Comic News: The Last Unicorn Transformers into Comics

Comic adaptation of Peter S. Beagle's acclaimed novel coming in spring, 2010

Enchanting, dark, and whimsically magical, Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn has delighted fans for more than forty years. Now this enduring tale will be lushly transformed into a six-issue comic mini-series by IDW Publishing, launching in April 2010. Adapted from Beagle’s original novel by writer Peter B. Gillis, and lovingly illustrated by Renae De Liz with colors by her husband Ray Dillon, IDW Publishing’s The Last Unicorn captures the depth and richness of this classic story.

Both darkly humorous and deeply moving, The Last Unicorn follows the journey of what may be the very last unicorn as she searches for what happened to the rest of her kind. Along the way she encounters a magical cast of good and evil characters, in a world transformed by the lack of unicorns — and by the callous, selfish disillusionment of the king who has stolen them away.

“The Last Unicorn is, for many readers — including myself — a work of complex and profound explorations of the magic of human connections, loss, and love,” said IDW associate editor Mariah Huehner. “It’s a story that affects people of all ages just as profoundly today as it did when it debuted. And we’re committed to giving people that same experience with this mini-series.”

Originally published in 1968, The Last Unicorn has sold more than five million copies around the world, and in 1982 was made into a hugely popular animated film that has now captivated four generations. In this engaging tale, Beagle created some of the most wondrously real and delightful characters in modern fantasy fiction: the Unicorn herself, Schmendrick the Magician, Molly Grue, Prince Lír, Mommy Fortuna and her threadbare Midnight Carnival, and of course the implacably threatening Red Bull and its master, King Haggard. Fans all over the world have treasured The Last Unicorn since its debut, revisiting the story repeatedly and finding new things to explore each time. This first-ever graphic treatment is bound to please them.

“I’m delighted that IDW is doing this adaptation of my book,” says Beagle, “and by the real concern they’ve shown for the integrity of what I wrote. Peter Gillis is a wonderful choice as a scripter --- I couldn’t have done a better job myself --- and Renae and Ray have brought my characters to vivid life. Together with IDW, they are achieving something I honestly hadn’t believed possible.”

The Last Unicorn #1 (32 pages, $3.99) will be available in stores in April 2010.