Published in 1945, George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a satirical allegorical novella about a group of anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. As Tom King explained in the introduction of the collected edition of his and Peter Gross’ Animal Pound, Orwell’s fable was commenting upon how an ideal utopia could rot into the cruel realities of fascism, around the same time as England partnering with the USSR in World War II and the rise of the British Communist Party.
Between Animal Farm and Orwell’s subsequent novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, both works of fiction are cautionary tales of where humanity could go through their worst instincts. Looking at his own bibliography, specifically DC titles like Mister Miracle and Strange Adventures, King seems to be commenting not just on the politics, but also the insanity of today. The ideas that King explores are sadly more relevant than ever.
Along with Love Everlasting at Image and Helen of Wyndhorn at Dark Horse, Animal Pound is another of King’s titles that pull apart aspects of classic literature, in this case updating the Orwellian animal-infested allegory. Instead of farm animals like pigs, horses and sheep, the comic focuses on the pound animals of dogs, cats and rabbits who grow tired of being caged, killed, and sold off. What began as a dream from Lucky the dog before being sent to the animal disposal, the cat Fifi and the Doberman Titan lead an uprising that puts the animals in control of a pound, thus creating a new democracy built on freedom and equality.
As is often the case with King, who wrote prose fiction prior to working in comics, Animal Pound takes a novelistic approach in its storytelling with each of the five issues being densely packed, going through a timeline of this society that goes through the highs and lows, as well as its eventual collapse. While this approach to comic book storytelling is often criticized, especially when it comes to King’s own work, Animal Pound embodies it the best, at least compared to King’s other creator-owned work.
Whilst we’ve had comics like Image’s Feral that takes cutesy anthropomorphic felines into their own hellish idea of a zombie apocalypse, Animal Pound’s use of anthropomorphism hits harder. With its titular setting that is initially seen a prison for many animals, we then see a society that crumbles under its own feet, which says a lot about us. Through the perspective of Fifi and Titan, both of which were elected as leaders to maintain order and stay true to Lucky’s dream, other subsequent animals will take on that title, which eventually lead to protests, civil war and racial tensions initiated by a televised celebrity who somehow gets his shot at the office. King is not all being subtle in his allegory that touches upon recent American politics.
Instead of the Don Bluth-inspired animals from aforementioned Feral, Peter Gross’ art presents realistically drawn animals that behave just like animals. Sure, there are anthropomorphic characteristics in how these animals debating through their politics, Gross is about illustrating subtle expressions that defines an animal’s behavior with the occasional bark or meow that represent an outburst. Along with Tamra Bonvillain’s muted coloring, the look of the book is one of an unnerving atmosphere, especially when the few moments of shocking violence kick in. Most likely, you will feel more sympathy towards rabbits than anything else.
Animal Pound is up there with Tom King’s most thought-provoking work, updating the Orwellian animal allegory to tell a fable that is frighteningly relevant to our current times.
