Bill Willingham – Jack of Fables, Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts
50. Jack of Fables, Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Pepoy, Lee Loughridge, Daniel Vozzo, Todd Klein, James Jean (2007)
Jack of Fables, Volume 2
Read my reviews of:
– the main Fables volumes
– Jack of Fables, Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape
Length: 144 pages
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Started: 25 April 2009
Finished: 25 April 2009
Hasty marriages,
booze, cash, and lots of trouble…
Viva Las Vegas!
Summary: This volume consists of two main story arcs. In the first, Jack tells of his time in the Homelands as Jack Frost, and we learn how it was the the Snow Queen turned evil. In the main story, “Jack of Hearts”, a freshly-escaped-from-“prison” Jack heads for Vegas, ready for a little sin and debauchery, and hoping to tempt Lady Luck into helping him make back a little of his lost fortune. Of course, this is the Fables universe, so Lady Luck is a little more… incarnate… than we usually think of her, and she’s got plans of her own.
Review: Another fun installment from the Fables folks, although I don’t think the Jack of Fables series is ever going to quite have the same draw as the main series. No matter how snarky a narrator Jack is, all-Jack-all-the-time just doesn’t have the same appeal as the huge cast of the main series, and although other Fables are certainly around, it does kind of feel like all the good Fables are taken, and they’re scrounging a bit for guest stars. It’s also really not a stand-alone series… they never really explain much about the Fables universe, and what’s happened in the past, and while I suppose it could be ferreted out from context, why would you want to deprive yourself of the fun that is the main series? Enough with the negatives, though; I actually did have fun reading this book. Jack’s boisterous self-aggrandizement and crazy schemes are thoroughly entertaining, and even though it’s never going to supplant the original series in my heart, it’s a good way to get a Fables fix while waiting for the next volume. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Not the Best Thing Ever, but certainly an entertaining way for Fables fans to spend an hour or two.
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Other Reviews: Stella Matutina, Biblio File
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Fyrefly's Book Blog 
You know, I don’t think I have ever seen a review of the Jack series… Most people are still on Fables! I never considered if they were any good or not, I guess. I still have to read the rest of Fables, though, so that’s not a surprise.
Kailana – Yeah, I tore through Fables so fast I was going through withdrawl, so the Jack series works well enough to give me a fix until the new Fables volume comes out. :)