Take my advice. Some topics are best never brought up. Never discuss personal hygiene with a bridge troll. Never trade casserole recipes with a Black Forest Witch. But above all, when talking to the Deputy Mayor -- never mention the dwarves! 
- — Boy Blue
Fables #1 is an issue of the series Fables (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 2002. It was published on May 8, 2002.
Synopsis for "Old Tales Revisited"
Fables are characters of legend and fairy tale. Exiled from their enchanted homelands, they have immigrated to Earth where many reside in New York City. Those who cannot pass for human are taken to a place in upstate New York called the Farm. Snow White is the Deputy Mayor and Director of Operations of Fabletown (the Fable community in New York). Currently, she is attempting to quell a domestic dispute between the Beauty and the Beast.
Elsewhere in the city, a young man known as Jack (ala Jack the Giant-Killer) races into the office of detective Bigby Wolf. He tells Bigby that something terrible has happened to his lover, Rose Red, and pleads with Bigby to investigate. Rose Red also happens to be Snow White's twin sister.
Bigby informs Snow White, and he takes Jack to Rose's apartment where they discover that the room is a veritable abattoir of blood, however, there is no sign of Rose Red. Possessions are strewn all about the place, and the words "No More Happily Ever After" are written in blood on the wall. Bigby performs a cursory inspection of the room, then suddenly flies into a frenzy. He pins Jack against the wall and accuses him of the murder of Rose Red.
Appearing in "Old Tales Revisited"
Featured Characters:
- Bigby Wolf (First appearance)
- Snow White (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Jack Horner (First appearance)
- Boy Blue (First appearance)
- Lady Beauty (First appearance)
- Lord Beast (First appearance)
- Prince Charming (First appearance)
- Rose Red (First appearance) (Flashback only)
- King Cole (Mentioned only)
- Ambrose the Flycatcher (First appearance) (Unnamed)
- Grimble (First appearance) (Unnamed)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Bufkin (First appearance)
- Johnny the Doorman (First appearance)
- Molly Greenbaum (First appearance)
Locations:
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Greenwich Village
- Fabletown
- Gottfried's Steakhouse
- I Am the Eggman Diner
- Manhattan
Items:
- Excalibur (Cameo)
Vehicles:
- Taxi
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Fables: Legends in Exile, Fables Special Edition #1 and Vertigo: First Offenses.
- Boy Blue is not to be confused with Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys.
- Boy Blue makes reference to the Black Forest Witch. The Black Forest Witch is a legendary character known for tormenting the children, Hansel and Gretel. The Black Forest Witch doesn't make an actual appearance in this series until issue #3.
- The character of Rose Red was originally introduced in the Grimm Fairy Tale, Snow White and Rose Red.
- Molly's last name, Greenbaum, is revealed in issue #2.
- The janitor seen outside of Snow White's office is Ambrose the Flycatcher, better known as the Frog Prince.
- Rose Red's Apartment is located in Greenwich Village. This is revealed in Fables #3.
- The security guard asleep at his station on page two is Grimble. Grimble is the bridge troll from the tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. He won't be identified by name until issue #3.
- The winged monkey seen flying around the Woodland building is Bufkin. He makes sporadic appearances throughout the course of the series.
- There are several clues at the crime scene that Bigby pays special attention to: a fallen lamp, an upturned ashtray, a blood-spattered compact disk, a drawer full of tools and a padlocked refrigerator. The significance of these clues is revealed in Fables #5.
- Zylonol is mis-spelled as "Zylenol" in the credits for this issue.
Trivia
- Jack of Fables is literally the personification of every "Jack" that has ever appeared in a fairy tale. He is also known as Jack the Giant-Killer, Jack (of Jack and Jill), Little Jack Horner, Jack O'Lantern and Jack Be Nimble.
- Prince Charming, as he appears in this series, is the amalgamation of every "Prince" archetype frequently seen in various fairy tales. He is the same Prince that seduces Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
- Bigby Wolf is the phonetic re-spelling of Big B. Wolf, or "Big Bad Wolf". Bigby is an amalgamation of the Wolf responsible for destroying the homes of the Three Little Pigs, as well as being the tormentor of Little Red Riding Hood. The idea of the Big Bad Wolf as a detective was also used in the 2006 computer animated feature film, Hoodwinked.
- One of the relics seen in Snow White's office is the mystical sword of King Arthur, Excalibur.