Peter and Max: A Fables Novel ~Bill Willingham, illustrated by Steve Leialoha

–published 2009
–Vertigo, 400 pages
–4.75/5 stars

For those of you who are not reading the award-winning comic book series, Fables…and you really should be…here is a brief synopsis:

The creatures inhabiting the many familiar, and not-so-familiar, fairy tales are real. Their worlds were taken over by an evil Empire and as many as could fled to our world for Sanctuary, where they now live and slowly but surely plot the retaking of their realms.

Wow, that was a very, very simplistic, and rather boring synopsis of what is a fascinating, rich, deep and engaging world rendered in wonderfully creative ways both by the artists involved and by Bill Willingham’s mastery of storytelling.

In this stand-alone novel set in the Fables universe, Willingham once again uses his mastery of the English language to craft an attention-grabbing, sleep stealing, ‘I-have-got-to-keep-reading’ adventure that not only proves that great fairy tales for adults can be written but that they should be written, and written more often.

Peter and Max tells the story of two brothers of the Piper family, as in Pied Piper. As would be expected from a story about siblings there is rivalry involved. In this case the rivalry arises from an act of love misinterpreted and sets in motion a series of events that leaves a wake of destruction in its path.

I had mentioned previously that this is a stand-alone novel, and it is. You need not have read any of the Fables comics to understand and enjoy this story. Willingham’s introductory chapter provides an overview of the world he has created in the comic series, giving the reader just enough background information to feel firmly grounded as the story commences. This was, for me, the only weak part of the story and I believe that is primarily because I was already familiar with the foundation. While the writing in the rest of the book was quite strong, I felt that the brief opening chapter meandered a bit as Willingham attempted to create a “let’s get everyone up to speed” introduction from a series that has been going on for several years. Please don’t misinterpret that as a major criticism. My quibbles with the first few pages of the book did not mar what was an incredibly satisfying reading experience. I’ll leave it to those who are not familiar with the comic book series to judge whether they felt the opening worked well or not.

Once Peter and Max’s story begins, it is a no-holds barred, surprisingly dark look at family bonds, at the course of jealousy and revenge, and also at love, all set in a world that has a deep feeling of nostalgia because of the reader’s familiarity with fairy tales told to us in our formative years. Bill Willingham crafts a tale that is truly magical in the way it captures the readers attention and demands that pages continue to be turned. The story alternates between characters and alternates between the past and the present. That may sound confusing, but it is not in the least and since past and present colliding plays a large role in this tale, this method of storytelling adds to the depth of the overall experience.

The fables, as reimagined by Bill Willingham, are not the homogenized black and white characters painted by Walt Disney. Instead they are complex characters with good and bad sides, some more one way than the other, to be sure, but few are painted in the kind of box that makes for heavy-handed morality lessons. Instead Bill Willingham does for fables and fairy tales what Neil Gaiman did for folklore, mythology, and lesser known comic book characters with his Sandman series. He has created something with a degree of familiarity that is still unique in its own right.

I was surprised by a great deal of what I found in the pages of Peter and Max. Despite my familiarity with the Fables comic series, Steve Leialoha’s marvelous illustrations combined with the fact that I knew that much of this story was about two children lulled me into an unconscious idea that this would be a much lighter story. Instead it was a very dark tale–dark without succumbing to tawdry writing or gratuitous descriptions of violence. Peter and Max is a very intense story, made all the more so as we see the paths that both characters choose to follow and the consequences of those decisions. This is a story that lends itself to deep analysis as there are layers upon layers of story here. Despite its length, this story flies by. Even so, Willingham deftly weaves a complex tale in the space he is given and leaves the reader both satisfied and wanting more. The story ends, and yet the reader can happily explore other aspects of this world by exploring the depths of material that already exists because of 7 years of monthly comic book output.

This is not a book for young children, but it is a book for those who are still kids at heart yet are looking for something that will also engage their adult sensibilities. It may seem like I have been recommending a lot of books lately, and I am sorry. But this is another one of those that you just have to read. It is that good. If you cannot get to it now, make sure this sits near the top of your Christmas list. And check out Fables while you are at it. Most public libraries are good about stocking graphic novels, thus saving you money but allowing you to explore this hugely entertaining creation of Bill Willingham.

I would be remiss if I didn’t once again mention the artwork of Steve Leialoha. Illustrated books are few and far between and that is a real shame. Leialoha’s unique style is perfectly suited to the story. There are illustrations that begin chapters and others that accompany text within the chapter as well as some full page work and all of it is top-notch work. In addition there is a small epilogue in comic book format that winds up the story.

Thank you Jeff for making sure I didn’t neglect this book, I appreciate the gift!

If you have read and reviewed this book, please feel free to leave a link in the comments and I’ll add it to the end of this post.