A loveable pup, a street smart cat, and a magical pig – here is a comic that really grabbed my attention!
A few weeks ago, while daring to look at my ever growing review pile, I came across a comic that really stood out. Beneath the title, A Piggy’s Tale, I saw an adorable cartoon dog. My brain went a bit futzy as I wondered whether I’d lost the ability to differentiate between mammals, and before I knew it I was absorbed in the story. Regular readers will know this is nothing new – I love so many comics, and get terribly enthusiastic about those I like best.
But what really surprised me about A Piggy’s Tale is that my boyfriend leaned over for a better look as he passed my screen, asked if he could read it right then, and sat and devoured the whole preview and said he’d love to read more.
Why is this notable? Because he doesn’t read comics. EVER. I got him to read Watchmen and he preferred the film(!). I caught him reading a random Dredd comic once but that was it. Oh and Nemi, he loves Nemi because he says it’s basically me in comic form. But this one pinged his radar straight away, and he was raving about how much he enjoyed it.
In other words, if you don’t believe me, believe the sceptic!
A Piggy’s Tale then is indeed the story of a dog named Piggy. Rescued as an abandoned pup who was hit by a car, Piggy is a three-legged dog, based on his real life counterpart who was rescued by writer, Tod Emko. But Piggy is no normal dog!
Visited by a magical flying pig, Piggy is bestowed with superpowers – the ability to hear animals in distress, and the ability to fly. Using the calls of help as his motivation to recover from his car accident, Piggy heads out into the night with a brand new plan, and soon meets new friends to help him on his way, and new bad guys to chase down.
Artist Ethan Young (of Tails fame) has done a wonderful job of bringing this vibrant world to life, with fantastic use of colour that really does make the comic stand out – particularly to younger eyes.
But what really seals the deal, from both Emko and Young, is the real heart that has been put into each character. With very little exposition or long screeds of narration or dialogue, these are characters that the reader immediately knows and loves.
The Kickstarter was launched on Monday, and I highly recommend sticking down a pledge – regardless of whether you have kids or not. I don’t, and I want one just for myself.
Okay, I might share with my niece :P
Laura Sneddon is a comics journalist and academic, writing for the mainstream UK press with a particular focus on women and feminism in comics. Currently working on a PhD, do not offend her chair leg of truth; it is wise and terrible. Her writing is indexed at comicbookgrrrl.com and procrastinated upon via @thalestral on Twitter.
Thanks for posting this, Laura; much appreciated!!
Hey Laura, thanks for writing about this story. It looks great and I’m looking forward to more. I do have one issue with the posting and it’s the use of All Ages. I understand that comics creators use this as a way to describe appeal to a general audience but the reality is All Ages is a worthless description. There is no All Ages section in any public library or book store. There isnt an all ages grade located anywhere in the educational world. Please help guys like Ethan and Todd learn to speak the language of the book world and they will likely sell a lot more books.
It looks like a great middle grade( ages 9+) adventure story.
All in all, this is a great review and I look forward to adding it to my list of recommended reads that I share with teachers and librarians.
<3 ALL AGES FOREVER <3
You a funny funny guy meester Morris
Looking at the artwork in a children’s picture book and thinking, “Gee, that’s nice” or looking at a comic book page and liking the artwork isn’t at all the same as making a conscious decision to buy the thing. Spending $9 or more to buy a book that takes five minutes or so to read would be crazy, unless the reader thinks that each page is worthy of a frame.
Artists might tend to misjudge how non-artists react to artwork.
SRS
Hi John – the “all ages” descriptor was actually my own there, though Tod and Ethan may have used it too.
As a bookseller, it’s a term I find both useful and problematic, the latter when used wrongly. In my own bay of “comics for all ages” I had books sorted by age (pre-school, 5+, 12+ etc) but I do believe there is a place for all ages as a term when used properly – ie for books that are completely appropriate for the youngest of readers (to be read to), yet still very engaging for older children and adult readers.
The Phoenix for example is genuinely all ages, as is The Adventures of Superhero Girl or Adventure Time, while things like Peppa Pig comics are very definitely for children only.
I do think that A Piggy’s Tale very much falls into the all ages category :)
I loved A Piggy’s Tale and recommended it to several other people. We have 6 year olds up to adults wanting more. How can we get issue number 2?
Love your book
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