How to Survive Summer without OUAT

[Bob in Pittsburgh]

If you are missing your Once Upon a Time fix each week, I would like to suggest that you give the comic book "Fables" a try. It is written by Bill Willingham and is an extremely interesting twist on the fairy tails you know and love. The book has been around for over 10 years now and it is this story that got me interested in Once in the first place.

From Wiki: Fables is a comic book series created by writer Bill Willingham, published by DC Comics's Vertigo imprint beginning in 2002. The series deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as "Fables" – who have been forced out of their Homelands by "The Adversary" who has conquered the realm. The Fables have traveled to our world and formed a clandestine community in New York City known as Fabletown. Fables who are unable to blend in with human society (such as monsters and anthropomorphic animals) live at "the Farm" in upstate New York.

You may be thinking, "but comics are for kids!" Well trust me, this is definitely geared towards adults with sex, violence, and language that is intended for adults. If you like ONCE, I don't see how you wouldn't like this series.

The first book to try is called "Fables: Legends in Exile." Check it out at your local comic shop, amazon, or even your local library. You won't be sorry, I promise you!

Thanks and I'd love to hear feedback from anyone that tries the series,
Bob in Pittsburgh

[Arjay369]

Fables is awesome. I've read all story arcs up to just before "The Great Fables Crossover". It's well worth the read, especially since it was the forerunner to the OUAT we all know and love. ABC was in talks to make Fables into a tv series but went with their own vision instead.

Oh, and the whole Snow White with the Big Bad Wolf thing is pretty hot! Now, if someone could write a crossover between the two, that'd be some funny wierd stuff.

[EdChambers]

I've been reading Fables for a few years now and have collected all of the Trade Paperbacks currently available. I also recommend the series to anyone who would like to see a different perspective on some of the various fairy tale characters including Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf, Old King Cole, Boy Blue, the Frog Prince, Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, just to name a few.

[Arjay369]

And to add, for those interested in 'twu wuv', I know OUAT has got it's Rumpel/Belle shippers but Fables has the Frog Prince and Riding Hood.

[obisgirl]

I wish OUAT was on Netflix, so I can re-watch all the episodes. I'm currently watching Stargate Universe with my boyfriend so that will fill my lack of Rumpelstiltskin on my screen until the new season starts again.

[darcyfarrow]

For Rumplefans, I'd like to recommend "The Mighty Celt" and "Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School." And if you like mysteries, the "Hamish Macbeth" tv series. You might be able to borrow them from your library (assuming it's not housing a dragon) .

[Midnight Dreary]

Netflix, fanfiction and Youtube. That's my OUAT survival guide.

[mia]

Fables is an awesome comic book! I can jsut recommend it, even if you don't like comic books. I got two of my friends (also watching OUaT) to read them and they loved it. None of them usually likes comic books.

A nice book, with the second one coming out in September this year, is Reckless by Cornelia Funke. She developed it together with producer and screenplay writer Lionel Wigram (one of the producers of Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes). The story is inspired by Grimm fairy tales:

Ever since Jacob Reckless was a child, he has been escaping to a hidden world through a portal in his father's abandoned study. Over the years, he has made a name for himself as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. He's also made many enemies and allies--most important, Fox, a beautiful shape-shifting vixen whom Jacob cares for more than he lets on.

But life in this other world is about to change. Tragedy strikes when Jacob's younger brother, Will, follows him through the portal. Brutally attacked, Will is infected with a curse that is quickly transforming him into a Goyl – a ruthless killing machine, with skin made of stone.

Jacob is prepared to fight to save his brother, but in a land built on trickery and lies, Jacob will need all the wit, courage, and reckless spirit he can summon to reverse the dark spell – before it's too late.

If you like reading and stories and at some point wished or dreamt you could just go inside your favourite book I can only recommend Funke's Inkheart trilogy: Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath.

There's also Neil Gaiman's Stardust. Thats the story the film with Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert de Niro is based on. The books is muuuuuch better. Much darker and not so cheesy. Try to get the book with the illustrations by Charles Vess. It makes it a true fairy tale for adults.

If you're into design, typography and like pretty books, you need to look at the ones I found from Harper Design. They made a Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

If you like manga, there are quite a lot based on fairy tales, but the ones I know, unfortunately, are only available in Japanese, Chinese, German, French, etc, but not in English. Wonder why?

Then there's reading the original stories, of course …

Unfortunately I can't think of any film or tv show. Oh, you can watch LOST, so you get all the references when you re-watch OUaT! That's what I'm doing (and Emilie de Ravin is on it …). Just a bit depressing the story …

[Arjay369]

Great choices, Mia. Also, another good comic is "The Unwritten" which offers another take on the "stories are real" angle.

Currently, I'm attempting to get back into "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski. I hate putting a book down for a long while and having to find the motivation to return to it...but so far it's a good book - a freaky, weird, strange book.

[mia]

Yes, been wanting to read The Unwritten for quite some time now, but still haven't been able to. Maybe in the next few months …

Just remembered another children's (mostly for girls) book that people might like, Ella Enchanted. Please don't watch the ridiculous movie, but the book is somehow cute. Poor Ella is cursed. Whatever people tell her she must do, she's forced to do!

Just seen that the author has other books with princesses and even a Snow White version called Fairest!