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Fairest (Collected Editions)
Fairest, Volume 4: Of Men and Mice
Cinderella returns in an all-new epic!
After an assassination attempt on Snow White, Cind is called back into service to unravel an age-old conspiracy that dates back to that fateful midnight ball! Can Cind uncover the plot and prevent a massacre in Fabletown?
By critically acclaimed writer Marc Andreyko (Manhunter, Torso, The Lost) and legendary artist Shawn McManus (Cinderella, Swamp Thing), Fairest, Volume 4: Of Men and Mice ties directly into Fables!
Collects issues #21-26.
After an assassination attempt on Snow White, Cind is called back into service to unravel an age-old conspiracy that dates back to that fateful midnight ball! Can Cind uncover the plot and prevent a massacre in Fabletown?
By critically acclaimed writer Marc Andreyko (Manhunter, Torso, The Lost) and legendary artist Shawn McManus (Cinderella, Swamp Thing), Fairest, Volume 4: Of Men and Mice ties directly into Fables!
Collects issues #21-26.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2014
About the author
Marc Andreyko
498 books82 followersMarc Andreyko is a comic book and screenplay writer, best known for writing the 2000s ongoing series Manhunter for DC Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
February 14, 2022
I accidentally spoiled myself on a death that happens in the main Fables storyline, so I stopped and went back to pick up after Fables, Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind. I read Werewolves of the Heartland, then found the spoiler in volume 19 Snow White .
Watch your reading order is all I'm saying, folks.
This one has Cinderella doing more of her spy stuff, this time she has to figure out what's going on with one of the Fairy Godmother's mice-turned-men who has apparently been leaving children of various shapes and sizes all over the world.
The ending with Brandish and Snow White doesn't make a lot of sense until you read volume 19 of Fables. So.
Yeah. This was cute(ish) but not amazing.
Recommended for Fables completionists.
Watch your reading order is all I'm saying, folks.
This one has Cinderella doing more of her spy stuff, this time she has to figure out what's going on with one of the Fairy Godmother's mice-turned-men who has apparently been leaving children of various shapes and sizes all over the world.
The ending with Brandish and Snow White doesn't make a lot of sense until you read volume 19 of Fables. So.
Yeah. This was cute(ish) but not amazing.
Recommended for Fables completionists.
August 17, 2022
Runs parallel to the Camelot storyline
Cinderella gets sent on a new mission when Snow White is attacked by Mousemen. Ties in with some of the subplots running through Fables but feels inconsequential.
Cinderella gets sent on a new mission when Snow White is attacked by Mousemen. Ties in with some of the subplots running through Fables but feels inconsequential.
May 10, 2021
Marc Andreyko picks up a Fairest volume and does an OK story featuring Cinderella with some great surprise guests. Obviously a man that didn't 'get' Fables, this volume has a male saving Cinders now and again, and also nudity. Bill Willingham did a great job making Fables distinct from the super hero tropes and making it entrenched in the worlds of fairy tales, a feat that the likes of Marc Andreyko can't manage? An OK story, especially with how it feeds into the Cinderella mythos; it is also a key part of the final Fables' story. 7 out of 12. 
October 26, 2015
Huge Warning! Do not read this if you haven't read the later volumes of Fables. I made that mistake, and there's a pretty huge spoiler. I had accidentally spoiled myself already on the DC.Wikia website, but that doesn't make it any better. That aside, this was good. Kind of a freaky story. About one of Cinderella's Mice turned Human carriage drivers who becomes acquainted with the pleasures of human woman, with long-lasting consequences.
Cinderella is like a female version of Bond, in ways I don't really like. But overall, I like her lethal abilities and her spycraft. I find it really cool that her helpers are the non-human fables, like the three blind mice. Some aspects of this are pretty dark, but readers of the Fables and Fairest series should not find that surprising.
Good, but not my favorite of this series, and not on the level of Fables.
Cinderella is like a female version of Bond, in ways I don't really like. But overall, I like her lethal abilities and her spycraft. I find it really cool that her helpers are the non-human fables, like the three blind mice. Some aspects of this are pretty dark, but readers of the Fables and Fairest series should not find that surprising.
Good, but not my favorite of this series, and not on the level of Fables.
January 3, 2019
Cinderella liebt Schuhe, Männer und Abenteuer! Als schlagfertige Agentin bekommt sie es mit Attentätern zu tun, halb Mensch, halb Maus. Zum Glück liegt ihr nichts ferner, als schreiend auf den nächstbesten Stuhl zu springen, wenn eine Maus im Zimmer ist (oder auch 100).
Tolle Artwork, coole Story und viele witzige Ideen bescheren enormen Lesespaß!
February 4, 2021
Fairest Vol 4 brings the story of Cinderella to a close (I think).
A group of Rat-men hybrids tries to assassinate Snow White. Snow calls in the services of super-spy- Cinderella. Cinderella has to uncover a plot that may revolve around the Fairy Godmother. I, personally, enjoyed the scene with the Fairy Godmother in the weed shop in Amsterdam. It was amusing.
Cindy must travel trying to find the Fairy Godmother, fight her evil step-sister and unravel the mystery of who is behind this entire enterprise. A fun story and in keeping with the Cinderella stories that have come before. She's a great character and kicks ass.
The artwork? It's ok-while not to the level of some of the other Fable's titles, it's still good. It works well for this story, which is rather on the gory and violent side.
Concluding Cinderella's story as an operative, this finishes a rather good side series in Fairest. But, I always liked the character of super-spy Cinderella.
A group of Rat-men hybrids tries to assassinate Snow White. Snow calls in the services of super-spy- Cinderella. Cinderella has to uncover a plot that may revolve around the Fairy Godmother. I, personally, enjoyed the scene with the Fairy Godmother in the weed shop in Amsterdam. It was amusing.
Cindy must travel trying to find the Fairy Godmother, fight her evil step-sister and unravel the mystery of who is behind this entire enterprise. A fun story and in keeping with the Cinderella stories that have come before. She's a great character and kicks ass.
The artwork? It's ok-while not to the level of some of the other Fable's titles, it's still good. It works well for this story, which is rather on the gory and violent side.
Concluding Cinderella's story as an operative, this finishes a rather good side series in Fairest. But, I always liked the character of super-spy Cinderella.
August 2, 2015
More Cindi is a good thing!
Wow so, two Cindi tales in a row for me and I could not be happier. This is probably the biggest and clearest look and take on the Cinderella story we have seen in Fables and it's an interesting and fun read indeed:
World: McManus' art style fits teh Fables series, it look realistic, but is stylized enough to look a bit like a Disney cartoon, which makes me smile. The framing and the facial expressions should be commended as they bring quite a bit more to the overall look and tone of the world and characters. The world building this time around is quite strong as we finally get a long look at the origins of Cinderella (some side players) and Fairy Godmother. It's a fun world that she inhabits and her history and the other characters are interesting. I really enjoyed the world this time around as the India setting was another great visual change.
Story: Great fun, interesting characters, wonderful pacing. It did lose a star for me as it has gotten a bit into the Fables formula where things of coincidence do happen a bit too often in the book. It's a minor thing and honestly is just me nitpicking but yeah, I like to nitpick. The play on the origins of Cinderella and also some you would have thought minor characters in that story was fun and interesting and kept me very interested. I also was a bit irked by the ending being wrapped up too well into a tight little bow. Although the villain in the shadows and who that person is was good as it sets up for the grand finale that I see Fables heading towards. Fun stuff.
Characters: Cindi is Cindi, she is fully fleshed out, super fun to read. There is not a lot of development for her character in this arc, however a number of characters are introduced this arc mainly Marcus. He's an interesting character and his arc is light but good. I like the cast of characters this book is surrounded by, and as I said this is more about the story than a character piece so the development is minimal. Although it does set up for a big finish with the hidden villain in the shadows which has been going on for a while now.
I liked it, it was not as strong as Fairest in the Land but that's a different and different style of book. So far, the Fairest series has been very strong and given us glimpses of characters which do not usually take the spotlight in the main series. It's a shame that this series is also ending with the main Fables series.
Onward to the next book!
Wow so, two Cindi tales in a row for me and I could not be happier. This is probably the biggest and clearest look and take on the Cinderella story we have seen in Fables and it's an interesting and fun read indeed:
World: McManus' art style fits teh Fables series, it look realistic, but is stylized enough to look a bit like a Disney cartoon, which makes me smile. The framing and the facial expressions should be commended as they bring quite a bit more to the overall look and tone of the world and characters. The world building this time around is quite strong as we finally get a long look at the origins of Cinderella (some side players) and Fairy Godmother. It's a fun world that she inhabits and her history and the other characters are interesting. I really enjoyed the world this time around as the India setting was another great visual change.
Story: Great fun, interesting characters, wonderful pacing. It did lose a star for me as it has gotten a bit into the Fables formula where things of coincidence do happen a bit too often in the book. It's a minor thing and honestly is just me nitpicking but yeah, I like to nitpick. The play on the origins of Cinderella and also some you would have thought minor characters in that story was fun and interesting and kept me very interested. I also was a bit irked by the ending being wrapped up too well into a tight little bow. Although the villain in the shadows and who that person is was good as it sets up for the grand finale that I see Fables heading towards. Fun stuff.
Characters: Cindi is Cindi, she is fully fleshed out, super fun to read. There is not a lot of development for her character in this arc, however a number of characters are introduced this arc mainly Marcus. He's an interesting character and his arc is light but good. I like the cast of characters this book is surrounded by, and as I said this is more about the story than a character piece so the development is minimal. Although it does set up for a big finish with the hidden villain in the shadows which has been going on for a while now.
I liked it, it was not as strong as Fairest in the Land but that's a different and different style of book. So far, the Fairest series has been very strong and given us glimpses of characters which do not usually take the spotlight in the main series. It's a shame that this series is also ending with the main Fables series.
Onward to the next book!
January 16, 2022
I've always enjoyed the stories where Cinderella goes off and serves as a spy/secret agent on behalf of Fabletown, and that's what she does again in this story arc. Unfortunately, this one doesn't have even half the magic as the other stories where Cindy is the protagonist (she doesn't even get her own self-titled miniseries this time around). The basic plot is interesting: one of the mice who was turned into a coachman for Cinderella's big night at the ball escaped and stayed a man/mouse and has, over the years, loved his way through a large swath of the population, leaving behind a veritable army of man/mouse hybrids in his wake. Someone has set these creatures to attacking Cinderella, Snow White, and others. Suspicion falls on Prince Brandish, but could it be someone else's hand at work here? This isn't a particularly inspired story, past the basic foundations of it, and the artwork isn't really up to regular Fables standards, either. It's not terrible, but coming on the heels of much more resonant stories, it's a bit of a let-down.
September 16, 2014
Well this Mundy always enjoys a nice departure from the mundane to dive into the land of Fables. I didn't think this was one of the strongest Fables/Fairest books I've read but I did find it entertaining. The pacing was good and I always enjoy how crude/violent the creators twist these classic children’s fables. My main problem with this is the ending seemed quite rushed and the cliffhanger (if you want to call it that) was really weak.
**thanks Netgalley for the ARC**
**thanks Netgalley for the ARC**
November 7, 2014
This volume is a relatively minor addition to the Fairest graphic novel series. It features Cinderella, who is trying to figure out why strange mouse/human hybrids are attacking Snow White and other Fables. It turns out that the source of these hybrid creatures can be traced to Cinderella’s own origin story, so she’s uniquely qualified to tackle the problem.
The story here is very slight and, sadly, not all that exciting. I didn’t really care very much about the mouse/human hybrids and why they were attacking. There is a bit of material included that relates to the main Fables storyline, but it doesn't advance that story much. The only really interesting element of the story was the glimpse the reader gets into Cinderella’s back story and her relationship with her stepsisters; I wish that had been explored more.
I also didn’t find the style of the artwork very appealing. It has a cartoony feel, and many of the recurring Fables characters were almost unrecognizable to me. (I could only identify Snow White because she was surrounded by her kids.)
This volume isn’t bad, but it really doesn’t contribute much to either the Fairest or the Fables graphic novel series. Unless you are a completist, you might want to skip this one.
An ARC of this graphic novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story here is very slight and, sadly, not all that exciting. I didn’t really care very much about the mouse/human hybrids and why they were attacking. There is a bit of material included that relates to the main Fables storyline, but it doesn't advance that story much. The only really interesting element of the story was the glimpse the reader gets into Cinderella’s back story and her relationship with her stepsisters; I wish that had been explored more.
I also didn’t find the style of the artwork very appealing. It has a cartoony feel, and many of the recurring Fables characters were almost unrecognizable to me. (I could only identify Snow White because she was surrounded by her kids.)
This volume isn’t bad, but it really doesn’t contribute much to either the Fairest or the Fables graphic novel series. Unless you are a completist, you might want to skip this one.
An ARC of this graphic novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2019
The 4th volume of Fairest is much closer to my liking. The story followed on Willingham's footsteps, it tied in nicely with the main story, it had a nice pace and decent art. Up to now, "Of Men and Mice" is personally the best storyline of the fairest series so far, with only 2 books to go.
June 29, 2023
This was actually very enjoyable, and I loved seeing R-rated versions of Cinderella, the three blind mice and other familiar characters. It's a 3 only because the Fables series has many amazing stories, and this wasn't on their level. Still very fun!
October 31, 2014
Fans of Vertigo's on-going comic book series Fables will find a lot to like in this spin-off. Collecting six issues of Fairest centering on Cinderella as a secret agent hot on the trail of a new human-rodent hybrid. Her adventures take her across the entire world, where she has various run-ins with familiar fairy-tale faces.
If you're not familiar with the on-going plot threads from Fables and the first three collections in this series, you may be a bit confused at first. This comic series doesn't follow the old Stan Lee rule of consider every issue to be someone's first issue.
But even not knowing every detail, I was still able to dig in and enjoy some sparkling (at times) dialogue and a good fairy-tale spy thriller. Adding to my enjoyment of this book is a consistent artistic style that allowed me to identify each character from issue to issue with ease. The included single issue covers are also a highlight of the collection, paying homage to the spy novels and thrillers of a by-gone era.
Of Mice and Men reminded me that there are interesting things being done in comic books today and that I'm behind on a lot of it. It encouraged me to seek out other collections within the Fables universe and maybe get caught up a bit before the series winds down early next year. Maybe after reading some of the issues that lead up to it, I will give this one another shot and come away with a greater appreciation for how some of what I read hit fits into the larger narrative unfolding.
But even if I don't, I still enjoyed the art, the story and the characters. A solid collection of six issues -- and you won't turn into a pumpkin if you don't read it before midnight.
If you're not familiar with the on-going plot threads from Fables and the first three collections in this series, you may be a bit confused at first. This comic series doesn't follow the old Stan Lee rule of consider every issue to be someone's first issue.
But even not knowing every detail, I was still able to dig in and enjoy some sparkling (at times) dialogue and a good fairy-tale spy thriller. Adding to my enjoyment of this book is a consistent artistic style that allowed me to identify each character from issue to issue with ease. The included single issue covers are also a highlight of the collection, paying homage to the spy novels and thrillers of a by-gone era.
Of Mice and Men reminded me that there are interesting things being done in comic books today and that I'm behind on a lot of it. It encouraged me to seek out other collections within the Fables universe and maybe get caught up a bit before the series winds down early next year. Maybe after reading some of the issues that lead up to it, I will give this one another shot and come away with a greater appreciation for how some of what I read hit fits into the larger narrative unfolding.
But even if I don't, I still enjoyed the art, the story and the characters. A solid collection of six issues -- and you won't turn into a pumpkin if you don't read it before midnight.
May 3, 2017
I was torn between giving this book 2 or 3 stars. I was really excited for this series, and the first one was perfect - it explained Sleeping Beauty's story well, with the addition of the Snow Queen's story, and I loved it. Unfortunately the series has gone downhill from there, which frustrates me.
I found the story within this volume to be interesting, and while there was nothing wrong with it per se, I wish that more had been focused on Cinderella's own back story. We get the briefest of glimpses in her origin, but nowhere near enough to satisfy us. I thought that the Fairest series was supposed to explore the past of various female characters and give us a better understanding of them without cluttering up the main Fables storyline, but this volume fails to do that. We don't really know much more about Cinderella than before, and I am not a fan of this particular artist given how he does faces. The men have varied faces, but the young women (Snow White, Cinderella, etc) all have the same weird cartoonish face. I've seen this author's work in the Sandman series, and yeah, he keeps drawing women's faces very cartoonishly, and I found it to be a distraction sometimes.
It's hard to not feel bad for Marcel at the end (even though he's not exactly in the running for Father of the Year award) and this book could have been so much more if the storyline had been more concrete and Cinderella's backstory was actually explained, like what they did for Sleeping Beauty. Sigh.
I found the story within this volume to be interesting, and while there was nothing wrong with it per se, I wish that more had been focused on Cinderella's own back story. We get the briefest of glimpses in her origin, but nowhere near enough to satisfy us. I thought that the Fairest series was supposed to explore the past of various female characters and give us a better understanding of them without cluttering up the main Fables storyline, but this volume fails to do that. We don't really know much more about Cinderella than before, and I am not a fan of this particular artist given how he does faces. The men have varied faces, but the young women (Snow White, Cinderella, etc) all have the same weird cartoonish face. I've seen this author's work in the Sandman series, and yeah, he keeps drawing women's faces very cartoonishly, and I found it to be a distraction sometimes.
It's hard to not feel bad for Marcel at the end (even though he's not exactly in the running for Father of the Year award) and this book could have been so much more if the storyline had been more concrete and Cinderella's backstory was actually explained, like what they did for Sleeping Beauty. Sigh.
December 12, 2014
Ugh. This one was just embarrassing. The artwork is awkward, and weirdly bulbous, the story line kind of lame. And worst of all was the dialog. The dialog was so bad that the author himself commented on it lameness with "ugh. Not one my better one-liners" followed by an even worse "Bring. It. On.", which was acknowledged to be even worse. When you find yourself writing about how bad your dialog is, perhaps you should try to write something better. Passing it off as knowing irony is just plain shit. Might as well walk into a room and say "Look at the poo I did on the floor."
Another example, at the end of the first chapter, Cinderella declares that she needs to travel to Ultima Thule and then says "Which is marginally more pleasant than a pap smear." This is the kind of line that only a male writer would put in the mouth of a female character. He's trying hard to be edgy, and knows he should be trying to be feminist, but he's got no clue. I could easily find a couple dozen more crappy lines, but I think I've driven the point home.
Another example, at the end of the first chapter, Cinderella declares that she needs to travel to Ultima Thule and then says "Which is marginally more pleasant than a pap smear." This is the kind of line that only a male writer would put in the mouth of a female character. He's trying hard to be edgy, and knows he should be trying to be feminist, but he's got no clue. I could easily find a couple dozen more crappy lines, but I think I've driven the point home.
November 17, 2015
One of my favorite re-imaginings from the pages of Fables is the character of Cinderella. While the owner of a shoe store (what else?) called "The Glass Slipper" in Fabletown, she is in actuality a Master Spy. Think of a female James Bond with all of the skills in martial arts and weaponry, as well as a predilection for having sex with whatever guy with whom she happens to be working.
In this story, she battles an army of giant rat/mice-men that were spawned by one of her coachman from the original tale. Remember that the coachmen were once mice transformed by the Fairy Godmother? Yeah, one of those mice managed to stay in human form and has lived through the ages and impregnated countless women.
But who is controlling this army of monsters? Cinderella is on the case!
In this story, she battles an army of giant rat/mice-men that were spawned by one of her coachman from the original tale. Remember that the coachmen were once mice transformed by the Fairy Godmother? Yeah, one of those mice managed to stay in human form and has lived through the ages and impregnated countless women.
But who is controlling this army of monsters? Cinderella is on the case!
February 26, 2018
This was probably my favorite volume of Fairest so far. It's basically the third Cinderella limited series as I'm sure if they hadn't published the Fairest series this story would have eventually been published as a Cinderella stand alone.
This one involves the Fairy Godmother, one of the stepsisters, and an amorous rat who was transformed into a human and just couldn't stop breeding. Ramayan shows up as well as a few other Fables and Cinderella is around as well. This story does tie directly into the current Fables storyline so it's not just a throw away. Overall Fairest has been a weak series but this was a high point for sure.
This one involves the Fairy Godmother, one of the stepsisters, and an amorous rat who was transformed into a human and just couldn't stop breeding. Ramayan shows up as well as a few other Fables and Cinderella is around as well. This story does tie directly into the current Fables storyline so it's not just a throw away. Overall Fairest has been a weak series but this was a high point for sure.
January 28, 2015
Fables has told a lot of great stories since the series started, and of those Black Ops Secret Agent Cinderella is probably one of my favourites. This was a quick, fast-paced read that explored some as-yet undiscovered corners of the Fables world, while still telling a fun story along the way.
March 25, 2017
Hmph. This one was better than the first and third volumes in this series because it was actually about a woman ( I know, the bar is reeeeeaally low for a spinoff series about the WOMEN in fables). I do really like issues that focus on Cindy as a spy and those were always favorite plot threads of mine among the general Fables story.
And you know, the story was actually pretty interesting and answered some questions I had when Fables ended. It was good to see Snow, of course, and I liked how Ram was incorporated.
The ugly step-sister thing, though? Really obnoxious storytelling and not interesting at all. Minus a star for that.
And minus another star for the way Cindy was drawn and framed. In her undies, tied to a chair? Looking down her shirt as she confronts a mouse? Come oooooon, you guys. It was so cringey and awkward. Fables has never been any good with how its women are drawn (or treated... or written...), but you'd think if any spinoff treated them well, it would be the spinoff ABOUT WOMEN. Ugh.
And you know, the story was actually pretty interesting and answered some questions I had when Fables ended. It was good to see Snow, of course, and I liked how Ram was incorporated.
The ugly step-sister thing, though? Really obnoxious storytelling and not interesting at all. Minus a star for that.
And minus another star for the way Cindy was drawn and framed. In her undies, tied to a chair? Looking down her shirt as she confronts a mouse? Come oooooon, you guys. It was so cringey and awkward. Fables has never been any good with how its women are drawn (or treated... or written...), but you'd think if any spinoff treated them well, it would be the spinoff ABOUT WOMEN. Ugh.
Read
April 13, 2024Cinderella chases down one of her mouse coachmen who remained a man, as well as her fairy godmother. The premise of this one is pretty gross, but also on brand for Fables. Nothing particularly deep or emotional in this installment, so it mostly feels like hijinks. It's further setting up Leigh as the villain, and boy do I have thoughts about her villain arc being that she hates pretty people because she was fat.
March 1, 2019
So many rats and plans within plans.
December 14, 2022
Una historia paralela con Cenicienta que está bastante relacionada con la historia principal de Fabulas, creo que enlaza tras la historia de Camelot.
February 16, 2015
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
After a series of attacks by mice-men Cinderella is called in to investigate, after all her fable is full of mice. Cinderella pursues the Fairy Godmother who created the original mice-men only to get tangled up with some of the Indian Fables who have also met up with these mice-men. Who's really behind the attacks? And how will it affect the oncoming war between Snow and Rose Red?
I really enjoyed this volume of Fairest, it was definitely a lot better than the previous volume. The story was really interesting, and tied in well with what's happened in the most recent Fables. I loved the art, all the issues about Cinderella always have awesome art. It was a bit weird to have a Fairest entirely about Cinderella considering she had her own series before, but it fit well. This volume really just fits well into the whole of the Fables-verse and makes a good transition between Fairest and Fables.
The plot in this arc is really great. The assassin rats were really interesting, as was their backstory. I think it was interesting to get the insight into Cinderella's backstory a little more as well. The movement of the story was easy to follow and really enjoyable, mixing flashbacks and ongoing events together smoothly.
This is another volume where there are lots of old characters being brought back into the game. The 3 Blind Mice, Fairy Godmother, and some of the other characters haven't been heard from in a while, so it's great to see them reintroduced as the series winds down.
I loved the art. As I said the issues of Fairest and Cinderella featuring Cinderella always have great art. The artists that work on this series always do awesome stuff with Cinderella and I really love it. The cover was a little disappointing to me compared to the last volume. The individual issues have great covers except really for the one used for the volume cover which is just bland. I think the character design in this was also pretty cool, especially Cinderella's stepsister.
I really enjoyed this volume of the always awesome series Fairest. Check out Fairest, Fables, Cinderella, and all the other Fables-verse content. It's great!
After a series of attacks by mice-men Cinderella is called in to investigate, after all her fable is full of mice. Cinderella pursues the Fairy Godmother who created the original mice-men only to get tangled up with some of the Indian Fables who have also met up with these mice-men. Who's really behind the attacks? And how will it affect the oncoming war between Snow and Rose Red?
I really enjoyed this volume of Fairest, it was definitely a lot better than the previous volume. The story was really interesting, and tied in well with what's happened in the most recent Fables. I loved the art, all the issues about Cinderella always have awesome art. It was a bit weird to have a Fairest entirely about Cinderella considering she had her own series before, but it fit well. This volume really just fits well into the whole of the Fables-verse and makes a good transition between Fairest and Fables.
The plot in this arc is really great. The assassin rats were really interesting, as was their backstory. I think it was interesting to get the insight into Cinderella's backstory a little more as well. The movement of the story was easy to follow and really enjoyable, mixing flashbacks and ongoing events together smoothly.
This is another volume where there are lots of old characters being brought back into the game. The 3 Blind Mice, Fairy Godmother, and some of the other characters haven't been heard from in a while, so it's great to see them reintroduced as the series winds down.
I loved the art. As I said the issues of Fairest and Cinderella featuring Cinderella always have great art. The artists that work on this series always do awesome stuff with Cinderella and I really love it. The cover was a little disappointing to me compared to the last volume. The individual issues have great covers except really for the one used for the volume cover which is just bland. I think the character design in this was also pretty cool, especially Cinderella's stepsister.
I really enjoyed this volume of the always awesome series Fairest. Check out Fairest, Fables, Cinderella, and all the other Fables-verse content. It's great!
March 1, 2016
I’m new to the “Fairest” titles, despite this being Volume 4. I have, however, read a number of issues of Fables, to which this series is connected. Based on this book…I am hooked!
Perhaps it was precisely because I haven’t read any of the previous issues, but I really enjoyed the mystery of what was happening…trying to keep up with an ongoing story-line was part of the fun.
This story features a sleuth-style Cinderella trying to solve a mystery that is centuries old. From an attack on Snow White, to an escaped Fairy Godmother, and friends and foes from times past, ‘Cind’ has her hands full as she globe-trots trying to put the mystery (and a few men) to bed.
A delightful side story is the effects of Fairy Godmother’s changing mice into men, and how one of the coachmen/mouse makes the choice to stay human and enjoy human sexual encounters.
There also seemed to be a good deal of cross-over to Fables, which I rather liked, and it didn’t seem dependent upon having read the other series to get the current story.
The artwork was generally a little more ‘cartoony’ than I prefer in my graphic novels, and certainly much more cartoony than what I’ve seen in Fables, but I felt it worked well here. Everything about this book declares it a light, fantastic-fun read, to keep the general reader interested in the Fairest/Fables universe.
Was I enlightened or moved by the mystery? No. But I had fun here in this Fairest world, and sometimes ‘fun’ is ignored or over-looked. Because I had fun, I’m looking forward to visiting this series again.
Looking for a good book? Fairest, Volume 4: Of Mice and Men is a delightful, adventurous venture in to the Fables-style world, with many cross-over characters, but on a not-quite-so-intense level.
Perhaps it was precisely because I haven’t read any of the previous issues, but I really enjoyed the mystery of what was happening…trying to keep up with an ongoing story-line was part of the fun.
This story features a sleuth-style Cinderella trying to solve a mystery that is centuries old. From an attack on Snow White, to an escaped Fairy Godmother, and friends and foes from times past, ‘Cind’ has her hands full as she globe-trots trying to put the mystery (and a few men) to bed.
A delightful side story is the effects of Fairy Godmother’s changing mice into men, and how one of the coachmen/mouse makes the choice to stay human and enjoy human sexual encounters.
There also seemed to be a good deal of cross-over to Fables, which I rather liked, and it didn’t seem dependent upon having read the other series to get the current story.
The artwork was generally a little more ‘cartoony’ than I prefer in my graphic novels, and certainly much more cartoony than what I’ve seen in Fables, but I felt it worked well here. Everything about this book declares it a light, fantastic-fun read, to keep the general reader interested in the Fairest/Fables universe.
Was I enlightened or moved by the mystery? No. But I had fun here in this Fairest world, and sometimes ‘fun’ is ignored or over-looked. Because I had fun, I’m looking forward to visiting this series again.
Looking for a good book? Fairest, Volume 4: Of Mice and Men is a delightful, adventurous venture in to the Fables-style world, with many cross-over characters, but on a not-quite-so-intense level.
May 31, 2015
I liked the focus and smaller story of this volume. The main series has gotten so big, the reader has to switch gears every 3 or 4 pages, which has come to frustrate me greatly. I had time to settle into the story with this.
I still think these folks reeeeally like to dress Cinderella up in sexy lingerie and see her fight, which is rather silly. The scene toward the beginning had me harumphing and rolling my eyes.
But I liked what they did in creating a plot based on what happened in the aftermath of the Cinderella story to the mice and rats. One of the ugly step-sisters even makes an appearance.
Considering my recent cranky reviews, one might wonder why I keep reading books in the Fables series and its spin-offs. I guess this is the reason I keep reading them. Because sometimes there's still a good story, and I wouldn't want to miss out.
I still think these folks reeeeally like to dress Cinderella up in sexy lingerie and see her fight, which is rather silly. The scene toward the beginning had me harumphing and rolling my eyes.
But I liked what they did in creating a plot based on what happened in the aftermath of the Cinderella story to the mice and rats. One of the ugly step-sisters even makes an appearance.
Considering my recent cranky reviews, one might wonder why I keep reading books in the Fables series and its spin-offs. I guess this is the reason I keep reading them. Because sometimes there's still a good story, and I wouldn't want to miss out.
August 19, 2018
"And if there's one thing I hate more than trolls, it's indentured servitude. Just ask my stepmother."
Now, THIS is more like it. This story connects Cinderella, THE Fairy Godmother, Crispin (the Shoemaker from 'The Elves & the Shoemaker'), some trolls, King Valemon (the polar bear king from Norwegian fairy tales), Ramayan (the blue-skinned hero from an India epic), the Three Blind Mice and Snow White (along with some other Fables staples).
Someone makes an assassination attempt on Snow White and who better to call back into service than Fabletown's best spy, Cinderella? This one was much more like the first volume of the series in that it was creative, tied a bunch of unexpected characters together and it was fun to read.
It also actually focuses on the female characters we already knew from Fables, which shouldn't ever have been an issue (I'm looking at you, Volume 3).
Now, THIS is more like it. This story connects Cinderella, THE Fairy Godmother, Crispin (the Shoemaker from 'The Elves & the Shoemaker'), some trolls, King Valemon (the polar bear king from Norwegian fairy tales), Ramayan (the blue-skinned hero from an India epic), the Three Blind Mice and Snow White (along with some other Fables staples).
Someone makes an assassination attempt on Snow White and who better to call back into service than Fabletown's best spy, Cinderella? This one was much more like the first volume of the series in that it was creative, tied a bunch of unexpected characters together and it was fun to read.
It also actually focuses on the female characters we already knew from Fables, which shouldn't ever have been an issue (I'm looking at you, Volume 3).
October 26, 2014
This was a good installment and I always love Cinderella and her general badassery, but with two spin-offs and the graphic novel Fairest: In All the Land all dedicated to her did we really need a story arch of Fairest that's all Cinderella? I'm not going to call it a waste, cause it was good and it was relevant to to story and to the story in Fables, but we don't have long before this series is over and I can think of other characters I would have liked to learn more about.
Still, four stars because there were giant mice, a former mouse who loved the ladies, and stepsisters who really really hate each other.
Still, four stars because there were giant mice, a former mouse who loved the ladies, and stepsisters who really really hate each other.
August 19, 2015
This book suffers from bad villain syndrome. The actual antagonists throughout the book aren't bad (the various litters of a magic mouse man), but the string-puller doesn't really seem to have any motivation for the actions of the book. The overall impact is that it seems pretty pointless of an overall story - people try to kill Cinderella and Snow White, because... reasons. Cinderella runs around, meets some interesting people and gets thrust in a number of action sequences, all of which are enjoyable, but it just doesn't really go anywhere, and she never really feels like she's in danger. It's not a bad story, but it doesn't quite have that Fables feel.
February 1, 2015
Not quite the same in style as the previous Cinderella stories, but close enough: Andreyko does a good job of telling a high-adventure story with lots of mice added. And there's some nice backstory on Cinderella too. My only complaint is that two-thirds of the way through the book, the plotline starts linking up with Fables in a way that undermines the plot development here. I like that it increases the importance of this story, but I felt suddenly lost, like the story had been derailed.
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