| This article is about the comic character. You may be looking for his video game counterpart. |
| “ | It's your job to keep things running smoothly around here, and I hardly think decapitated strumpets on the front stoop fits the bill! What's next, Miss White? Hm? Mouse Police on the take from Lilliputian mafiosi? Kiddie porn being distributed out of a giant shoe? | „ |
| ~ Ichabod Crane scolding Snow White in Fables: The Wolf Among Us #4 — "Chapter Four" |
Ichabod Crane is a Fable who lived in Fabletown in New York City. He was Fabletown's Deputy Mayor, until he was forced to flee to Europe to avoid a scandal. He first appears in Fables #22 — "Cinderella Libertine."
History
Fabletown
As Hansel committed global witch hunts against innocent mundys in the mundane world, Crane turned a blind eye as the man wasn't breaking Fabletown law. In the aftermath of the witch-hunts, he also made arrangements for Hansel to reunite with his sister Gretel, a decision that would ultimately prove to be a grave error. Consumed by fury at the thought of his sister being trained by Frau Totenkinder, Hansel violently swung a chair at her and broke her neck. It is believed that Crane was aware of this fact but chose not to disclose it for various reasons.[2]
In 1883, Crane sent Sheriff Bigby Wolf as a strategic move to capture Jack Horner, who had been wreaking havoc in the Old West through robberies, pillaging, and ruthless killings.[3] Crane presided over Jack's trial and declared him guilty of all charges. He then sentenced Jack to fifty years of hard labor at the Farm as punishment for his crimes.[4]
Crane eventually became Fabletown's Deputy Mayor under King Cole with Snow White as his assistant. He held the position for almost 115 years. Crane was ultimately fired from his position for sexually harassing Snow White and embezzling government funds.[1] Bloody Mary, an employee of their secret shared employer, the Crooked Man, instructs Crane to board a flight to Paris.[5]
Paris
Cinderella ultimately found Crane in Paris, where she skillfully employed her wit and feminine allure to masquerade as a double agent for the Adversary, thereby positioned herself as Crane's lover. During their relationship, Crane was willing to give away Fabletown secrets and side with the Adversary. Cindy tricked Crane into signing a confession and gathered enough evidence to charge Crane of treason, with Bigby bringing up the charges that drove him to leave Fabletown in the first place, including embezzlement and his less than professional interest in Snow White. Outside of Fabletown jurisdiction, Bigby sentenced Crane and personally executed him by bashing in his skull with a headless statue of Napoleon Bonaparte. He abandoned the corpse to be found by French authorities.[1]
Appearances
Original source
Ichabod Crane is the protagonist of Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" from 1820. He looks like a comical, aged scarecrow that has escaped from the fields. Crane is described as "tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat at the top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it looked like a cock perched upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew."
Crane is the local schoolmaster, and strongly believes in all things supernatural, including the legend of the Headless Horseman. Crane attempts to win the affections of the wealthy heiress Katrina Van Tassel, but his efforts are in vain. This incites the wrath of Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, a local man vying for Katrina's hand as well. Following his supposed proposal to Katrina, Crane is walking home alone at night when the Headless Horseman suddenly appears and gives chase to the fearful schoolmaster. The Headless Horseman finally hurls his pumpkin head at Crane, causing the man to vanish without a trace.
Trivia
Headless statuette
The statuette used by Bigby to bludgeon Ichabod Crane's head is a headless sculpture of Napoleon Bonaparte, drawing a parallel to the iconic Headless Horseman from the short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving, which introduces the character of Ichabod Crane. In the next panel, a pumpkin is being smashed by a passing car, a clear nod to the infamous Horseman's head pumpkin described in the story.
During the video game The Wolf Among Us, players can come across the same statuette in Crane's apartment during the episode "A Crooked Mile." This will unlock an entry about the Headless Horseman in the game's Book of Fables. According to the entry, the figure is a depiction of the Horseman.
Both sculptures are modeled after the famous 1801 oil painting Napoleon Crossing the Alps, created by renowned French artist Jacques-Louis David.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Fables #22 — "Cinderella Libertine"
- ↑ Fables #54 — "Sons of the Empire, Part Three: The Burning Times"
- ↑ Jack of Fables #22 — "1883, Chapter One: The Legend of Smilin' Jack"
- ↑ Jack of Fables #24 — "1883, Chapter Three: The Showdown"
- ↑ Fables: The Wolf Among Us #38 — "Chapter Thirty-Eight"
- ↑ Zaczek, Ian. Napoleon Crossing the Alps, Encyclopædia Britannica. Napoleon Crossing the Alps, oil equestrian portrait by celebrated French artist Jacques-Louis David that was completed in 1801."
See also
| Fables | |
|---|---|
| Series | Fables • Jack of Fables • Fairest • Fables: The Wolf Among Us • Everafter: From the Pages of Fables |
| Specials | Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall • Peter & Max: A Fables Novel • Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love • Cinderella: Fables Are Forever • The Literals • Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland • Fairest: In All the Land • The Unwritten Fables • Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham |
| Characters | Bigby Wolf • Snow White • Rose Red • Prince Charming • Beauty • Beast • Boy Blue • Flycatcher • King Cole • Frau Totenkinder • Geppetto • Snow Queen • North Wind • Jack Horner • Bufkin |
| Video games | The Wolf Among Us • The Wolf Among Us 2 (unreleased) |