If you haven’t already read Bill Willingham’s magnum opus, do yourself a favour and dig into it. Fables is a story where all the characters from your favourite fairy tales are live in the modern world and are not terribly pleased about it. It’s Vertigo’s second longest running series (behind Hellblazer), and deservedly so – it’s got a rich cast, clever plotting and dialogue, and an apparently bottomless well to draw inspiration from. And after nearly a decade of working on the title, it still feels like Willingham is just getting started.
The Fables Timeline started out pretty straightforward, but every new spinoff creates additional complications. Of course, fans like me wouldn’t have it any other way.
- Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
- Original collection (October 2006). This collection was released between volumes 7 and 8 of the main series, but consists entirely of prequels to it. However, nearly every volume of the series contains callbacks to it, so it can be read at nearly any point and still enjoyed.
Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile- Reprints Fables #1-5 (July 2002 – November 2002). Also contains an original prose story that occurs between the main action of the book and 1001 Nights of Snowfall.
- Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm
- Reprints Fables #6-10 (December 2002 – April 2003).
- Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love
- Reprints Fables #11-18 (May 2003 – December 2003).
- Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers
- Reprints Fables #19-21 (January 2004 – March 2004), #23-27 (May 2004 – September 2004) and Fables: The Last Castle (2003).
- Fables Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons
- Reprints Fables #22 (April 2004) and #28-33 (October 2004 – March 2005).
- Fables Vol. 6: Homelands
- Reprints Fables #34-41 (April 2005 – November 2005).
- Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days)
- Reprints Fables #42-47 (December 2005 – May 2006).
- Fables Vol. 8: Wolves
- Reprints Fables #48-51 (June 2006 – September 2006).
- Fables Vol. 9: Sons of Empire
- Reprints Fables #52-59 (October 2006 – May 2007).
- Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince
- Reprints Fables #60-69 (June 2007 – March 2008).
- Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape
- Reprints Jack of Fables #1-5 (September 2006 – January 2007).
- Jack of Fables Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts
- Reprints Jack of Fables #6-11 (February 2007 – July 2007).
- Jack of Fables Vol. 3: The Bad Prince
- Reprints Jack of Fables #12-16 (August 2007 – December 2007). NB: despite their publication dates, all three of these Jack of Fables collections occur during The Good Prince – subsequent Jack of Fables volumes line up more smoothly with the main Fables title
- Fables Vol. 11: War and Pieces
- Reprints Fables #70-75 (April 2008 – September 2008).
- Peter & Max: A Fables Novel
- An original prose novel (October 2009), but still set in the same continuity. Although mostly set earlier than the events of War and Pieces, this is best read after for the events of its epilogue.
- Jack of Fables Vol. 4: Americana
- Reprints Jack of Fables #17-21 (January 2008 – May 2008).
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love- Reprints Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1-6 (January 2010 – June 2010). Although published later, this story logically must occur between War and Pieces and The Dark Ages based on internal references.
- Jack of Fables Vol. 5: Turning Pages
- Reprints Jack of Fables #22-27 (June 2008 – December 2008).
- Jack of Fables Vol. 6: The Big Book of War
- Reprints Jack of Fables #28-32 (January 2009 – May 2009).
- Fables Vol. 12: The Dark Ages
- Reprints Fables #76-82 (November 2008 – May 2009).
- The conclusions of these last two volumes both lead into The Great Fables Crossover.
- Fables Vol. 13: The Great Fables Crossover
- Reprints Fables #83-85, Jack of Fables #33-35 and The Literals #1-3 (all June 2009 – August 2009).
- Jack of Fables Vol. 7: The New Adventures of Jack and Jack
- Reprints Jack of Fables #36-40 (September 2009 – January 2010).
- Fables Vol. 14: Witches
- Reprints Fables #86-93 (September 2009 – April 2010).
Jack of Fables, vol. 8: The Fulminate Blade- Reprints Jack of Fables #41-45 (February 2010 – June 2010).
- Jack of Fables, vol. 9: The End
- Reprints Jack of Fables #46-50 (August 2010 – April 2011).
This volume is difficult to place in continuity, as it is set several years – though not a specified number of years – after the preceding one. It may yet have its position in this timeline adjusted as more information comes to light.
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