Immigration
Legend in exile is a comic book written by Bill Willingham. The book brings in characters from old fairy tales in one book. The characters are thrust into fable land when an adversary conquers their fairyland. The characters are disguised among the New York residents. The book is more of a murder solving story than a fairy tale. In this story, immigration is shown by change of behavior in the characters.
The first panel of the book shows readers New York City, and its well famous buildings, a fast moving taxi pulling up outside an apartment in Bullfinch Street. A man spotting a pony tail jumps out of the taxi and rushes past the cleaner. The man then bulges into an office of Bigby Wolf. Bigby is head of security. Here, Jack of the Beanstalks makes a statement of a horrible crime. Perhaps the author uses the buildings in New York, and fast life to show changes. Changes from a life the characters were used of forests, trees and a slow life. Jack of the beanstalk has also changed. He is no longer the small boy but a man who falls in love with a woman.
This statement suggest the author’s intuition to include the changes happening in the environment as drastic and unexpected. He tries to present the theme of uncertainty and insecurity in immigration. Normally, individuals are used to their traditional setting that is more familiar and easy to relate with. With the change in environment and movement to New York, these immigrants find life difficult and must live in secrecy. Snow White and the other imaginary fairy tale creatures exile and they are termed as strangers, a term to suggest that they are not Mundies. This is after their security is threatened by the Adversary who drives them out to New York, Feeble Town.
The book portrays characters different and living a changed lifestyle. They have been forced to take up new identities and roles in the new town that they have created. The elements make them live a modernized lifestyle that is similar to the noticed town trends. As immigrants, these characters are forced to blend with other civilians and divert attention from their mystical lifestyle. The author integrates modern day crime with the roles played by these magical characters. The deputy mayor happens to be Snow White. She is listening to Beauty and Beast marital woes; the Beauty is saying the Beast has become more beastly than manly. This also signifies movement of character from beast who was manlier and now has to deal with reality of New York City. Beauty gets angry at Snow Whites obliviousness to the situation. In anger, Beauty mentions Snow White 7 dwarfs, and her adventures. At the mention of the dwarfs, Boy Blue moves the couple from the bosses’ room. Snow white is clearly angry at the mention of the dwarfs. This shows movement from a mystical creature to a farmiliar setting of crime and facts without mystery. Snow white has clearly changed from the docile woman to a more aggressive one who has a career and emotions. The character introduced next is Prince charming, Snow Whites ex husband. Prince charming is broke but manages to charm a waitress to let him live in her house. This shows the behavior of immigrants as adaptive and willing to survive the situation faced at all costs. The prince indicated that these fairy tale creatures had the desire to maintain their lifestyle despite the difficult situation faced. These elements drive immigration as a factor that creates the will to adapt to the current standards to initiate a better life. It also reflects how women have become independent and can even afford to do better in life. Immigrant women are shown as independent by the writer and no longer rely on men to provide for them.
Blue boy is another character in the book. The book portrays him as efficient clerk who understands his boss well. This is seen when he leads the beauty and the beast outside when they mention dwarfs. As the book goes on, he is represented as a person who has a history of violence. He is still portrayed to be wearing blue as his favorite color. This may illustrate he wants to hold on to his some part of his past. He may be one person in the book who refuses to let the past be the past. His character has changed, from the boy who had to put on a cloak, to be invisible to an efficient clerk. He now has the courage to be visible in the new world they find themselves.
A crime has occurred involving Rose Red Snow white’s sister. She has not changed much from old times; her behavior was still repelled by many. Bigby Wolf the sheriff reports to Snow white his boss the boss insists on accompanying him to see the apartment. The apartment is trashed with blood spilled everywhere. Bigby’s first reaction is to arrest Jack the former boyfriend of rose. The trail leads to Blue Bird who has a habit of killing women he is engaged to marry. The change in Bigby from an evil wolf is evident. The wolf has now changed and uses his skills to assist in maintaining law and finding criminals. Considering in the past he would have been considered a criminal is intriguing. The author uses fairy tale creatures to suggest that immigration changes those affected to pick up favorable standards in order to gain favor among their fellow dwellers. This would show the wolf’s change of character because they were all facing a common enemy in being identified as outsiders. Immigration leads to the desire to bond and establish common goals in leading a similar lifestyle.
The author of this book is trying to show that things cannot remain the same and individuals must change with time to fit in. He has done a good job at changing everything about the characters and the environment. The writer wanted to show how times have changed and may be uses Snow white and to reflect a loss of innocence. In Snow white, he brings out a more confident professional while, in the wolf, he brings out a man who is good at his job. Immigration develops change and maintains the bond shared by individuals with similar background and interest.