| “ | If you don't turn this page, then you can't finish reading the story. And if you don't finish reading the story, then the story can never end. | „ |
| ― Babe addressing the readers in Fables #143 — "The Very Last Story of Babe the Miniature Blue Ox" |
Babe is a bovine Fable who is a prisoner at the Golden Boughs Retirement Village and the animal companion of Paul Bunyan. He first appears in Jack of Fables #2 — "Jack in the Box."
History
Background
Paul Bunyan was a giant lumberjack who used to travel the length and breadth of Americana,[3] his homeworld;[2] with his trusty blue ox Babe at his side.[3]
At some point, Babe and Bunyan were caught by Mister Revise and imprisoned at the Golden Boughs Retirement Village, and Revise had Bunyan shrunken down to human size.[4]
The Golden Boughs
One day, Bunyan makes his way into a nearby pub at the Golden Boughs, with Babe by his side. He leaves Babe, now a dull brown instead of his former vibrant blue and wearing a cowbell with his initial around his neck, outside the pub before he goes in. Babe looks on as the most recent inmate, Jack Horner, walks into the pub with Gary. Inside the pub, Bunyan gets into a quarrel with Jack, who claims that he is not afraid of a man who spends excessive time alone in the woods with a blue cow. This angers Bunyan, who shouts at Jack that Babe is not a cow but an ox. Subsequently, Bunyan and Babe are observed standing alongside a group of Fables outside the library, while Jack is inside with Revise.[1]
Amidst the chaos of Jack Horner's planned mass escape from the Golden Boughs, both Bunyan and Babe (with his restored blue color) have grown noticeably larger and easily bound over the fence to join in on the breakout.[5] On a motorcycle, the duo tries to evade their pursuers. However, the Golden Boughs staff is quick to catch up, and they are both recaptured. Babe's eyes well up with tears while Bunyan mutters a swear word under his breath.[6]
As punishment for his escape attempt, Mister Revise throws Bunyan down the memory hole, which shrinks him down to human size.[4] Babe accompanies Bunyan as he walks through the lush fields of the Golden Boughs, carrying a bottle and clearly under the influence.[7]
Hillary Page devises a plan to explore the world of Americana and invites Bunyan to join her. When he refuses, she uses blackmail to manipulate him into assisting her, threatening to kill Babe (who now has been reduced to a miniature blue ox) and serve him as oxtail stew at a nearby café if he refuses. Bunyan reluctantly agrees to go with her, on the condition to take Babe with him, saying that the ox tends to lose touch with reality when he's not around.[4]
Americana
After Bunyan's shrunken down so they can travel, they eventually find him in Americana in search for treasure that Humpty Dumpty had on himself. However, Jack doesn't feel like dealing with them and pushes Bunyan, Hillary, and even Raven off the train. Babe, not really much of a threat, stays with him.
The others eventually catch up with Jack again, but Bunyan is captured by Bookburner during his chase after the others. Bookburner burns Paul and Babe's book and has Bunyan resurrected as one of his loyal soldiers, resulting in Bunyan's ox being left on his own. Babe appears at first weakened but retains his personality and independence from Bookburner's affect.
After a series of many chases by the Bookburner's people, Slue Foot Sue and Hawkeye, the group eventually shakes them off and end up on the spot where Humpty's hidden treasure lies. However, Jack and Gary land in trouble when Jack brags in front of Hillary that he had slept with her sisters Robin and Priscilla. Humpty, Raven, and Hillary all push them down a crack in a temple, and Hillary and Humpty pack their "treasure," but leave Raven and Babe behind.
When Jack and Gary both crawl out of the crack, they see the two. Raven merely stayed because his animal spirit threatened to claw out his eyes. Jack merely shrugs it off, being thankful to at least have Babe on their side.
Further adventures
Bunyan is seemingly killed when Gary the Pathetic Fallacy unleashes his powers on him when Bookburner's army attacks the Golden Boughs.[8] Babe remains by Jack's side until after The Great Fables Crossover, during that time he follows Gary, Snow White, Mr. Revise, and Bigby. He eventually grows bored with them, most likely due to Jack's changing appearance.
Babe then goes to many different homes, from living in a bird's nest among its hatchlings to apparently being adopted by a red-hair girl with pigtails, who treats him like a pet.
Babe is one of the few characters to survive the final issue of Jack of Fables, in which he is on a Polynesian island, apparently being treated like a deity.[9] He is last seen addressing the readers in a side story of Fables, contemplating his role in Jack of Fables and expressing his worries about the story coming to an end.[10]
Personality and traits
Throughout the Jack of Fables series, Babe enjoys entertaining the reader with his own private musings. Babe seems to be one of the few characters that breaks the fourth wall, but it is unclear who he talks to exactly; himself, the reader or an imaginary audience. However, he does speak directly to the readers in Fables #143 — "The Very Last Story of Babe the Miniature Blue Ox."
Babe also seems to be able to find himself in the most improbable situations, without anyone showing any sign of surprise. A mundy who agrees to give Paul Bunyan and Hillary Page a lift, even mistakes Babe for a dog,[2] though he clearly looks like what he is: a blue ox.
Even Paul Bunyan seems a little confused about Babe's identity, as he keeps referring to Babe as a "she," even though he also refers to Babe as an ox and is deeply insulted when someone calls Babe a cow.[1] Bunyan also addresses Babe as "girl"[2] and "old girl."[6] Hillary Page overhears him referring to Babe as a girl and promptly corrects him, stating that Babe is, in fact, a male ox. Paul dismisses this as absurd, asserting that he can see Babe's udder. However, Hillary clarifies that what he sees is not an udder, but rather Babe's genitalia. Upon understanding this, Paul concedes that this explains a lot.[2]
Original source
Babe is based on Babe the Blue Ox from legend of Paul Bunyan from American folklore. According to legend, Paul Bunyan was a colossal lumberjack, known as a heroic figure in the American lumber camps. Together with his companions, Babe the Blue Ox and Johnny Inkslinger, he faces down months of endless rain, oversized mosquitoes, and challenging terrain without batting an eye.[11]
Appearances
References
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