The (mis)adventures of Pinocchio

A graphic art novel for adults

Bandes dessinées as it is known to our francophile friends, or graphic art novels to the rest of us, is an incredibly popular scene in France but (sadly) not so widely appreciated here on home turf. Having (mis)spent this summer lounging around in the south of France, I took the opportunity to scout out more about the scene and I fell in love… with Pinocchio!

Cartoonist Winshluss,  a macabre humorist with no morals, narrates the (mis)adventures of “Pinocchio”. Essentially, the plot is the same as that of the wooden puppet we are all familiar with from childhood but here’s the twist… this “Pinocchio” ain’t no nice boy!

In this rendition of the classic tale, the wooden puppet becomes a mere android, designed by an engineer in search of recognition whilst the “talking cricket” character (cast as a cockroach by Winshluss) depicts a savvy homeless squatter quite content living very comfortably in the android’s skull.

Such irreverence transcends virtuosity; Winshluss reinvents archetypal clichés to form modern narrative – astonishingly his expressive graphics reside in this interpretation with virtually no dialogue (which I, for one, am thankful for given that my French is somewhat sketchy these days!). Ironically this dexterous narrative evokes a sense of childlike innocence – blissful freedom, pure and untainted imagination.

Winshluss’ “Pinocchio” was awarded the much coveted “Fauve D’Or” this year at the Festival International de la bande dessinée d’Angoulême. However, despite being highly regarded amongst his (predominantly French and Belgian) peers, acclaim for this masterpiece remains limited.

“Pinocchio” proves that Winshluss is undoubtedly one of the most exciting, progressive cartoonists/graphic artists/novellists of our generation.

Graphics vary throughout “Pinocchio” as Winshluss delivers his incredibly distinctive illustrative style via a variety of medium; from stark graphite drawings to muted watercolour paintings through to vibrant pen illustrations, yet somehow the styles connect seamlessly to create this consistently inspiring, macabre and provocative graphic story book for adults.

Definitely THE “must have” indulgence for dreamers and grown up kids.