Sean Danconia’s “NINTENDO · LEAVE LUCK TO HEAVEN” is a visual history of the famed gaming company that got its start by producing Portuguese-inspired playing cards called Hanafuda—popularized by the Yakuza and eventually paving the way for Nintendo to become the world’s greatest and most prolific electronic gaming empire, as told through its (arguably) coolest invention—the Nintendo Game & Watch (Donkey Kong)—the basis for today’s handheld consoles, phones and a plethora of other devices.
The art features Super Mario as seen through the eyes of Osamu Tezuka (nod to Saruta from Hi No Tori) sporting Irezumi tats featuring the original arcade art for Donkey Kong JR and the Orochi from The Yakuza (Takakura Ken, 1979) and filled up by Colecovision wishes and Yamauchi dreams…