If you’re unfamiliar with the ongoing series of Illuminated Editions published by Beehive Books, they’re gloriously oversized, slipcased, and boxed hardcover editions of classic literature newly illustrated by modern masters of the graphic arts. If you’re only familiar with Pinocchio from the Disney adaptations, prepare to be just as flabbergasted by Collodi’s original text as our annotator and fellow professed newbie, noted children’s author Lemony Snicket.
Buy Pinocchio: An Illuminated Edition bookCollodi’s dark tale follows the misadventures of a marionette who yearns to be a real boy, if he can ever stay out of trouble long enough to prove himself worthy of magical transformation. There’s perhaps no better description of his tale than the title of Snicket’s own most famous work, A Series of Unfortunate Events, as the easily swayed, young boy puppet lurches from one ill-advised boondoggle to the next. Readers will be familiar with many of the story beats from Disney, but they’re expanded with even more characters and pitfalls and arranged in a seemingly haphazard, stream-of-consciousness ramble that suggests the influence of illicit substances more than any disciplined plot structure.
Snicket responds to Collodi’s freewheeling tale with arch, increasingly unhinged annotations tucked in after every chapter as unbound, typewritten inserts, professing to be driven closer to lunacy with each passing bizarre mishap. He gleefully tweaks Collodi’s own seeming story inconsistencies, such as when Collodi contradicts the existence of Pinocchio’s ears at birth, and when Collodi notes that Pinocchio is hiding near a wagon, surely the worst vicinity of a wagon in which to conceal oneself. Snicket also recycles his classic tactic of humorously explaining terms, such as when he cautions: “I am now feeling a premonition of doom, a phrase which here means ‘the suspicion that the Pinocchio story is about to get much more terrifying.'”
Of course the main attraction for most Illuminated Edition buyers is the presence of new, exclusive illustrations by noted artists, and Mike Mignola proves to be an inspired match for the material. As the creator of Hellboy, he’s well versed in dark, spooky illustrations featuring an innocent, virtuous character placed in unspeakable situations. He’s honed his style over the decades, boiling down each page to only the most basic elements necessary to communicate the image. This results in simple but immediately identifiable pieces following his standard format of a character front and center surrounded by vast patches of negative dark space. While the marketing materials proudly proclaim that the book contains over 50 new Mignola illustrations, that’s somewhat misleading since there are only 10 full-page/full-color pieces in the book, with the rest of the illustrations primarily consisting of small, black-and-white chapter-break embellishments. Still, the full-page works (colored by veteran collaborator Dave Stewart) are lovely and will be absolutely essential additions to the libraries of Mignola collectors.
Following the ongoing template of the Illuminated Editions, Pinocchio is presented in a massive hardcover format measuring roughly 10” x 15”, further protected in an illustrated and super-sturdy slipcase which is shrink-wrapped and housed in an illustrated white box. There’s a reason that this public-domain text is now valued at a decidedly premium price point, and Beehive more than justifies the expense with this gorgeous keepsake product. I was completely on board as soon as Mignola was announced as the artist, but the delightfully surprising addition of Snicket’s hilarious running commentary elevates this release to the top of the Beehive.
Pinocchio: An Illuminated Edition is now available in multiple configurations ranging from the standard slipcased hardcover to even more exclusive variations, although numbered and lettered editions have sold out from the publisher.
