From “Fables: Cubs in Toyland†At No. 1 on the graphic books paperback best-seller list this week is Volume 18 of “Fables,†by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham. “Fables,†published by DC Comics, is about storybook characters (from Cinderella to Pinocchio) making their way in the modern world. The ongoing series reaches issue No. 125 this month with an adventure about the Big Bad Wolf, who is learning to drive, and Snow White. In the world of “Fables,†the Wolf and Snow are married and have had children, two of whom take center stage in this volume, titled “Cubs in Toyland.†It’s difficult to say too much without spoiling the story, but their daughter Therese goes off on a adventure that has some dire consequences. It starts out as a trip to an island of misfit toys, but the playthings have a very sad secret.
On Wednesday, “Invincible,†published by Image Comics, reached issue No. 100. This is remarkable for a couple of reasons. The writer of the series is Robert Kirkman, whose series “The Walking Dead†has become a cultural phenomenon. “Invincible,†about Mark Grayson, a young hero finding his footing in the world, has not received as much attention. Getting to issue No. 100 is also quite an accomplishment these days, especially when comic companies have taken to restarting long-running series at issue No. 1 in an attempt to increase sales or pick up new readers. In preparation for reading Volume 17 of the collected edition, which came out last month, I did a marathon rereading of the series. (I do this every so often to decide whether I’m buying a series because of inertia or enjoyment.) The series, illustrated by Ryan Ottley, remains welcome in ! my collection. I enjoy the balance between Mark’s home life and his superhero adventures, particularly his current struggle with how to best serve and protect his world.
As always, the complete best-seller lists can be found here, along with an explanation of how they were assembled.
