Fairest #10

Three issues into "The Hidden Kingdom," after Rapunzel has been temporarily abandoned by Joel in Japan after fleeing from her former lover Tomoko (by way of orgasm), the storyline finally fills in the back story explaining Rapunzel's distrust of men (and mother figures), her pregnancy, and the loss of her infant twin daughters whom she has search for over the centuries.

The latest issue, the end of which marks the halfway point of this arc and delivers our first look at Rapunzel's "children," includes a pretty cool giant cat (of the Cheshire variety), a long train ride, assassins, Bigby Wolf, quite a bit of back story for our hairy heroine, and Rapunzel facing her revenge.

Although the cliffhanger works pretty well, the story behind it isn't as clear as I'd like (especially for an issue that finally spends time to explain the past and motives of our main character). However, once again Fairest delivers one of the best comics of the month. I wouldn't expect anything less. If you aren't reading this comic you are missing out on one of the few bright spots in comics this year. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]