Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Who killed Cock Robin? Well in any Revolution there are always going to be casualties, some will say those that die in ensuing civil war are martyrs to the cause, some are murdered by design and others, innocents like Cock Robin, were just caught in the cross fire of the opening skirmishes and jostling for position.
Revolutions in the mind of Bill Willingham though are so much more complex, the land of Fable is not as straightforward nor as nice as many believe it to be. If Fables in Exile set the stall out for what is a remarkably well written series then Fables: Animal Farm is the dark underside that makes the series make sense.
Whilst there have been many adaptations of the characters that reside in fable, Bill Willingham brings these facets together in a way that is both entertaining but seemingly more in tune with the way they were imagined, the darkness that inhabits the realm of the fable and legend is there to warn, to educate and put a chill down the spine of the reader or listener. The so called cute factor, the reason why some people have disturbingly high expectations is because fable has given way to the fairy tale. The lesson and terror that resides in the tale of Red Riding Hood has been lessened from the true original and that makes the story somehow more agreeable to the bed time child. Yet at its heart, it is a cautionary tale to young women of the dangers of being pursued by the wrong man.
Bill Willingham redresses that 21st Century problem by, if not taking the stories back to the roots, then at least by injecting the danger once more. How often in a children’s fable do you see one of the three pigs decapitated and murdered just because he squealed to Snow White, the terror of Revolution in the hands of an anarchic like Goldilocks, state justice handed out in which sees the conspirators executed. This is not your everyday fairytale and it is so much more glorious because of it
Alongside Joe Hill’s and Gabriel Rodriguez’s top notch Locke & Key series, Fables has to be one of the most innovative and entertaining set of graphic novels around. A real thrill and pleasure to immerse yourself into!
Fables: Animal Farm is available to purchase from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall