Fables 161

The Black Forest, Chapter Eleven: The Fight in the Dog
In which the storm breaks, we catch up with Greenjack, discuss politics, and a reckoning occurs.
Cover date	February 2024
In store date	January 9, 2024
Writer	Bill Willingham
Penciler	Mark Buckingham
Inker	Steve Leialoha
Colourist	Lee Loughridge
Letterer	Todd Klein
Cover artist	Corinne Reid Mark Buckingham (variant cover)
Editor	Matthew Levine
Preceded by	"Fables 160"
Followed by	"Fables 162"

“	As some anonymous wit said, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog."	„
	~ Peter Pan to a defeated Bigby Wolf

"The Black Forest, Chapter Eleven: The Fight in the Dog" is the eleventh and penultimate issue of Fables after being revived; and the 161st issue of the series overall. It was released on January 9, 2024.

Publisher's summary

In this penultimate issue, with the lives of the inhabitants of the Black Forest on the line, Peter Pan and Herne enter a bloody battle that will bring both to their knees. But when Tinker Bell comes to the aid of her beaten boss, she'll unleash an unimaginable fury, and there's no telling who will live and who will die.

Appearances

Characters

• Ambrose Wolf
• Bigby Wolf
• Blossom Wolf
• Cinderella ("Cindy")
• Connor Wolf
• Ghost Wolf (mentioned)
• Herne
• Herne, son of Herne (mentioned)
• Iago Warduck (first identified as Iago)
• Jack in the Green (former) (corpse)
• Jack in the Green (Gwen)
• King Cole
• Mrs. Bear
• Peter Pan
• Sam
• Snow White
• Tinker Bell
• Winter (Bigby's mother) (mentioned indirectly)
• Winter Wolf

Fictional species

Multispecies

• Fable
  • God

Species

• Pixie
• Titan (mentioned)
• Wind (hybrid)

Items

Thanatos Arrow

Locations

• Mundane world
  • Fabletown
    • Castle Dark
  • The Pentagon
• Homelands
  • The Hesse
    • The Black Forest
      • Last Story Home
      • Wolfholm

Other

• Magic
  • Shapeshifting
• Mundy

Trivia

While conversing with Cinderella in Castle Dark, King Cole can be seen leisurely puffing on his pipe, with a collection of other pipes resting on the nearby table. Also, there is a fiddle resting on a sideboard. This is a reference to the nursery rhyme "Old King Cole," where the titular character requests his pipe and three musicians who play the fiddle.

Continuity

• King Cole reveals that he always knew about Cinderella's secret missions for Bigby. Cinderella was first seen working for Bigby in Fables #22 — "Cinderella Libertine."
• Jack in the Green prepares to use a Thanatos Arrow on Peter Pan, the weapon that she was given by her predecessor in Fables #152 — "The Black Forest Chapter Two: Pandemonium."