There’s a long and storied history to culturally significant comic book tales that feature animals as main protagonists, antagonists, and story drivers.
Many of them are slapstick comedy, for sure: Captain Carrot And His Amazing Zoo Crew comes to mind. And then there are the more pop culturally relevant titles. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles immediately is at the top of that list. Going back further, perhaps a little more niche, is the cult classic 1970’s science fiction comic book series, Kamandi, a story which was inspired by the Planet of the Apes films. That series added a lens of social relevance – fertile ground for writers and artists to uncover truths and fears that are inherent in our own human existence.
For readers, it can sometimes be easier to have stories showcase animals with human traits, allowing writers and artists to scratch and claw and dig deep, more easily revealing aspects of our existence that makes our species human. Both the good and the bad.
In terms of award-winning, socially relevant stories that feature animals as stand-ins for humanity, We3 and Pride of Baghdad are two graphic novels that shine a light on humanity and our relationship with politics, ethics and each other.
Today brings us a release in that vein: a modern day, twenty-first century take on George Orwell’s classic 1945 novel, Animal Farm, by two masters of the comic book medium. Today brings us the eagerly anticipated first issue of a new limited series called Animal Pound.
Written and illustrated by award winning and fan favourites in Tom King (The Human Target, Lover Everlasting, Danger Street, Wonder Woman, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Sheriff Of Babylon, The Vision) and Peter Gross (The Unwritten, the Books of Magic, Lucifer, American Jesus) in their first-ever collaboration, Animal Pound is an allegory about freedom and its cost.
Tired of being kenneled, killed and sold off, the cats, dogs and other inhabitants of a local pound finally take control over their own lives. With newfound power, they are, at last, united against their human oppressors! But the challenge now is to maintain their freedom with a new form of democracy, one they’ve up to now never known. It begins with the essential drafting of their first constitution. In the best Orwellian tradition, what could go wrong?
Discover the fate of animal democracy while understanding the importance of our own that much more. Make the run to your local comic book shop and pick up Animal Pound #1 today!
You can catch a sneak preview of Animal Pound in the trailer directly below:
