This book owes a lot to Carlo Collodi's original story, Pinocchio. We mean a lot. You could say everything, and wouldn't complain. We never could have dreamed up a wooden puppet whose nose grows when he lies. I mean, you can't make that kind of stuff up. Unless your name is Carlo Collodi, Then, apparently, you can.
This graphic novel begins by providing readers with a "condensed" telling of the original Pinocchio. This was necessary because Disney's Pinocchio is NOTHING AT ALL like the original. As the introduction says, "That beloved dancing cricket? He didn't dance or sing and was dead within a few paragraphs. Pinocchio's encounter with the fox and cat ends with him swinging from a tree. And no, they didn't have tire swings back then." Having just read the book, I must say they did a GREAT job with it!
The book really begins with readers finding out that the happily ever after ending was all a lie. For, Pinocchio did not become a real boy, and he still had trouble listening to Geppeto. In this one case in particular, Geppeto tried, so readers are told, to tell Pinocchio that there was something dark and sinister creeping about. That the town (or is a village?) was in great, great danger. But. Pinocchio didn't listen. And subsequently, Pinocchio witnessed Geppeto's murder. He was killed by vampires. And since that day, that night, Pinocchio has his own agenda. He's a monster killing. One lie at a time, he's able to strike down evil vampires. The threat is real, but Pinocchio is still having a hard time proving his case to the villagers. Now he's the puppet who cries vampire. The fact that his nose does NOT grow when he tells them of the danger? Well, that's lost to them, to most of them anyway. There are a few people who support Pinocchio in his new mission...
I enjoyed this one. I didn't love it. It's not like I think it is the best graphic novel I've ever read. But it was enjoyable. I liked the premise. I thought it was fun and creative. I remember when I first heard about it a few years ago that it made me smile. And I'm glad I thought to check at my library to see if they had a copy. Because this is a book I never would have bought.
© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
1 comment:
I think we need to "Just Say No" to classic/vampire mash ups. There are so many now, and I haven't found any that really amuse me.
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