art with everyone. 

So, let's do a quick check on what people can expect from your graphic novel: 

- Sentient zombie leg?  Check. 

- Ghosts?  Check (we see one in the first chapter, which you can preview HERE) 

- Walking skeletons?  Check. 

- Magic?  Check. 

- WItches/bruja?  Check. 

- Frida references?  And Diego! 

- "Santas"? (Not the belly full of jelly guy, Saints)  Check. 

- Spaghetti?  Yep. 

- How about gunfights?  Lots! 

- Nuns?  Indeed. 

- Puns?  Of course! 

- Chupacabras?  Hmm. Sort of.  

Do you think we'll be seeing more of the world and characters from The Leg in future stories?
There's certainly room to do more with it. Part of that depends on how the Kickstarter campaign does. It's a project that I almost certainly will never make money on, but I do love the book and the characters. And I love working with Jose. If people want to see more, they can help by supporting the Kickstarter and helping spread the word! 

With the graphic novel complete but not yet published, you currently have a Kickstarter campaign to get it printed and into our grubby hands as you and Jose originally envisioned. With 21 days to go (as of May 13) and almost 75% (of $10 000 needed) funded to date, how has it been for you both to see the response?
It's been totally overwhelming. This is an overtly non-commercial book, but the response has been very strong. I think that says a lot about the quality of the art, and that there are readers out there who want intensely weird stuff. Which works for me, because that's what I like to write! 

I was thrilled to hear about the stretch-goal of creating a Spanish-language version of The Leg. Can you tell us more about that (or tease us with some other stretch goal ideas you have bubbling)?
If we hit $15,000, we'll give a free Spanish-language PDF to all backers who pledge at least at the $8 level. We really want to get to that point, so all support in getting the word out helps! Beyond that, we plan to do some upgrades at higher levels, potentially doing a hardcover instead of paperback. And there are some artists who would love to contribute pin-up pages, so that's something that we'll offer. 

Are you up for a rapid-fire word-showdown?Let's do it!

Would you rather: 

Talking animal or a talking object?Animal. 

Flying carpet or broom?Carpet. I'm scared of heights, and a broom doesn't seem very secure! 

Have a corpse bride or bruja wife?Bruja? Yikes. 

Giants or trolls?Giants. 

Face La Llorona or El CuCuy?CuCuy. At least it's pure evil. 

Bet on The Leg or Pinocchio VS in a showdown?Clearly, they would only team up against undead monsters. But if they had to fight, I bet the Leg would kick butt. 

And lastly, because we're dying to know:What are the most creative leg pun/s to date that have tickled your funny bone?
I love ALL leg puns. The more the merrier! Someone the other day asked me if I'd considered calling it "The Leg of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Just delightfully terrible.

Thanks so much Van! We wish you every success and not only hope you meet your initial goal but stretch it far enough to get the Spanish edition made as well!

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Here's the lowdown: You rarely see such a great combination of storytelling and images, let alone one that includes folklore, legend and history. It's also entertaining as heck, not to mention very juicy fodder for folklore and fairy tale people. There aren't many graphic novels that can keep my attention beginning to end in one sitting but I became completely absorbed in reading The Leg. The layout, art and excellent use of words flows very much like an oral storytelling and the story itself is everything it promises to be. Spring boarded from recorded history it has that unique Mexican mix of politics and art, gunslingers and family, religion and superstition all coexisting in a harsh landscape. At the same time, the fact that it's chock-full of Mexican folklore and legend references and tales, and all without seeming cramped, is a complete delight. An excellent introduction to Mexican folklore and more for ages 15(ish)+, via a fantastic (in both senses of the word) story. Apart from the fact that I can't yet put it on a bookshelf (c'mon Kickstarter funders!) I can't think of a reason I wouldn't recommend it.

         Here's who we can blame, er credit, for this strange-awesomeness.

Words: Van Jensen, co-creator of PINOCCHIO, VAMPIRE SLAYER  (Top Shelf Productions) and writer of GREEN LANTERN CORPS and THE FLASH (DC Comics). Van is also an award-winning journalist based in Atlanta. This is his first self-published work. Follow him on Twitter.

Art: Jose Pimienta, a native of Mexico and the co-creator of A FRIENDLY GAME and an artist on several successful Kickstarter-funded comics anthologies. Follow him on Twitter. 

Colors & Letters: Matthew Petz, artist of the webcomic WAR OF THE WOODS and colorist of several comics and graphic novels. Follow him on Twitter. 

Design: J. Chris Campbell, maestro of WIDE AWAKE PRESS.

Please do go check out Van & Jose's KICKSTARTER HERE and consider helping put some fantastic (& fun - and gorgeously illustrated) Mexican folklore into people's hands. 

"The Leg": The New Mexican Folklore Inspired Graphic Novel with A Kick! (& Happy Cinco de Mayo!)

From the brilliant (some might say twisted) mind of Van Jensen, creator of "Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer!", comes:

"The Leg: The Remarkable Reappearance of Santa Anna’s Disembodied Limb"

And, get this, today Mr. Jensen launched a Kickstarter (I know!) to help take this (really wow - seriously, it's amazing) completed graphic novel from a limited-edition-of-one, to print for us all.

You did know there's this thing about disembodied legs in Mexican folklore and legend, right? And this is where the weird fun begins!

Note: Before you go any further I have to warn you: read a little and you are drawn in. At this point, I am totally hooked on this story! (I need more!*headdesk*) Woven in among the colorful and forbidding landscapes of both setting and story, you'll find a sentient disembodied leg, desert shamans, a giant, a wizard, a little girl (named Ana... one 'n'), possibly magical birds, vengeful skeletons, a lot of grit, a lot of humor, a bruja, tales upon tales and so much more...

Once upon a time in Mexico—more specifically, in the 1880s during the Pastry War—President Santa Anna lost his left leg when it was struck by French cannon fire. Santa Anna gave his missing limb a full military funeral (true story!). But when the Mexican people rebelled against Santa Anna (because he did insanely vain things like giving his limb a military funeral) and threw him out of office, protesters exhumed his leg, dragged it through the streets and cast it aside (also a true story!). It hasn’t been seen again…until now! 

Our story is set in 1938, when the Leg has reappeared, clad in a tall leather boot. When the Leg learns of a new threat against Mexico, it embarks on an epic journey across the country, battling with villains both modern and magical in its quest to save the country and redeem Santa Anna’s tarnished legacy. 

Will the Leg succeed in its quest? The answer lies inside THE LEG: The Remarkable Reappearance of Santa Anna's Disembodied Limb.

From Bleeding Cool (because they do a great job of nailing the flavor of this work in just a couple of sentences):

The Leg features the disembodied leg of Santa Anna adventuring through 1930s Mexico. It’s a weird pastiche of fairy tales, Spaghetti Westerns and Mexican history featuring art by Jose Pimienta, who grew up in Mexico.

1938 Mexico, a century after Santa Anna lost his left leg in battle against French invaders. Now, mysteriously, the Leg has returned, and it discovers a new threat against its beloved country. As the Leg ventures across Mexico, it will encounter the strangest elements of Mexican folklore and history, and it will come face to face with its own turbulent legacy. A pastiche of Robert Rodriguez’ Mexico trilogy and the surrealist paintings of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, THE LEG is an intensely original spin on the Spaghetti Western genre.

Launching today on Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that marks Mexico’s military triumph over France, the book is completely completed and money is being raised to cover the print bill.

Here's the Kickstarter video (which is also one of the most pleasing book trailers I have seen in ages):

I was exceptionally pleased to discover that one of the stretch goals for this Kickstarter include a Spanish Language edition of the graphic novel, which I feel is only right, and very important to help make happen.

The story, helped by the beautiful visuals, feels very Mexican with an amazing blend of political strife and grasping for power alongside a stubbornly surviving people, whose common sense and religious beliefs live side by side with their abounding superstitions and (possibly real) legends.

Inspired by random bits of folklore uttered by a professor in a Mexican history class, and ultimately illustrated by acclaimed artist and Mexican native, Jose Pimienta, The Leg shows a deep love of Latino culture, a fascination of the 'Other' and betrays a writer infused by tales and wonder.

Once Upon A Blog will be interviewing Mr. Jensen later this week to find out more about the mind and method behind The Leg, but today is launch day and besides, you need a little Mexico-folkloric in your life on Cinco de Mayo, don't you?

Start by checking out the first chapter - in full glorious color - of The Leg, which you can download directly from HERE then please consider helping the Kickstarter along, because the ultimate question we have to know is: will The Leg save Mexico?

Cinderella Super Spy Heads Up the Next Fairest Series "Of Men and Mice" & She Gets a Hardcover Too

Shawn McManus for Fairest Issue #22

If you have been even half-following the Fables news you will be aware that Cinderella is both super spy and Fables super-star, getting her own stand-alone volumes of secret super spy adventures so, being one of Fabletown's most popular ladies, it's no surprise she's getting her own series of issues in the Fairest spin-off as well.

Unlike the Fables comics, the Fairest series is a little more "fantastic", with more magical elements, so I'm curious to see what they do with the Bond girl (who is just as much "Bond" as "girl") of the fairy tale world, especially considering they're revisiting Cindy's original ball. Check the comic panels below for views of the fairy godmother activating Cindy's ride. (I'm guessing this section in the story is pre-recruitment into the intelligence community so... interesting!)

Here's one of the coolest things about the news. The title of the series is: Of Men and Mice (if you don't understand my happy face at this, read on...)

Here's the scoop from NY ComicCon, along with excerpts from an interview from newsarama:

During the Vertigo panel at this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, DC shared new art from the storyline, which kicks off in December with an assassination attempt on Snow White that ties into Cind's origin story at the midnight ball. She investigates in a world-spanning story that takes her from the world of the mundane to the Homelands. 

Nrama: Why do you think Cinderella has become such a fan-favorite character?
Andreyko: She's James Bond as a woman! Her tough-as-nails attitude and ability to do anything that must be done to succeed in her mission is something we rarely see in female characters.
Nrama: It looks like Cindi is returning to the scene of the fairytale ball, where she first met Prince Charming. How did the idea to return to that part of the character's history come about?
Andreyko: Well, the storyline has ties to that fateful night, so a look back, especially at things we haven't seen, is required, and fun.
Nrama: How does the story kick off? This assassination attempt — is it chronicled inFairest? Or is it something that happens in Fables? Anything you can tease about the set-up for the story?
Andreyko: This storyline dovetails into the next big Fables arc and has ramifications for all of Fabletown… beginning with the assassination attempt on one Snow White.
Nrama: Can you reveal anything about the meaning behind the title of this Fairest storyline, "Of Men and Mice?"
Andreyko: Mice play an important role in Cind's past, but what happened after the clock struck midnight?

(You can read the rest of the interview HERE.)

Plus we're going to see a new Fable, from Asia and he/she is blue...

All I can think of are genies right this second but I know they've been covered quite a bit in the Fables series already... AND the first Fairest issues featured a blue imp-like genie too.. hmm. Must brush up on the Asian folklore!

This Issue #22 of Fairest hits stores early in December.

Also recently announced was this special stand alone graphic novel (presented like 1001 Nights of Snowfall) and it, too, stars Cinderella, and is due to be available in late November in hardcover (a limited release to be certain, just like 1001 Nights Of Snowfall was.)

Apparently Fairest Issue #21 is a prequel to the hardcover, Fairest In All The Land (and likely Of Men and Mice as well) and is a self contained story (meaning it can be read out of sequence/by itself) starring Goldilocks. Curiouser and curiouser.. or is that just right? ;)

FAIREST: IN ALL THE LAND is a murder mystery as told by the Magic Mirror—starring Cinderella and featuring many fan favorite characters such as Snow White, Rose Red, Bigby Wolf, Briar Rose, Frau Totenkinder, Goldilocks and many more.