Sprouting Wings

Korgi #1

by Christian Slade

Top Shelf is proud to announce the signing of an all new, all-ages series of graphic novels, entitled Korgi. Christian Slade, a former Disney animator and currently full-time freelance illustrator, has brought to Top Shelf a gorgeously illustrated woodland fantasy about a young girl Ivy, her dog Sprout, and their amazing adventures in Korgi Hollow. Along with this big debut, Korgi will also appear in Top Shelf's May 5th Free Comic Book Day Book (Owly & Korgi) with an original story to help introduce everyone to the series. This amazing combination of adventure and fantasy will appeal to anyone who loves Andy Runton's Owly and Jeff Smith's Bone.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Animals

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 2007

About the author

As a boy growing up in New Jersey, Christian Slade carried his sketchbook everywhere he went. It was said that he sometimes lived in another world, and it was this other world within the pages of his sketchbook that inspired him to draw from his imagination and the world around him. After thirty years, not much has changed. A former Disney animator and currently a full-time freelance illustrator, Christian has embarked upon his very first all-ages graphic novel series, Korgi. Christian currently lives in Orlando with his wife, Ann, and their two Welsh corgis, Penny and Leo.
--from the cover flap of Korgi: Book 1

Christian Slade has a B.F.A. from the University of Central Florida, an M.A. from Syracuse University, a health collection of comic books, way too many sci-fi toys, and a giant rubber tarantula. He keeps all this stuff in a little studio where he draws at the desk he used as a Disney Animator.

Korgi is Christian's very first all-ages graphic novel series. He currently lives in Florida with his wife Ann, their toddler twins Kate and Nate, and their Welsh corgis Penny and Leo.
--from the cover flap of Korgi: Book 2

Reviews

[Seth T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Christian Slade's book is entirely without words (save for the introductory page), it's a pretty quick read. But it's the kind that fills you with bubbles of joy. It may actually be the cutest thing I've ever read. Korgi, vol. 1 follows a single misadventure of Ivy and her little friend Sprout (one of the titular Korgis, a race of "fox-like" creatures). The characters have a sense of life and joy about them but the real pleasure is the Korgis themselves. The two-page spread featuring the hustle and bustle of Korgi Hollow (the central village of the story) is an absolute wonder as we see Korgis (which really just look like Welsh Corgis) of all shapes and sizes engaged in numerous tasks around town. I think my favourite was the one large enough to act as another character's noble steed. In reality, Korgi is just a pile of cute overload and while there is some story going on, we may have to wait for future volumes to note any real sense of development.

[Abigail Burdett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sure would love to live in a hollow with magical corgis

[Zachary Rawlins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up because, I confess, I own a corgi myself, and I thought my wife would think it was cute. Then I read it - silent, epic, beautiful - as good an all ages read as I've encountered since Bone. Before I even left the store, I had to have all three volumes. I'd recommend it to anyone with a soft spot for the kind of stories that enchanted them when they were a child, presented in such a way as to satisfy even the most mature reader.

Also, hope the monster gets his eyeball back eventually.

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is super cute in this graphic novel but there could have been more to the story. There just wasn't much of a plot (which had nothing to do with it being wordless). I thought I would have enjoyed it a lot more based on the description and cover. But super cute pups so yay!

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple, well duh.. (it's for children) fantasy story about a girl and her dog.

No story, well.. there is but yknowwhatImsayin'.. about a girl going on adventures with her dog and getting to trouble.

Why I picked this up? The artwork. I loved it. The art is beautiful in this one! I would recommend this for artists for sure!


Edit:
Second read around because I got the rest of the volumes and I liked it again, amazing artwork!

[Murat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuteness overload!

How can someone doesnt love Ivy and Sprout at all?

Yep, maybe story is not that gripping..

So, Just think it as a "feel good cortoon" and enjoy the unique art drawing :)

[Leonardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for whimsy and wordless comics.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no! This is just too cute!! The style is very classic, reminding me of old fashioned children's book illustrations with its skilled draughtsmanship and lively line. We are introduced to delightful woodland village where Mollies - pixie-like creatures - and their Korgis lead an idyllic life amongst various magical denizens. It isn't all frolics in the meadows and Ivy and her Korgi, Sprout, face some very scary perils before winning through. Absolutely charming and not just cutesy. But it is supercute!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather charming story told soley in pictures. While technically a children's book, it can be adored by anyone who loves dogs. It is a good blend of story and fantasy. I love Ivy and Sprout. Really good.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Pile of cute," Seth Hahne says. Indeed. But he was more charmed by it than I was... not that engaged, nor were my 6. 7 and 8 year old kids.

[Analie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Christian Slade was a former Disney animator, and it shows! His artwork is beautiful. I just loved seeing the fairytale style village with Korgi pups playing and grown Korgis the size of ponies carrying baskets or pulling carts. The wordless format is very different - kind of like a nonverbal story. Consequently, there is not a lot of plot and the adventure between young Ivy and her pup Sprout flew by very quickly. I could see this book being a great experience for an adult to share with a child who speaks a different language or is not verbal.

[Tahlia Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe that someone thought to create this, but I'm so happy it exists. Korgi is so whimsical and cute. The art style is really unique in this somehow sparse yet intricate way. And the story is told entirely through the drawings!

(I'm clearly on some weird kick of graphic novels based on dogs)

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the singularly most beautiful, charming, joyous, and magical works of art I have ever had the pleasure of imbibing. Effervescent and vibrant, despite being black and white sketch and tells a rich story with depth and wonder without any words accompanying the pictures.

Pure magic for any age.

[Steve S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only words in the book is a short introduction. Kids at 4-6 would really enjoy following the progress of the story. Great art. Kind weird to call it a graphic novel since there isn't any novel to it. Good kid book.

[Rebecca Gustafson · Rating 4 out of 5]

ugh I wish I were small enough/corgis were big enough that I could ride them everywhere. Also wish I could live in a woodland magic forest with a whole bunch of corgis

[Kelly Lynn Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just going to say it, this is the cutest comic I have ever encountered, and I don't think anything will top it.

Filled with myth and magic, KORGI is a story about a girl and her dog told entirely without words. With the exception of a brief into, the story of Ivy and Sprout is shown through gorgeous black and white drawings. It's a simple story--girl leaves town and finds adventure, but that doesn't mean it's boring. Charming and lush, this is a tale that children and adults will enjoy in equal measure. Especially if they've ever loved a corgi.

[হাঁটুপানির জলদস্যু · Rating 4 out of 5]

গল্পটা সরল, কিন্তু আঁকা দুর্দান্ত। হোয়‍্যার দ‍্য ওয়াইল্ড থিংস আর-এর আত্মা যেন ছড়িয়ে আছে পাতায় পাতায়।

[David Haggett · Rating 4 out of 5]

pros: the gorgeous dark two-page illustrations (two specifically)
the reference sheet of characters at the end

cons: the eyeball

[Debbie Mcnulty · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet little story! I have a corgi and my friend thought I might enjoy this book. I really like the artist's style and I found the drawings to be fun and interesting. It made me smile and right now that can be kinda tough to do. :)

[Punk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A day in the life of a young girl and her korgi, in the forest village where they make their home.

Wordless, with black and white art that reminds me of an Alice in Wonderland woodcut. It seems like a generic fantasy forest world until you come across the giant friendly alligator (unexplained), or the flying saucer that crashlanded into the hills (also unexplained), and then there are the korgis, who look like corgis, assist the villagers with their work, and are also magic.

This is cute, but slight, and I didn't get much from it except for creeping suspicion that the korgis were being exploited by the villagers for their labor. Sorry. The world has ruined me.

[ashes ➷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable! Just what I remembered of my old favorite from childhood. While Korgi seems to have never been completed beyond Book 3, what we have is still delightful and, in my opinion, a vital part of a specific moment in comics history. If you are a human being with feelings and affection towards small, big-eared things, you will probably enjoy this.

An important caveat for new readers is that this is an utterly different era of graphic novels, where they were so inherently niche that 1) publishers were less likely to swing for full color, 2) readers weren't coming in with consistent expectations for full color. Also, honestly, I LOVE the black-and-white ink in this book-- I think Slade wholly succeeded with his stylistic goals, and it suits the genre perfectly, so even though I myself now expect color from graphic novels (and will happily complain about it in reviews) this still stands out as a delightful black-and-white piece to me.

The story is quick and very cute in each of the books, and while I'd love to see the books get even longer, these are definitely perfect for young readers in a way that reminds me of Alice in Wonderland and The Little Prince-- they hold up for adults, too, who are willing to be young at heart for eighty pages. There's a kind of nostalgia inherent to the style that made it an instant classic for me even as a child reader ~2010, and I found myself mourning the "all-ages comic" as a casualty of graphic novels becoming so stratified in their ascent to the mainstream.

In short: recommend to people looking for a quick, fun read; particularly people interested in getting their children beautiful, effortful comics in a world of (nonetheless delightful!) shlock.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary (CIP): This combination of adventure and fantasy is a gorgeously illustrated woodland fantasy about a young girl named Ivy, her corgi dog Sprout and their amazing adventures in Korgi Hollow.

REVIEW: The wordless format and the very lush and expressive pen and ink drawings make this new graphic novel series very accessible to all levels of readers, including limited English proficiency (LEP) readers. The volume felt a little over cute to me, but I can see how this woodland fantasy fills a niche and will appeal to most young readers (and certainly any corgi dog lovers). My favorite part was finding out that Ivy’s corgi, Sprout, is a fire-breather! Now that’s a handy dog trick...

SLJ: Positive.
"Finding a middle ground between the slapstick fantasy of Jeff Smith's beloved Bone series (Scholastic/Graphix) and Andy Runton's sweet and wordless Owly books (Top Shelf), Korgi will draw in fans of graphic fiction, fantasy, fairies, dogs, and good old storytelling."

PW: Positive.
"Slade's illustrations are so expressive and full of life that the pages radiate the feelings of his characters, and the lack of dialogue is hardly noticed. Korgi is as intricately illustrated, rich and fully imagined as an animated film."

[Raina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm definitely a dog person, but Corgis are a breed I've never particularly liked (might have something to do with my Girl Scout leader's bitey series of pups). So maybe I shouldn't have bothered.

This is wordless, and gorgeously illustrated (some of it looks like the most intricate ballpoint pen doodle you've ever seen), and follows the adventures of the girl on the cover and her friend, a seemingly anthropomorphized title creature. The dogs live in trees (although the way their treehouses are drawn makes this seem only a magical possibility, given doggish physical limitations). And giants and ogres and other monsterish humanoids are around.

meh, I think I'm too serious for this stuff. I need to know more of the inner workings of the world to be into it. And I don't have a corgi obsession to pull me through.

[Jessica O · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed by this book. It looks fabulous, and the description on the cover sounded fun, but it didn't really live up to my expectations. It's mostly wordless (the introduction is told through words instead of pictures), and a couple of wordless books are things I number among my favorites, so that's not the reason I didn't like it. Just something about the flow of the story left me feeling let down.

I'm sure this would be a good way to introduce a child to wordless books, but I don't recommend it as the "all ages" book it claims to be.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Owly, this is a wordless graphic novel. It isn't visually similar at all; the drawing here is richly detailed, rather than simplified and cartoonish. If you weren't already a fan of corgis, a glimpse through a magical village full of them will make you one.

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic presents a wordless fantasy story in which little dogs are magical creatures. The black-and-white art is done is a very nice sketchy style. However, there are some panels that seem more decorative than narrative in purpose. Also, the plot is a pretty standard fantasy plot. It might be a nice way to introduce children to fantasy, though.

[Ron Baxley · Rating 4 out of 5]

By: Ron Baxley, Jr., fantasy and “Oz universe” author with YBR Publishing and author and scripter of the international-award-winning fantasy Corgi graphic novel series for ages 10-100 (or older), “Ziggy Zig-zags the Light and Dark Fantastic”

Visually Strong, Charming Fantastical Adventure Yet with Haphazard Stream of Consciousness

Four out of Five Stars

“Korgi, Book 1, ‘Sprouting Wings’ ”, a graphic novel by Christian Slade, certainly tells a good story visually. However, the book certainly needs its written introduction with the talking toad Wart, scroll-keeper and historian of Korgi Hollow, and the book’s cast of characters listing. Without both, some young readers and even others may be confused.

Within the graphic novel, the adventures of an elf-like young girl Ivy (only the elf-like or faery-like creatures are called Mollies) in a woodland area, Korgi Hollow, in another world with Corgi-like canines called Korgis (with a k) tend to be rather stream of consciousness or a bit disorganized at times. (A real human child’s playtime and adventures tend to be this way anyway, and I think this aspect will appeal more to young readers.) Also, this is a fantasy world, and magical creatures such as the monster Gallump and his cronies do tend to pop out randomly in fantasy for all ages at times.

Within the fantasy graphic novel, Ivy has her own Korgi pup Sprout who she goes on adventures and misadventures with in and around Korgi Hollow. What is visually stunning is the black and white pen and ink world (with an “Olde Worlde” look) the author and illustrator Slade creates that like the myths of the Welsh people, has Corgis or, in this case, Korgis assisting the elves or fairies or, in this case Mollies, with transportation, carting things around, and more. The cross-hatching and use of lights and darks and the anatomy of the little people, Korgis, and monsters as well as the setting of the woods, caverns, and other areas are all a feast for the eyes in Slade’s world-building.

Also, having a Corgi, Ziggy, for eight years and having created my own graphic novel series and fiction based upon him, I must say Slade’s drawings of Sprout’s (and other Korgis’) actions/mannerisms, expressions, and anatomy are spot-on. (I later learned he and his family have two Corgis of their own who are probably models for the graphic novels.) What I particularly enjoyed was Slade knowing that Corgis, despite having stubby legs, have strong back legs which they can use to jump high – almost as high as kangaroos at times. Sprout has to do this a few times while in peril. Slade’s written description in the Cast of Characters section of Corgis or Korgis being like foxes (particularly with the ears) and having big smiles is apt as well, reminding me of my Ziggy.

Again, telling (or really showing) the story with about 90 percent visuals or more works for the most part (with some exceptions) as it did in the book “Hugo”, and the mostly visual graphic novel, therefore, becomes more accessible to those with early literacy. There are some surprises along the way which I will not spoil – some of which reminded me of the original “The Dark Crystal” and of the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Within this graphic novel, Ivy is a strong, adventurous female protagonist who is brave in the face of the peril she encounters. Sprout, her Corgi, is brave as well, and, through his bravery, reveals some secrets about himself. Gallump, the aforementioned monster, and his minions are among the ones who provoke him unintentionally to reveal his secrets. In addition to Sprout, Ivy has a few surprises about herself. At least one of the surprises involving Ivy seemed a bit deus ex machina. But only the pickier adults who read it will probably think this.

Next, the well-drawn yet seemingly (to the narrative) incongruous wrecked flying saucer on page 29 is never really explained fully, even visually, in Book 1 but is explained later in the series. (A visual in one book in this series usually foreshadows something from another book later on.) The flying saucer, which somewhat works as a teaser or cliffhanger in its non-traditional spot, is something out of science fiction placed into fantasy. Nevertheless, the line is often blurred between those two, and fantasy and science fiction are always lumped together in the same genre and sections in bookstores and libraries.

In short, the first “Korgi” graphic novel has strong, well-drawn visuals and cute, well-drawn Korgis (and one particular Korgi) in a haphazard, slightly disorganized fantastical misadventures along with a strong girl protagonist and sidekick with revealed secrets that children and the young at heart will love.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Korgi Hollow! Set in a sort of dystopian fantasy world, Korgi Hollow is a woodsy settlement of human like creatures called Mollies. Their companions, the Korgis, look a lot like Welsh corgis. They help out with farming and hauling things around. Sprout is a young Korgi cub. His Mollie companion is Ivy.
One day, Sprout runs after a dragon fly (just a cub, remember!) so Ivy chases after him. They find a cave with menacing runes and soon they are captured by an evil ogre like monster called Gallumph who obviously plans to gobble them up. But both Sprout and Ivy are more complex and magical than they appear! Of course, where there is one evil being there are usually others...
Life in Korgi Hollow is full of surprises!

I picked this up because I read that the entire collection of Korgi stories had been combined into one volume. I had never heard of it - but my library has volumes 1 and 3 so I checked out Volume 1. It's a delightful story - wordless so anyone could "read" it. Volume 1 seems to indicate that this is a good vs. evil story so it might be scary for the youngest of readers. I am looking forward to reading the whole story! The detailed black and white illustrations are delightful!

[Tirzah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t consider myself a dog person (or any other animal person), yet I always thought corgis were adorable and I am almost always beguiled by a fantasy story. As I took a moment to glance through Korgi before shelving it, I began to realize this story was a fun mixture of cute corgis and suspenseful magical adventure. It is wordless, so it does not take long to read and the plot is simple to follow. Neither of these elements makes it less enjoyable to read. This book is sometimes described as a book for all ages – not sure about that. Young fans of graphic novels, magic, and dogs will certainly like it, but I would advise parents to glance through it before giving it to sensitive readers as there are some creatures that could scare them. Adults who won’t take it too seriously and still have the inner kid in them will also have fun reading Korgi.

*Book 3 is darker than Book 1 and 2. There is a Book 4 that was published in 2016, but I have not had an opportunity to read it.

[Round Lake Area Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Korgi is a gorgeously illustrated woodland fantasy about a young girl. Ivy, her Korgi cub, Sprout, and their amazing adventures in Korgi Hollow. In this first volume in the series, Ivy and Sprout discover some interesting things about themselves as they stray from their village and face danger for the first time.

Illustrator and author Christian Slade has a soft spot for corgis and you can tell in this loving and adventurous graphic novel about them. Discover the place of Korgi Hollow and allow it to take you on a fun, fantasy journey.

In book one, we meet Ivy and her Korgi cub Sprout. Find out what makes both of these characters unique and special and what creatures they must defend themselves from. Every page is filled with impressive illustrations that certainly tells a great story and makes you want to read more.

Ivy and Sprout are learning more about their powers and their enemies are learning about them as well. What will happen in book 2?