SDCC '07: THE FABLES PANEL

[MattBrady]

An exclusive one-page story, a follow-up to 1,001 Nights of Snowfall, and a trip inside a page of Fables were the topics that were discussed at Sunday’s Fables panel at SDCC.

Fables writer and architect Bill Willingham opened it to a capacity crowd Sunday at SDCC and introduced Fables Senior Editor Shelly Bond, who then took the mic as the host for the panel. Bond introduced the panelists: inker Andrew Pepoy, Tony Akins, Steve Leialoha, James Jean, Daniel Vozzo, Todd Klein, Matthew Sturges, Mark Buckingham, and finally, Willingham.

Bond then turned the mic back over to Willingham, who announced that the giveaway at this year’s panel (last year’s was a signed copy of Fables #50) a one page Fables story that would never be reprinted. Willingham then said that was the good news, the bad news was that they based the printing of the giveaway on the number of copies of Fables #50 given away last year, and this year, the room was filled beyond capacity. The writer then urged married couples in attendance to share their copies of the story, promising that if they shared it, their marriage would laugh 63.7% longer, due in large part to the fear of who would get the Fables story in a divorce.

He then promised that if anyone didn’t get a story this year, and make an “I got screwed at the Fables panel last year” t-shirt and wear it to next year’s Fables panel, they would get something special. Willingham asked that the audience stay honest and not make a huge number of shirts just to score free swag next year.

This year’s one page Fables story is a Jack of Fables story, starring Babe the Miniature Blue Ox who will soon be the breakout character in the series. “You’d think that the breakout character would be Jack,” Willingham joked, “But he’s had the book for too damn long, and if he can’t hold on to it, he deserves to lose it.” The numbered story was written by Sturges and illustrated by Willingham.

Willingham then asked all the attendees to look under their seats for an envelope. The audience member who found an envelope won a Bigby Wolf and Snow White statue, designed by Mark Buckingham.

The writer then turned the panel back over to Bond, who said that the plan from here was to walk through a page of Fables, and allow each member of the team to talk about what they did. Bond started with the cover to issue #63, and asked Jean to talk about his process.

Jean said that he starts with a letter-sized sheet of paper for his rough idea, and makes scribbles until something makes sense, and then crafts it down until he likes it. At that point, he sends it to Bond who then approves it, and he then starts on the finishes, which takes 2-3 days.

The discussion then moved through each creative member talking about how they approached their job, from script to finished page.

continued…

Newsarama's Comic-Con International '07 coverage is brought to you by Witchblade – The Anime Series. Available on DVD September 25th. Click here to view trailer.

Moving on from the production, Bond showed the cover to Jack of Fables #13 (a Boland cover showing Jack with a sword stuck through him). “Unfortunately Jack is going to have this sword stuck in him for a while, because it’s fun to harm Jack, and it just gets funnier the more we do it,” Sturges said, noting that the sword will stay in Jack for a while. The story will tie in with Fables Good Prince, with Jack playing the role of the Bad Prince – though the books will not directly cross over.

The next arc will take plane in the American Fable and be called “Americana,” which has been seen only in map form. The series will also have a Halloween issue, something fitting, according to Willingham, given that Fables has a Holiday issue.

Willingham and Sturges then poke briefly about House of Mystery, their new Vertigo series, which is covered elsewhere on Newsarama.

Willingham then opened the floor to questions…

Where there specific questions for the Burning Questions issue that they liked but couldn’t be answered? Willingham: Oh yes – we picked the questions that features stories that weren’t coming up and dealt with things they couldn’t give away, and more often than not, included a good gag.

Will Fables use more recent “fable” type characters? Willingham said that he knows that, according to Buckingham, Peter Pan is becoming available in 2008, and therefore, Peter Pan will become a character in Fables in 2008.

Willingham later added that he briefly considered casting Peter Pan as the Adversary because “he comes to our world and steals kids. This isn’t a good thing. This isn’t a bad thing.” The writer said that he was very happy that they ended up using Geppeto and how that story worked out. “For those of you who aren’t caught up in your reading, I just ruined a big piece of the story for you, sorry.”

In speaking of the “last” Fables story that Willingham has previously said he already knew, the writer said that he, together with Bond and Buckingham, have decided to tell what they were holding as the “last” Fables story sooner – with Willingham admitting that the unrest and apparent drumbeats to war the series is currently building up to

Is there a specific reason why Willingham and company haven’t included gods and larger mythological characters in the stories? Willingham said yes – there’s a very specific reason, and acknowledged that while fairy tales and folklore are often linked to mythology, it’s a line he’s not willing to cross, simply because “mythology has been done to death in comics.

“Not only that, I’m getting old, and I’m getting scared. In case any of that [mythology] is true, and I end up in some weird afterlife, I don’t want to have pissed any of those guys off.

How does Sturges write Jack of Fables as a complete a-hole who’s still likeable? Sturges: “That’s easy, I just base him on Bill.”

Are there plans for a follow up to 1,001 Nights of Snowfall? Willingham said that there is something coming in line with 1,001 Nights, but it won’t be exactly like the acclaimed story collection, and that it will take a while. The project is currently underway, the writer said, with the start of it being written at the Rudyard Kipling House in Vermont, where the Fables team gathered for a writers retreat. The story/script for the unnamed project was physically begun on the same desk that Kipling used when he wrote Jungle Book, Captain’s Courageous and his other classic works. “If I’d known it was going to start at that place, I would’ve made it a Jungle Book-related story, but it’s not,” Willingham said, denying the audience a tease.

The unnamed project will be named and officially announced at next year’s Fables panel at SDCC. In terms of what will be in it, Willingham said that readers have already seen the two main characters, who are not happy with each other in the new story. Each one of the characters has appeared in exactly one panel each of some previous Fables project, Willingham revealed.

Is there one literary character Willingham is dying to put into Fables that he can’t use? “I sure would like to get all of the Narnia characters,” Willingham said, adding that there are tons of characters that have fallen into the public domain as it is, and they have a wealth of material to pull on for the foreseeable future.

Does Fables’s dysfunctional tone come from Willingham’s own outlook on life? “Wow,” Willingham said, vamping for time, “…Snow and Bigby have a happy family…” The writer then pointed out a member of the audience who’s done scholarly works analyzing Fables and pointing out such issues, adding that he’s just telling stories, and the team is just making funnybooks.

In closing, Willingham advised the audience that things happening in Jack of Fables will start connecting with the main Fables series more as the abovementioned storyline begins to gain steam, and suggested that people might want to make sure they’re reading both.

The panelists, in a gracious display, closed the panel by applauding and thanking the audience for their continued readership and support.

[UnderNoMoon]

I can't say I've been a Fables fan, but that giveaway is pretty sweet.

[Kinnon]

One page Fables Story?
Good Grief, the chances of the fans in that room giving up that little gem are slim to none, but I'll be checking ebay tomorrow just in case.
Between the much deserved success at the eisners, and the announcement of what sounds to be another OGN on the way somewhere down the line it sounds like Fables will be a comic cornerstone for years to come and I'm very grateful for it.

The Bolland cover is superb too.

[Michael Hawk]

Bill Willingham's secretly Oprah?

[Barry Strange]

Originally Posted by Michael Hawk

Bill Willingham's secretly Oprah?

No, he just plays her at cons.

[Renonevada2000]

Originally Posted by Kinnon

One page Fables Story?
Good Grief, the chances of the fans in that room giving up that little gem are slim to none, but I'll be checking ebay tomorrow just in case.
Between the much deserved success at the eisners, and the announcement of what sounds to be another OGN on the way somewhere down the line it sounds like Fables will be a comic cornerstone for years to come and I'm very grateful for it.

The Bolland cover is superb too.

Sure would be a tragedy if someone were to scan and post it here...

[von Doom, M.D.]

I wonder how Jack and Fables will crossover, considering that Jack was "never seen in Fabletown again, unto the very end of days." (I've got my copy of Homelands right in front of me )

Of course, the Farm isn't Fabletown...

[eelnats]

fables is one of the best books in comicdom. just pick itup and start reading it. dont worry about what you already missed.its that good

[romerostokes]

Absolute Fables in the future? Nice thought...

[Valis1212]

"their marriage would laugh 63.7% longer" This line and several others made this article kinda weird to follow. Not difficult but odd to read. I can imagine that this was written on the fly while the panel was ongoing but could an editor or the author come back later and fix the typos? It makes for a disjointed read.

[The_Adventurer]

Yay, Fables. 2nd best book on the stands. I really want to read that one page story though, Paul Bunyan and Babe are some of my favorite literary characters, ever. I hope they have a "huge" role in Jack of Fables as the series wears on. Though Paul seems to be written as a whinny bitch at the moment.

[Thephanboy]

fables and jack are two of my favorite books DC puts out every mouth. they have been an enjoyable read and never been a let down since i start with fables back in the teens. keep up the good work

[Twigglet]

I love Fables and Jack of Fables.

An Absolute Fables would be great. Please make it happen DC!

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Willingham... announced that the giveaway at this year’s panel ... a one page Fables story that would never be reprinted.

I've got to admit, I'm actually annoyed at this. I've been a faithful follower of Willingham's work since Elementals, and collected Fables from the get-go. Now, because I couldn't be in San Diego this weekend, there is a Fables story (albeit a short one) which I will likely never get to have a copy of. That sucks. Yes, I'm sure a few copies will turn up on the likes of e-bay, but given the extreme rarity, they'll probably be as expensive as a flight to San Diego would have been.

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally Posted by Stuart

I've got to admit, I'm actually annoyed at this. I've been a faithful follower of Willingham's work since Elementals, and collected Fables from the get-go. Now, because I couldn't be in San Diego this weekend, there is a Fables story (albeit a short one) which I will likely never get to have a copy of. That sucks. Yes, I'm sure a few copies will turn up on the likes of e-bay, but given the extreme rarity, they'll probably be as expensive as a flight to San Diego would have been.

I bet that that Fables story in question will one day be reprinted somewhere, no matter what was said at the panel.

Fables has been my favorite monthly for a while now, just brilliant stuff.

I dropped Jack of Fables as of last week, lost interest in Jack's shennanigans...

[fadesbane]

Originally Posted by grphxkindaguy

I dropped Jack of Fables as of last week, lost interest in Jack's shennanigans...

Me too, I just can't get invested in the story. It's not making me care what happens to him.

Strangely, I do still enjoy FABLES itself.

[Jim]

Originally Posted by von Doom, M.D.

I wonder how Jack and Fables will crossover, considering that Jack was "never seen in Fabletown again, unto the very end of days." (I've got my copy of Homelands right in front of me )

Of course, the Farm isn't Fabletown...

One of the recent issues had... was it the Beast?... going out West to check on Jack.

That, and narrators are notoriously unreliable. Jack could visit via the Witching Cloak (makes you invisible), or some extension of Kay's curse could make everyone blind (Jack might be *heard* in Fabletown, but not seen), or he could go in during an evacuation, or... As seen with the Djinn story, there are always clever ways around proscriptions and predictions and whatnot.

[Kinnon]

...and lo and behold, the page shall appear!
Here's the first kind soul to part with one.
Hope they have good luck with the auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/FABLES-One-Page-Story-SDCC-Con-Exclusive-Vertigo_W0QQitemZ200135955702QQihZ010QQc ategoryZ77QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZV iewItem

[Kelson]

Originally Posted by Jim

One of the recent issues had... was it the Beast?... going out West to check on Jack.

I'm pretty sure this was the lead-in to the Beast's appearance at the end Jack's Hollywood storyline in Fables, which took place over several years and led straight into his solo title. Then the book jumped back to the point where it had left off.

This means that, time-wise, the two series have probably synced up now.

[JillPantozzi]

Fables was actually the first comic I ever read and it's still one of my favorites. I started on Jack. It's got it's moments but his act gets really tiring sometimes. I actually almost dropped it but the store kept giving it to me anyway. And now I'm glad because that damn miniature ox is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Now every time I look foward to his page all by himself, making up his little adventures. I want to keep him in my pocket. I would love them forever if they made little plastic Babes to give out at the NY Comic Con this year or something.