Hot List: Fables by Bill Willingham

I have discovered a new obsession thanks to Sarah Farmer and Michael Glenn. "Fables" is a comic book by VERTIGO comics (a DC Comics partner), in which the story line is such: Fables that we know (Jack of the tales, Snow White, The Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Little Boy Blue, The Frog Prince, etc.) have been chased out of their fairy tale world into ours by a force known only as "The Adversary". The fables that can pass as human live in a district of NYC called "Fabletown" to those in the know (not us, however...us regular people are called "Mundy's" because we are SO mundane). The fables who cannot pass in the mundy world (The 3 bears, Giants, all of the Kipling fables, the mermaids, the Lilliputians, the Lewis Carroll fables, etc.) live on a farm in upstate NY.
Now this comic is NOT for kids, as much sex, murder, etc. is involved, but it is like an addiction.
Right now, Jack (me in Into the Woods) has just started his own comic book, since he has been banished from Fabletown.
(Such a troublemaker, that Jack.)
This may all sound a bit geeky, but I promise you, once you start, you won't be able to stop. The writing is SO smart, and makes you want to look up all of the fables that you don't know about that you read about.
One of my favorite bits: "Frau Tottenkinder" who we know as "The Black Forrest Witch", or the witch of "Hansel and Gretel" and "Baba Yaga" have a witches duel. We learn that "Frau Tottenkinder", who is clearly the witch from Into the Woods, was also the witch who made the beast from Beauty and the Beast the actual beast, who also made the Frog Prince into a frog, who also stole away Rapunzel, and the list goes on. Needless to say, Baba Yaga is no match for her.
The story is so well written and researched that it hooks you in.
Even if you are not so much a comic book fan, you should check out "Fables".
They are on my "Hot List" of this Spring. Check them out!