Buying Fables Comic Books: To Wait or Not?
Hey,
So I just recently finished Episode 1 of Telltale's The Wolf Among Us, which I enjoyed tremendously, and got very interested in the whole world of Fables. I really loved the original take on the characters from all the fable stories and how they were reinterpreted in such a mature and gritty setting which I never expected this game to represent (to be honest I didn't know what to expect from this new game series).
Anyhow, naturally after beating the Faith episode I got hungry sinking myself into more of this newly discovered franchise, so I figured that I would start reading the comic books. However, I noticed that this particular game is a prequel and takes place before the events to the comic books. And herein lies my dilemma:
Should I wait til I finished the game (and wait for the rest of the episodes to come out) before I start reading the comic books and avoid any possible "spoilers" which would ruin the game experience for me, or do you think it's OK to simply dive myself into enjoying the comics right away?
Thanks in advance, and sorry if a similar thread already exists, couldn't find an answer to my question.
Comments
If you care about spoilers then wait. I'm actually a little unhappy with the events of the first episode because of my prior knowledge. It's hard to explain it without giving any spoilers so I won't try, on the off chance I inadvertently give something away.
You're probably better of staying clear of these forums too. A lot of potential spoilers are posted by comic readers without any kind of spoiler tag. I think it would be better if there were two sections. One that allowed comic spoilers and another that didn't.
dont listen to nofacej, feel free to buy and read the comics - you wont spoil your interest. atleast i were just like you, didnt know about fables universe untill TWAU, now i've read all 134 issues. happy as hyppo and regret nothing
I think that if you're unsure, it's probably best to err on the side of caution and wait.
Don't listen to me? I told him not to read them if he wants to avoid spoilers. I don't know how you can possibly argue that your new knowledge of characters and events in the comics hasn't significantly altered your expectations and interpretations of characters and events in the game.
I have no idea where you got the idea I thought reading the comics would spoil his interest. I do think it will lessen the experience for him though. There are uncertainties that game-only players will have about many characters that we comic-readers simply do not have. In this kind of title I think half the fun is the mystery/suspense.
Seriously - go buy the comics tomorrow. They're really good, and you're missing out (in general) if you don't read them.
I'm pretty familiar with the comics - and episode 1 had a couple moments that surprised me.
If anything, you'll get a large dump of world-building information - especially about people & things that get mentioned in passing. There are a lot of winks and nods. If you're familiar, you'll understand more of the jokes.
Whether the games are considered "canonical" or not - I think you should still consider the games and the comics as alternate timelines - same people, but different situations, events and outcomes.
EDIT: if you finished episode 1 and start reading the comics, you'll notice a couple impossible things. Theoretically, these will get resolved in the game eventually. But generally, run with the alternative-timeline theory, and you'll be happy.
So... was that all vague enough to be non-spoilery?
Oh, it certainly was vague enough for me.
Considering that Bill Willingham seems to consider The Wold Among Us to be canon with his timeline, I've decided to wait until I've completely finished the game, so not to spoil my experience with any future events concerning the game and the comics as well. I did however order 10 issues of Fables through comixology beforehand, since it is only a matter of time until I read them.
Thanks for the input guys!
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Just read 1001 Nights of Snowfall which won't spoil what happens. Prequel of everything is always good.
I went and bought a bunch of the books after playing first episode and I'm loving them. Don't regret reading them before finishing the series at all. Think it's only going to make me appreciate the series more
Talking about 1001 Nights of Snowfall, I read it last night, straight after the 'Mean Seasons' story arc. I personally found this a perfect place to read 1001 Nights, as there could be considered a few other spoilers in that from before that in the series. Nothing too major though, but it felt like the right place to read it in the series
You're still being rude.
i am sorry, okay? just wanted to say there is nothing you could be afraid of in comics, like spoilers i mean. at least judging by episode 1. and IF you have opportunity to read real good thing, wouldnt you do that?
Yes, there is in fact a spoiler. Not about the killer, but about a certain quality of very popular Fables. Spoilers aren't just about the over-all plot, but the impact events have on the reader/player.
I'm waiting.
I'd been a fan of the Walking Dead comics for a few years and it's what made me decide to try out the Telltale game. Of course, the game was great and it's made a Telltale fan out of me. When I learned they were doing another episodic role-playing game in a different setting it was a no-brainer to try it out. Now I'm interested in the Fables comic so I guess the circle's complete, but since I've already started the Wolf Among Us I might as well wait so it's not spoiled for me. The comic'll still be there.
Just start the series, TWAU is going to take months to wrap up. Why deprive yourself of a great series until then?
What Charming said. Knowing the series will also increase your knowledge of the mechanics of the Fable world, enabling you to understand more of whats going on amongst the characters which will only assist your Bigby's detective skills. The 'Lips are sealed' Faith reference will be perfectly recognizable, and the absurdity of Bigby being the killer that other posts claim will be dispelled. but the possibility of him being framed is another matter.
That quality is said at the very beginning of the game. It would be a spoiler for anyone who did not reach Bigby's apartment. Impact of events in the game to a reader would only be shock at the end of episode 1. Impact of events in the comic to a player is none except becoming a better detective. Hence are there spoilers outside plot? No.
Like TheAdversary said it definitely assists everyone that at least read some of the comics. It does improve Bigby's detective skills while playing. The suspect list ends up with only two big answers for Snow and knowing Snows reaction for one who could lead to one of the big answers. The 'These lips are sealed' Faith and the mirror say will be more recognizable, as well as why Bigby feels he met Faith before and Snow White saying that Faith looks familiar.
I'd disagree that it outright SPOILS the mystery to read the books. On the contrary, it opens up a whole NEW range of questions for people who've read them.
I'd rather not go further into the game knowing who's going to make it out alive, for example. It's not as if there's a dearth of great material out there and I'll be sitting around doing nothing until the game's done.
Who knows? Maybe I'll wind up caving and reading them before all the episodes are out.
The last episode will come out around June next year.
Yup, seems about right.
It says they are hard to kill, not immortal. It is, in fact, possible to kill a Fable. That's why they are calling it a murder. In fact, Prince Lawrence can die in this episode depending on your choices. They make no mention of how a Fables' renown affects them, Thus, it's perfectly reasonable for someone to conclude that Snow has been murdered. The shock of that scene, and the way it's done in slo-motion makes it obvious that it is meant to be shocking, could be greatly lessened if you know that Snow is alive and well 20 years later. It's kinda hard to feel shock over a character you know won't die, no matter what it looks like.
Hence, are there spoilers outside of the plot? Yes. Yes there are. I can state this quite confidently, since that's what happened to me. I played the game, then read the first few issues. That completely ruined any suspense or shock over a beheaded Snow.
It creates another mystery for players/readers after the initial shock. Hence it reveals what will happen in the game but not how. One of the options to tell Colin is 'I was hungry', that reveals immortality.