Customer Reviews

Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Trying to patch up their strained relationship, Rose Red and Snow White travel upstate to visit the Farm where the nonhuman Fables are forced to live; but they run into trouble when they find a revolution-caused by Goldilocks-turn to violence.

Bill Willingham once again creates another winner, improving upon his first story arc with more characterization and some humor. There are numerous litererature references and some of the absurd situations and obscure fable characters are rather humorous. Mark Buckingham's pencils aren't spectactular, but are quite good for portaying the numerous human characters as well as the many animal characters. Buckingham's pencils are very similar to Medina's artwork in the previous arc, but he improves upon the human characters, making them look more dramatic and lifelike.

This book is recommended for readers looking for something different than super hero stories. This new, innovative book is definitely worth checking out.

NOTE: This is a DC/Vertigo book and is suggested for older readers due to language and blood/gore (a comic book equivalent to a PG-13 or R-rated movie).

Bill Willingham continues to deliver great reading material in his second storyline of the Eisner Award winning series "Fables".
The story is still about the exiled fable-folk and their community existing alongside the mundanes (non-fable folk).
The characters from the first book are back and they are in for a new conflict.

This time the focus of the book moves away from the mythical city of New York and on to "The Farm", where the unfortunate fable folk who cannot pass as humans live in seclusion.
Snow White heads to the farm to try and teach her sister, Rose Red a lesson and hopefully patch things up between them.
They soon find out that the residents are planning to get out of the farm in an all out rebellion.

Willingham did very good on characterization in this book, he gave the characters identity, there are more fable appearances in this book which makes it more interesting. Mark Buckingham did a superb job continuing the designs drawn by Lan Medina.
And like the first book, this trade paperback offers bonus materials such as Bill Willingham's early designs of the characters, and sketches of the covers done by James Jean.
This is one title that every fantasy, fairy tale, mystery, and even crime enthusiast should have.

This series supposes that the mythical beings from our childhood fairy tales not only exist, but have been forced to flee their native land - arriving in New York City. Some, Snow White for example, can trade her princess' gown for a business suit and get by just fine in the city. Tom Thumb, the talkative three little pigs, and quite a few others would blow the secrecy of their exile in our world. So, the Fables (as the displaced ones call themselves) establish a refuge in a distant corner of upstate New York where the more unusual beings can live in peace and privacy.

But being run out of their hereditary lands galls them, and their isolation and the limits on their freedom chafe. The rhetoric builds up, instigated by Goldilocks (who still finds Baby Bear's bed just right) but pushed forward by the pigs - who suddenly seem to read from George Orwell's script. They're as venal and brutal as Orwell's, but better armed.

The rest of the story carries through on the promise made by the beginning. It offers excitement, imagination, and enough twists and turns to keep the ending in suspense. Well, if not the ending itself, at least the way it comes about. Capable, expressive artwork supports the writing well, even if it doesn't break any new ground. Since a different look in the artwork is usually what grabs my attention, it took me a long time to pick this one up. That was my mistake. You don't have to repeat it. Go ahead, enjoy this grown-up take on some of your childhood favorites.

-- wiredweird

Comics left me cold. Fables: Legends in Exile and its sequels have changed all that. I remain unenthusiatic about most 'comic' fare, but this stuff is simply brilliant. Fairy-tales, dark, grim and gritty, with lots of in-jokes, allusions and amusing bits and pieces to delight someone brought up, as I was, on the 'real' Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Till Noever, Author: 'KEAEN', www.owlglass.com

In short, this is a refreshing read and worth every penny. If you are testing the waters with the Fables title this is even better than book 1.

The entire story is written in a way that is self-contained and accessible to new readers. Fantasy, humor and politics all come together in this mature but quirky title and you never know what to expect next.

In addition to great writing, the art makes the read seamless and the story believable. Mark Buckingham manages to bring across depth and expressions in talking animals.

This would be the series I use to introduce comic books to non-comic book readers.

This is the second graphic novel in the Fables series. This was another excellent addition to this series. A complex and intricate story along with wonderful drawings and some interesting inclusion of fairy tales made this a joy to read.

Rose Red is due for punishment after the events in the first Fables novel. Snow White decides that as punishment she will be taking Rose Red upstate to the farm where the non-human fables dwell. Little does Snow White know that the non-human fables are sick of living in their designated farm and are ready to stage a rebellion. Will Rose Red side with the non-humans or will she try and reconcile with her sister Snow White?

This was a wonderful addition to this series. The illustration is wonderful and very in keeping with the mood of the story. I love how all of the fairy tales and fables are wrapped up in this story, you never know which fairy tale character you will stumble into next.

The complex characters and intricate plot make this quite the page turner. There are parts that are very funny too. This is definitely meant for adults, there is a lot of swearing and plenty of sexual references.

Overall an excellent addition to this series. If you enjoy fantasy or urban fantasy you should check this out. If you enjoyed the first installment, Fables in Exile, then you will enjoy this one too. I can't wait to read the next installment, Storybook Love.

Animal Farm picks up right where Volume 1 left off. Snow goes to upstate New York to visit The Farm (where the Fables that can't blend in with humans live) and takes Red with her to work off community service hours.

They arrive at The Farm earlier than is normal for Snow's biannual visit, and find the Farm Fables in the midst of revolutionary unrest. Rose joins with the revolutionists and Snow is left scrambling to find allies.

This storyline wasn't nearly as interesting to me as the first Fables volume, despite there being more serious elements. I think this is due, in part, to much of the action being told after the fact. All the real action was over in the first four issues (chapters) and the fifth felt contrived and filled out to make a full issue. Again, there were some memorable lines, and the characters are memorable as well.



Again, I was disappointed in the art. There was nothing original or unusual, or even particularly memorable, to the illustrations. It merely illustrates the story and doesn't seem to give any extra dimension to the story at all. The art is certainly not used as a vehicle to further the story, as it is in other, finer graphic novels.

Despite my interest in the characters, despite the huge following this series has, despite reading that it gets better as it goes on, I'm not sure I'm willing to read a third volume.

Bill Willingham veers away from the hard-boiled mystery in the second volume of the Fables series, "Animal Farm" -- it's all about expanding the mythical world of the refugee Fables, and showing just where the Fables who don't look so human (the Three Bears, Chicken Little, etc) go. It's a somewhat weaker story than its predecessor, but it's still a pretty solid, gory, action-packed fantasy adventure... with a twist.

Snow White takes a trip with Rose to the Farm, hoping to repair their damaged relationship. The Farm is basically a secret little town for Fables who are unable to pass for humans -- but they're acting very strangely, with secret meetings and claims that they want to reclaim the Homelands from the Adversary. Then the head of one of the locals turns up on a stake outside the women's hotel -- and the Farm Charter keeps Bigby from coming to investigate.

What Snow doesn't know is that the rabid communist Goldilocks is staging a violent rebellion, claiming that the animal-type Fables are "enslaved." While Bigby and Boy Blue try to figure out what's going on, Snow sets out across the dangerous countryside with only one unspelled ally by her side. To reclaim the Farm and quell the bloody rebellion, Snow must call on the help of some very unusual Fables... but that doesn't mean she's out of danger yet.

Bill Willingham is an expert in taking beloved characters from legends, fairy tales and nursery rhymes... and then turning our perceptions of them on their heads (example: Goldilocks is a radical communist who blows away anyone who gets in the way of the "revolution"). He's also created a pretty unique fantasy concept -- the Fables have been driven out of their fantastical homeland, and live as secret refugees in the middle of New York City. And in this volume, we also discover that the less humanoid Fables live in a secret rural Farm.

And in this volume, he shifts from hard-boiled mystery to a full-out civil war among the Fables, with plenty of backstabbing, gory death and violence (including a certain piggy losing his head), magical bindings and a thoroughly loathable villain. Willingham seems to have been still feeling his way to what he wanted the Fables series to be (mystery or thriller?), but the storyline is a good combination of colorful fantasy and gritty action adventure. And he still has a very odd sense of humor (a singing drunken suit of armor).

With Bigby Wolf forbidden to come to the Farm (and thus out of most of the story), Snow White takes center stage in "Animal Farm. And she makes a good heroine -- she's tough, resourceful, smart, capable of taking care of herself and whipping up some potent counterattacks. What's more, she's still hashing out her rocky relationship with her sister Rose, who may not be as flaky and shallow as she appears. She also has an old grudge that has nothing to do with Snow's ex.

Willingham also adds in even more characters to his enormous cast. The creatures of the farm are from from fairy/folk tales, myths and older books, such as animals from "The Jungle Book," the three Little Pigs, and the mythic smith Weyland Smith.

It's a bit less engaging than the first volume of the series, but "Fables Volume 2: Animal Farm" is a solid action-adventure story with an entertainingly tight story and a likeable heroine. And it gets better after this.

Bill Willingham's "Fables" is the most interesting concept in comics I've seen in the last few years. "Fables" is right up there with Vaughan's "Y The Last Man" and "Ex Machina." The artwork by is outstanding; it's detailed and realistic. The art moves the story along without being distracting. Like all other Vertigo titles, it is not recommended for children - as an adult I find Fables extremely entertaining.

Fabletown is a part of Manhattan where people and creatures from traditional fairy tales have gone into exile to escape "the Adversary" who has invaded their kingdoms. In Volume 2, "Animal Farm" all of the action actually takes place in the "Farm" in Upstate New York where the Fables go that cannot blend in with normal "mundy" humans in New York City.

In this volume, Rose Red and Snow White go to the Farm and find out that there is a revolutionary element. The story is fast-paced, with an emphasis on character development. Willingham throws in a lot of social commentary and funny allusions, such as hinting at the real reason why Goldilocks decided to shack up with one of the Three Bears. The artists do the same, with "Watchmen-like" detail in each panel; an example is books on a bookshelf by Neil Gaiman and a book entitled "Shreq." I love clever references like that one - the original premise of the movie Shrek was that the Fairytale creatures were being rounded up and relocated - which must have influenced Willingham. This is just a taste of the great stuff that awaits the reader in the Fables series.

Highly recommended! Off to Volume 3!

If you read Fables vol 1 (and you should), this was a better story. Unfortunately, I preferred the artwork in the first volume. The artwork in this volume was good, just not quite as good. One thing I liked was the explanation of why Snow White was alive. It added to the Fables underlying universe.