scans_daily | Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday

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In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.

Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.

Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.

The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than me.

"Wizards of the Coast", confirm they will not permit the use of AI art in their products after fan outcry

Star Trek teased/frustrated fans by releasing a clip of the currently homeless "Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 which includes a couple of delightful spoilers.

And it's impossible to mention Star Trek this week without mentioning the extraordinary, delirious episode which was "Subspace Rhapsody"! If you can accept the absurdity of the core concept (and it's a REALLY absurd one, so if you can't, that's understandable), then there was a lot of fun to be had, and some surprisingly powerful moments with Grammy winner (and you can see why) Celia Rose Gooding stealing every scene she was in, though respect to Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romaijn, Christina Chong and Jess Bush for absolutely sterling work! (Personally, I'll probably never be able to hear "Uhura, hail the Klingons!" again without giggling)

In terms of new concepts for animal based horror movies, after "Cocaine Bear", we have a new contender for best title in Slotherhouse!

The second season of Heartstopper came out on Netflix, and there's been some media buzz, though not in a negative way, over one of the characters coming out as asexual.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

From:

stubbleupdate

Last month I received my post-grad diploma in the post and found that I'd been awarded a diploma with a commendation.

Now I think I can probably delete blackboard ultra (and outlook, which I only used for my uni emails) from my phone and realise that the (part time) student lifestyle is over.

From:

icon_uk

Congratulations on the Commendation!

From:

blueprintstyles

Congrats buddy!

From:

mastermahan

Dude! Congratulations!!!

From:

skjam

Commendable!

From:

zachbeacon

That's awesome.

From:

full_metal_ox

Bravissimə! Go indulge in a treat.

From:

informationgeek

My adventures with Fables continues as I reach some interesting arcs that I have many thoughts on...

Fables #36-41: The Homelands

And so, we come to the big arc. We finally go to the lands where the Fables came from, their Homelands. Boy Blue is on a mission to take out the Adversary, find a way to save Pinocchio, and find where the love of his life, Red Riding Hood, is. It’s a tale of adventure, world-building, clashes, and one hell of a big reveal as we find out who are true villain is.

Having won an Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story (the last time the award would be given out), it’s completely easy to understand why. The Homelands is a stellar arc, chronicling the adventures Boy Blue goes on. It’s a good journey as he struggles and uses his wit to beat out foe after foe, interacting with people along the way, and dealing with the shocking revelations that come out of it in the end. He succeeds, but it’s still bittersweet in the end. I think maybe a little more time needed to be spent on his reactions to certain events, but that’s about it.

What truly makes the arc really good is two factors: the expanding on the world and the Adversary themself. We finally get a good look at the Homelands and what it is like under the rule of this empire. We see it through the eyes of its citizens, soldiers, and Boy Blue, making it feel more real and mundane in a way. I love some of the interactions going on, like with the Gob soldiers in the first issue, that help paint the world. Others introduced, even briefly, are memorable in their own ways, like the Snow Queen. I almost wish we saw more of it, but given the tight pacing and focus, the creators wanted to keep the plot moving without it dragging.

Then there is the Adversary. Now, I was actually spoiled on who they were a long time before I even originally read this arc. So, in the back of my mind, I wasn’t sure how it could be possible that somebody like Geppetto of all people could be the big bad. Then, when I finally got to the reveal when I first read it and even now, it all made sense. The way it was expertly crafted, how it came together, progressed so slowly, and grew into this monstrous outcome made perfect sense. It’s so fully realized and yet delivered in such an understated manner that it makes the entire reveal and what is, essentially, an exposition dump so memorable. The final two issues of this arc alone would make this one of the best in the series even if the past issues were nowhere as good.

There was also a brief intermission issue in the middle of this storyline, where we cut back to Fabletown to see what’s happening. And like the rest of the arc, it’s just as engaging. New characters, new reveals and twists, and more that set up for exciting things down the pipeline. Lan Medina drew this one and it's probably their best issue so far. They really nail the expressiveness of the characters, the layouting, and some terrific, striking imagery.

And speaking of artwork, the art team’s work on this storyline was absolutely splendid. Mark Buckingham really is doing some of the best art of his life on this series. It’s such a treat to read this series for just how creative his pages can be to read in how they flow, move, and breathe. He can make settings larger than life and scenes so tense. I love how he is able to switch up his style just enough to give certain areas and scenes a different feeling, like the dragon’s world or the knight battles. Extra props have to be given to Daniel Vozzo who is doing miracles with his colors, enhancing every scenes and mood so well. Geppetto’s flashbacks are treat in that regard.

I have minor quibbles with this arc, but the fact I could probably write an entire essay on the execution of Geppetto’s reveal makes things feel so trivial. This was excellent, one of the best of the series so far. The worldbuilding, characterization, mood, art, and more made this a joy to read and dive into. While it doesn’t hit me in the same way as March of the Wooden Soldiers had done, I love this arc.

Fables #42-45: Arabian Nights (and Days)

After a string of really damn good arcs, we hit upon a bit of a speed bump. In this four part arc, following up on an offhand comment from the Adversary, the Arabian Fables are under attack and have sent Sinbad, his slaves, and advisor to Fabletown to discuss an alliance and potential refugee crisis coming. Due to a bit of cultural shock, Old King Cole steps up to help.

As a whole, the story isn’t particularly bad. It’s a less intense arc from last time with some exceptions, but it’s more about continuing to build the world and its characters. I like expanding into the Arabian Fables, getting an idea of their culture, and how things are going with them. I like where Boy Blue’s story is going and how he is dealing with the fallout from last arc. We see Charming finally unravel from taking the job and some interesting, soap opera drama between him and Beauty. I like the small character moments with Red Riding Hood, Flycatcher, Bufkin, and more. The worldbuilding and use of the D’jinn is excellent. There’s a lot to like here and most of it is executed very well. I like the twists and turns this arc took.

But then there’s the biggie thing about this arc that makes me raise an eyebrow. It’s the depiction of the Arabian Fables themselves, their dialogue, and culture. Now, it’s not like everything is bad or particularly inaccurate to the original stories from what I am aware of. The cultural shock aspect is perfectly fine and understandable, including potential hostilities that may arise from it. Everyone is treated humanely and fairly by the story, not looked down upon for their culture or faith outside of one aspect. It’s not completely bad as one may think.

But there are some things that don’t exactly sit right. The certain phrases and words used by the Arabian Fables feel like buzzwords Middle Eastern villains and stereotypes would use, like infidel and western devils. Yusuf looks like a stereotype. There’s some casual racism and ugliness from some the characters that while isn’t very blatant, is still bad. This is definitely an arc that hasn’t particularly aged in a lot of little details and points. I cannot possibly identify all the issues with it, but the ones that I can see are not great.

Mark Buckingham’s art is still great though. It’s not as visually stunning as the previous arc in changing up its styles or creative with its layouts, but it’s not really needed. This is a more laid back arc taking place in just Fabletown with some exceptions. The characters are still well drawn and expressive, the pages are laid out and flow well, and the more magical aspects depicted are exceptional to look at. One detail that I think really shines is Buckingham’s use of space with borders, filling them with visually fitting imagery for the characters in the scene or the mood. It makes the pages far more fulfilling to read, even if its just essentially dressing.

Arabian Nights (and Days) is an arc that’s iffy to me. Outside of some pacing, I think it’s still an engaging tale that is much like The Mean Seasons. It has a lot of great characterization, moments, world-building, and serves as a good break from the action we’ve had. However, unlike that arc, I feel it has aged poorly in some of its depictions of Middle Easterns and with its casual racism. Not to the degree of some series and stories from this era, but enough to make you pause a few times.

I have now gone through every part of the series I read before long ago. From here on out, I'm in unknown waters. This is gonna be interesting. Next arc I'm reading, I'm taking a quick break from the mainline series to return to Jack of Fables for a mini arc. Then I'll be back for more mini arcs as I approach #50.

From:

deh_tommy

It’s funny, I’m not really the biggest fan of the “xyz but eeeeeeevil” trope, but man did I really like the Adversary. I always thought Fables (Or at least the issues I read) was great at coming up with its own stories that feel right at home with the sort of fairy tales I grew with.

The Arabian Fables made me super uncomfortable, though, and I think Little Boy Blue got around the homelands a bit too easily.

Bringing the crack since December 2003

Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday

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