#24 Fables 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willigham
This review has spoilers for the outcome of Fables vol 1: Legends in Exlie. There are no real spoilers for Animal Farm.
After her estranged sister, Rose Red, fakes her own death, Snow White decides it’s time for some long overdue sisterly bonding. She accomplishes this by “inviting” Rose along for one her regular trips to the Farm, a location in upstate New York where all of the non-human fables stay safely hidden from the prying eyes of the “Mundys.” When the two sisters arrive at the farm they discover considerable unrest. Tried of being cooped up, some of the farm fables have planned a revolution, and they’re not afraid to take down anyone that gets in their way.
Animal Farm collects the second arc in the Fables comic book series. During the first arc, Legends in Exile, the concept of the Farm was mentioned a few times, and I’m glad that the author took them time in this arc to explore it more fully. One thing I appreciated about this particular volume was the fact that so many of the animal fables were portrayed just as complexly as their human counterparts. It’s just as easy to sympathize with their desire to escape their prison, as it is to understand Snow’s rationale behind keeping them hidden from the Mundys. During Animal Farm you meet a third perspective in Goldilocks (of Goldilocks and the Three Bears), who’s much more of a typical villain. I found myself wishing that she had been given more layers, although it was interesting to such a normally innocent character portrayed as a sociopath.
Animal Farm continues to deal with the character arcs raised in the first graphic novel. This can be felt the most acutely with the strained relationship between Snow White and Rose Red. I was happy to finally get to know Rose Red a little better, who was in the background of Legends in Exile but didn’t come to the forefront until the end. I found her to be a rather frustrating and immature character at times, but I can understand where she’s coming from. Animal Farm also features a plethora of new animal characters, which the author pulls from famous fairy tales and nursery rhymes, as well as classic fantasy literature (The Jungle Book) and folklore from around the world (Reynard and Brer Rabbit). Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Animal Farm was discovering the wide variety of sources Bill Willingham was pulling from to find interesting and memorable characters.
Animal Farm discards the murder mystery formula of Legends in Exile for a much darker, less predictable tale. The graphic novel does a great job of developing the Farm setting, and the animal fables which inhabit it. After enjoying the first two graphic novels in this series, I have plans to read even further. I’ve already picked up the third volume from my local library.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 128 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: Legends in Exile
Next I will be reviewing The Glass Harmonica by Louise Marley
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads
After her estranged sister, Rose Red, fakes her own death, Snow White decides it’s time for some long overdue sisterly bonding. She accomplishes this by “inviting” Rose along for one her regular trips to the Farm, a location in upstate New York where all of the non-human fables stay safely hidden from the prying eyes of the “Mundys.” When the two sisters arrive at the farm they discover considerable unrest. Tried of being cooped up, some of the farm fables have planned a revolution, and they’re not afraid to take down anyone that gets in their way.
Animal Farm collects the second arc in the Fables comic book series. During the first arc, Legends in Exile, the concept of the Farm was mentioned a few times, and I’m glad that the author took them time in this arc to explore it more fully. One thing I appreciated about this particular volume was the fact that so many of the animal fables were portrayed just as complexly as their human counterparts. It’s just as easy to sympathize with their desire to escape their prison, as it is to understand Snow’s rationale behind keeping them hidden from the Mundys. During Animal Farm you meet a third perspective in Goldilocks (of Goldilocks and the Three Bears), who’s much more of a typical villain. I found myself wishing that she had been given more layers, although it was interesting to such a normally innocent character portrayed as a sociopath.
Animal Farm continues to deal with the character arcs raised in the first graphic novel. This can be felt the most acutely with the strained relationship between Snow White and Rose Red. I was happy to finally get to know Rose Red a little better, who was in the background of Legends in Exile but didn’t come to the forefront until the end. I found her to be a rather frustrating and immature character at times, but I can understand where she’s coming from. Animal Farm also features a plethora of new animal characters, which the author pulls from famous fairy tales and nursery rhymes, as well as classic fantasy literature (The Jungle Book) and folklore from around the world (Reynard and Brer Rabbit). Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Animal Farm was discovering the wide variety of sources Bill Willingham was pulling from to find interesting and memorable characters.
Animal Farm discards the murder mystery formula of Legends in Exile for a much darker, less predictable tale. The graphic novel does a great job of developing the Farm setting, and the animal fables which inhabit it. After enjoying the first two graphic novels in this series, I have plans to read even further. I’ve already picked up the third volume from my local library.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 128 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Other books I've read by this author: Legends in Exile
Next I will be reviewing The Glass Harmonica by Louise Marley
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads