The Last Unicorn [Hardcover]

If you're contemplating purchasing the comic adaptation of "The Last Unicorn" , chances are that this will not be your first foray into the world created by Peter S. Beagle in his best-known novel. In "The Last Unicorn", a unicorn discovers that she is the last of her kind and sets out on a quest to discover that has become of her kin. If you're like me, you've read the book and watched the movie, and so as a fan you might wonder what this newest incarnation of the story has to offer.

The Last Unicorn comic gathers the 6 separate issues released by IDW publishing into one full color hard-cover volume. From a purely aesthetic standpoint the book design is impeccable, with violet foil lettering on front and back and a classy layout. The six chapters that make up the book are separated by pages that sport the same illustrations that were featured on the covers of the respective single comic issues.

There is immediately something a little more "grown up" about the comic adaptation as opposed to the animated movie. Renae de Liz's style may have much to do with this. Her illustrations tend more toward stylized realism than the far more soft, cartoony style employed in the movie. Ray Dillon's colors are atmospheric and brooding. Characters such as the Harpy Celaeno, Mommy Fortuna, Ruhk and King Haggard are actually frightening to look at in the comic version, while their movie versions are a little more approachable. For those comfortable with the representations of characters such as the unicorn (Lady Amalthea), Schmendrick and Molly Grue shown in the 80's animated movie, the character designs of the comic certainly pay homage to those designs.

What is particularly enjoyable about this adaptation is that plot points and scenes that were in the original novel but omitted from the movie have been included in the comic. There is a magician mentor named Nikos, who turned a male unicorn into a human. As in the novel, Schmendrick is cursed with youth, a side note that never made it into the animated feature. There is a city named Hagsgate again, and Arachne is back in Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival as is "Elli". There is even a single page that alludes to the "blue bird" scene from the novel (in which a pair of married blue birds argue over whether or not the husband bird actually saw a unicorn).

The extras at the end of the book include interviews of both Peters S. Beagle and Peter Gillis, the man who adapted The Last Unicorn into a comic book format. There is a small art gallery in the back that features pieces by guest artists and small thumbnails of the six "alternate" comic book covers done by Frank Stockton. There are also half-page images taken directly from the comic (with the text bubbles removed) so that one may admire the layout of some very beautifully designed pages. These are often too small for my liking, but they are nice "extras".

The comic is *almost* a complete triumph. I say almost because there is one omission that really should have made it into the comic. Once again, King Haggard's four aged men-at-arms are mentioned only in passing dialogue. Much like in the animated movie, the characters are never seen and their small arc and subsequent return to youth is cut from the story. In his interview at the end of the comic, even Peter Gillis laments that these characters were once more cut out of the story due to page restrictions. Truly, it would have made this adaptation even more special to have this rather important plot point addressed in the comic book, even more so because it is left out of the movie. Other slight problems had to do with the panel pacing toward the end and the clunky descriptive text during the battle with the Red Bull. There was an over-use of sentences starting with "And..." that started to feel very redundant. But I feel for the illustrator, who doubtlessly had a challenge shoving as much as possible onto the small amount of additional pages that were added. The page-limit on the comic was reached before the completion of the series. A total of 12 extra pages had to be added... and paid for out-of-pocket--not by IDW.

For fans, the comic is invaluable and does both the novel and the movie justice while offering strengths that are individual to the comic adaptation. It is a generally faithful retelling, obviously drawn and translated from the novel by people who truly cared about the story and the quality of the art. If you are fond of the novel, the movie or both, the graphic novel will be a welcome addition to your collection. Enjoy!

I knew it would be a good comic, but I didn't expect it sooooo beautiful. It's incredible, what a good work. A fantastic edition, perfect for collectors. I'm not a big comic fan but this graphic novel is more than words can describe. It's amazing.

The quality of the cover, the paper, the colours, everything is so accurate, so lovely worked... And it's lovely to see the extra pages with drawings and interviews.

I LOVE IT!

I got a copy of this book through netgalley(dot)com. I love this story and was excited to see how it was rendered into a graphic novel. The illustration was absolutely breathtaking and the story fast-paced and engrossing. Definitely a must for any fans of this story, of unicorns, or of beautiful rendered fantasy graphic novels.

Most people are probably familiar with the story. A beautiful unicorn decides to set out and find whether or not she is actually the last unicorn. On her journey she finds that her fellow unicorns have been trapped by an evil king. She goes on a heartbreaking quest to set her people free.

I can't say enough how much I loved the illustration throughout this graphic novel. It was just absolutely stunning. I always have imagined the unicorn as so beautiful and the illustrators really captured that image and even made it more stunning.

The story was exceedingly well told and matched the tone of the illustration perfectly. Did I mention how much I loved the artwork and illustration? I got this as an e-galley and will definitely be purchasing a hardback copy to put on my book shelf, just so I can take it out over and over and marvel at the beautiful story and artwork.

Overall I am so happy I read this. If you are a fan of this story or of unicorns or of beautiful graphic novel fantasies this is a must read.

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