Magic arrived in the beautiful suburb of Versailles, France last weekend when hundreds of Oncers descended on the Palais des Congrès de Versailles to attend Xivent’s Fairy Tales II Convention.

 We arrived at the convention centre bright and early on Saturday and stood in line to get our passes, chatting with other fans while we waited. The sun was shining and the Oncer fandom was abuzz, a charge of positivity flowing as fans of all ages bonded over their favourite stories and characters.

t was so nice to talk directly with fans, not just about the show, but also about the fan site. Being recognised for something you have created was quite a surreal experience, but it was also great to get feedback from fans with regards to what they like about the site. Many were pleasantly surprised that, like themselves, we were simply “Oncers” who had come out to show the cast support and thanks.

After our passes had been claimed, we quickly made our way to the auditorium on the first floor of the building. Anticipation was building and the sound of hundreds of eager fan girls and boys was reaching fever pitch as we took our seats.

A Review of Spooky Empire's May-Hem Convention by Mauri Lazaro - @DarkDearieMauri

I know a lot of people were wondering why a fairy tale show like Once Upon a Time was featured at the horror convention Spooky Empire’s May-Hem. But if one looks at the original telling of fairy tales, both genres are grounded in common horror themes. They are cautionary tales with dire and sometimes gruesome consequences for the character who does not follow the rules set up in the story: don’t go down into the basement to investigate a strange noise, don’t go into a stranger’s house and be a glutton. . . you might become a witch’s dinner, don’t accept food from strangers . . . it could be poisoned. Most of these rules are based on the seven deadly sins in both story genres. Spooky gave fans an amazing opportunity to celebrate both the great characters that feature in these thoughtful tales and the creative people who bring them to life.

It was nice to see my Oncer friends again in person at May-Hem since we live all over and usually just keep in contact over the internet, and I loved meeting new friends, Oncers and horror fans alike. May-Hem was the best of both worlds for me as I’ve been a fan of horror since I was four years old when my mother and I used to watch the G-rated Hammer Horror films on Sunday afternoons. Dracula, played by Christopher Lee, is my favorite monster. We also watched The Blob because my mom liked Steve McQueen, and after seeing the movie I was wary of grape jelly in my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I also grew up with my mom reading fairy tales to me. My favorites were Cinderella and Snow White. My Mother was with me at May-Hem, and don’t let my seventy-five year old mother fool you when she says horror movies are just okay. Oh, please. She loves them! Her favorite horror movie is the original 1981 My Bloody Valentine. Is it no surprise that my Mom is an Evil Regal with all the hearts being ripped out? She enjoyed May-Hem as much as I did.

There were many highlights over the weekend. Meeting the cast of Once Upon a Time was just one of them. The first cast member I met was Rebecca Mader. She remembered my Wizard of Oz cupcakes that I made for my birthday and had posted on Twitter (squee!) Sean Maguire was a dream. He is such a gentleman, and, yes, he smells nice! Jason Burkart was also very friendly. I loved his curly hair. Freya Tingley is a sweetie pie. So glad to have met her! I’m looking forward to seeing her in Jersey Boys. It was also a pleasure to meet Lee Arenberg. I was impressed at how accessible he was to the fans, always around for us. Finally, there is the queen herself: Lana Parrilla. She is as absolutely stunning in person as she is on screen and well worth the wait. I had her sign an apple I bought. She wrote, “Mauri- Take a bite . . . if you dare!”

Review by Gareth Hughes 

The magic of Once Upon A Time comes to Titan Books with the first official companion to the smash hit ABC fantasy series, 'Behind The Magic'.

"Must have" sums up this mighty 178 page book, which is filled to the brim with episodes guides, behind the scenes features, cast interviews and some stunning glossy images.

The behind the scenes soundbites will be of particular interest to hardcore fans of the show, including a writing room roundtable with all the major players such as Jane Espenson, Robert Hull, Daniel Thompson and other notable OUAT writers, who talk us through the way an episode evolves and their favorite episodes so far.

Review by Gareth Hughes

Please Note: Plot spoilers are present in this review

The long awaited Once Upon a Time graphic novel from Marvel is out now and gives us a closer look into The Huntsman’s past along with his twisted relationship with Regina, The Evil Queen.

Shadow of the Queen is a hardcover graphic novel consisting of four chapters and behind the scenes bonus material. Each chapter is illustrated by a different artist: Michael del Mundo, Vasilis Lolos, Mike Henderson and Mike Kaluta.

The story starts immediately following the events depicted in Episode 7 of Season One, “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.” The Huntsman has failed to murder Snow White and, as punishment, Regina took his heart. He is now under her direct control and Regina uses him to do her bidding, whether it's collecting tributes or servicing the highly charged vixen in her private bed chamber.

Still bent on revenge, Regina devises a new plan to rid herself of Snow White by using the Huntsman's former werewolf pack to track her down. When the pack comes across Snow, they recognize Red and it is revealed that the pack is also connected to Anita, Red's mother, who Red killed in order to save her friend. A power struggle ensues, leaving Red and Snow caught between enemies on all sides.

These plot points fit nicely into the canon of the series overall and help tie up some loose ends with regard to what happened to Anita's pack and the events immediately following the aftermath of her death in the Season 2 episode,“Child of the Moon.

The novel, while not providing anything deep, is regarded as an official “canon” story within the series and does help to fill in the blanks, showcasing the relationship between Regina and The Huntsman. My one criticism is that the novel presents a very one dimensional portrayal of the Evil Queen. She is very much a stock villain caricature in this novel, with none of the subtleties and nuances that Lana Parrilla brings to the role so well. There is also the spark of a potential romance between The Huntsman and Red that seems to come out of nowhere towards the end of the novel, leaving you wondering how that scenario would have played out in the series had the Huntsman lived.

Overall the story is entertaining, but with only 4 short chapters, the read is over far too soon. For hardcore Once Upon A Time fans however, the graphic novel is a good investment and a nice addition to any collection.

By Lori Fitzgerald

ABC’s Once Upon a Time is a television show where every fairy tale character you’ve ever known is trapped in our world in a town called Storybrooke, and Titan Books and ABC Studios have teamed up to create more magic by turning a show about stories into a book itself. 

A Once Upon a Time Tale: Reawakened is a novelization of certain aspects of Season 1 of the highly popular show. Each chapter is based on an episode, although the dialogue and events are not taken verbatim from them. The tapestry of all the plotlines is too lengthy and complex to be developed in one novel, so the book focuses only on the point of view of Emma, the savior, and has Snow White/Mary Margaret as a secondary point of view. 

The primary setting is Storybrooke, but we see some of the Fairy Tale Land plot that does not revolve around Snow White’s love story, such as Rumplestiltskin’s backstory, through Henry as he recounts it from his book to Emma. Reawakened poignantly explores the depth of Emma’s loneliness and her struggle to take a “leap of believing” and develop relationships with Henry, Mary Margaret, and Graham, and find a sense of belonging in the town:

“The wall,” Mary Margaret said. “This wall you have up around your heart.” She shook her head, shrugged. “You think it protects you. And it probably does. But there’s a cost to that.”

Emma was surprised at the plume of sadness that expanded in her chest as she listened to her friend’s words. A wall. A shield. She didn’t want to risk saying anything, for fear of sounding choked up. So instead she waited, privately admiring Mary Margaret’s emotional intuition, privately resenting it as well.

“It makes it hard to love,” Mary Margaret said, “when you’re defended so well.” (p.118)

By experiencing events through Emma’s eyes and delving into her private thoughts, the novelization reminds us that it is Emma who is the key to this story; as the savior she set the events in motion, symbolized by the hands of the clock in the tower. Reawakened also touches upon the Once Upon a Time themes of hope, true love, and the nature of stories. 

Overall, Reawakened is an insightful companion to the Storybrooke plot of Season 1 by reminding us that Emma not only reawakens the fairy tale characters but also the dormant ability in herself to love, trust, and believe in magic.

Reawakened is published by Titan Books and is out now in the USA in Paperback and Kindle format. Order from Amazon.

UK fans can order now from Amazon UK