Stories about domination and explosions can be fun, but I have a lot of appreciation for stories that look to nonviolent, peacemaking solutions which is why I’m very excited to share an interview from the (literal) NYCC 2016 floor with the creators of A Piggy’s Tale and Piggy himself.
Writer Tod Emko tells us about Piggy’s origin story, injured as a puppy in Latin America and taken to the United States. As a pup who knows what it’s like to feel different, Piggy finds and offers compassion to other who feel the same–even bullies and “baddies.” Combined with Ethan Young (Nanjing, Battles of Bridget Lee) as artist, A Piggy’s Tale is all about the power of empathy over violence with fun characters like a Guardian Pig and a street-savvy kitten .
In addition, the comic benefits Darwin Animal Doctors, which protects animals in the Galapagos, and a humane education curriculum. The messages of super-Piggy reflects the mission of real-life Piggy, who’s trained to work with special needs children. The story is cute and accessible, making it a perfect gift for animal-lovers in your life!
As we sat on the floor at New York Comic-Con, passersby consistently did double-takes and exclaimed, “Look at that dog!” I asked Tod whether Piggy was overwhelmed, and he assured me that Piggy is trained to interact with others and loves all the pats–which you’ll notice we couldn’t stop doing the entire interview. Sorry if it’s a bit distracting, he’s just too soft and cute.
You can learn more about A Piggy’s Tale, Darwin Animal Doctors, and the education curriculum here.
(image via screencap)
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