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Title: Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #3
Publisher: Vertigo
Writer: Chris Roberson
Artist: Shawn McManus
Cover: Chrissie Zullo

“Super-spy Cinderella and her uneasy ally Aladdin are hot on the trail of the shadowy figures who are smuggling black market magics into the mundane world, and the search leads them from the hot sands of Dubai to the cold waters of the North Atlantic. Meanwhile, back in Fabletown, Crispin Cordwainer’s new shoe designs are a big hit – maybe a little too big!”

Welcome one and all. Your glorious goofballs, Andy Liegl and Decapitated Dan, sat down and read Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #3 this week for another Dandy Review! Here is what they thought of it…

Preface:

Andy: Let me begin by saying that Fables is one of my favorite titles currently being published and Cinderella is quite possibly the most likable character in the series. She’s witty, hot, and could kick your ass with her pinkie finger. I’ve been really digging this mini-series as the first two issues had plenty of action and an adventurous story to back it up. I have high expectations for the 3rd installment of the series!

Dan: That’s great Andy. Now let me point out that the only Cinderella I know of starred in a movie where mice danced and sang, all while making a dress. I have never read an issue of Fables and know nothing of this character. So here is to hoping that this issue will be all Andy cracks it up to be.

Analysis:

Andy: Well, I definitely think it delivered. The story by Chris Roberson feels like it fits right in with the rest of the Fables mythos; you can’t even tell that Fables creator, Bill Willingham, didn’t pen this series. The rhetoric between Cinderella and Aladdin plays out like a sketch comedy, only both of them retain their edge and badassness throughout. In a scene where the two special agents are hanging around waiting for their plan to materialize in a lofty boat suite, Aladdin offers Cinderella a glass of wine to which she replies, “Aladdin, I’m shocked. I thought wine and spirits were Satan’s handiwork.” Point Cindy! As expected, their conversation quickly goes from jovial posturing to a heated discussion on religious fundamentalism, which provides an interesting look into the psyches of both characters. Later on though, our femme fatale comes to the conclusion that she and Aladdin have more in common than she initially thought…

Cindy’s mission of discovering the source of the Black Market Magics making their way into the Mundy (or “Mundane” world) is revealed in this issue, and all I’ll say about it is if you’ve read Fables vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days), the revelation is even more enjoyable!

Dan: Wow! What more can I add? As a person who has never read a single issue of Fables or any other related books, I was entertained. I thought that the dialogue was witty and kept my interest. The only thing that let me down was no recap on what has already taken place, but I was able to kind of pick up the gist of it all. Like Andy, I enjoyed the jabs that Cinderella and Aladdin threw back and forth at one another, but I didn’t find there to be too much more that was really appealing in this issue. I liked the kind of short with Rapunzel, but I wouldn’t grab another issue to see where it goes.

Andy: Glad to hear you enjoyed  it even though you had never been exposed to the Fables “universe” before, Dan! Yeah, I see your point about a recap being useful, but those are rarely present in the main series, so I can accept one being absent here. The side story with Rapunzel purchasing running shoes (quite literally) from Cindy’s shop also tickled my funny bone. What did you think about the art?

Dan: I dug the art style. I have seen the work before in House of Mystery. I like the fact that the colors are more simple yet the characters are still full of life. In some areas, sure it could be more spot on, but when you look at the whole it works very well. The cover shines above the rest though. I would want to look at this book just based on the cover. Which is a given for any Vertigo book there is. All around good looking stuff with this one. Now we can listen to Andy tell us how in love with Cinderella he is.

Andy: Agreed. Shawn McManus’ style strongly compliments that of Mark Buckingham, the penciler of the regular Fables series, and the cover by Chrissie Zullo does indeed pop out on the shelf, paying homage to the works of James Jean. Oh, and I’d totally change Cindy’s slippers for her any day! Mmmmm…

Er, so what’s your final word on this issue Dan?

Dan: You’re a dirty comic loving hippy, but that aside I liked this issue. It was good enough to hold my attention from start to finish. The art was solid and the dialogue was quirky. So overall I think I am going to give this a solid 7/10. Now, I want to mention that this issue alone did not intrigue me enough to ever read another Fables universe story, but I did enjoy it. What about you buddy?

Andy: I give it an 8/10. The reason this issue didn’t get a perfect score from me was because it was the mid-point of the series and lacked action. While it’s cool that you enjoyed the issue Dan, it’s unfortunate that this wasn’t enough to rope you in for the long run. I think this mini has been great so far and would strongly encourage you to give issues #1 and #2 a read before coming to a definite conclusion about skipping out on everything else Fables. The ongoing series is one of my favorites currently being published and shouldn’t be missed! …Oh, and Dan: ‘f’ the Saints this weekend.

What did you think about Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #3?

Decapitated Dan
decapitateddan@comicattack.net

Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net