Graphic novel is a fresh type of literature for me. And honestly, I did think this kind of works as just simple comic books and lacking of literary value before. But after reading Fables, I realize that this assumption is really a huge fallacy! A lot of rhetorical elements are involved in this graphic novel. The graphics shape distinct characters and tell a vivid story.
I want to talk about one specific character in the novel which impresses me very much, the Bigby. Unlike the notorious wolf, “piggies’ homes blower”, from the original fairy tale, the character Bigby in Fables is shaped to be a wise, composed, intrepid detective; A real man with flesh and blood. At the start of the book, there is a series of frames that shows the process of Bigby investigating the crime scene, which gives me a clear view about Bigby as a detective. The drawings depict the details of Bigby’s face and behavior very well, showing the great concentration and expertise of Bigby as a detective. In the middle of chapter 3, when Bigby knows that Bluebeard gets into Jack’s cell, he figures out Bluebeard’s purpose immediately and runs to rescue Jack without hesitate. One specific frame there shows that Bigby take the action promptly with his food dropped, indicating his concern about Jack’s safety. For stopping Bluebeard from torturing Jack, Bigby turns back to his wolf form and shows his great power. Through these frames I can feel exactly what a resourceful and brave man BIgby is. At last, in chapter 5, Bigby exposes the truth of the murder. During his interpreting, I can strongly feel Bigby’s smartness and calmness.
Another interesting scene, which I personally like very much, in the end of the story, is when Snow white asks Bigby why Bigby needs her to be his date at the Remembrance Day celebration, Bigby shows an embarrassed face and says “I wanted you to go to the damned dance with me—as my date.” What a funny guy!
The Official Blog of WRTG 3007, Summer 2012 
I enjoy the Bigby’s character as well. I like him a lot because as he tells Snow in the beginning of Fables, he is very observant and just notices how people are. I can relate to this as a sociology major. I can appreciate that Bigby figures things out on his own, like how he knows so much about Snow White and Rose Red’s relationship as sisters. Bigby does not really put up with anyone’s bullshit and I think he has a high morale. He is a very practical, yet funny character. It is cute that we finally see a softer side to Bigby at the end of the novel. He does have feelings!
You are right, he is a funny guy! I love his wit and sense of humor displayed in each chapter, he truly is a hoot! Bigby is a people reader, with this talent he can help solve mysteries and keep the city safe. Before the novel comes to a close, our perception of Mr. Bigby has radically changed and it just goes to show how well Bill Willingham can deceive his audience. I like your analysis on the frames you chose. It’s explained elaborately with enough visuals to understand all the rhetorical elements involved.
I am glad I have been assigned to read graphic novels in this class and others, because there really is an art that I was unaware of before. I think that similar, to classic (only text) novels, some offer more literary value than others. In the past, I had only been exposed to the ones without much merit. This is not the case for Fables at all. Among other things, there is fantastic character development, As you noticed, Bigby Wolf is not a static character and is actually very dynamic. Readers go from the transition thinking he is the “bad guy” as depicted in the Three Little Pigs, to a man consumed with his work, to one that has human feelings of intimidation when talking to women. It is pretty neat how all of this is portrayed not through pages and pages of text but through short simple blurbs of text and images.