Jack Horner (comics)

Characterization

Jack Horner, the Fable known as Jack of Fables, is a character who blends a cheerful, money-hungry nature with a chilling lack of concern for others, often showing sociopathic traits. He is always on the lookout for a quick profit, yet he stands as a dedicated enemy of the Adversary and is a skilled fighter, thanks to years spent battling giants. Despite his selfishness, he can show genuine emotion, as seen when he asks the Beast about Snow White and her children, mourns his wife, and considers endangering himself to save Gary during a Librarian ambush and a car crash. To gain fame in the Mundy world, Jack produces a film trilogy of his own adventures, which supposedly makes him nearly immortal, though this idea is hotly debated, even by Frau Totenkinder. In his own spin-off series, his near-immortality seems strengthened by his parentage—being the son of a Literal woman and one of the most popular male Fables—and by the many deals he made with devils during his Jack O'Lantern days. Jack thinks he is much cleverer than he actually is, and despite his long life, he has little interest in history. The core of his personality is his honest belief that he is the most important person alive, with only his own needs and wants mattering. Jack Sprat and Jack Ketch are entirely different characters; Fable Jack is a version of Jack Horner. A later revelation shows Jack was not the original hero of the Beanstalk or giant-killing tales. Instead, he is an unknowing copy of an older fable named Wicked John. When Wicked John died, some great force tried to write the trickster back into stories but got the name wrong, creating Jack. John was later revived, and the two now share a bitter rivalry. However, after the War with Bookburner, Mister Revise retconned this, confirming that Jack did indeed sell his cow for magical beans, and that he is the son of a Literal and Prince Charming.