Flycatcher (comics)

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caption=Flycatcher
From "Fables" #42, Art by Mark Buckingham
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Flycatcher
real_name=Ambrose
publisher=Vertigo Comics
debut="Fables" #1 (July 2002)
creators=Bill Willingham
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
alliances=Fabletown
aliases=The Frog Prince
powers=|

Flycatcher, also known as the Frog Prince, or occasionally by Ambrose, his real name, is a fictional character in the comic book series "Fables", created by Bill Willingham.Citation | last = Irvine | first = Alex | author-link = Alexander C. Irvine | contribution = Fables | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The Vertigo Encyclopedia | pages = 72-81 | publisher = Dorling Kindersley | place = New York | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4122-5 | oclc = 213309015]

Character History

Pre-Fabletown

Flycatcher was a happily married prince of a small kingdom in the Homelands, with a beautiful wife and many children. He lived peacefully with his family, his only quirk being the occasional resumption of his frog curse when he was nervous, scared or especially excited. Fortunately it only took a kiss from his loving wife to return him to human form, and, as time went on, he would often go for years between instances of the curse asserting itself. His tranquil family life was shattered when the Adversary invaded his realm. Fly geared up in order to fight, unaware that the enemy troops had already invaded his castle. As he bid farewell to his family, enemy soldiers burst into the room, causing Fly's curse to manifest immediately. Trapped in his frog form, he could only watch helplessly as his younger children were murdered immediately and his wife and eldest daughter repeatedly raped before being killed themselves. How Fly returned to his human form is unknown - it is speculated that he took a last kiss from his dead wife. Unable to face the truth, Fly wandered as a beggar, asking everywhere he went if people had seen his family. Finally he learned of the sanctuary of the mundane world and, figuring that his family would have fled there, he traveled there as well. He still wonders what happened to them and has asked one of the magic mirrors retrieved from the Homelands to search for them on his behalf. Some of his fellow Fables are aware of the true situation, but conspire to keep the truth from him, knowing that it would destroy him. When drunk, Fly appears to have a greater awareness of what really happened to them, which is believed to be the reason why he rarely drinks.

Fabletown

Flycatcher acted as the janitor for the Woodland building, the center of government for Fabletown. Fly was not employed in the traditional sense, since the nature of his history is such that, if he has a job that he could choose to quit, he would have to do so and return to the Homelands to seek his missing family. As this would almost certainly result in his death, Bigby Wolf developed a system whereby Fly is working off a never-ending series of community service orders for a series of minor infractions, usually eating flies. As such, Fly can remain in the job that he enjoys doing and where he feels important. This arrangement was nearly disrupted by the well-meaning Beast, who intended to employ Fly legitimately, before Rose Red put him straight on the real nature of the situation.

Fly has been spending a considerable amount of time with Red Riding Hood, having been asked to look after her by Boy Blue before the latter departed for the Farm. She accompanied him to Bigby and Snow White's wedding. Fly, however, seemed oblivious to the fact that Red was falling for him, something that he only appeared to realize when she went on an expedition out into the mundane city, where she had a makeover with him in mind. He was shocked when he saw her and ran away, hiding in the depths of the business office. His curse then manifested, reverting Fly to his frog form.

Eventually, Santa Claus visited Flycatcher and forced him to reveal that he can speak, and also that he remembers what happened to his family. Santa then brought the ghost of Fly's wife so she could restore him to his human form. Santa explained that Fly is destined to play a crucial part in future events, but only if he can learn to accept the past and move on.

Haven

During "The Good Prince", Flycatcher finds himself forced to face his past. With his memory fully restored, he has resigned from his janitor's job and sworn vengeance on those who destroyed his family, attempting to enlist Boy Blue in training him in combat skills. Blue refused, partly on the grounds that Fly would never survive for long, but mainly because he didn't want to be responsible for the one truly good Fable losing his innocence. Returning to Fabletown, Fly found himself awakening and being drawn to the business office, where he encountered the ghost of the Forsworn Knight, now released from his armor. Introducing himself as Lance, the ghost informed Fly that he will act as a guide for the first part of Fly's quest. Lance bequeathed his armor to Fly (which resumed its luster after being placed on a pure person), as well as helping him to obtain Excalibur. Lance then knighted Fly, claiming he was to take up the role of the Once and Future King (formerly held by King Arthur).

Flycatcher proceeded to lead Lancelot into the Witching Well - the first living person to do so - in order to find an army of the ghosts of those who had been thrown there. Among the ghosts are Little Miss Muffet's Spider husband, Shere Khan and Bluebeard, as well as Trusty John. The ghosts are informed that they shall have flesh when they are near Flycatcher, and they follow him out of the land of the dead, into the garden kingdom where Flycatcher was once prince.In Haven, Flycatcher brings powerful magics that nullify any sent by the Adversary. Conquering the opposing armies one after one through passive means (e.g., dragon flights falling out of the air as their magical fire and wings fail them), Flycatcher's Haven becomes a "third course" compared to the two opposing sides in the war between the The Adversary (Fables) and Fabletown. He manages to defeat every enemy sent at him without any blood loss and graciously accepts his defeated enemies as new citizens of Haven, since their return to the Emperor will result in their death for failure.

The arc comes to a close as the Adversary assembles all of the wooden soldiers into the Golden Horde. As they march — immune to the fear of Fly's ghosts, and with the magic of the Sacred Grove too strong for Fly's to nullify — the Adversary assumes they are unbeatable.

Fly senses the end of his visions, and believing that it means his final act will include his death, he surrenders himself to the Horde. However, all are surprised: his magical armor (the armor of the Unspoiled Knight) adds itself to the Sacred Grove's magic, causing all of the wooden soldiers to suddenly sprout into an enormous grove of trees. Flycatcher, surprised at his own survival, explains that the Adversary is now defeated; the soldiers, nearly every one in the Empire, have all become a new Sacred Grove. Because there can be only one Sacred Grove in all the worlds, this means that Gepetto's will never grow back. Moreover, the Sacred Grove's magic has increased Fly's own, meaning he will be able to continue expanding his kingdom for even longer.

When questioned about his intentions toward the sacred grove — explicitly, whether he intends to raise his own wooden soldier army and capture lands for the Empire — Fly experiences a nightmarish vision of an older version of himself waging war with such a wooden soldier army, whereupon he declares that he will leave the grove alone and that he intends them to be trees.

Personality and traits

Tall and decidedly gangly, Fly is almost universally popular in Fabletown, being kind and friendly (if not exceptionally bright), to the extent that Snow and Bigby name one of their children Ambrose in his honor. Although still searching for his family, he has developed something of a crush on Briar Rose, to the extent that his kiss was enough to wake her from her curse.

"Fables" artist Mark Buckingham has stated that Flycatcher is his favorite character; Buckingham has said that he is the only truly innocent character in the series. [cite web | last = George | first = Richard | title = Exclusive Fables Interview Complete Edition | publisher = IGN | date = 2007-01-05 | url = http://comics.ign.com/articles/753/753361p1.html | accessdate = 2008-10-11] This has since been backed up in the series itself, in which it has been noted that Flycatcher was the only Fable to reach the mundane world who had nothing to be forgiven, covered up, or otherwise absolved of, under the Fabletown amnesty.

References