Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham

Here we go.

The concept is starting to pick up steam here, as the author introduces a political aspect to the fable world. Although "the farm" is only mentioned in passing in Volume 1, it is the main setting in this volume. By the end of Exile, we're familiar with the human fables living in New York city, and now we learn details about the farm upstate where all of the non-human fables are sent/forced/able to live. This group would include the Jungle Book characters, the Three Little Pigs, giants, dragons, and so forth.

As the title implies, there is a political upset in the works. Although the farm is well-tended, the animals are beginning to feel as though they are living in a prison. A plan to take over the city-headquarters is underway and Snow White steps right in the middle of it during her annual visit.

This is a far more interesting book than the first one. We get some minor action back in the city, but almost everything is focused on just the farm and its animals. The political rhetoric is appealing and familiar, though. It isn't anything you haven't heard before: they won't accept us because we're different but we'll show them. That kind of thing.

Animal Farm gives the Fables series a chance to show us for the first time the characters' capacities for violence. This makes for some great paneling, and for completely new visions of The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks, and so forth. Their threats are very real, and there are a number of surprises in the plot.

Again, this installments suffers in ways similar to the first one: the idea is interesting, but there isn't nearly enough expansion on it. The hope is that Willingham has something much grander in the works, and that these early volumes are planting seeds for more complicated action down the line.

Personally, I found the plot too straight-forward. Characters are developing slowly so, for the time being, their actions aren't very surprising or enlightening. Snow White does use this plot line to prove that she's bad ass, if a bit of a crybaby at times. If you were wondering why she would be the one in charge of organizing the other fables, this book gives you a few examples of why she's perfect for the job.

Overall, I wasn't terribly impressed. But that might not be necessary. To keep a series running, you don't have to constantly impress, you just need to constantly hint that whatever it is the last volume left to be desired will show up in the next volume. Because the premise is just so interesting, this series succeeds. Although I haven't purchased it yet, the third volume is somewhere on my list. Unfortunately, there is a good chance I won't actually get to it, precisely because I've been let down twice in a row now. Third time's a charm, I guess. And if it isn't, I may quit. It's possible I'm not cut out for long-running series.