"Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer!" (Real Boy? No. Real Hero? Yes!) The Complete Collection Coming June

Back in the middle of 2009 (!) I posted on a new and innovative graphic novel, titled Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer! and was a little stunned no one had ever thought of such a wonderful idea match before. Because it works, really well. I'm not the only one who thinks so either. Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer! has garnered much critical praise as well as enthusiastic recommendations from respected comic book reviewers and online Geek kings such as Topless Robot.

There have been two volumes published since but now a new company has taken the creative team of Dusty Higgins and Van Jensen under their wings and is releasing a soft cover, French-flapped, 500+ page graphic novel of the trilogy in June this year (which is all four volumes - part three was published in two parts).

Note for fairy tale enthusiasts: a former newspaper crime reporter, writer Van Jensen is clearly drawn to fairy tales. He's also the author of Snow White: Through A Glass, Darkly.

Here's the press release:

After gathering substantial praise for their individual volumes, artist Dusty Higgins and writer Van Jensen officially join the Top Shelf family this summer with the first-ever complete collection of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer! 

Click through for more details and a 12-page preview. (Just click on the book cover image to start.)

This puppet may not be a real boy… but he just might be a real hero.

When bloodthirsty monsters invade Pinocchio’s hometown and kill his father Geppetto, Pinocchio discovers a new benefit to his magical nose: telling lies produces a never-ending supply of wooden stakes to combat the vampire hordes! Will Pinocchio be able to defeat these horrors, avenge his father, and save his friends?

Jensen (Green Lantern Corps) and Higgins (Knights of the Living Dead) present a captivating blend of comedy, horror, romance, and adventure, rooted in the original Italian novel but brought – as if by magic – to new life.

 One of YALSA’s Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens!“It’s the greatest thing I’ve read all year. And you’ll notice my nose didn’t grow one bit when I said that.” — Mark Waid“Page after page of amazement.” — Publishers Weekly“The premise for this graphic novel is really almost too good to be true… and the execution doesn’t disappoint.” — Booklist“Outstanding.” — Topless Robot“Sometimes dark, sometimes silly, but always fun, Pinocchio coming of age Batman-style is just the thing for fantasy and horror fans.” — MTV“Really, really good.” — Comics Alliance“Seriously, it’s perfect.” — Comic Book Resources

I've really enjoyed the art, the writing and ideas behind this series and am seriously considering picking up this special edition copy! As an extra incentive, Amazon currently has a pre-order price deal of over $6 off HERE.

You can check out the original trailer, which neatly shows you the art style, story concept and balance of humor and urban fantasy, HERE. Highly recommended if you like comics, urban fantasy, Pinocchio, fairy tales and being generally cool. ;)

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