Part of an ongoing series revisiting graphic novels and collected editions from days gone by....

Negotiations between Prince Charming, mayor of Fabletown, and Hansel, emissary from the Emperor's court in the Homelands, are not going well. Despite the seemingly polite, if strained, talks between parties, the Fabletown residents have learned that the Emperor is planning a secret, full-scale invasion of their world. Preparations begin to counter the attack, which will no doubt be devastating.

Meanwhile, Prince Ambrose -- aka the Frog Prince -- has recovered his lost memories and seeks an avenue for vengeance against the Emperor's forces for the deaths of his wife and children. When he fails to win Boy Blue's aid -- specifically, the use of the witching cloak and vorpal blade, both of which made Blue nearly invincible on his recent foray into the Homelands to rescue Red Riding Hood -- Ambrose finds a new ally in the Forsworn Knight, an empty suit of rusted armor that has hung silent and mysterious for centuries in Fabletown's business office. Now, the knight is revealed as the ghost of Lancelot, who has been waiting patiently for his chance to atone for his role in ending the peace of Camelot, and he vows to guide Ambrose in his path of destruction and revenge.

It takes Ambrose to the bottom of the Witching Well, a portal for the dead, which Ambrose alone survives its descent. At the bottom, he finds the ghostly remains of countless Fabletown residents and enemies -- including past Fables characters such as Trusty John, Bluebeard, Shere Khan and Weyland Smith -- whom he forms into a vast spectral army of sorts. He leads them out of the Well -- a long and torturous journey for both the living and dead -- and into the Homelands, where he creates a new kingdom, Haven, right in the middle of the Emperor's vast holdings.

There, Ambrose vows, anyone who would leave the empire can find safety and sanctuary ... despite the vast force that the Emperor sends against them. Of course, not all of Ambrose's ghostly allies are truly on his side, but the magic he wields within the boundaries of Haven seems unbeatable.

Meanwhile, back in Fabletown, watching Ambrose's adventures through the Magic Mirror has become the new favorite pastime. Frau Totenkinder, a powerful witch most famous for trying to cook and eat a pair of wandering Grimm children, sets herself up to oppose the Emperor through powerful spells and intricate machinations. And the six or seven pups in the litter of Bigby (Big Bad) Wolf and Snow White celebrate a milestone birthday.

But The Good Prince is the Frog Prince's show. A character who began this series as an affable and somewhat hapless janitor in Fabletown has grown into a major player in the vast events of the Homeland. Certainly the events of this book will greatly change the outlook for Fabletown and the Homelands in future volumes, and I'm eager to proceed to the next chapter so I can see what happens next.