''Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love'' was an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

published by

Vertigo Comics Vertigo Comics, also known as DC Vertigo or simply Vertigo, was an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug use, ...

in 2009 and 2010, and set in the world of ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral ...

''. The story portrays

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

as a

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

, performing missions on behalf of Fabletown. Its title is an allusion to the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

novel '' From Russia, with Love''. The series was written by Chris Roberson with art by

Shawn McManus Shawn McManus (born June 30, 1958) is an American artist who has worked extensively over three decades for DC Comics and other companies, notably for DC's Vertigo imprint including the ''Fables'' series. Comics Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, ...

and cover art by Chrissie Zullo; a compilation of the six issues was published in August 2010. ''From Fabletown with Love'' was followed up with the mini-series ''Cinderella: Fables Are Forever'' in 2011.

Plot

The story centers on one of the covert espionage missions undertaken by Cinderella for Fabletown's government. Her latest assignment is to track and prevent the sale of magical items from the Fables' Homelands dimensions to "mundies", the non-magical people of Earth. Cindy's search takes her to

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

where she encounters

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

, who is on a similar mission for the Arabian Fables. The two are initially at odds but soon become friends and eventually, lovers. The series also introduces several of Cinderella's agents, whom she can call upon with a magic bracelet. These include

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for hi ...

, Jenny Wren (the former love of the deceased

Cock Robin "Who Killed Cock Robin" is an English nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 494. Lyrics The earliest record of the rhyme is in ''Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book'', published in 1744, which noted only the first four verses. The ...

), and Dickory (a mouse with power over time and clocks). The source of the illegal sales proves to be a trio of liberated

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

s from the Arabian Fable Homeland, hoping to profit from the capitalistic mundy world. However, they are working for an unseen employer. Following a lead, Cinderella and her allies travel to Ultima Thule, a frigid Fable world controlled by a

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regul ...

government that forces everyone to smile on threat of physical harm. The mastermind behind the scheme proves to be Cinderella's

Fairy Godmother In fairy tales, a fairy godmother () is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. In Perrault's ''Cinderella'', he concludes the tale with ...

, who is now ruling Ultima Thule and has become overzealous in her attempts to make the world pleasant. Cindy and her allies are able to stop her plans thanks to Dickory, who causes time in Ultima Thule to speed up to midnight, the hour when the Godmother's magic wears off. The series features a sub-plot involving Crispin

Cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...

, Cinderella's assistant at the Fabletown shoe store she operates as a cover for her spy activities. Crispin proves to be the famous

cobbler Cobbler(s) may refer to: *A person who repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes Places * The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland * Mount Cobbler, Australia Art, entertainment and media * ''The Cobbler'' (1923 film) ...

of ''

The Elves and the Shoemaker "The Elves and The Shoemaker" (German: ''Die Wichtelmänner'') is a set of fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 39) about a poor shoemaker who receives much-needed help from three young helpful elves. The original story is the first o ...

'' and still maintains a business relationship with the

Elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

. The magical shoes he commissions them to make cause problems for the people of Fabletown, who are unable to stop dancing, jogging, or moving while wearing the shoes. This is cleared up when the shoes are transferred safely to injured Fables. Those who cannot walk would enjoy periods of magical movement.

Reception

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

''s Shaun Huston ranked it one of the best comics of 2010, and declared that it "treats its hero with respect".The Year in Review: The Best Comics of 2010, Part I
by Shaun Huston, at ''

''; published December 14, 2010; retrieved March 30, 2017 ''

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

''s Greg McElhatton praised the first issue's action sequences, but noted that the story was "badly out of sync" with the rest of ''Fables'', and that thus it lacks "a certain level of excitement or tension",Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1
reviewed by Greg McElhatton, at ''

''; published November 11, 2009; retrieved March 30, 2017 while, at

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

, Richard George commended Roberson's characterization and plotting in the first issue, but faulted the story for "adher(ing) strictly to spy genre clichés".Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1 Review
by Richard George, at ''

''; published November 4, 2009; retrieved March 30, 2017

Tor.com ''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction. From 20 ...

's Lee Mandelo faulted Roberson's characterization as being too unlike that of regular ''Fables'' author

Bill Willingham William Willingham (born 1956) is an American writer and artist of comics, known for his work on the series ''Elementals (Comico Comics), Elementals'' and ''Fables (comics), Fables''. Career William Willingham was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. ...

, and summarized the plot as "evil

feminists Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male poi ...

did it"; Mandelo also described the portrayal of the concubines, who still wore "stereotyped 'sexy harem' outfits" even while secretly trading in munitions, as "mind-bogglingly stupid and badly thought out".''Fables'' Reread: ''Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love''
by Lee Mandelo, at

; published June 30, 2011; retrieved March 30, 2017

References

External Sources

''Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love'' at comicbookdb
{{Cinderella (Fairy tale) 2009 comics debuts Vertigo Comics limited series Fables (comics) Spy comics Collections of fairy tales Works based on Cinderella