27-29: Jack of Fables: Turning Pages (5), The Big Book of War (6), and The New Adventures of Jack and Jack (7), by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, et al. (2009/10 trade paperbacks, issues 22-27, 28-32, and 36-40)

In entry 24, I mentioned by love for a comic series called Fables, in which the characters from familiar childhood fables are physically and eternally (as long as their tales are told) living among mundanes (humans) in New York City.  While the 6-story arc of Cinderella was a short diversion, the foray into exploring the character of Jack took on a life--and thus a comic series--all of its own.  The two series converged briefly for a battle against the despot of the Fablelands, but, after that short interlude, Jack continued on in his merry (and irresponsible and philandering and silly) way.

It's important to know that, just as Fables' Prince Charming is the same prince in every story he's ever shown up in, so too is every Jack the same boy/man: Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack-be-Nimble, Jack Horner, and many more--all wrapped up into one character.  As such, Jack has had many exploits, which he tells with immodest pride and exaggeration.  Some of this is warranted, as the number of stories about him, and the frequency with which they are told, make Jack a truly strong and powerful fable.  The charm of Jack's stories depend on blatant misogyny and unrelieved self interest, made funny by the sheer idiocy of his claims and an extensive cast of characters that serve as a foil for his bullshit.

In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of the Jack of Fables series is the way the creators play with literary concepts throughout.  A character called Mr. Revise, with the assistance of his three librarian daughters surnamed Page, seeks to capture and imprison fables in the Golden Boughs Retirement Village, in hopes of draining magic from the world.  The Bookburner makes an appearance in a battle that will determine these fables' fates, and another type of character called Literals is introduced.  Indeed, Jack's constant companion through it all is among the oldest and most powerful of the Literals--The Pathetic Fallacy (but, just call him Gary, please).  Readers and literature mavens alike will delight in the plays on words, the metaphors, the... (You know, all that literary stuff.) 

Jack's exploits center on the storyline of Mr. Revise, the Pages, and a cast of Fables, with regular side trips into his past adventures. Turning Pages, for instance, includes a 3-issue trip back to 1883 and stories of the Jack Candle Gang running roughshod over the American west, and The New Adventures of Jack and Jack explores multiple Jack exploits--with primates in the African jungles and dragons in Medieval times, with only occasional appearances by standard characters.  Through it all, Jack is Jack, accurately described in the opening list of Dramatis Personae as embodying "the archetype of the lovable rogue (minus, according to many, the lovability)."

One final notable feature of the Jack series is the one-page, 6-panel outtakes featuring Babe the Blue Ox, who has been separated from Paul Bunyan and has taken to telling tales of his own.  Given to flights of fancy and imagination, Babe introduces readers to characters like Hannibal Wigglesworth, the best-selling novelist and Spanish Poet laureate, whose true passion is producing industrial solvents (Turning Pages 50); Crash Ganesvoort, a Special Ops mime in the French Foreign Legion (TP 105); and Dash Washington, heroic accountant at large (The Big Book of War 24).  While he doesn't steal the show entirely, I'm always happy to turn the page and see Babe.

I'd always recommend starting with Fables, but if they appeal to you, check out Jack of Fables as well.  He knows you'll love him.