This special one-hundredth issue contains multiple stories and activities across 100 pages:
- "Single Combat,", across eight chapters and two epilogues
- "Pinocchio's Army," an illustrated short prose story of six chapters
- The Fables Paper Puppet Theatre, a cut-out-and-play toy
- "After the Duel, Part One: The Perils of Thumbelina," a short story
- "Celebrity Burning Questions," four vignettes answering (celebrity) reader's questions, similar to Fables #59
- "After the Duel, Part Two: A Thing With Those Mice," a short story
- Escape to Wolf Manor, a dice-rolling board game
Publisher's summary
In this fantastic 100-page issue, it's time to put an end to Mister Dark once and for all, and time for the Fables to return home to Fabletown. For that to happen, one of the Fables agrees to take on the Dark Man in single combat! It's big, it's epic, and if you live in New York City, you may want to take a quick vacation when this issue comes out, because things are going to get wrecked! In addition to the larger-than-life main story, we have a FABLES prose story written by Mark Buckingham and illustrated by Bill Willingham! We have an All-Star Burning Questions section that will knock your socks off (seriously, innocent people are going to lose some socks here). We have a puppet theatre created by the unstoppably creative Mark Buckingham, a FABLES board game, sequential stories painted by Chrissie Zullo and Joao Ruas, and even more surprises in this square-bound behemoth celebrating this award-winning Vertigo series!
Single Combat
Chapter One: Dust in the Wind
Mr. Dark and Bellflower engage each other as everyone stands by for what's next to come. Mr. Dark fights Bellflower, but is near boxes, intimidating him. Beauty and Best are outside when all of a sudden, Beauty screams in pain from the baby.
Chapter Two: Knock Down, Drag Out
Back to the fight, Bellflower injures Mr. Dark. Beast carries Beauty who is in deep pain, after Nurse Spratt tells him that Beauty isn't due for labor, she turns her back on him.
Chapter Three: The Labor Party
Beast turns into his full beast form and threatens Nurse Spratt, with Beauty still in his arms.
Chapter Four: The Sweet Science
Bellflower uses a spell to fill Mr. Dark with so much sugar, his teeth fall out. With Beast already irritated, Snow tells Nurse Spratt to try and be nicer to people since she is ugly.
Chapter Five: Gold Rush
Grimble empties numerous gold coins in an alley way, which Bellflower sends right unto Mr. Dark, since gold is his weakness. Clara melts the gold and him to create a statue, trapping Mr. Dark again.
Chapter Six: The Murpleblost Situation
The fables celebrate and plan to use Mr. Dark's castle of Fabletown ruins for their benefit in the future. Doctor Swineheart tells Beast the news and he holds his newborn baby daughter with Beauty still alive. Bellflower and Dunster Happ are engaged.
Chapter Seven: Or a Fortress Strong
At the Farm everyone sleeps during the day, however at the castle in Fabletown, the golden statue of Mr. Dark breaks free and kills Bellflower and Hobbes. Mr. Dark leaves and says he'll return.
Chapter Eight: Last Call
Everyone evacuates the Farm to Haven, while Bigby will stay in the mundy world to look for a new place to retreat to. Later it is revealed that Bellflower is not actually dead, she wants everyone to believe so and that she won't fight Mr. Dark anymore.
First Epilogue: Three Conditions
Mr. Dark finds Nurse Spratt and gives her three things she wants so that she will tell them where everyone went.
Second Epilogue: Such a Lovely Little Darling
At the castle in Haven, Beauty and Beast put their daughter to bed and move her favorite teddy out the cot. She wakes up, unhappy with this, and turns into a miniature beast monster to get back her teddy bear.
"Pinocchio's Army"
- Chapter One: A Very Naughty Boy
- Chapter Two: A Family Discussion
- Chapter Three: The Depths
- Chapter Four: Sons (and Daughters) of Empire
- Chapter Five: The Suitcase
- Chapter Six: Pinocchio's Gift
After the Duel
Part One: The Perils of Thumbelina
Fly welcomes the evacuated residents of Smalltown to Haven, warning them that their new homes aren't quite ready. Elam catches up again with Thumbelina, who unfortunately is snatched up by a mundy bird...
Part Two: A Thing With Those Mice
The Three Blind Mice explore their new home in Haven.
Celebrity Burning Questions
- Who makes the Fabletown comic books? (Phil LaMarr from MadTV): Flycatcher, Pinnochio and Boy Blue visit the bookshop to find out where their non-mundy comics are made.
- Can I have Snow White's phone number? (Eddie Cahill from CSI New York): Bigby says no, Snow says perhaps.
- Now that Baba Yaga is dead, how is Bufkin passing the time? (Cobie Smulders from How I Met Your Mother): Bufkin, the magic mirror, Frankie, and little Lily Martagon discuss wedding plans.
- What was Geppetto thinking when he carved Pinocchio's mouth? (Michael McMillian from True Blood): Pinocchio really is an ungrateful lump of wood sometimes.
The Fables Paper Puppet Theatre
A series of cutouts, including a stage, backgrounds and characters, for making your own miniature paper theatre!
Escape to Wolf Manor
A dice-rolling game for two to ten players, board included.