The Dark Ages picks up after the end of the war between Fabletown and the Adversary's army in the Homelands. I still have a hard time accepting that (view spoiler)[ the Adversary is now a resident of Fabletown -- even a grumpy and disliked one. I hope there is a plot twist in store there, otherwise it will feel a little more than anticlimatic (hide spoiler)]. 
 After a single issue showing life in Fabletown post-war, Buckingham returns with his lovely illustrations to tell a dark and disturbing story of unrest in the now Emperor-less Homelands, tragic loss for the Fabletown crew, and the emergence of a new evil who quickly changes life as the Fables have come to know it. While I like that Rose Red heralds a new generation of leadership, I'm sad that Snow has taken (been given?) such a backseat to the forward march of Fabletown. She, Bigby, and the cubs are fantastic characters as a family, but I have a hard time believing she's content to just manage her household (handful that they may be...). A single issue epilogue lacks the finesse of the rest of The Dark Ages as it's rendered by a different artist, sigh. The book ends with a Mowgli story that introduces a couple of endearing new characters (view spoiler)[ in the form of a clockwork tiger and his drunken simian companion! (hide spoiler)] and brings Bigby's brothers out to play.