Volume two of Animal Castle from ABLAZE resumes the story; nasty animals are controlling other animals in a castle where they have all found refuge. Oh, it’s a tangled web of coercion!
Silvio, the bull dictator, and his pack of attack dogs are nipping, persuading, manipulating the weaker animals into further submission. There was a non-violent protest in Volume One, which led to a few concessions, but the oppression continues, and the downtrodden animals are not taking it lying down. But how do you peacefully protest against a brutal regime, when they are working you to death and killing your loved ones?
Writer Xavier Dorison picks up the pace and increases the dialogue in Volume Two. As a result, the panels are sometimes smaller in size and packed heavier with word balloons (lettering by Nathan Kempf). Some pages have 10 panels with 16-word balloons, for example. Naturally, some pages are tighter, denser, more claustrophobic.
Felix Delep’s art and colour are truly impressive. Delep renders the animals as real ‘animals’ of course, capturing their proportions and fur, feathers, and limbs. So these are not cartoon animals, but they DO talk. There are amazing passages of well-handled animal poses and expressions, exquisitely lit and illustrated. The environments are poetically realized; the softness of snow, the deep tones of night, the moments spent in fireside debate. So good.
It’s not for everyone, this ‘animal farm = animal castle’, as some readers will get restless during the twists and snarls of the plot. But for those with the interest in a David versus Goliath story, this is a heartfelt saga, one with tragedies and triumphs, and well deserving of your comic dollars. Editor is Kevin Ketner.
Ablaze Publishing, Animal Castle Volume 2, issue 1, $3.99 for 22 pages of content
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