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Fables
Fables, Vol. 2: La Fattoria degli Animali
Una rivoluzione è alle porte! Da quando sono fuggite dalle Terre Natie a causa dell’Avversario, le fiabe non umane vivono in un luogo isolato noto come la Fattoria… ma non tutti sono d’accordo con questa collocazione, e Bianca Neve sta per assistere a eventi inattesi e incredibili! Continua la raccolta in volume della storica serie di Bill Willingham!
136 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2003
About the author
Bill Willingham
906 books2,800 followersIn the late 1970s to early 1980s he drew fantasy ink pictures for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic and Expert game rulebooks. He first gained attention for his 1980s comic book series Elementals published by Comico, which he both wrote and drew. However, for reasons unknown, the series had trouble maintaining an original schedule, and Willingham's position in the industry remained spotty for many years. He contributed stories to Green Lantern and started his own independent, black-and-white comics series Coventry which lasted only 3 issues. He also produced the pornographic series Ironwood for Eros Comix.
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
In the late 1990s Willingham reestablished himself as a prolific writer. He produced the 13-issue Pantheon for Lone Star Press and wrote a pair of short novels about the modern adventures of the hero Beowulf, published by the writer's collective, Clockwork Storybook, of which Willingham was a founding member. In the early 2000s he began writing extensively for DC Comics, including the limited series Proposition Player, a pair of limited series about the Greek witch Thessaly from The Sandman, and most notably the popular series Fables
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,542 reviews
June 3, 2023
Snow, Rose Red and Colin (the pig!) are off to The Farm where all the non-human looking Fables reside; only for them to possibly catch a conspiracy in progress! Just when you thought Fables was already dark enough, we get some blood, murder and death! A very hard-hitting volume on first read as Willingham and co. make it abundantly clear that this is a series for mature readers. There's some nail biting storytelling with things looking pretty bleak for our main protagonists. Some notable appearances include Shere Khan (The Jungle Book), Brer Rabbit, Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Reynard the Fox and more! 8 out of 12, Four Stars.
2019 and 2013 read
2019 and 2013 read
October 28, 2021
Animal Farm, indeed.
So, Snow drags Rose Red to The Farm to check on the fairytale folks who can't blend in with the mundys. Of course, the Pigs have started a revolution, and most of the other animals on the farm have joined in with their plot to take out the humans and then retake the lands that The Adversary has taken from them.
It's a whole big thing.
I should have read this series years ago, but I'm just now getting around to trying to finish it. So far, this is a pretty cool take on the fairytale genre, and I like that Willingham has mixed in so many different stories in this. It was fun to see Kipling's characters running alongside some of the older stories.
Looking forward to reading more!
So, Snow drags Rose Red to The Farm to check on the fairytale folks who can't blend in with the mundys. Of course, the Pigs have started a revolution, and most of the other animals on the farm have joined in with their plot to take out the humans and then retake the lands that The Adversary has taken from them.
It's a whole big thing.
I should have read this series years ago, but I'm just now getting around to trying to finish it. So far, this is a pretty cool take on the fairytale genre, and I like that Willingham has mixed in so many different stories in this. It was fun to see Kipling's characters running alongside some of the older stories.
Looking forward to reading more!
September 19, 2023
Its beautiful.
There is nothing much to discuss in the review really.
There is only tons of spectacular storytelling to enjoy.
Also it looks like our fables are godly.
They get their energy from people who believe in them, just like gods in every pantheon of gods.
There is nothing much to discuss in the review really.
There is only tons of spectacular storytelling to enjoy.
Also it looks like our fables are godly.
They get their energy from people who believe in them, just like gods in every pantheon of gods.
November 13, 2010
I'm trying to get through this series, but it isn't getting any better. The dialogue is so wooden, and everyone has the same personality and tells the same lame jokes. There's no character to these characters, and the art isn't helping. I'm getting the distinct impression that Willingham doesn't have a very good grip on his world and as such, there's no gradual reveal of details.
The conflict in this arc is painted in broad strokes, dividing good guys and bad guys cleanly, but Willingham never really sells any of it to us. And that's his problem in general: he's giving us archetypes and conflicts, but doesn't do anything with them. It's a basic story written without elegance. There are no surprises or insights here.
Pick an X-Comic at random off the shelf and you'll probably get more vivid characters and engaging dialogue than we're getting here. This is Syfy made-for-TV quality here, but without the relief of flashy action, gratuitous sex, and so-bad-it's-fun CG monsters.
This one does have more action than the first arc, but still less action than the average Fairy Tale. Those issues showed that Willingham was perfectly capable of name-checking fairy tales without seeming to know anything about them. In this arc, he does the same thing with Animal Farm.
It reminds me of reading Millar. The guy seems to recognize that, as an author, he's meant to kind of smoosh different ideas together, and have a conflict and some attractive people doing stuff in the forefront, but beyond that, it's a wash. I'm not getting a vision or a philosophy or even an original voice on the other side, just an inexpert rehash of what they think writers are supposed to do.
It just makes me think of all the great series that have been canceled, all the great writers who are out there struggling, and yet this gets a hundred issues? I know popular tastes are never a sign of quality, but most at least deliver a thrill, if only a cheap one. I don't get the success here, at all. I guess I'll keep going and see if I can find some redemption, but there isn't any piece of characterization, plot, or writing that isn't put to shame by any other Vertigo title.
Maybe this a Rob Liefeld thing. Everyone on the internet makes fun of Rob for his laughable anatomy, ripoff characters, and endless iterations of 'base attack' plots, but I've heard that Rob is a perfectly nice guy and gets work done on time. Maybe Willingham's success is just a case of an upbeat attitude and meeting a schedule?
I'm reminded of straight-A students who didn't seem to have an original thought in their heads but nevertheless did all their work and turned it in on time. I guess I always imagined them toiling happily in middle management, not making a go in a creative field.
It's not even that it's insulting or stupid, like most one-star books, it's just unremarkable. It never even musters enough energy to be inadvertently funny. The art is more varied with the switch in penciller, but Buckingham seems to be dulling down his style to better match with the series, which is a shame.
Maybe Willingham will get his feet under him as things go along. I sure hope so, because otherwise I'm just banging my head against a wall for no reason.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
The conflict in this arc is painted in broad strokes, dividing good guys and bad guys cleanly, but Willingham never really sells any of it to us. And that's his problem in general: he's giving us archetypes and conflicts, but doesn't do anything with them. It's a basic story written without elegance. There are no surprises or insights here.
Pick an X-Comic at random off the shelf and you'll probably get more vivid characters and engaging dialogue than we're getting here. This is Syfy made-for-TV quality here, but without the relief of flashy action, gratuitous sex, and so-bad-it's-fun CG monsters.
This one does have more action than the first arc, but still less action than the average Fairy Tale. Those issues showed that Willingham was perfectly capable of name-checking fairy tales without seeming to know anything about them. In this arc, he does the same thing with Animal Farm.
It reminds me of reading Millar. The guy seems to recognize that, as an author, he's meant to kind of smoosh different ideas together, and have a conflict and some attractive people doing stuff in the forefront, but beyond that, it's a wash. I'm not getting a vision or a philosophy or even an original voice on the other side, just an inexpert rehash of what they think writers are supposed to do.
It just makes me think of all the great series that have been canceled, all the great writers who are out there struggling, and yet this gets a hundred issues? I know popular tastes are never a sign of quality, but most at least deliver a thrill, if only a cheap one. I don't get the success here, at all. I guess I'll keep going and see if I can find some redemption, but there isn't any piece of characterization, plot, or writing that isn't put to shame by any other Vertigo title.
Maybe this a Rob Liefeld thing. Everyone on the internet makes fun of Rob for his laughable anatomy, ripoff characters, and endless iterations of 'base attack' plots, but I've heard that Rob is a perfectly nice guy and gets work done on time. Maybe Willingham's success is just a case of an upbeat attitude and meeting a schedule?
I'm reminded of straight-A students who didn't seem to have an original thought in their heads but nevertheless did all their work and turned it in on time. I guess I always imagined them toiling happily in middle management, not making a go in a creative field.
It's not even that it's insulting or stupid, like most one-star books, it's just unremarkable. It never even musters enough energy to be inadvertently funny. The art is more varied with the switch in penciller, but Buckingham seems to be dulling down his style to better match with the series, which is a shame.
Maybe Willingham will get his feet under him as things go along. I sure hope so, because otherwise I'm just banging my head against a wall for no reason.
My Suggested Reading In Comics
January 7, 2023
Like I said in my new review to the first volume, I'm re-reading the first two books now that I've decided to read the whole series within this year. And much like with volume 1, my thoughts are quite perfectly summed up in my original review below. Though I do have to say that while the art isn't horrible, I've read quite a number of comicbooks in the meantime with superior art. It's still good though.
Original review:
This second volume of Fables deals with the Farm that was already mentioned in the previous volume. The Farm is the place they keep all the fairy tale characters that cannot pass as humans (like the three pigs, all the animals from Jungle Book and so on). It's quite big, remote, protected by spells and not just a farm but has individual housing for every character there.
Nevertheless, there are tensions since the Fables are not allowed to leave the Farm (there's a law about the Fables not making themselves known to us "Mundys"). Colin the pig however runs off often and lives with Bigby (yes, the Wolf, it's hilarious) when he's in town. There's a story to that too (nothing is ever random it would appear, the writers have thought about every detail).
So this book, much like the story the title is referring to, is about a revolution of those Farm Fables.
It's definitely not a nice story, not as "harmless" as the murder mystery of book #1. It's much grittier and introduces a character I truly loathe: Goldilocks. I never liked that story anyway, but the girl in this comic ... let's just say I wouldn't mind if Bigby went all Big-Bad-Wolf on her.
However, most annoying was the revelation why Snow White and Rose Red are such enemies. We got one side of the story (Rose Red seducing and sleeping with Prince Charming) in book #1 but I never understood why Rose Red hated her sister so much. Neither did Snow White apparently and I swear, once we finally know why, I was ready to strangle Rose Red myself. Such a self-obsessed, whiney, stupid and petty bitch (excuse my French)! Honestly!
Anyway, it was nice to see that this comic did not just include classic fairy tale characters from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson but also from more exotic fairy tales such as The Jungle Book. It was just sad that there was no room for development for many of said animals so that
Again, a wonderful story with great art and wit. I will definitely continue reading this series and can't wait to finally find out more about the Adversary.
Original review:
This second volume of Fables deals with the Farm that was already mentioned in the previous volume. The Farm is the place they keep all the fairy tale characters that cannot pass as humans (like the three pigs, all the animals from Jungle Book and so on). It's quite big, remote, protected by spells and not just a farm but has individual housing for every character there.
Nevertheless, there are tensions since the Fables are not allowed to leave the Farm (there's a law about the Fables not making themselves known to us "Mundys"). Colin the pig however runs off often and lives with Bigby (yes, the Wolf, it's hilarious) when he's in town. There's a story to that too (nothing is ever random it would appear, the writers have thought about every detail).
So this book, much like the story the title is referring to, is about a revolution of those Farm Fables.
It's definitely not a nice story, not as "harmless" as the murder mystery of book #1. It's much grittier and introduces a character I truly loathe: Goldilocks. I never liked that story anyway, but the girl in this comic ... let's just say I wouldn't mind if Bigby went all Big-Bad-Wolf on her.
However, most annoying was the revelation why Snow White and Rose Red are such enemies. We got one side of the story (Rose Red seducing and sleeping with Prince Charming) in book #1 but I never understood why Rose Red hated her sister so much. Neither did Snow White apparently and I swear, once we finally know why, I was ready to strangle Rose Red myself. Such a self-obsessed, whiney, stupid and petty bitch (excuse my French)! Honestly!
Anyway, it was nice to see that this comic did not just include classic fairy tale characters from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson but also from more exotic fairy tales such as The Jungle Book. It was just sad that there was no room for development for many of said animals so that
Again, a wonderful story with great art and wit. I will definitely continue reading this series and can't wait to finally find out more about the Adversary.
January 16, 2018
This is Fables take on Animal Farm. Snow and Rose head up to the upstate farm to have some bonding time. When they get there they encounter a secret meeting taking place. Things are a little off and Weyland, the care taker, is no where to be seen. All the animals from stories are up here on the farm. The animals from the Jungle Book, nursery rhymes.
Rose figures out what is happening. It's a nicely told tale and the giants are in this one as well. There are lots of moments of whose side is this character really on? Goldilocks is living at the farm and she is one of the ring leaders.
I enjoyed the art and the story. There are many issues forward and I am into reading the next few for certain.
Rose figures out what is happening. It's a nicely told tale and the giants are in this one as well. There are lots of moments of whose side is this character really on? Goldilocks is living at the farm and she is one of the ring leaders.
I enjoyed the art and the story. There are many issues forward and I am into reading the next few for certain.
July 21, 2022
Animal Farm deals with all the Fables who can't pass as human. They are all hiding out at a farm in upstate New York. Some are quite unhappy with their station in life and turn to revolt.
I love the reinvention of all these old fables and fairy tales. They were often quite grim and Willingham doesn't shy away from that grimness as all. The book is filled with adult themes of sex, betrayal, and violence.
I love the reinvention of all these old fables and fairy tales. They were often quite grim and Willingham doesn't shy away from that grimness as all. The book is filled with adult themes of sex, betrayal, and violence.
May 22, 2021
Must-read für Märchen Fans 😍
January 12, 2016
I'm finally continuing with the Fables Series and I have to say I am very excited to be doing so! I have had the next couple since September and just never got around to them last year, but I knew I would enjoy them when i did and this was certainly one I did enjoy.
Fables is a story following all sorts of fairytale, storybook and fable characters from all sorts of cultures and tales. We have a few major character so far including Snow White, Rose Red and Bigby the Wolf, but there's a lot of different cameo moments from all sorts of characters. This story mostly focused on a play on the Animal Farm idea (hence the title) by Orwell and although I haven't actually read Animal Farm myself I definitely got the references and felt it was an exciting adaptation.
The artwork of this series isn't my favourite at times but it works well enough to communicate the story and get the drama and intensity across and that's certainly important in this issue where there are some pretty dramatic moments!
On the whole definitely a great read which didn't take me long and which I really enjoyed so I will soon be continuing on with the series. 4*s overall :)
Fables is a story following all sorts of fairytale, storybook and fable characters from all sorts of cultures and tales. We have a few major character so far including Snow White, Rose Red and Bigby the Wolf, but there's a lot of different cameo moments from all sorts of characters. This story mostly focused on a play on the Animal Farm idea (hence the title) by Orwell and although I haven't actually read Animal Farm myself I definitely got the references and felt it was an exciting adaptation.
The artwork of this series isn't my favourite at times but it works well enough to communicate the story and get the drama and intensity across and that's certainly important in this issue where there are some pretty dramatic moments!
On the whole definitely a great read which didn't take me long and which I really enjoyed so I will soon be continuing on with the series. 4*s overall :)
June 18, 2013
THE SERIES
What if fairy tale characters existed in our world? And what if they had ways of not revealing themselves to us per their magic? This popular series focuses on such a concept. It has the usual archetypes and characters taking some liberties but always trying to make things interesting. Note that the focus is typically upon European fairy tales with a smidgen from other regions.
As of 2012 this series has won 14 Eisner Awards, most notably Best Writer, Best Short Story and Best Series.
There was talk of turning this into a TV series but instead ABC decided to go with “Once Upon A Time”. Bad move.
Telltale Games announced the making of a video game in February 2011.
Recommended for mature readers.
BOOK TWO
As part of her punishment Rose Red (the bad sister of Snow White) has been sent up the The Farm with Snow White. The Farm is where all the Fables who cannot pull off looking human are residing.
Truth is that some of them feel like second class citizens and are taking extreme measures to change things. What ensues is a full fledged rebellion (and they're serious as they have stocked up with modern weaponry) which forces the inhabitants of the Farm to take sides.
During this period Rose Red and Snow White work out some of their sibling differences.
Appearances by a number of fairy tales. My favorites not mentioned above were: Shere Khan, Reynard, the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks (totally different as you would imagine), Weyland Smith and Chicken Little.
This covers issues 6-10 of the trade paperbacks. Written by Bill Willingham and artwork by Mark Buckingham.
It arguably was intended to link itself with “Animal Farm” (“Some animals are more equal than others”)
ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B to B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING: B to B plus; FABLE FOCUSES: B plus; WHEN READ: 2010 (reviewed early October 2012 after a reread); OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
What if fairy tale characters existed in our world? And what if they had ways of not revealing themselves to us per their magic? This popular series focuses on such a concept. It has the usual archetypes and characters taking some liberties but always trying to make things interesting. Note that the focus is typically upon European fairy tales with a smidgen from other regions.
As of 2012 this series has won 14 Eisner Awards, most notably Best Writer, Best Short Story and Best Series.
There was talk of turning this into a TV series but instead ABC decided to go with “Once Upon A Time”. Bad move.
Telltale Games announced the making of a video game in February 2011.
Recommended for mature readers.
BOOK TWO
As part of her punishment Rose Red (the bad sister of Snow White) has been sent up the The Farm with Snow White. The Farm is where all the Fables who cannot pull off looking human are residing.
Truth is that some of them feel like second class citizens and are taking extreme measures to change things. What ensues is a full fledged rebellion (and they're serious as they have stocked up with modern weaponry) which forces the inhabitants of the Farm to take sides.
During this period Rose Red and Snow White work out some of their sibling differences.
Appearances by a number of fairy tales. My favorites not mentioned above were: Shere Khan, Reynard, the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks (totally different as you would imagine), Weyland Smith and Chicken Little.
This covers issues 6-10 of the trade paperbacks. Written by Bill Willingham and artwork by Mark Buckingham.
It arguably was intended to link itself with “Animal Farm” (“Some animals are more equal than others”)
ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B to B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING: B to B plus; FABLE FOCUSES: B plus; WHEN READ: 2010 (reviewed early October 2012 after a reread); OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
January 10, 2023
Maybe I'm getting into the series a bit more now that I've made it through the first volume. And maybe I just wanted a little riff with George Orwell and the uglies that couldn't fit and survive in a big city.
Not that either side of the human-seeming line is all that good, mind you, but these guys were either easily fooled or were naturally idiots. That Goldilocks was a real piece of work. Viva la revolución!
I'm looking forward to see where all this might be headed.
Not that either side of the human-seeming line is all that good, mind you, but these guys were either easily fooled or were naturally idiots. That Goldilocks was a real piece of work. Viva la revolución!
I'm looking forward to see where all this might be headed.
Read
September 7, 2019Жила-була і переклала [відгук на 1-й том тут]. “Казки” – прекрасна серія про те, як невідомий Ворог витісняє казкових персонажів з їхніх рідних тридев’ятих царств; вони втікають у наш банальний прозаїчний світ – той єдиний простір, де казкове зло їх дістати не може – й отут з’ясовується, що проблем у них і так вистачає, особливо якщо зводити розпорошені казки в цілісну оповідь (тобто, скажімо, якщо припустити, що Прекрасних Принців не кілька по різних казках, а один на всіх білосніжок, сплячих красунь і т.д., просто він бабій).
Як можна здогадатися з назви другого тому, тут буде одна спроба революції, що пародіює все підряд, від Жовтневої революції до SJW-риторики, й ітиметься про ієрархії казок – тих, кому пощастило здобутися на популярну діснеївську екранізацію, і приречених на забуття; людиноподібних і екзотичних, яким немає місця в прозаїчному світі. Велика це була радість для перекладу – своєчасно розставляти легку стилізацію штибу doctrinal lectures=>політінформація, чи там згадувати, де в нас мусять звучати абревіатури, а не повні назви (штибу ревком), аби воно заграло всіма барвами розпачу))).
Як можна здогадатися з назви другого тому, тут буде одна спроба революції, що пародіює все підряд, від Жовтневої революції до SJW-риторики, й ітиметься про ієрархії казок – тих, кому пощастило здобутися на популярну діснеївську екранізацію, і приречених на забуття; людиноподібних і екзотичних, яким немає місця в прозаїчному світі. Велика це була радість для перекладу – своєчасно розставляти легку стилізацію штибу doctrinal lectures=>політінформація, чи там згадувати, де в нас мусять звучати абревіатури, а не повні назви (штибу ревком), аби воно заграло всіма барвами розпачу))).
September 10, 2017
In this issue of Fables, Snow White and Rose Red take a trip upstate to the Animal Farm to check on the non-human-passing Fables. Upon arriving, they find that Weyland Smith has gone missing, and two of the pigs have taken over the farm in leading an uprising revolution to take back the Homelands.
This volume was a lot more dramatic than the first, and I really enjoyed seeing the Farm and the less human Fables! As usual, the artwork is beautiful and the plot was fully fleshed out within the confines of this one issue, which is a method I love in a graphic novel/comic book series.
This volume was a lot more dramatic than the first, and I really enjoyed seeing the Farm and the less human Fables! As usual, the artwork is beautiful and the plot was fully fleshed out within the confines of this one issue, which is a method I love in a graphic novel/comic book series.
September 10, 2013
I will start this review with a confession. I've never read Animal Farm or Lord of the Flies, two literary classics that this volume of Animal Farm alludes to. However, even in my casual acquaintance with both books, I can see some parallels in the story.
Animal Farm is more serious than Legends in Exile, the first volume. It deals with the question of the Fables who cannot blend into society like their more human counterparts. Snow White takes her sister Rose Red up to the farm to do her twice yearly visit to find that it is in upheaval. A very grisly murder has taken place, and it was done to send a deliberate message. Many of the inhabitants of the Farm are ready to rebel and take back their rightful place in Fable society, eventually to go back to their Lands and overthrow the Adversary. Snow White's life is in great danger, and Rose Red is forced to choose between familial loyalty and self-interest. Will some of the Farm's fables stay on Snow's side, or will they all heed the call of revolution?
This novel tackles heavy subjects, but there is still some good humor, most of it on the wry side. Some well known figures from the fairy tales come out as quite vicious and heinous in thought and deed. Some act true to form if you have read their origin books. I was quite surprised at the fate of some fairy tale characters that I never would have thought to meet such an end. Willingham reminds us that while he writes about fairy tales, this is very adult subject matter (although arguably the fairy tales have always included darker themes and content). Snow White has to wise up and get a game plan pretty fast, and fortunately, she does turn out to have strong allies.
I have to say that I am pretty impressed with this graphic novel series. Yeah, I know I'm halfway there when it comes to most fairy tale adaptations. But I don't like all of them, just the good ones. And this is very well done. While Snow White is a flawed character (as well she should be), I really like and admire her. She understands duty and has integrity. She's an independent woman with a snarky mouth, but also a kind heart. Rose Red is growing on me, although the girl has some issues. Bigby Wolf doesn't have as big a part in this one, but I'm glad he showed up. I give a shoutout to Reynard Fox for being a very unlikely hero. I won't say more in fear of 'spoilers' (a side joke to River Song fans), but I am mourning a character for their sad demise as well.
Different from the first volume, but just as good. Some dark imagery and disturbing content, but still in a strange way cheerful and diverting. So, 4.5/5.0 stars.
Animal Farm is more serious than Legends in Exile, the first volume. It deals with the question of the Fables who cannot blend into society like their more human counterparts. Snow White takes her sister Rose Red up to the farm to do her twice yearly visit to find that it is in upheaval. A very grisly murder has taken place, and it was done to send a deliberate message. Many of the inhabitants of the Farm are ready to rebel and take back their rightful place in Fable society, eventually to go back to their Lands and overthrow the Adversary. Snow White's life is in great danger, and Rose Red is forced to choose between familial loyalty and self-interest. Will some of the Farm's fables stay on Snow's side, or will they all heed the call of revolution?
This novel tackles heavy subjects, but there is still some good humor, most of it on the wry side. Some well known figures from the fairy tales come out as quite vicious and heinous in thought and deed. Some act true to form if you have read their origin books. I was quite surprised at the fate of some fairy tale characters that I never would have thought to meet such an end. Willingham reminds us that while he writes about fairy tales, this is very adult subject matter (although arguably the fairy tales have always included darker themes and content). Snow White has to wise up and get a game plan pretty fast, and fortunately, she does turn out to have strong allies.
I have to say that I am pretty impressed with this graphic novel series. Yeah, I know I'm halfway there when it comes to most fairy tale adaptations. But I don't like all of them, just the good ones. And this is very well done. While Snow White is a flawed character (as well she should be), I really like and admire her. She understands duty and has integrity. She's an independent woman with a snarky mouth, but also a kind heart. Rose Red is growing on me, although the girl has some issues. Bigby Wolf doesn't have as big a part in this one, but I'm glad he showed up. I give a shoutout to Reynard Fox for being a very unlikely hero. I won't say more in fear of 'spoilers' (a side joke to River Song fans), but I am mourning a character for their sad demise as well.
Different from the first volume, but just as good. Some dark imagery and disturbing content, but still in a strange way cheerful and diverting. So, 4.5/5.0 stars.
July 24, 2021
Dopo che nel primo numero incontriamo i personaggi delle fiabe in esilio a Favolandia, questo secondo volume ci mostra l'altra faccia delle fiabe, il lato oscuro di Favolandia.
Perché ok Bianca Neve e sua sorella Rosa, va bene il Lupo cattivo reso umano con un incantesimo, vanno bene Re Cole, Barbablu, la Bella e la Bestia, Jack e tutti gli altri... ma le tante fiabe antroporfe, come Timmy dei Tre Porcellini?
Scopriamo qui dove e come vivano le fiabe non umane, nella già menzionata Fattoria.
Bianca sfrutta l'occasione del dover riportare a casa Timmy per andare a fare il controllo periodico, portandosi dietro una riluttante Rosa.
Ma la Fattoria non è come ce la aspettavamo, né come se la aspettava Bianca: deserta, con gli animali intenti a tenere un'assemblea dai toni infervorati in un granaio, e con il Fabbro che vi era stato posto a capo che è scomparso, dimmissionario a sentire i Maiali.
La storia diventa rapidamente Orwelliana, con parallelismi\citazioni\parodie di "La Fattoria degli Animali" (e una vera chicca, cioè il fatto che all'interno di una storia che omaggia e richiama Orwell, un personaggio per lanciare un segnale compie un gesto che richiami Il Signore delle Mosche e il gesto viene riconosciuto per il richiamo che è. Un personaggio di una citazione che compie scientemente un'altra citazione. Wow!), dove il motore del tutt è il senso di non appartenenza in questo mondo di umani, l'odio per la prigione nella quale le fiabe non umane si sono ritrovate, il desiderio di lottare per riprendersi le loro terre e l'ambizione politica di un singolo personaggio.
Una bella storia, divertente da leggere e con alcune scene davvero belle (come gli inseguimenti da parte dei predatori, o la spietatezza degli animali contro chi non è dalla loro parte) e con l'unica pecca della prevedibilità del colpo di scena finale su Rosa.
Molto interessante poi quanto Rosa dice su Bianca e sulla sua condizione particolare, apre scenari davvero intriganti per lei e per altri personaggi.
Perché ok Bianca Neve e sua sorella Rosa, va bene il Lupo cattivo reso umano con un incantesimo, vanno bene Re Cole, Barbablu, la Bella e la Bestia, Jack e tutti gli altri... ma le tante fiabe antroporfe, come Timmy dei Tre Porcellini?
Scopriamo qui dove e come vivano le fiabe non umane, nella già menzionata Fattoria.
Bianca sfrutta l'occasione del dover riportare a casa Timmy per andare a fare il controllo periodico, portandosi dietro una riluttante Rosa.
Ma la Fattoria non è come ce la aspettavamo, né come se la aspettava Bianca: deserta, con gli animali intenti a tenere un'assemblea dai toni infervorati in un granaio, e con il Fabbro che vi era stato posto a capo che è scomparso, dimmissionario a sentire i Maiali.
La storia diventa rapidamente Orwelliana, con parallelismi\citazioni\parodie di "La Fattoria degli Animali" (e una vera chicca, cioè il fatto che all'interno di una storia che omaggia e richiama Orwell, un personaggio per lanciare un segnale compie un gesto che richiami Il Signore delle Mosche e il gesto viene riconosciuto per il richiamo che è. Un personaggio di una citazione che compie scientemente un'altra citazione. Wow!), dove il motore del tutt è il senso di non appartenenza in questo mondo di umani, l'odio per la prigione nella quale le fiabe non umane si sono ritrovate, il desiderio di lottare per riprendersi le loro terre e l'ambizione politica di un singolo personaggio.
Una bella storia, divertente da leggere e con alcune scene davvero belle (come gli inseguimenti da parte dei predatori, o la spietatezza degli animali contro chi non è dalla loro parte) e con l'unica pecca della prevedibilità del colpo di scena finale su Rosa.
Molto interessante poi quanto Rosa dice su Bianca e sulla sua condizione particolare, apre scenari davvero intriganti per lei e per altri personaggi.
September 12, 2016
Since all of my friends seemed to love this, I think it's possible I'm having trouble doing the whole separating the artist from the art thing after hearing an interview with Bill Willingham that left me with a bad impression. But it could also be that his themes were just more novel and exciting when this came out, and now that "fairytales in the real world" is so worn, the flaws are too clear.
I really didn't like this! The clunky dialogue that made the first volume a just-ok read is mixed in volume two with poor character development, bad pacing and a totally inconsistent sense of ethics. Goldilocks as a militant revolutionary was so promising! I really wanted to see her in a tête-à-tête with Snow, but instead, Goldy got watered down to a power-hungry trigger-happy caricature and Snow (or Bigby, or Boy Blue, or Weyland, or any of the supposed good guys) never offers any clear counter-argument or compromise.
I was ready to give this whole thing the benefit of the doubt - maybe the ethical gray area gets addressed in future volumes, maybe the characters that seemed so flat here will be rounder soon, maybe this dull fairy-tale world will be injected with some whimsy next time around. But the very last panel tried to pull an emotional moment that was so undeserved that I'm comfortable dismissing this as a case of bad writing and tuning out.
I really didn't like this! The clunky dialogue that made the first volume a just-ok read is mixed in volume two with poor character development, bad pacing and a totally inconsistent sense of ethics. Goldilocks as a militant revolutionary was so promising! I really wanted to see her in a tête-à-tête with Snow, but instead, Goldy got watered down to a power-hungry trigger-happy caricature and Snow (or Bigby, or Boy Blue, or Weyland, or any of the supposed good guys) never offers any clear counter-argument or compromise.
I was ready to give this whole thing the benefit of the doubt - maybe the ethical gray area gets addressed in future volumes, maybe the characters that seemed so flat here will be rounder soon, maybe this dull fairy-tale world will be injected with some whimsy next time around. But the very last panel tried to pull an emotional moment that was so undeserved that I'm comfortable dismissing this as a case of bad writing and tuning out.
November 10, 2010
2.0 to 2.5 stars. I feel pretty much the same way about this installment as I did about Volume 1 of this series. I really like the concept (characters from fables "outside of their stories" and in modern times) but the story itself is just not very interesting and the execution not very compelling. For example, I liked the concept of the character of Goldilocks as a radical revolutionary (and married to the grown up Baby Bear) but after her introduction her character never became compelling.
Anyway, I already own Volume 3 of the series and so will read that at some point. However, if that one doesn't grab my interest more, I will likely not buy any more of the series.
Anyway, I already own Volume 3 of the series and so will read that at some point. However, if that one doesn't grab my interest more, I will likely not buy any more of the series.
April 17, 2023
Road Trip: Part One of Animal Farm, aka Snow White takes her sister Rose Red upstate to the Farm, where all the non-human fables live.
The Guns of Fabletown: Part Two of Animal Farm. Murder! And the beginnings of a revolution/prison-break.
This makes me want to re-read Animal Farm by George Orwell. I checked out a free-for-me Audible, Orwell Collection: Animal Farm & 1984, narrated by Stephen Fry 😏… Back to fairyland…
The Pirates of Upstate New York: Part Three of Animal Farm. The revolutionary movement is heating up. The artwork for Bigby (Big Bad) Wolf is getting uglier with every issue. Snow White is in trouble.
Warlord of the Flies: Part Four of Animal Farm. Lord of the Flies all of a sudden? Shocking ending! This is pretty good, actually. I like it better than Vol. 1! It has more suspense and the mix of talking animal characters makes it more versatile. I had fun figuring out all the fairytales. And it‘s not only fairytales, characters from The Jungle Book make an appearance as well, for example…
I did have to google Boy Blue though…
Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow,
The cow's in the corn.
Where's The boy Who looks after the sheep?
He's under the haystack,
Fast asleep.
Will you wake him?
No, not I,
For if I do,
He'll sure to cry.
Twilight of the Dogs: Part Five of Animal Farm. Wrapping it all up…
Well, this was fun, I really liked it! I laughed, I smiled, I never suspected that twist, I liked the additional cover and pencil art at the end… 🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️! Downloading Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love right now!
Collecting: Fables 6-10
PS: The artwork is ok, but not a highlight. And Rose Red is just a petty, silly girl. Really, that was her reason for all that animosity and her truly horrible behaviour? Shame on you, grow up!
The Guns of Fabletown: Part Two of Animal Farm. Murder! And the beginnings of a revolution/prison-break.
This makes me want to re-read Animal Farm by George Orwell. I checked out a free-for-me Audible, Orwell Collection: Animal Farm & 1984, narrated by Stephen Fry 😏… Back to fairyland…
The Pirates of Upstate New York: Part Three of Animal Farm. The revolutionary movement is heating up. The artwork for Bigby (Big Bad) Wolf is getting uglier with every issue. Snow White is in trouble.
Warlord of the Flies: Part Four of Animal Farm. Lord of the Flies all of a sudden? Shocking ending! This is pretty good, actually. I like it better than Vol. 1! It has more suspense and the mix of talking animal characters makes it more versatile. I had fun figuring out all the fairytales. And it‘s not only fairytales, characters from The Jungle Book make an appearance as well, for example…
I did have to google Boy Blue though…
Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow,
The cow's in the corn.
Where's The boy Who looks after the sheep?
He's under the haystack,
Fast asleep.
Will you wake him?
No, not I,
For if I do,
He'll sure to cry.
Twilight of the Dogs: Part Five of Animal Farm. Wrapping it all up…
Well, this was fun, I really liked it! I laughed, I smiled, I never suspected that twist, I liked the additional cover and pencil art at the end… 🧚♀️🧚♂️🧚🧚♀️🧚♂️! Downloading Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love right now!
Collecting: Fables 6-10
PS: The artwork is ok, but not a highlight. And Rose Red is just a petty, silly girl. Really, that was her reason for all that animosity and her truly horrible behaviour? Shame on you, grow up!
June 17, 2012
Animal Farm…
In comic form!
Brief Introduction:
After reading the first volume in Bill Willingham’s popular “Fables” series, I was a bit interested in reading the second volume of this series, hoping to find out more about the Adversary who took the Fables’ land from them. But in “Fables: Animal Farm,” we are actually introduced to a revolution on the Animal Farm where Fable characters who are not human or cannot maintain a human form reside. “Fables: Animal Farm” is a great follow up to the first volume that will have you wanting to find out what happens next!
What is the story?
Ever since the Fables were forced out of their homeland by an evil being called the Adversary, the Fables who were non-humans were forced to live on the Farm so that way they would not be under the suspicious eyes of the mundane world. Unfortunately, a revolution seems to take place on the farm as the non-human fables decided to take back their land from the Adversary and then try to rule both Fabletown in New York and the Farm itself and it is up to Snow White to stop this crazy revolution before it is too late!
What I loved about this comic:
Bill Willingham’s writing!: If you have seen the title of this volume entitled “Fables: Animal Farm,” then you will definitely know that this story is pretty much similar to George Orwell’s classic novel, “Animal Farm.” To be honest, I never would have thought that Bill Willingham would include a novel that is a satire on the Russian Revolution into his “Fables” series which mainly includes fairy tale and folktale characters, but I will admit that I was really impressed with the direction he took this story! I loved the way that Bill Willingham included famous animal characters from fairy tales and folktales such as Shere Khan from “The Jungle Book,” Brer Rabbit, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs and wove them into a sort of satirical tale that is based on the animals of the farm forming a revolution against the people who rule over the Fables. It was also interesting seeing how Goldilocks and the Three Little Pigs were leading the revolution, which put an insane spin on our favorite fairy tale characters. Bill Willingham did a great job at portraying the relationship between Rose Red and Snow White and it was quite shocking seeing how Rose Red treated Snow White although Snow White tried to make amends on their relationship and once it is revealed about why Rose Red hated Snow White so much, you cannot help but feel a little sorry for her throughout the two volumes of the “Fables” series.
The artwork: Mark Buckingham’s artwork is truly brilliant to look at as the characters look truly realistic and I love the facial expressions on the characters, especially whenever Snow White is upset, you can actually see the tears and the frightened expressions on her face which made me truly feel for her throughout this book. I also loved Daniel Vozzo’s coloring on the artwork as the artwork has dark coloring that truly reflects the dark atmosphere of this story.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:
Now, I did have a couple of issues with this volume that mainly revolves around the plot of this volume. Now, I understand that this story is about the animals and the non-human characters having a revolution on the Farm because they felt they were being treated unfairly compared to the fables who live in the city, but I felt that this story just came out of nowhere since it was never mentioned in the first volume about there being problems on the Farm. Also, I felt that there was not enough focus on Snow White and Rose Red’s relationship since the bulk of the volume was focused on the non-human fables fighting against the fables from the city and I wanted to see more from Snow White and Rose Red’s relationship throughout this ordeal. Also, the ending felt like it lost some steam after the first half of the volume was pretty exciting with the revolution going on and then suddenly, the story starts to slow down towards the end.
~A bit of a warning~
This volume is definitely more violent than the first volume as there is a lot of gore and violence regarding the revolution. Anyone who is not a fan of violence in graphic novels might want to skim over the violent scenes in this volume.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, despite my gripes with this volume and the fact that this volume and the volume before it has not answered my question (WHO IS THE ADVERSARY?), “Fables: Animal Farm” was a great read and I am still excited to see what will become of the fables after the ordeal in this volume.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
In comic form!
Brief Introduction:
After reading the first volume in Bill Willingham’s popular “Fables” series, I was a bit interested in reading the second volume of this series, hoping to find out more about the Adversary who took the Fables’ land from them. But in “Fables: Animal Farm,” we are actually introduced to a revolution on the Animal Farm where Fable characters who are not human or cannot maintain a human form reside. “Fables: Animal Farm” is a great follow up to the first volume that will have you wanting to find out what happens next!
What is the story?
Ever since the Fables were forced out of their homeland by an evil being called the Adversary, the Fables who were non-humans were forced to live on the Farm so that way they would not be under the suspicious eyes of the mundane world. Unfortunately, a revolution seems to take place on the farm as the non-human fables decided to take back their land from the Adversary and then try to rule both Fabletown in New York and the Farm itself and it is up to Snow White to stop this crazy revolution before it is too late!
What I loved about this comic:
Bill Willingham’s writing!: If you have seen the title of this volume entitled “Fables: Animal Farm,” then you will definitely know that this story is pretty much similar to George Orwell’s classic novel, “Animal Farm.” To be honest, I never would have thought that Bill Willingham would include a novel that is a satire on the Russian Revolution into his “Fables” series which mainly includes fairy tale and folktale characters, but I will admit that I was really impressed with the direction he took this story! I loved the way that Bill Willingham included famous animal characters from fairy tales and folktales such as Shere Khan from “The Jungle Book,” Brer Rabbit, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs and wove them into a sort of satirical tale that is based on the animals of the farm forming a revolution against the people who rule over the Fables. It was also interesting seeing how Goldilocks and the Three Little Pigs were leading the revolution, which put an insane spin on our favorite fairy tale characters. Bill Willingham did a great job at portraying the relationship between Rose Red and Snow White and it was quite shocking seeing how Rose Red treated Snow White although Snow White tried to make amends on their relationship and once it is revealed about why Rose Red hated Snow White so much, you cannot help but feel a little sorry for her throughout the two volumes of the “Fables” series.
The artwork: Mark Buckingham’s artwork is truly brilliant to look at as the characters look truly realistic and I love the facial expressions on the characters, especially whenever Snow White is upset, you can actually see the tears and the frightened expressions on her face which made me truly feel for her throughout this book. I also loved Daniel Vozzo’s coloring on the artwork as the artwork has dark coloring that truly reflects the dark atmosphere of this story.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this book:
Now, I did have a couple of issues with this volume that mainly revolves around the plot of this volume. Now, I understand that this story is about the animals and the non-human characters having a revolution on the Farm because they felt they were being treated unfairly compared to the fables who live in the city, but I felt that this story just came out of nowhere since it was never mentioned in the first volume about there being problems on the Farm. Also, I felt that there was not enough focus on Snow White and Rose Red’s relationship since the bulk of the volume was focused on the non-human fables fighting against the fables from the city and I wanted to see more from Snow White and Rose Red’s relationship throughout this ordeal. Also, the ending felt like it lost some steam after the first half of the volume was pretty exciting with the revolution going on and then suddenly, the story starts to slow down towards the end.
~A bit of a warning~
This volume is definitely more violent than the first volume as there is a lot of gore and violence regarding the revolution. Anyone who is not a fan of violence in graphic novels might want to skim over the violent scenes in this volume.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, despite my gripes with this volume and the fact that this volume and the volume before it has not answered my question (WHO IS THE ADVERSARY?), “Fables: Animal Farm” was a great read and I am still excited to see what will become of the fables after the ordeal in this volume.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
January 9, 2019
A golden cage is still a cage. Freedom is always a goal for witch we are ready to do anything. And i like the idea that the fables are half immortal with the level of the masses awareness determining who can survive and who will die. Nice touch.
August 29, 2015
Ah! I have an intense, borderline creepy love for this series *heavy breathing*
…
Animal Farm is one solid story arc in the Fables series (issues 6-11) and if you've read Animal Farm by George Orwell, it will come as no surprise to know that this particular arc is about a revolt at the Farm: a property in upstate New York where non-human fables live, and ones who can't afford a glamour to disguise themselves as human beings are sent. Contrary to the light, fluffy fairytales we are read as children, Bill Willingham's take on our favourite fables are dark, gritty and fascinating. Heroes -> Villains, Villains -> Heroes and everything else inbetween, Bluebeard notwithstanding (seriously that guy is a total jackass).
Fables is a comic book series that deals with various characters from fairytales and folklore. After being forced out of the Homelands by the Adversary, they travel to our world and establish a secret community in New York known as Fabletown. If Fables aren't able to blend into the mundy world (i.e. trolls, giants, little people etc.) they get sent to the Farm. Animal Farm is equal parts hopeful and terrifying. I am SO glad I purchased it as a whole and not as individual issues because I swear some of the endings had me audibly gasping, flopping on the bed, frothing from the mouth…you know…normal reactions. What I liked the most was those "a-ha" moments when I realized who the character was, which story they belonged to, and how they differed from their storybook personas. I'm a Grimms lover through and through, so I found this darker take on fairytales particularly fascinating.
Yeah, Prince Charming is a douchebag and Boy Blue brings out a slightly perverted version of myself I'd rather not admit to, but the premise of this entire series is so brilliant it scares me. This series deserves to be read through until the end.
…
Animal Farm is one solid story arc in the Fables series (issues 6-11) and if you've read Animal Farm by George Orwell, it will come as no surprise to know that this particular arc is about a revolt at the Farm: a property in upstate New York where non-human fables live, and ones who can't afford a glamour to disguise themselves as human beings are sent. Contrary to the light, fluffy fairytales we are read as children, Bill Willingham's take on our favourite fables are dark, gritty and fascinating. Heroes -> Villains, Villains -> Heroes and everything else inbetween, Bluebeard notwithstanding (seriously that guy is a total jackass).
Fables is a comic book series that deals with various characters from fairytales and folklore. After being forced out of the Homelands by the Adversary, they travel to our world and establish a secret community in New York known as Fabletown. If Fables aren't able to blend into the mundy world (i.e. trolls, giants, little people etc.) they get sent to the Farm. Animal Farm is equal parts hopeful and terrifying. I am SO glad I purchased it as a whole and not as individual issues because I swear some of the endings had me audibly gasping, flopping on the bed, frothing from the mouth…you know…normal reactions. What I liked the most was those "a-ha" moments when I realized who the character was, which story they belonged to, and how they differed from their storybook personas. I'm a Grimms lover through and through, so I found this darker take on fairytales particularly fascinating.
Yeah, Prince Charming is a douchebag and Boy Blue brings out a slightly perverted version of myself I'd rather not admit to, but the premise of this entire series is so brilliant it scares me. This series deserves to be read through until the end.
February 19, 2017
It says "For Mature Readers" on the back cover but I definitely want to emphasize that. This may be about the fable characters we loved as children (and adults, who am I kidding), but some of them are downright violent and cruel creatures in this. There were executions performed by Jack Ketch (which I thought was cool in a really disturbing way), who was an executioner back in the 1600s famous for botching his work. So picture that in coloured illustrations, as he beheads animals.
As caught off guard as I was by the unexpected gore, I loved this volume. I especially liked that characters from The Jungle Book were featured. Great opportunity for some amazing artwork of Shere Khan and Bagheera. Reynard the fox was also a highlight!
Rose Red bothers me, I just have to say that. I'm definitely on Snow's side.
As caught off guard as I was by the unexpected gore, I loved this volume. I especially liked that characters from The Jungle Book were featured. Great opportunity for some amazing artwork of Shere Khan and Bagheera. Reynard the fox was also a highlight!
Rose Red bothers me, I just have to say that. I'm definitely on Snow's side.
November 30, 2017
I had to push myself through this, to be honest. I want to continue with the story/world, but I could have done without this volume, I think. I said in the last one that my tolerance for unlikable, horrible characters is at an all-time low, and that's basically all this volume was. I get the allusions to Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies, and all that, and I even get why this was an aspect of the Fables that needed to be explored, but I just felt very anxious reading it, and wanted to be done.
Also, I hate Rose Red. I don't care how it turns out in the end, she's the worst. (Aside from maybe Goldilocks.)
Also, I hate Rose Red. I don't care how it turns out in the end, she's the worst. (Aside from maybe Goldilocks.)
July 14, 2024
The second volume in the series and as good as the first one, this one as well is a complete story on its own, but still connected to the first book. The events pick up from where we stopped in Vol. 1 and carries on to a new adventure with Snow White, Rose, and featuring this time the 3 pigs, Goldilocks and her bears as the main characters, with a side order of other animals, Giants and a dragon to make it more magical than it already is.
Still finding this a brilliant product of an imaginative mind, to take these fairy characters on an unusual journey.
MiM
Still finding this a brilliant product of an imaginative mind, to take these fairy characters on an unusual journey.
MiM
February 25, 2014
Snow White, the Deputy Mayor of Fabletown, and her wayward sister Rose Red venture out of the city and into the country to visit the Farm. This is where all of the Fable creatures who don’t look humanoid – the various talking animals, three giants and a dragon – are kept and whose presence is masked through enchantments. However this means they’re unable to leave the land without being seen by the mundys (slang for humans – as in “mundane”, ie. “normal”). This limiting of their freedom for hundreds of years has led to widespread discontent among as the Farm Fables as Snow and Rose are about to find out – the animals are revolting!
Like the first volume which was a murder mystery, the second volume of Fables is a self-contained five-issue story arc, though less generic and unfortunately less interesting. It’s a bit like a horror mystery as Snow and Rose find out the idyllic land harbours poisonous intentions that boils over into murderous actions kind of like in The Wicker Man (NOT the Nic Cage version which was a comedy. “HOW’D IT GET BURRRRNNNNEDD?!?!??!”).
Bill Willingham references well-known literary works like Lord of the Flies and of course Orwell’s Animal Farm though they only bear a superficial resemblance to this book as Willingham’s story doesn’t explore the same themes or in quite the same level of depth and thoughtfulness. Fables remains a straightforward series.
It’s enjoyable to see well known characters playing against type like the militant Goldilocks as she leads a communist-esque revolution as the female Che Guevara and Snow fighting Shere Khan from Kipling’s Jungle Book is exceedingly good (hehe!). And Willingham continues to explore the concept of the Fables themselves by establishing that they can live hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years yet retain youthful appearances, and how the more popular Fables can’t die no matter what injuries they sustain due to their popularity with the mundys. The more who believe in you, the more powerful you are – it’s not an original idea that I remember seeing for the first time in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books years ago.
Except the second book still feels like setup. I get that this is a complex world so Willingham needs more time to lay the groundwork of who the Fables are and how they live in our world, but the whole faux-revolution thing just didn’t work for me. Mostly because we know the real enemy of the series is the mysterious Adversary and not the talking pigs/Goldilocks, so they were never going to succeed thus defusing the tension of the story, but also because a chase plot isn’t that interesting. They run, they fight, they run some more, yeah ok. And the ending itself felt anticlimactic and drawn-out.
Snow and Rose are fairly interesting characters but shouldn’t really have books centred around them as they’re just not compelling enough. Snow is a goody-two-shoes and Rose is predictably rebellious – the stereotypical good sister/bad sister combo we’ve seen a million times before. Here, the more engaging characters like Bigby, Bluebeard and Jack were supporting players at best while Snow ran around a forest. The others, like the talking animals, are barely characters at all – they’re just interactive background really.
Animal Farm isn’t a terrible book and hasn’t put me off the series but it’s not terribly compelling either. It sets out some important information, it’s got some great art, and if you like Snow then you’ll enjoy this. But it’s also pretty dull quite often and predictable too. It’s ok, not great.
Like the first volume which was a murder mystery, the second volume of Fables is a self-contained five-issue story arc, though less generic and unfortunately less interesting. It’s a bit like a horror mystery as Snow and Rose find out the idyllic land harbours poisonous intentions that boils over into murderous actions kind of like in The Wicker Man (NOT the Nic Cage version which was a comedy. “HOW’D IT GET BURRRRNNNNEDD?!?!??!”).
Bill Willingham references well-known literary works like Lord of the Flies and of course Orwell’s Animal Farm though they only bear a superficial resemblance to this book as Willingham’s story doesn’t explore the same themes or in quite the same level of depth and thoughtfulness. Fables remains a straightforward series.
It’s enjoyable to see well known characters playing against type like the militant Goldilocks as she leads a communist-esque revolution as the female Che Guevara and Snow fighting Shere Khan from Kipling’s Jungle Book is exceedingly good (hehe!). And Willingham continues to explore the concept of the Fables themselves by establishing that they can live hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years yet retain youthful appearances, and how the more popular Fables can’t die no matter what injuries they sustain due to their popularity with the mundys. The more who believe in you, the more powerful you are – it’s not an original idea that I remember seeing for the first time in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books years ago.
Except the second book still feels like setup. I get that this is a complex world so Willingham needs more time to lay the groundwork of who the Fables are and how they live in our world, but the whole faux-revolution thing just didn’t work for me. Mostly because we know the real enemy of the series is the mysterious Adversary and not the talking pigs/Goldilocks, so they were never going to succeed thus defusing the tension of the story, but also because a chase plot isn’t that interesting. They run, they fight, they run some more, yeah ok. And the ending itself felt anticlimactic and drawn-out.
Snow and Rose are fairly interesting characters but shouldn’t really have books centred around them as they’re just not compelling enough. Snow is a goody-two-shoes and Rose is predictably rebellious – the stereotypical good sister/bad sister combo we’ve seen a million times before. Here, the more engaging characters like Bigby, Bluebeard and Jack were supporting players at best while Snow ran around a forest. The others, like the talking animals, are barely characters at all – they’re just interactive background really.
Animal Farm isn’t a terrible book and hasn’t put me off the series but it’s not terribly compelling either. It sets out some important information, it’s got some great art, and if you like Snow then you’ll enjoy this. But it’s also pretty dull quite often and predictable too. It’s ok, not great.
July 22, 2013
Fables has to be one of the most inventive ideas to have been created in terms of comics and graphic novels in recent years. Thanks to the recommendations of university friends reading the series on my trip to the States I picked up the second book (who begins at the beginning these days?) and thoroughly enjoyed the concept. So of course I have to go through and read the rest now that I enjoyed this first foray into the graphic novels. The real problem for me, coming in when plenty has already been written, is trying to catch up when there's so much else to read...
The premise of the Fables series is simple and from what I understand each novel is something of a stand alone, based on the overall premise and with some connection to previous stories. This overall premise is that in our modern day world Fables exist. These are characters from books, legends and stories that have gained some kind of cultural mythology from Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book to the story of Snow White. These Fables have been driven from their story worlds and now live in a special area in real life called Fabletown.
This particular volume takes its cues from the story by Orwell: Animal Farm. Snow White has to head up to the Farm where the less human looking Fables are kept, basically the talking animals, some giants and a dragon. Things go in an Orwell type of direction and everything ends up interestingly. Interestingly enough for me to want to read more of the graphic novels...
There are adult ideas behind these books. But then fairytales have always featured a hidden sense of adult themes and morals. What the writers and artists in this series do is to expose those adult ideas and write them into the contemporary side of their story. As a result the story becomes a mix of fantasy fairytale set in the real world and grappling with real adult issues.
I fully recommend this book at least and I intend to become a fan and to read into the future. The idea of fairytales intersecting with real life is something that's interested me for a while now and seeing a graphic novel deal with that is doubly intriguing.
February 20, 2018
Fable town isn't all that it seems. This time we head to the Farm where the unhuman type Fables reside. Oh shit, who's ready for some Animal Farm type shit?
This volume really focuses on Snow white and Red Rose. They go to the farm to check up on all the other fables. However, things aren't what they seem. Soon after we are shown a lot of the animals are building a army to go back and fight the adversary. However, anyone who gets in their way, will pay the consequences. Who will make it out of this one?
Good: I really enjoyed the snow white and red rose stuff. It was really well done and kind of get enough past to understand why they are where they are. Also how great was Snow White wrecking shit? So nice to see strong women in here.
Bad: Bigby whole section felt kind of odd and out of place. I get it had to happen to build towards the end, but took away from the tension of the rest. Also the betrayal is telegram like a mofo.
Overall this is another solid volume. I think I like it more than even 1. It still lacks the character connection to me but I'm getting more into it. I'm hoping next volume we really get into the meat of it. It's a 3.5 out of 5 for this one!
This volume really focuses on Snow white and Red Rose. They go to the farm to check up on all the other fables. However, things aren't what they seem. Soon after we are shown a lot of the animals are building a army to go back and fight the adversary. However, anyone who gets in their way, will pay the consequences. Who will make it out of this one?
Good: I really enjoyed the snow white and red rose stuff. It was really well done and kind of get enough past to understand why they are where they are. Also how great was Snow White wrecking shit? So nice to see strong women in here.
Bad: Bigby whole section felt kind of odd and out of place. I get it had to happen to build towards the end, but took away from the tension of the rest. Also the betrayal is telegram like a mofo.
Overall this is another solid volume. I think I like it more than even 1. It still lacks the character connection to me but I'm getting more into it. I'm hoping next volume we really get into the meat of it. It's a 3.5 out of 5 for this one!
February 21, 2017
After the first volume, I didn't think this series could get any worse.
In my review of Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile I complained that Snow White was a terrible heroine. She's the main character and the defacto ruler of Fable Town, but she's also too stupid to live. I thought it was because Bigby Wolf was being set up as the hero, so Snow White was being diminished to flatter him. But in this volume, he's barely involved, and Snow White is stupider than ever.
Taking her sister, Rose Red, up to the farm for some sisterly bonding she utterly fails to notice a revolution happening around her. She doesn't think it odd that the ruler she appointed has disappeared. When heads appear stuck on poles, she doesn't bother to think about why. She escapes only because various tertiary charcters arrange for it. And she whines the whole way. She couldn't even control her sister, who was supposedly serving out a punishment for a criminal offense.
Meanwhile, instead of filling in details, this volume continues to expose the gaping holes in the world-building. Snow White boasts at the start of the story that Jack and Rose belong to her body and soul and their punishment is whatever she says it is. In the end, the punishment for Jack, who you may remember in the last volume faking a murder, is less than the punishment for Flycatcher, who has been caught eating bugs in public. You might think that's inconsisitent and harsh, but hey, so it could be worse. The books never really makes clear why Snow White has apparently unlimited power over all the fable creatures even though her boss, the Mayor, is allegedly democratically elected.
Either way, it's easy to be sympathetic to the revolutionaries on the farm, given that their political system appears to be some kind of totalitarian dictatorship. Snow White appoints the ruler of the farm and dictates where the animals can go and what they can do. That's more than enough to justify a revolt. So why do the revolutionaries keep spouting a load of Marxist rhetoric? All the motivations the book has set up for them are about liberty, not about economic equality. I guess I'm pretty dense, because it took me ages to realise that it's a joke because the volume is called Animal Farm so it's a reference to Orwell's Animal Farm. This is absolutely typical of this series so far - cheap jokes are included at the expense of coherent, consistent world-building.
I'm just saying, it is incredibly annoying when the characters bang on about the proletariat but the story doesn't have an actual economic system. What proletariat? In what way are the animals of the farm a working class? Are they providing food for the city fables? Are they sweating down mines and in factories providing goods for the city fables? There's no evidence for any of that in the book. In fact, it isn't clear whether the fables have their own currency or whether they're just using American dollars. At the end of the book, Snow White arranges for a magical transformation charm to be laid on a few of the loyalists and says that it costs the discretionary budget for both fable towns for the rest of the year, and probably the next. What are they paying for? If it's just the services of some witches then why doesn't Snow White just use her unlimited power to command them? And if it's ingredients for spells, where are those coming from and why do they cost so much? It doesn't make any sense!
Snow White's also annoyed me. The explanation given is that the fables are kept immortal by the belief of all the people who read their stories. Not a bad explanation, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett have explored that idea in their work as well. But if it's true here, then why didn't ? If the fables are kept in stasis by the power of belief then why did Goldilocks grow up? Why did Pinocchio in the first book not grow up? After a moment's thought the answer is obviously: Goldilocks was an adult so that there could be a stupid joke about her fucking Baby Bear. Pinocchio didn't grow up so that there could be a stupid joke about how he'll never get laid. Coherent world-building once again gives way to puerile humour. And while I'm condemning the tasteless jokes, the 'banter' between Rose Red and Snow White about incest was pretty grim as well.
Unfunny jokes, unlikeable characters, incoherent setting, there's very little good to say about this series. And the final nail in the coffin was the tendency to include random characters from children's books for no reason whatsoever. There are three pages in which characters from The Jungle Book do nothing more than greet each other: 'Hello Baloo,' 'Hello Kaa'. Just adding more familiar characters doesn't actually make a story better. If they're not doing anything useful then they should be relegated to the background of one panel.
In my review of Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile I complained that Snow White was a terrible heroine. She's the main character and the defacto ruler of Fable Town, but she's also too stupid to live. I thought it was because Bigby Wolf was being set up as the hero, so Snow White was being diminished to flatter him. But in this volume, he's barely involved, and Snow White is stupider than ever.
Taking her sister, Rose Red, up to the farm for some sisterly bonding she utterly fails to notice a revolution happening around her. She doesn't think it odd that the ruler she appointed has disappeared. When heads appear stuck on poles, she doesn't bother to think about why. She escapes only because various tertiary charcters arrange for it. And she whines the whole way. She couldn't even control her sister, who was supposedly serving out a punishment for a criminal offense.
Meanwhile, instead of filling in details, this volume continues to expose the gaping holes in the world-building. Snow White boasts at the start of the story that Jack and Rose belong to her body and soul and their punishment is whatever she says it is. In the end, the punishment for Jack, who you may remember in the last volume faking a murder, is less than the punishment for Flycatcher, who has been caught eating bugs in public. You might think that's inconsisitent and harsh, but hey, so it could be worse. The books never really makes clear why Snow White has apparently unlimited power over all the fable creatures even though her boss, the Mayor, is allegedly democratically elected.
Either way, it's easy to be sympathetic to the revolutionaries on the farm, given that their political system appears to be some kind of totalitarian dictatorship. Snow White appoints the ruler of the farm and dictates where the animals can go and what they can do. That's more than enough to justify a revolt. So why do the revolutionaries keep spouting a load of Marxist rhetoric? All the motivations the book has set up for them are about liberty, not about economic equality. I guess I'm pretty dense, because it took me ages to realise that it's a joke because the volume is called Animal Farm so it's a reference to Orwell's Animal Farm. This is absolutely typical of this series so far - cheap jokes are included at the expense of coherent, consistent world-building.
I'm just saying, it is incredibly annoying when the characters bang on about the proletariat but the story doesn't have an actual economic system. What proletariat? In what way are the animals of the farm a working class? Are they providing food for the city fables? Are they sweating down mines and in factories providing goods for the city fables? There's no evidence for any of that in the book. In fact, it isn't clear whether the fables have their own currency or whether they're just using American dollars. At the end of the book, Snow White arranges for a magical transformation charm to be laid on a few of the loyalists and says that it costs the discretionary budget for both fable towns for the rest of the year, and probably the next. What are they paying for? If it's just the services of some witches then why doesn't Snow White just use her unlimited power to command them? And if it's ingredients for spells, where are those coming from and why do they cost so much? It doesn't make any sense!
Snow White's also annoyed me. The explanation given is that the fables are kept immortal by the belief of all the people who read their stories. Not a bad explanation, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett have explored that idea in their work as well. But if it's true here, then why didn't ? If the fables are kept in stasis by the power of belief then why did Goldilocks grow up? Why did Pinocchio in the first book not grow up? After a moment's thought the answer is obviously: Goldilocks was an adult so that there could be a stupid joke about her fucking Baby Bear. Pinocchio didn't grow up so that there could be a stupid joke about how he'll never get laid. Coherent world-building once again gives way to puerile humour. And while I'm condemning the tasteless jokes, the 'banter' between Rose Red and Snow White about incest was pretty grim as well.
Unfunny jokes, unlikeable characters, incoherent setting, there's very little good to say about this series. And the final nail in the coffin was the tendency to include random characters from children's books for no reason whatsoever. There are three pages in which characters from The Jungle Book do nothing more than greet each other: 'Hello Baloo,' 'Hello Kaa'. Just adding more familiar characters doesn't actually make a story better. If they're not doing anything useful then they should be relegated to the background of one panel.
July 28, 2015
This was much better than the first one. I suppose the first one was a bit slow because they had to introduce the story world and many different characters.
This volume set the action going. Snow White takes her sister rose red into fable town, the country outskirts where all the "non-human fables" live, i.e. The three little pigs, the three bears etc. as part of her community service punishment. However, when they get there they discover a revolution being conducted.
This means Snow White is stuck in the middle of it and things start to get hairy. Here we are introduced to many different characters and I must say it was a treat to read, because it reminded me of all the characters I read about as a child.
This has sparked my interest to read further volumes.
This volume set the action going. Snow White takes her sister rose red into fable town, the country outskirts where all the "non-human fables" live, i.e. The three little pigs, the three bears etc. as part of her community service punishment. However, when they get there they discover a revolution being conducted.
This means Snow White is stuck in the middle of it and things start to get hairy. Here we are introduced to many different characters and I must say it was a treat to read, because it reminded me of all the characters I read about as a child.
This has sparked my interest to read further volumes.
December 4, 2019
Цей том сподобався трохи менше за попередній.
Може це тому, що на сторінках так рідко з’являвся Сірий Вовк?) Перевірю цю теорію на наступному томі.
Може це тому, що на сторінках так рідко з’являвся Сірий Вовк?) Перевірю цю теорію на наступному томі.
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