Next week Octas Inc. will launch a Kickstarter campaign for Unico: Awakening (ユニコ: 目覚めのおはなし) by Gurihiru (the Eisner Award winning artist team behind Superman Smashes the Klan and the highly anticipated Ultraman: Another Gene) and Samuel Sattin (the acclaimed novelist and co-writer of Crunchyroll's Essential Anime). These two creators are reinventing Osamu Tezuka's beloved character UNICO for a new generation of readers, and Octas has provided ComicBook.com with an exclusive look at the book's all-star lineup of images from Gurihiru, as well as a number of acclaimed American cartoonists.
You can keep an eye on the project ahead of its Monday launch here. You might want to back early, because there are already about 500 people following along with it, so any limited rewards may go fast.
Seen below is the cover to Awakening, as well as the first look at the Unico: Awakening Artifacts, a series of limited edition collectibles created by American cartoonists, including:
- A UNICO Picture book by Madeline Copp;
- A 4" X 6" fashion lookbook of Chloe the Cat by Rye Hickman (MOTH & WHISPER);
- A Felted Unico and Chloe postcard by Amber Padilla (THE SECRET GARDEN ON 81ST STREET);
- A Temperance Tarot card by Julia Reck;
- A 5" X 7" mini-comic by Steenz (HEART IN THE CITY)
You can also check out ten pinup images by superstar artists, including Kamome Shirahama (Witch Hat Atelier), Peach Momoko (Demon Days) and Junko Mizuno.
With Unico: Awakening, Gurihiru and Samuel Sattin are reinventing Osamu Tezuka's beloved character Unico for a new generation of readers, with an all-new, 162 page manga. If the project is funded, the book will be available in both English and Japanese.
Osamu Tezuka's Unico is the charming story of a young unicorn who enrages the Greek Gods when he inspires humans with his hope and positivity. The Gods punish Unico by banishing him across space and time, until he forgets all he once was. Unico remains constantly on the move, transported from era to era, where he must escape the Gods again and again, only to have his memory erased anew. The only thing saving Unico from oblivion is the mysterious Spirit of the West Wind, who feels sorry for Unico and tries her best to protect him.
Unico: Awakening is inspired by Tezuka's "The Cat on the Broomstick'' storyline from the original 1974-76 manga. Together Gurihiru and Sattin are working in careful coordination with Tezuka Productions in Japan to bring their new vision forward. In this re-imagining, Unico befriends a stray cat named Chloe, and the two new friends aid an old woman who Chloe mistakes for a witch. When Chloe realizes Unico can do actual magic, she begs him to turn her into a human for a few moments of each day. Unico agrees – so long as Chloe doesn't lose touch with her feline identity. When a dangerous man and the Goddess Venus set out to destroy Unico, the Spirit of the West Wind must search the ends of the universe for a way to end Unico's eternal cycle of suffering.
To celebrate Unico's return, the Unico: Awakening Kickstarter campaign will also have a variety of amazing additional rewards, including rare 16 x 24 collectible prints by Akira Himekawa (The Legend of Zelda), Junko Mizuno (Ravina the Witch), Soo Lee (Ash & Thorn), Katie Longua (Rok), Peach Momoko (Demon Days) who will be contributing a total of 3 different prints to this campaign, Kamome Shirahama (Witch Hat Atelier), tokitotokoro (For a Good Man), and Academy Award Nominated Animator Tomm Moore (Wolfwalkers).
Octas Inc. is also offering an array of exclusive rewards including a t-shirt featuring Junko Mizuno's Unico design and original Gurihiru shikishi drawings.
"Unico has the power to make a person happy when they are loved," said Gurihiru in a statement. "I would like to share with others the kindness and strength of Unico, which will never change even as the times change."
"It is our hope that, in modern times where the world can sometimes seem bleak, we can offer a tale of resilience in homage to the God of Manga's original messaging of social welfare and eco-consciousness," said Sattin.