Happily Ever After?

We all grew up on fairy tales. Passed down from generation to generation, these stories varied from simple nursery rhymes to more extensive stories that had moral lessons at the end. Writer Bill Willingham’s comic book series Fables has brought all of these varying stories together under one roof, as a bunch of mythical beings who have escaped their fairy tale “homelands” and moved into a secret spot in the Upper West Side of New York City. In the book Peter & Max: A Fables Novel however, the story revolves around two brothers. Both musicians, they both wanted to follow their father’s footsteps. The brothers are Peter Piper and his brother Max, who would become the evil being known as The Pied Piper.

Johannes Piper raised his sons to be skilled with the pipe as he was. Early on though, he noticed that young Peter was more gifted in music than his brother Max. To Max, none of that mattered though as long as he inherited Johannes’ prized possession, the magical pipe known as Frost. On their annual visits to play at the fair, the Pipers would stay at the estate of Squire Radulf Peep together with his wife and six daughters. The youngest, Esmerault, or “Bo” was Peter’s favorite playmate. When the first war drums of an invading empire are heard, the Peeps and Pipers were shocked to find goblins ransacking the Peep estate. Even as Johannes bestows Frost on Peter, an incensed Max begins his descent down a dark path that will have him commit unbelievable atrocities, deal with a witch in The Black Forest, and acquire magical powers that made his story legendary yet deadly. Centuries later, it will be up to Max’s brother Peter to finally bring him to justice at the expense of the peaceful life he has found for himself and his bride away from the Homelands.

I’ve been collecting the Fables graphic novels for a few years now and it has been a constant source of delight for me. Willingham’s ability to bring so many beloved fables, nursery rhymes and fairy tales together has been nothing short of masterful for over five years now, and with this prose novel, he proves that he can write a mean story even without the beautiful art from partners like artists James Jean, Mark Buckingham, or Lan Medina. Of course the few illustrations by frequent Fables contributor Steve Leialoha were much appreciated, but Willingham really shines in his writing here. Peter & Max doesn’t require you to read all of the Fables (and the spin-off Jack of Fables) graphic novels that have come before, but knowledge of those works will double your delight in this piece.

The sibling rivalry that arises between the Piper brothers is quite intense, but there is a fair amount of believability in there as Willingham made a birthright the turning point that finally destroyed their relationship. It might be a bit sacrilegious to compare Johannes, Max and Peter to the Bible’s own Isaac, Esau and Jacob, but I believe Willingham did draw inspiration from the good book for his own purposes.

Since this is “a Fables novel”, there was a fair amount of magic and mystical things happening within these pages. Some animals spoke, music emanating from pipes could hypnotize or destroy, and beings can wait centuries before collecting on old debts. It’s always a treat for me to see some of the fairy tales I remember as a kid reinterpreted in the hands of Willingham, and it’s no different in this case. By crafting an extensive backstory for characters like the Pied Piper, Peter Piper and Little Bo Peep, we become more emotionally invested in the stories, drawing more than just kiddie amusement in the end.

The legend of the Pied Piper’s hypnotic music whisking the children of Hamelin away has a darker slant in Peter & Max, particularly when one sees how the twisted musician became what he wasas he acquired the powerful yet evil pipe Fire as his own. My one big complaint about this novel was probably how anti-climactic the final battle between the brothers was. I thought it was anti-climactic after they had such a magnificent clash back when they were in the Homelands and the dueling pipes were on full display. It was also very entertaining for me, a fan of the graphic novels, to see old favorites such as Rose Red, Bigby Wolf, etc. here as supporting characters. The big treat, however, was to see more of Frau Totenkinder, particularly when she was a more malevolent creature.

As dark as Max’s descent into madness was, the contrast in the love story between Peter and Bo is also a treat. From the innocent games they played as kids to the uncomfortable teenage years and facing the Empire’s assault together and the inevitable confrontation with Max, Peter and Bo survive because they have each other. No matter the problem, no matter the physical or mental anguish they face, Peter and Bo endure whether in their old land of Hesse or in their new home because they know that at the end of the day, they have each other’s back. They made me hold out hope that there is indeed a happy ever after waiting for all of us.