Tezuka, Gurihiru, Samuel Sattin
Unico: Awakening Vol 1
(Graphix, August 2024)
School Library Journal’s Best Manga of 2024
The Children’s Book Council 2025 favorite for 3rd-5th graders
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
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: Awakening
“A spellbinding masterpiece.” —Dav Pilkey, #1 bestselling creator of Dog Man
“The modern setting, dramatic paneling, and mood-oriented Âpalettes bolster the weight of Unico’s helpful and heroic deeds… A reimagining of a beloved classic that will Âappeal to fans of heartfelt Âadventure manga and works like She-Ra and the Princess of Power. An ideal series to help fill the middle grade manga demand.” —School Library Journal
“With a careful balance of slow beats and whimsical action, Unico: Awakening builds alluring characters and keeps the suspenseful moments coming.” —Anime Corner
“Plenty of action and outsized baddies keep the excitement level high… The jewel-toned palette and creatively varied panel shapes sustain a high level of visual interest.” —Kirkus Reviews
“With all the energy of an animated cartoon, Gurihiru’s eye-catching, cinematic art in a lush color palette offers excellent character design… the epic stakes, rampant magic, and manga feel will likely give this wide appeal.” —Booklist
“With incredible artwork and storytelling, this is a mesmerizing fantasy adventure you won’t be able to put down!” —ImaginationSoup.net, Best Middle Grade Books of 2024
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 Walkers, Song 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.