The cover for “Animal Farm” is simply beautiful. The most obvious and most powerful element of the composition being Shere Khan the Tiger. It is not merely the color that highlights Shere Khan but also the medium and technique used to bring him to life. And even with other elements crowding around him, surrounding him, and brought to the foreground, your eye never wanders far from the centerpiece. And if the painting were simply that of Shere Khan pining-down snow white, I would have been very happy with that.
That’s not to say that the background characters/elements are throwaways. Not at all, each character is presented in there own unique way. The sisters: Rose Red, dressed in pirate-garb, with lavishly decorated pistols and belt, Snow White pinned down by Shere Khan still wears a defiant expression, and brandishes a knife, showing that strong character that we see in the books.
On the left most frame is one of the pigs, with his posture and pose reminiscent of revolutionary propaganda. The pig, decked-out as some sort of revolutionary figure, seems to evoke the spirit of Ché Guevara with his facial expression and beret.
The Three Bears who had an appearance in the story are pushed back by the rabbit and the tortoise who were casually mentioned. The collage of children packing heat, in a scuffle, colours muted to not overwhelm the composition. Bigby Wolf and his posse in dark blue, to set as contrast to Rose Reds fiery hair. The sharp edges at the bottom suggesting a rip or a burn, showing that James Jean was not afraid to use negative space in the piece. And lastly the foliage that seems to hide behind everything, settling in the background but still lively enough to bring life to the background and the overall composition. This makes the “Animal Farm” cover my favorite Fables cover, and if I had to pick my favorite James Jean Masterpiece this would be it.