The Last Unicorn: Graphic Novel

This is an excellent comic adaption of Peter S. Beagle's classic novel. It's faithful to the novel, and the glossy, full-colour pages are astonishingly beautiful. The titular unicorn glows amid the dramatic backgrounds. Each panel is a digital painting. Spreads and panel layouts are fluid and creative. There are no gutters; either panels flow into each other or are superimposed on the previous panel.

While the movie is a classic in its own right, I think the comic actually 'outperforms' the movie and would be a more accessible visual introduction to the story: the art style will not age as the movie's animation has, and the comic includes several scenes not present in the movie which add considerable richness (such as Hagsgate and the show more incredible spread that details the story of the wizard Nikos and the unicorn.) Obviously, neither replaces the other: the comic is merely an addition to adaptations of The Last Unicorn. show less

My copy of The Last Unicorn was so dog eared and well loved when I was younger that it fell apart a little bit after my twelfth birthday. We won't even go in to how worn out the tape in my VHS was. This story...is beautiful. If you haven't read the original work, it's a masterpiece. A story of bravery, of love lost, of friendship and hardship. This isn't your average fairy tale and I love it so much for that.

Of course when I found out that there was to be a graphic novel I was overjoyed! A little wary as well, since I wasn't sure if the beauty of my favorite story would stay intact. I'm here to say, as a lover of Peter S. Beagle, there isn't a single element missing in this graphic novel. In fact, I daresay it gives it a whole new life. show more I am so glad that this epic story will be spread to a new group of readers!

The illustrations in this book are utterly, mouth dropping to the floor, gorgeous. They are vivid and fanciful, while still keeping one foot firmly planted in reality (albeit an alternate one). What I loved most was the use of light and dark. When things are going well the illustrations are bright and colorful. As soon as things start to go poorly, the pages become dark and dangerous. In all honesty even if you weren't able to read, the illustrations tell the story all on their own.

However obviously if you are already a lover of The Last Unicorn then you'll want to read the story. The beauty of this graphic novel is that, although the story has been shortened for this purpose, it remains beautifully intact just the same. The words still flow off the page, and mesh into the illustrations. All my favorite parts were still there to make my eyes tear up and take me back. In fact, I think these new illustrations may be my favorite part. It's like a new take on something that is so comfortable, and they did it right.

I'm rambling now I know. Suffice it to say that this graphic novel is fantastic. If you are a long time fan of this story, you'll fall in love all over again. If this is the first time you're coming in, I promise you'll be enamored. Hopefully you'll join the ranks of fangirls and fanboys who are utterly enthralled by this story. I know this just further reminded me why I fell in love in the first place. show less

In a fairy tale, nothing is without consequence. The unicorn, supposed to be the last, steps out of her forest, and it begins to die, she begins to fear, and she becomes the heroine. There is a point in the novel where the unicorn is turned into a human so as to escape detection from the being that would destroy her. They have no other choice, Schmendrick the Magician argues, as she becomes upset, knowing she may never become a unicorn again, that she may die in a prison. However, she knows as well as he, that one must continue the quest, because if she doesn't, no one else will.

This self-awareness is present in the entire novel, making fun of itself, of the form of the fairy tale and the fantasy novels that came before and have come show more since. At the same time, as many young people do, Peter S. Beagle interwove fantastic ideas about immortality and life which aren't exactly trite. The work teeters on the edge between fairy tale and parody, and Peter Beagle talks in the introduction about his own acceptance that what he had written was actually alright. I found that those glimpses behind the story were what made this ebook even more appealing.

The balance of good and neutrality, instead of good and evil, is a much more interesting one. There is a conversation near the end of the novel between a wizard and a unicorn where he says he isn't sure if he'll continue to do good or if he'll simply be neutral, an extremely nuanced reflection, something which Diana Wynne Jones also commented on in The Darklord of Derkholm, just as briefly as Beagle does here. The wizard in The Last Unicorn though is the kind I like best, having a wary oversight of the world and mortality - knowing that good vs. neutrality isn't really what the storytellers chop it up to be.

I must tell you that while The Last Unicorn is one of my favorite books, it isn't flawless, and knowing that Beagle went on to write Tamsin, another favorite book of mine, sets it as a marker of growth for him. But I hasten to add that the flaws found here are valuable to me, they are points around which we may compare the prose, which is lilac if any color should be ascribed to it, the characters, who aren't quite their archetypes, and plot, which is gripping if occasionally meandering. It's unusual and even while Schmendrick forces us through the ropes of the fairy tale, everyone knows that they live in such a world. They know the rules, even as they try to fight against it, even as they allow themselves to be pulled along by the course of it. It's a strange world that is as reliant upon participation as our own. If you don't participate, things just won't happen, a consequence seldom highlighted as it should be.

At times hilarious and bone-crawling, it is actually a bittersweet beautiful novel, much like it's protagonist. While the unicorn undergoes the most growth of all the characters, transforming from apathetic to heartbroken, I don't think we were privy to all of it. We know that while her time as a human showed her new things, I believe there was something already inside her which made her different from all the other unicorns, that made her leave the forest in the first place, and that had any other unicorn gone on the quest instead of her, the end result would not have been so heart wrenching. After all, not just anyone can star in a fairy tale.

For years fans of The Last Unicorn asked for a sequel, and Beagle vowed to never return to the tale. A casual promise made by his agent, however, pulled a story out of the fairy tale land 40 years later, promising us a future story with the kind of heroine YA fantasy aspires to. That Beagle could find her wandering around King Lír's kingdom, at ease among wizards and unicorns, kings and griffons, makes me very glad.

Two Hearts offers no promises, but in Sooz there is a great deal of potential. An adventure is lurking on her horizon. I will, however, only whisper of my anticipation. You know as well as I that this is a coda as much as a harbinger, but lets not jinx anything. Prophecy's have a way of being fulfilled, one way or another.

You can read Two Hearts on the author's website.

236pp. Conlan Press. 1st July 2013. show less

Peter Beagle's 'The Last Unicorn' is one of my favorite novels ever, and the animated film adaptation is one of my favorite movies ever, for years, since I was a child. Obviously, with that context, I was bound to love this version of the story. Luckily, though, this gorgeous, oversized graphic novel, which includes the graphic adaptation as well as a short story by Peter Beagle, is the kind of book anyone falls in love with. The art, reminiscent of the animated feature but also distinct and beautiful on its own, is a wonderful compliment to the story. Fans of the novel will find their favorite bits here, brought to lush visual life. I don't exaggerate -- some of the panels made me want to tear them out and frame them, but I would never show more do that to a book. If you have not read the novel, however, you might want to start there first before these images get in your head.

Also, if you have watched the animated film as much as I have, it's hard to read these pages without overlaying the film's lines and hearing those voices in your head. Even so, and even with all the trouble that surrounded the purchase of this book, it is so very worth reading. I suspect I shall return to it over and over again. show less

This graphic novel rendering of The Last Unicorn is faithful in its illustration style to the 1982 film, one of my first and fondest theater-going memories, though it contains some additional scenes which provide backstory detail. I loved it, though I'm writing this review having never read the original 1968 novel (still on my to-read list). My first read-through of the graphic novel was solo, and then, prepared for the scenes she may find scary (the intended audience is adults, after all!), I shared it with my 6-year-old daughter. Although she was entertained by the story, she advised me that she would like to wait until she's a little older to see the film.

When I was a kid, there was a movie rental place across the street from my grandmother’s house. You went in the door, down a couple of steps, and turned left into the children’s area. There, under the picture window, on the second shelf from the top, was where the VHS of The Last Unicorn lived. I adored that movie, and I’m sure I contributed substantially to the demise of that poor videocassette. When I was a little older, I discovered the book, and I loved it even more. This is one of my favorite stories, all about myth and meaning and magic, so of course I was thrilled when they announced a graphic novel adaptation, and I am overjoyed to tell you that it is not disappointing.

The art, of course, is the real draw for a Last show more Unicorn comic book, and it’s spectacular. It does seem to be a little bit inspired by the movies – there’s a strong resemblance in the art for many characters, particularly the side characters who show up and then vanish again. Schmendrick looks much more like his description in the book than he does in the movie, which I like, but Molly looks younger, which I don’t. I do like the way the unicorn is inked in a reddish sepia rather than the black of everything else; it makes her stand out and glow (which I think is another trick they used in the movie, now I think of it). And then when the Red Bull arrives! The chapter two cover featuring Mommy Fortuna is my favorite, though. She’s always been one of my favorite characters, and the drawing of her with all these little charms and tiny figures tied in her hair is perfection.

The script owes much more to the book than to the movie. It features several more episodes from the book that I miss in the movie – Arachne the spider in Mommy Fortuna’s carnival, Schmendrick’s history, the princess attempting to summon a unicorn before her wedding, and most importantly, the village of Hagsgate. (I will never understand why they left Hagsgate out of the movie and put the bosomy tree in. Hagsgate has plot relevance, but that tree! — never mind.) Plot-wise, it’s a fairly loyal adaptation. There are places, though, where scenes are incredibly rushed, and I almost wish Gillis had left out some bits entirely rather than put them in and have them feel clumsy and extraneous. (Said tree, for example – not bosomy this time, but still unnecessary.)

While the movie will always have a fond place in my heart, and the book will always be the most spectacular, this incarnation of The Last Unicorn is a perfectly respectable edition. The art is always good, and sometimes breathtaking, and while there are flaws in the script it does seem to grasp the point of the book a little bit better than the movie does, and to bring some of the quality of heartache to it that the book does so well. If you’re a fan of The Last Unicorn already you’ll want to buy the hardcover for your collection (I know I will); if you’re unfamiliar with it, this is a wonderful place to start. show less

I was first introduced to The Last Unicorn through the movie. I think my sister and I watched the VHS until is was ragged. And then in high school I found out that the movie was based off of a book. I have bought multiple editions of this book because I love it so much. I found out about the comic adaptation a little more than year ago when one of the teens at my library very sweetly bought a copy of the first volume for me. All that is to say that I went into this book pretty much prepared to love it. And I do.

The story sticks close to the novel, not the movie, which I appreciated. I love the movie, but I also know that it's cheesy and has some grimace-inducing scenes - oh, the singing! The singing. So instead we get more of show more Schmendrick's history, the story of Hagsgate, and Lir is a little more fleshed out. Dialogue is often taken straight out of the novel.

The artwork does seem inspired by the movie, but cleaned up and less ridiculous. Parts are absolutely gorgeous - check out the Midnight Carnival and the cover for that issue with the creatures tangled in Mommy Fortuna's hair. I got choked up during the final battle with the Red Bull - the art just has an excellent sense of pacing. When I got to the guest art featured at the end, I couldn't imagine the book looking any other way than it does with Rene De Liz illustrating.

If there's anything I missed in this book, it was the way that the story is told in King Haggard's castle. I feel like that part of the story is glossed over in both the comic and the movie. Haggard is a fascinating but unexplored character, Amalthea is losing herself and falling in love at the same time, and Schmendrick and Molly are both trying to solve the mystery of the Bull's location. But this section of the tale gets rushed to the moment of finding the clock and the passageway and the final confrontation. I don't know if that's to be helped, but that's my complaint.

This is definitely on my wish list - time to try collection more of the individual issues! show less