| Title | : | Jack of Fables, Vol. 4: Americana |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1401219799 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401219796 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published December 16, 2008 |
Collecting: Jack of Fables 17-21
Jack of Fables, Vol. 4: Americana Reviews
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Jack (of the beanstalk, of Jack & Jill, of little Jack Horner etc.... he got around!) and his merry crew go seeking treasure in Americana, not knowing that. that not only are other people (antagonists?) heading there, but also a new nemesis awaits them all. Away from the main Literal story line this book struggles to be of interest to me, even Babe's comedic interludes are already wearing thin. 5.5 out of 12.
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Jack and his crew head to Americana in search of gold. Americana is a wonderful addition to the fables mythos that hadn't been explored to date. It's based on American myths, not only those like Paul Bunyon and Tom Sawyer but more general ones like Gangsterland and Antebellum along with the villain of this piece, the Book Burner. I thought this was delightful fun with very good art from Russ Braun.
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Jack of Fables is still on his comic hunt for money. This time he has patched together, poorly, Humpty Dumpty and goes out on a treasure hunt to Americana. This was an interesting issue as it deals with predominantly American myths. Jack's road is fraught with peril and humor. While not up to the caliber of the original series, this spin off is a more comedic series. The artwork is pretty good as well. While nothing great, it is a fun addition to the Jack of Fables series.
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These Jack of Fables collections are really getting tired.
I greatly enjoy the other Fables books, so I always expect to enjoy these books filled with similar characters and adventures. However, many of the male characters in this series are crass and sexist. The stories aren't that good either, kind of meandering and not fleshed out.
I feel like the other Fables series is meant for adults and this series is meant for 14 year-old boys. I have nothing against 14 year-old boys, but I'm not one, so maybe it makes sense that we like different things.
In any case, I don't think I am going to bother reading any more books in this series.
Oh, but hey, the zombie townspeople, especially the cops, in this book are rather funny. I like the way they talk: "Hey! We are surrounding you at this time," and "Become arrested, please!" It's kind of sad when zombie talk is the strongest aspect of a piece of art. -
In the fourth installment we get to see Jack in the fabled America, a mix of different historical eras all over the land. There's a nice play with the Three Page Sisters, some more info about Literals & Fables, a good spread of Old American Legends and, of course, the hunt for gold.
ARTWORK: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING: B; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus; LITERAL/FABLE FOCUS: B to B plus; WHEN READ: December 2011; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus. -
I was so disappointed in this volume after loving the third volume. The story didn't grip me and Jack for the first time genuinely annoyed me. I just don't think I liked the theme of this one. Hopefully by the time I get to the fifth volume things will get better but for now it's back to the original storyline with the other Fable characters that I have missed.
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![[Name Redacted]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1347082397i/287915._UY200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
Huh. I hate to say this, but the series is growing on me. This chapter focused on the relationships between the characters, but also on the world of "Americana" where the Fables of American literature, tall-tales and history have apparently lived in relative peace (no signs of the Adversary's influence), and Jack's smarmy sneakiness is kept to a minimum. This volume contained a number of interesting revelations (some of which I saw coming from the first volume, and some of which came out of the blue), but also a single continuity error/retcon which proved jarring.
Americana, incidentally is fascinating because it contains a number of co-existent anachronisms, like the Prohibition-era realm of Gangsterland, the musical-riddled Big City, the Wild West pastiche known as "Lone Star", and the Antebellum-South-era realm of...well, Antebellum. Also interesting is the way in which both Canada and Mexico/Central America are depicted through the lenses of American myth and self-reference -- the "Great White North" and the unnamed Mexico/Central America realms both exist as part of Americana because they are part of the way Americans have understood their neighboring nations and their own place in the world. They exist, not as representations of Canadian or Mexican/Central American self-perceptions, but rather as embodiments of various American stereotypes (for instance, the southern lands are filled with lost cities and gold, while the northern lands are filled with hockey, snow, bigfoot and excruciatingly nice people). I thought that was an inspired choice on the part of Willingham. -
This series has never been great, but this volume was just a shocking mess. I stopped caring about half way through, but I did make it to the end. I guess that means that the Fables crossover that's coming up is going to be a mess too as it seems like it's mostly stemming from the story lines in Jack.
The literal zombies are the best thing about this collection, but they're not even explained. Just thrown in there randomly while something that was potentially a good idea (Americana) goes absolutely no where because it's just so terribly written. I don't even have the energy to write properly about all the bad things in this series because this volume totally drained me.
I shall suffer onwards, because I'm still actually mostly enjoying the main Fables story so it seems I'll need to read these. And then, once I've got to past vol 6 and read the crossover, I'll feel obliged to finish the final three volumes; at least they're fairly short and quick to read. -
Really liked this one. Fun and fast-paced and I liked how they introduced a new American Fable land and also that we got some more information about Mr. Revise. Definitely interested to see where all this is going.
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Reviewed @
A Great Book Is The Cheapest Vacation!
I can't say enough good things about Bill Willingham's Fables/Jack of Fables series! He brings a raw twist to the classic fairy tales that will glue your eyes to every page.
The Fables series is my favorite graphic novel series for a few reasons. Besides the amazing artwork and laugh out loud humor, the stories are always engrossing! It's new stories, but with a familiarity due to my love of fairy tales.
Bill Willinghams, Fables follows a variety of characters from Fabletown, where as Jack of Fables follows Jack's whimsical mischief life, (also including other characters side stories relating to Jack) where anything goes and it's never a bore!
This time around, Jack is on the hunt for another get rich quick scheme with the hilarious Humpty Dumpty, Raven and the loyal Gary, "the pathetic Fallacy", when he meets up with Hillary(the youngest and most self reliant of the Page sisters) when they both jump the same train. The train leads to Americana, home to the New World Fables. In Americana we get to meet Zombies, Huck Finn and my personal favorite the Roaring Twenties gangsters.
The Book Burner seems to be an even bigger Villian than Mr. Revise and I think he's very fitting for this series. I do wonder how much power he holds and is it just limited to Americana or all Fables? Does he possess a copy of every fables story? I want to know the answer to these questions and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future!
I feel that with each new book, this series is getting better and better. Fables is still my favorite, but Jack is really growing on me. I look forward to reading Turning Pages. -
Oh man. What is it that makes Jack so likable and entertaining despite that fact that he's a total jerk? To put it simply, Jack is the human embodiment of a cat. Cats are great because they're kind of wonderful and awful at the same time. That's who Jack is. Jack is never actively antagonistic to anyone who isn't in his way. He doesn't really pick fights and he's not out to ruin anyone's life. He just wants to make his own life better than anyone else's. He's so self centered, but he's also funny and driven and ambitious. When good things happen to him, it's okay, kind of amusing. When bad things happen to him, it's hilariously forthcoming and well deserved. Every once in a while Jack leaves hints that he actually has a heart and it's surprisingly touching. I'm excited to read more.
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This series tends to me more comical than the main Fables series, and while comedy is fine I prefer the original series more. It has some comedy as well but not as much. Plus, I don't really like the main character, Jack. In any case, it's still entertaining. In this one we see Jack and his troop journey to Americana, which is the land of American Fables such as Paul Bunyan, Tom Sawyer, etc. The plan is for the group to find a lost city of gold, and they do but things don't work out quite as planned. At least, not for anyone other than Jack. There's also a story dealing with a Shakespeare play performed by Fables. I like the art, but it's not quite as fitting as the art in the main Fables book. I will say the covers by Brian Bolland are exceptional, and really a high point of the series.
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Much better than the previous volume, but not quite as good as the first, more like a 3.5/5.
Jack of Fables redeems itself a bit here with a much better main storyline than last time and a host of characters that didn't need to be carried by the still-strong Gary. The issue added onto the end of this collection started to bore me a little, but it picks up half way through and you can see why they did make it, a nice way to show how powerful one of the more timid characters from this series can be. -
The story of the Revise family continues to unfold... it feels weird to think of concepts as real persons (the Pathetic Fallacy, for one) and I have been enjoying Jack's story as much as I have been enjoying the mainstream Fables series. And I also enjoy Jack's attitude and glib comments (especially towards the third Page sister) Overall, this was a lot of fun to read, and it definitely left me wanting to read the next installment in this series!
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So much for focus, this was a wandering mess. Babe is definitely still a rising star though.
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Best part was the "play" at the end, tell you the truth. And Babe's inner monologues.
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The zombies were funny, but I didn't understand their place in the Americana setting. Maybe it's because Idyll is a sleepy smalltown? But then they'd just be yawning and sleepy, not actual zombies, so errr...yea, I just didn't get it.
I also think it would have been a lot more clever if Bookburner had been called Firefighter instead, as a reference to Fahrenheit 451, by American sci-fi author Ray Bradbury - but of course, he could just be not a fable or similar, guess I'll find out eventually.
Absolutely hated that the Page sister got degraded to just another "conquest" for Jack.
I assume the daydreams of the tiny ox was supposed to be funny, but I just found them exhausting.
The blue ox was super cute in itself, however :D
All in all a disappointment, there's a lot of interesting stories and folklore to work with in that setting, but instead of Lovecraftian horrors or giant sewer crocodiles or Thunderbirds, we get a mocking blow at Canadians and gangstercity.
What a waste! -
So far as Jack stories, this was one pretty week. Americana is interesting, and the idea that zombies are both a huge part of life, but completely integrated certainly means... something?
I'm intrigued by the idea of one of the Page sisters along for the ride and man all the family relationships being revealed are pretty crazy.
But other than that, there's just not much to it.
Still worth it for completion sake I guess? I'm ready to go back to the mainline.
Spoilers and screenshots (only two, that should tell you something):
I like her. She's a fun one.
Oh Jack. Also... "I don't have a penis". That is all. -
Something that confuses me: there is a ton of nudity in Fables, some of it sexual and some of it not, and it doesn’t seem to be an issue at all. In this series, though, there’s sex and misogyny and inappropriate comments and actions out the wazoo, but no nudity. What is the logic behind that? Is it somehow more chaste because there isn’t any nudity? Because it’s an often gross and gratuitously creepy book; is that just for laughs?
Anyway, I appreciate when Jack’s series broadens its scope, as it does here by introducing Americana, but I’m still not loving the further descent into cheap slapstick. It gets repetitive. -
I've been a big fan of the Jack of Fables and Fables comics and I plan to review all JoF volumes. But right now, I want to start first with the bad ones. I believe Americana is where the series started to go down hill. For the previous three volumes, Jack was a lovable goof who's smart and still had some humanity in him (he did saved Gary many times). In this volume however, Jack was pretty much a jerk. A jerk with no redeeming quality. I hate the fact that the story revolved around him because all he did was cause suffering to the people with him. And I think this is where Bill and Mathew started to focus more on the slapstick than actual character development.
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Jack is at it again. Seeking out treasure, bedding ladies, and making enemies. While he is fantastic, his supporting characters are okay, but don't get enough panel time to be fleshed out. The series, while hilarious could use more exposition. Russ Braun's art is very good and Brian Bolland's covers are amazing. This collection seemed like it drug a little but overall another good chapter in Jack's wild trip across the country.
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As stated earlier, I am not a huge fan of Jack. I am only reading these to catch myself up with the plot elements of the Fables story. I feel like there was nothing very compelling about this volume except to showcase the history of American fables perhaps????
P.S. I just read a review on here that mentioned the zombies and their zombie-speak. I bumped my rating up a star because I also loved the zombies in this one and hope to see them again 🤗 -
4.5 Stars rounded up.
They said distance makes the heart grow fonder. After taking a break from Fables at the end of the first story arc, coming back to this series I now appreciated the writing and humour more.
I have to say that the Americana fables are not very interesting so far. Since this volume ended without a conclusion, here hoping more interesting elements will be introduced in the next volume. -
Americana is not much better than the 2nd volume of jack of fables. It's a meh story about jack going to Americana to get rich. He ends meeting this villain called the book burner. Book burner is being set up to be the big bad villain in this series which is a little weird since Mr.Revise was shown to be the main villain. Overall 5/10
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ugh. The first 3 Jack books at least had something to redeem them in the minor characters. This one, the only thing that I found really interesting was the idea of the American Fable world and almost all of that is completely glossed over. Won't be continuing this series.
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It is good that they finally start going into more in depth with the American Fables like exploring where they came from and we even get a pretty cool villain with the Burner who is basically a McCarthy esque person who loves burning books and controlling the population by making them zombies.
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I loved the zombies.
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El tomo que menos me ha gustado de Jack con diferencia, y eso que Jack en general no me está gustando ni la mitad de lo que me gusta la saga original de Fables.
