Most people at least have heard of, if not read George Orwell‘s Animal Farm sometime in their lifetime. A novella about a group of farm animals who overthrow their human owner, hoping to create a fair and equal society. It’s the adaptation by Christina Dumalasova and Katerina Horakova with illustrations by Michael Purmensky on the pages of a graphic novel that which brings this story to life.

When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master Mr Jones and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless elite among them – masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball – starts to take control.

Soon the other animals discover that they are not all as equal as they thought and find themselves hopelessly ensnared as one form of tyranny is replaced with another. Orwell’s chilling “fairy story” is a timeless and devastating satire of idealism betrayed by power and corruption.

As a nearly 40-year-old, I have heard of Animal Farm, but sadly never cracked open the story. So when diving into Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel over Christmas break I was able to enjoy Orwel’s 1945 story from a different place than those entering the trade with prior knowledge. It was great to be able to read an adaptation without knowing what takes place within the pages.

Animal Farm, as a novel, is a short and quick read that I will eventually get to as well, but the graphic novel gave me a place to not only take in the tale crafted by Orwell, but also get a visualization of the animals and their uprising. With not having read the original story, I will say Dumalasova and Horakova’s adaptation was smooth and easy to comprehend, leading me to believe they did the source material justice. A great script and excellent pacing made for an enjoyable read.

As for the story at hand, Orwell’s satirization of the Russian Revolution and totalitarianism was spot on. He does a wonderful job in crafting an entertaining story while also teaching us a bit along the way with a bit of tongue in cheek. Using an animal overthrow was both clever and dark with an engaging tale with a pretty bleak ending. I can see why this story has been taught in schools over the years and sparks a lot of discussion about leadership and manipulation.

The illustrations are what makes this adaptation truly special. Purmensky’s use of a bit of a gritty drawing technique with simple black and white, with a dash of red, color palette gave the story the dark theme it needed while also the filthy feeling of both the farm and the message about power, corruption, and propaganda.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel, adapted by Christina Dumalasova and Katerina Horakova with illustrations by Michael Purmensky, brings visualization to a classic tale. The script and artwork does the original source material justice, giving us another way to enjoy Orwell’s work.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel hits local comic shops and bookstores everywhere on March 10, 2026 from Gemini.