Coventry (comics)
Encyclopedia
Coventry is a Fantagraphics
comic book mini-series by Bill Willingham
. Coventry is a fictitious state
in an alternate history version of the United States of America in which magical and legendary powers, creatures, villains and heroes are real and a part of everyday life. Coventry ran for only 3 issues, from November 1996 to July 1997. Two short novels set in the same universe, detailing the exploits of the legendary hero Beowulf
, were written by Willingham and published by Clockwork Storybook
in 2002.
The Coventry comics and the following novels have been praised by critics as "a delicious blend of horror, offbeat humor, great characters and cat-and-mouse plotting" and "sharp, stark and needle-point powerful".
Coventry may have served as a prototype
for Willingham's current series, Fables (published by DC Comics
, under the Vertigo
imprint), which deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore who have been forced out of their Homelands
by a mysterious enemy known as the Adversary
.
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
comic book mini-series by Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Career:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...
. Coventry is a fictitious state
Fictional country
A fictional country is a country that is made up for fictional stories, and does not exist in real life, or one that people believe in without proof....
in an alternate history version of the United States of America in which magical and legendary powers, creatures, villains and heroes are real and a part of everyday life. Coventry ran for only 3 issues, from November 1996 to July 1997. Two short novels set in the same universe, detailing the exploits of the legendary hero Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
, were written by Willingham and published by Clockwork Storybook
Clockwork Storybook
Clockwork Storybook was a writer's collective and independent book publisher based in Austin, Texas. It specialized in the fantasy, horror and adventure genres.-History:...
in 2002.
The Coventry comics and the following novels have been praised by critics as "a delicious blend of horror, offbeat humor, great characters and cat-and-mouse plotting" and "sharp, stark and needle-point powerful".
Coventry may have served as a prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
for Willingham's current series, Fables (published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, under the Vertigo
Vertigo (comics)
Vertigo is an imprint of the American comic-book publisher DC Comics. Its books are marketed to a sophisticated audience, and may contain graphic violence, substance abuse, frank depictions of sexuality, profanity, and controversial subjects...
imprint), which deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore who have been forced out of their Homelands
Homelands (Fables)
The Homelands are the mythical lands from fairy tales, folklore, and nursery rhymes in the comic book series Fables. The majority of those listed have been conquered by the mysterious Adversary, as he has conquered most of the European Fable lands...
by a mysterious enemy known as the Adversary
Geppetto (Fables)
Geppetto is a major character, albeit one that's rarely seen, in the comic book series Fables, written by Bill Willingham and published by DC Comics as part of the Vertigo imprint....
.