Unico: Awakening


Tezuka, Gurihiru, Samuel Sattin
Unico: Awakening Vol 1
(Graphix, August 2024)

 

See the First Look for Unico: Awakening on PopVerse
Read The Announcement for Unico: Awakening in Forbes
Read The Announcement for Unico: Awakening in Comics Beat

Read the Kirkus Review for Unico
Named to the American Booksellers Association’s Indie Bestseller List
Listed as one of School Library Journal’s Best Manga of 2024
A Kobo Books pick for Best Manga of 2024

 

UNICO tells the incredible story of a young unicorn who, after enraging the evil goddess Venus, is banished from the heavens and forgets all he once was. Saved from oblivion by the kindhearted West Wind, Unico continues to help others, before having to escape Venus again and begin a new adventure.

In this first manga, Unico awakes in a mysterious land and is befriended by a resourceful watch cat, Chloe, who feels protective of the young unicorn. When they find themselves near a small village in the forest, they take refuge with a kindly, but helpless, old woman. To take care of her, Chloe begs Unico to turn her into a human girl, but that act of kindness has unforeseen consequences: Unico’s love has awakened Venus and her minion, Byron, who want to destroy them both!

Conceived anew by author Samuel Sattin and artist team Gurihiru, and developed in collaboration with Tezuka Productions, UNICO: Awakening is a groundbreaking reboot of a beloved story by Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka, the “God of Manga.” With striking full-color artwork and reading left to right in the Western comics style to match the original manga, UNICO is a brilliant manga series featuring storytelling at its best. Join Unico on an unforgettable journey!

 

 

Praise for Unico

“Lively illustrations, strong storytelling, and an appealing hero.” — Kirkus Reviews

 

Samuel Sattin is a writer and coffee addict. In May of 2022, he launched a Kickstarter with the artist team Gurihiru for Unico: Awakening, in coordination with Tezuka Productions in Japan. He is also the writer of forthcoming books, including Buzzing (Little Brown for Young Readers, Spring 2023), Side Quest (Harper Collins, 2024), and both The Essential Anime Guide and A Kid’s Guide to Anime and Manga, co-written with Patrick Macias (Running Press, Fall 2023). He adapted the Academy Award Nominated Cartoon Saloon Irish Folklore Trilogy Wolf WalkersSong of the Sea and The Secret of Kells to graphic novel format, has written screenplays for PBS Kids, and previously wrote books such as Bezkamp, Legend, and The Silent End. His non-fiction has appeared or been featured in The Nib, NPR, and elsewhere. He graduated with an MFA in Comics from California College of the Arts and a Creative Writing MFA from Mills College, freelances in animation development, and works as a studio writer for Schulz Creative Associates, AKA: Snoopy Central. He currently resides in Northern California.