Fables has remained one of the most popular Vertigo series in its long-running format, often by dominating the trade paperback sales. Fables has often been considered one of the Vertigo crossover series that sell well at regular bookstores to people who are not a part of the comic book subculture. These also include fan favorites like Y: The Last Man, Sandman, 100 Bullets, and DMZ. Fables has often embraced its success on the trade market while its regular monthly issues scarcely sell much more than 12,000 units. With their long awaited final issue, #150, they are taking the trend they started with issues #50 and #100 and running with it. They are creating an extra long final issue, clocking in at a full 160 pages! This is basically an entire trade paperback, and it will also be the final trade for those only reading the series in trades. All the previous trades will go through issue #149, with the final trade being the final issue. This will allow it to be sold in bookstores as well as comic shops, and it will be a nice way to finish up an epic series that has spawned a huge universe, a novel, a half dozen spin-offs and miniseries, and even a videogame.

This is also a nice reminder that our waiting is getting us something special, especially since we have been without an issue since February 18th’s release of issue #149. Issue #150, also called Volume 22 if you are going by the trades, won’t be released until June 17th, 2015.