11 Essential Storylines To Read If You're Just Getting Into Comics
9. Fables
Vertigo
Published by Vertigo, another imprint of DC Comics, Bill Willingham's Fables remains one of the most accessible and indeed addictive comic book series out there. Having ended just two years ago as well, there's a definitive end for the series in place; so if you do end up picking the comic, you won't have to worry about having to get up to speed quickly.
What makes Fables so unique and special is the way in which it transplants classic fairytales and folklore into a modern, almost noir-like setting. The action focuses on the character of Bigby Wolf, the onetime sheriff of Fabletown, a place where all the fantastical creatures of the public domain reside and more importantly get up to no good. The book oozes with adult themes, and it's all the more compelling because of it.
If you happen to dabble in gaming too, then The Wolf Among Us is definitely worth checking out. Made in the point-and-click Telltale style, the story serves as a prequel to the events of the main Fables comic, and features a sublime eighties noir aesthetic and an even better synth-based soundtrack. As an intro into Willingham's world, it's succeeds and then some. Just make sure you pick up the comic after you play.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
