GRIMM SPACE: P1-NOCCHIO (ONE-SHOT), from Scout Comics on 5/3/23, re-imagines the classic Pinocchio tale when a small robot seeks the help of a blue alien who promises to turn him into a real boy.
The Details
- Written by: Frank Martin
- Art by: Ramiro Borrallo
- Colors by: Ramiro Borrallo
- Letters by: Ramiro Borrallo
- Cover art by: Ramiro Borrallo
- Comic Rating: All Ages
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: May 3, 2023
Is It Good?
GRIMM SPACE: P1-NOCCHIO (ONE-SHOT) from Scout Comics and writer Frank Martin is a charming sci-fi version of Pinocchio that hits all the right sweet spots in terms of heart, adventure, and entertainment. Set in a galaxy far, far away P1-Nocchio refers to his maker as “father,” and his desire to give his father the son he deserves leads to the reckless pursuit of a wish that gets him into hot water.
I like this alternate take on the Pinocchio story. To be clear, this is a 30-page one-shot, so you don’t get a full adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s original tale, but the basic elements are present. You get a puppet-like robot whose naivete leads him to make questionable choices. You get an insect-like robot that acts as a support and guide. You get an unscrupulous entertainment manager who makes promises she never intends to keep. And the capper is a giant space battle involving a gigantic, hungry whale-like creature named Monstre.
That said, some of the basic elements of Pinocchio’s tale needed to be cut for time/page space. That’s not necessarily a technical problem, but you do lose out on some of the lessons P1-Nocchio learns along the way by dealing with the consequences of his less-admirable choices. In other words, this one-shot is Pinocchio light. It’s good, but there’s more meat to the original, and you’ll likely wonder if it would have served this title better if it was a two- or three-issue mini.
Ramiro Borrallo’s art style is a perfect fit for this type of story. Borrallo’s character designs and figure work have a storybook aesthetic that matches the source material, and Borallo blends the sci-fi elements into the classic tale seamlessly.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We being with spaceship captain and robot merchant Petto speaking with his latest and greatest creation, P1-Nocchio. The robot insists on calling Petto his father, and the robot secretly wishes he could be a real boy to make his “father” happy. One day, a blue alien pays a visit to purchase robots for her traveling circus, and she explains she’ll take what she can get because her job is to make “dreams come true.”
Sensing an opportunity, P1-Nocchio stows away on the blue alien’s ship and asks to have his wish granted. The blue alien slyly agrees to grant the wish of P1-Nocchio will join her show to dance for the crowds.
We conclude the issue with broken promises, broken navigation systems, and hungry monsters.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
(Click this link 👇 to order this comic)
GRIMM SPACE: P1-NOCCHIO (ONE-SHOT) is a charming, heart-warming re-imagining of the Pinocchio tale about a young boy made out of metal and circuits instead of wood. The spirit of the original story remains intact, but enough whimsy and science-fiction flourishes are present to give the classic story a fresh coat of paint.
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.