Classic Fantastic is our series of features on the classics of the format—please check out our other picks for the most important titles, in terms of appeal, innovation, and storytelling, that every library should own.
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What’s it about?
Korgi is a series of episodic stories of life in Korgi Hollow, where magical dogs help and companion the woodland folk, called Mollies. Each volume contains a different adventure or new revelation about life in Korgi Hollow, from the dark secrets of its past to current and future enemies. The main characters are young Ivy and her dog Sprout. A little more adventurous than most of their tribe, they often get into trouble (usually because of Sprout’s appetite) but with their own determination and the help of their friends they pull through. Each of the four volumes is introduced by Wart, Korgi Hollow’s historian, and ends with short biographies of all the characters. Other than these features, the stories are wordless. Readers will learn about Ivy’s close encounter with monsters in the woods, her dangerous adventure saving the wings of her fellow Mollies from a creepy alien, the history of Korgi Hollow, and more about the past and present dangers facing the Korgis and Mollies.
Notable Notes
Although Korgi hasn’t won any awards, it has been widely and positively reviewed by library and graphic novel sources. Acclaimed for its unique storytelling style, Slade’s skilled artwork, and the intriguing plot, it’s a strong favorite with many readers as well, especially those who feel more comfortable with art than with words.
Significance
In the small but select company of wordless graphic novels for kids, Korgi stands out as the only series that tells a fairly complex fantasy and tells it extremely well. While many popular graphic novel series for children feature full-color artwork, Slade continues to produce the interior art for Korgi in black and white. Despite this, Korgi is a graphic novel series that kids will want to read.
Appeal
Slade’s black and white art is both charming and gruesome, depicting the strange creatures that inhabit Korgi Hollow and their adventures, quarrels, and history. He manages to make the grisly fates of various monsters both appropriately dark and yet still keep the comic kid-friendly, staying away from more graphic depictions that would frighten younger or more sensitive readers. Korgi is unique in its appeal to a wide range of ages. Marketed as an “all ages” comic, although it was generally reviewed for children and most libraries shelve it in that area, it has enough layers and tantalizing secrets to attract teen and adult readers as well. Fantasy fans who enjoy entering a world and creating their own fan art and fiction will find Korgi Hollow the perfect setting for letting their imaginations roam free.
Why should you own this?
Although Korgi is not necessarily a collection standard like Bone or Amulet, it manages to have wide appeal to all ages, reluctant or struggling readers, and fantasy fans—or teachers—who want to encourage world-building and imagination. The longer period between releases means that there will be new fans to discover the series every time another glimpse into the world of Korgi Hollow is offered. Gatekeepers who are reluctant to allow kids to read graphic novels can be enticed with the suggestion of encouraging kids to write their own accompanying stories; fans of fantasy (and corgis) will need no encouragement.
Korgi
by Christian Slade
Vol. 1: Sprouting Wings
ISBN: 9781891830907
Vol. 2: The Cosmic Collector
ISBN: 9781603090100
Vol. 3: A Hollow Beginning
ISBN: 9781603090629
Vol. 4: The Problem with Potions
ISBN: 9781603094030
Top Shelf, 2007 – 2016
