2.5 stars

I really liked the art, but the story didn't do it for me this time around. The artists did some cool stuff with Rapunzel's hair, but I couldn't quite get on board with the bezoars. And when she pulled the foxfire out of her bun at the end, all I could think of was Marge Simpson.

( )

I don't know how I felt about this one. Too many mixed feelings. I really enjoyed the cover art and the inside art for Rapunzel's story, but the art they used for Aldered States was kind of a let down.

The writing for Rapunzel was my main issue. I liked the use of Japanese folklore and the fact we got more Rapunzel, but was that story necessary? The fact that they made Rapunzel a bisexual made no sense except just to add a LGBT character in Fables. And it didn't add anything for future stories either.

Aldered States was kind of a letdown. It was a funny story, but that was it. Kind of gross, but in a funny way. I didn't like this one-shot story as much as the Beauty and the Beast one-shot in the previous volume. ( )

Back to Fairest (slightly out of order). This time we have Rapunzel in Japan, somehow or another, and another appearance of Jack--isn't he a Dragon now? Did I miss something?

With the influence of Japanese Fables to the mix, this is by far one of the weirder books:



But hey, it's not just the Japanese Fables that are weird:



Because of course:



But hey, you get giant talking cats.



It's fun.

It's a pretty crazy story all around, but I'm glad to have read it for that. It's really something that Fables can do well: weird. ( )

Fables delves into the realms of Japanese myth as they explore the background story of Rapunzel. Apparently she left the European Homelands in search of her stolen children (pretty sure it was the Fairy Godmother) and made her way to the Hidden Kingdom. I really enjoyed what they did with her story, because it's exactly what I didn't expect from her character. Not only does she become a pretty bad-ass warrior during the course of her quest, she also turns out to be bisexual (woohoo for diversity, and believable diversity). Unfortunately her kitsune lover (more woohoos, since I love the fox spirit myths!) turns out to be crazy now, but the multiple betrayals and plot twists were wonderfully done. To top it all off Rapunzel also becomes the vengeful girl in the well - one of the most terrifying Japanese stories - and seems to prove that she has some magic that is tied to her ever-growing hair. No wonder Totenkinder took her under her wing all those years ago! I hope that Rapunzel's story continues in the series, since it looks like it'll be very interesting! ( )

With the addition of Lauren Beukes on the writing team, volume 2 of the Fairest series, The Hidden Kingdom was interesting. This volume has Rapunzel as the main character and we follow her in her travels to Toyko in order to investigate a mystery that has evolved from her past. Favorite Fable characters that appear in this issue are Bigby Wolf, Frau Totenkinder and Jack of Fables. A secondary story features Reynard the Fox as he tells the story of trying to date the forest dryad, Princess Alder.

The artwork in this issue stood out for me, and the Toyko scenes were very colorful. The artists used both Japanese mythology and pop culture to create and edgy backdrop to the characters and their story. ( )