I'm Your Fan: Bill Willingham

ABC to Bring DC's "Fables" To Life.

"Fables" is my favorite comic, even if I haven't picked up an issue since moving. I've done a handsell to almost everyone I know over the years. At some point I'll get all the issues I've missed, and probably even shell out for this. I am of two minds on its transition to a screen. On the one hand I really hope it makes Bill Willingham a ton of money and draws more fans and acclaim to his work. On the other hand, I don't think it will be as good as the comic, even if we do have the time to flesh out more of the characters and their daily lives.

Seriously, it's so well done, month after month. Unlike some creators (oh wait, let's not get into the Whedon rant) Willingham gets that devoting himself to something and have a thought out plan leads to consistently good product and happy fans. No, it really is that simple. This is a guy who when he turned out a short story line that really wasn't quite up to his usual standards, apologized and explained why he had to pull his original idea--something in the great comics brainverse lead to someone else having a similar idea that hit the stands first, and he wasn't comfortable publishing his after that. Damn, integrity. And hell, those substitute issues featured Bigby Wolf swanning around undercover in Nazi Germany wearing a white linen suit, so it wasn't all bad.

So yes, sometimes you can say Willingham's pushing his conservative agenda a bit hard. I don't care. This is work with nuance, humor, well-realized characters whose actions are consistent with their growth, expertly plotted (there's little seeds planted in the first 6 issues he picked up on later, and I just was amazed to put it together), that rewards close scrutiny. Do you realize how unusual it is to find that in any fiction? Don't go dismissing it when it happens in graphic fiction. And he does it month after month. Heck, he even did an issue devoted to the questions readers had on the little character things--what's Boy Blue's favorite song, for example--gleaned from their question. And a big sappy wedding issue.

So Bill Willingham--thanks. I'm your fan.

And if the tv series gets that far, I do want to see the fight where Snow says, "No, I am not moving to Kazakstan with 6 babies, only one of whom looks fully human! Are you out of your freakin' mind?"

And ask Wentworth Miller to audition for Bigby--I'm sure he'd like to play a character with a sense of humor, and he needs a job now that Prison Break has been cancelled.