Bill Willingham's Fables, Vol. 2: Animal Farm

Fables Vol 2 - Animal Farm by Bill Willingham

From the Back Cover

Ever since they were driven from their homelands by the Adversary, the non-human Fables have been living on the Farm—a vast property in upstate New York that keeps them hidden from the prying eyes of the mundane world. But now, after hundreds of years of isolation, the Farm is seething with revolution, fanned by the inflammatory rhetoric of Goldilocks and the Three Little Pigs. And when Snow White and her sister Rose Red stumble upon their plan to liberate the Homelands, the commissars of the Farm are ready to silence them—by any means necessary!

Collecting the second story arc of creator and writer Bill Willingham's acclaimed series: Fables, Animal Farm features the stunning artwork of penciller Mark Buckingham and inker Steve Leialoha, and includes a special sketchbook section of preliminary artwork from Willingham, Buckingham, and cover artist James Jean.

About the Author - Bill Willingham

Bill (William) Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics, and is known for his work on the series Elementals and Fables.

Fables, Vol. 2: Animal Farm

Most of us know about the fairy tales and this series just subverts all we knew about them and serves up a reordered dish like most of the recent movie inspirations from fairy tales have had dark tones. In recent times there has been a lot of discussion on the fables and fairy tales including the psychological impacts of the same. 

We can construe that the traditional fables contained a lot of material that over the years were suppressed and have had negative connotations that may have adversely affected children. 

Apart from this psychic mumbo jumbo it can safely be ascertained that Fables at least some of them were never meant for children with disparage representations of people, women, people with disability and several others regarding rank and file. 

This book and the series builds on the tones and creates an atmosphere that is aimed predominantly at adults. The story arcs, art and the characters all display these themes.

Bill Willingham's Animal Farm, not to be confused with the celebrated political satire Animal Farm by George Orwell, has several parallels to the celebrated book which for three quarters of a century still finds a place in the 100 best English language novels of all time.

If we carve out a similar list for graphic novels and toons then Bill would be masterchef and winner. The Fables are a remarkable take on the world of fairies and fairy tales, magic, witchcraft and tales that most of us grew up listening, reading or hearing to.

Bill has transferred the entire world of fairies and the tales and converted them into tales fit for adults and an entire series that turns every fairy tale character on its head and makes a mincemeat of every fond memory that you had or have about a character. They turn villains, villains turn heroes, friends into foes and so on.

At the end of it instead of feeling outraged you end up enjoying the drama and once you go with the flow you are able to read all the nuances that are in the stories and how many of the characters stay true to their characteristics if not characters and this is just an eureka interpretation of the same.

This version of Animal Farm is not that far out from Orwell's book and the pattern is quite similar and in many ways is a retelling of the classic. Bill weaves a beautiful arc with story points that are both interesting and intriguing.

This book is a very violent book and there is a lot of harshness, blood, gore and murder and killing.

This book surpasses Book 1 in this series and could be one of the best in the long drawn series.

There is a lot of revolutionary thought in the characters of the farm and the mutiny when it comes is crass and violent with the leaders moving with intent. When we understand that the admin of Fable town have all but banished the non-human looking species to the farm because they were not a natural fit to the way of life amongst humans on the face of it looks a logical decision but when scrutinized brings with it an underbelly where humans project their superiority complex and how animals even fabled animals could kowtow to their basal instinct and rebel.

What also impressed me was the line taken by the rebel leader (no spoilers here) who accepts punishment but shows no regret, clearly underlining the fact that what happened was not just the responsibility of the rebels but also partly the responsibility of the ones in power in Fabletown.

Such depth in a graphic novel which entertains acts as the proverbial plum in the cake.

The one who got away was Goldilocks and her castigating and constant instigation added the required fuel to the cause of the simplistic animals who slowly developed nihilistic tendencies and the required planning and processes for the mutiny.

This book also gives us an insight into characteristics of the stars of the various tales and here we see an intriguing insight into SnowWhite who seems so much in control in Fable toown in the first book and who seems a shameless incompetent in this book as well as someone who does not see things that are obvious. we see her sister Rose Red a grey character in book 1 who is the major mover and shaker here and this is something that this series does, provides neglected secondary characters in the fairy tales and provides them with compelling stories and works.

The art work is excellent as are the close escapades of Snow. This book also shows us the rise of Rose Red. 

The knowledge of near immortality of the popular fables based on popular recollection by humans or Mundy's as in the series, makes the seriousness of the injuries and deaths a little less hurtful.

This is a 5 part collection just like the previous volume. 

We start off with the two sisters on a road trip to the Farm to spend some quality time amongst themselves and fulfilling some admin requirements in between with 

"Road Trip"

This is followed by The Guns of Fabletown, The Pirates of Upstate New York, Warlord of the Flies and finally Twilight of the Dogs.  

A book comprising of characters from fables, fairy tales, nursery rhymes and tales is recommended for adults.

An entertaining 5* read. Recommended.

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