INTERVIEW: Sam Sattin Revives a Classic with Unico: Awakening

Writer Sam Sattin and artist team Gurihiru are working together to revive Osamu Tezuka’s Unico, kickstarting the first volume of this new story under the title Unico: Awakening. Sattin, author of the graphic novel adaptation of the Cartoon Saloon film Wolfwalkers, was kind enough to answer WWAC’s questions about Unico, crowdfunding, and creative collaboration.

cover of Unico depicting Unico on a gradient background with leaves around himWhat inspired you to reboot Unico?

I love Osamu Tezuka’s work, and when I was posed with the possibility to engage with it, I gave it my all. Unico in particular I found to be a fascinating character who is often misunderstood, and sometimes falls to the background in Tezuka’s Star System (for those who may not know, the Star System is the official name for the nexus of Tezuka characters, who take on roles in the same way that actors do). Unico was created for children, but like many of Tezuka’s child-oriented fables, the character’s story is complex, emotional, and chock full of meaning. Unico says a lot about the nature of love, and how it can be used as a weapon. In some ways, it’s more similar to Tezuka’s masterwork, Phoenix, than not. In it, I see an amazing story that could simultaneously serve a new generation of readers and honor Osamu Tezuka’s work.

How is the process of adapting and reworking a comic into another comic different from writing an original script or adapting work from one medium to another?

The great thing about working with Tezuka Productions is that, like their namesake and founder, they are more interested in having artists have a “core understanding” of the work in question, rather than focusing on granular details. The most important part of being able to reimagine Unico then was proving a deep comprehension of what Tezuka was trying to say with the original work. This is something we all try to keep in mind every step of the way. Additionally, when it comes to specific stories, Tezuka himself thrived on iteration, and celebrated collaboration, especially when it comes to comics. Doing all this has been an amazing and eye-opening experience.
What’s been so exciting about this project is that Unico: Awakening isn’t a one-to-one rehashing of the original manga story. It’s an homage and a reimagining that takes the characters and story arc into new territory. When I’ve adapted preexisting work directly to comics format, the goal was to make sure that the work itself was accurately represented on the page. In the case of Unico: Awakening, we are making an entirely new work that draws directly from its source inspiration.

What is your creative process like, and how do you work with Gurihiru to make this comic?

I walk a lot. Everyday. That’s a big part of what allows me to flesh out ideas, and make choices that seem stickier when I’m staring at a manuscript. I also read a lot. And what I read is often unrelated to what I’m working on, deliberately so. For me, getting distance from what I’m occupied with can provide a kind of context I require. I also look at a lot of art books, and sometimes I build dioramas.
With Gurihiru, I can happily say that we are on the same wavelength when it comes to this project. We facilitate most contact directly with the help of our mutual comics professional friend and colleague in Tokyo, who is fantastic. Though my own Japanese is improving, and I’m far better at reading and writing than I was a few years ago, none of this could have been done without the incredible people involved who wanted to see this project become a reality.

What made you choose crowdfunding over traditional publication for this project?

Unico is a character that means a lot to a lot of people. This is true in the US, but it’s especially true in Japan, where every bookstore has a large section dedicated to Osamu Tezuka’s work, and Unico is a part of the landscape. Recently, I picked up Unico omamori in Ueno Park in Tokyo, which thematically lined up with the cherry blossom season. I personally felt that Kickstarter was the way to go because we could open it up to other people who grew up with and/or have attachments to Unico. For instance, you can see that our campaign is offering an array of prints and what we’re calling Artifacts, from various renowned artists. From Kamome Shirahama (Witch Hat Atelier) and Junko Mizuno (Rivena the Witch) to Peach Momoko (X-men: Demon Days), Akira Himekawa (Legend of Zelda), Tomm Moore (Wolfwalkers) and so many more, crowdfunding gives us the opportunity to have others join in what we see as a celebration.
Unico print by Kamome Shirahama depicting Unico standing on a heart in front of a silhouette of an adult unicorn.

There are a lot of artists contributing to this Kickstarter campaign! How did these collaborations come about?

The artists I mentioned above are accompanied by other incredible talents, like Katie Longua, Maddie Copp, Julia Reck, Amber Padilla, Steenz, Rye Hickman, tokitokoro, and Soo Lee. Some artists, like Peach Momoko, Kamome Shirahama, and Akira Himekawa came through contacts related to Gurihiru, while others came through contacts I facilitated with the help of a manga-aficionado friend. Our initial thought was that we wanted the artists to bring their own ideas and connections to the project. Rather than attempt to direct what they wanted to contribute, we provided them details of what the story we’d be writing and wished them the best. Tezuka Productions was right alongside us for every step of the process. That was nothing other than enthusiastic and exciting. With a firm idea of what Unico: Awakening would be under our belts, we swung the doors open as wide as we could. I’m so glad we ended up going in that direction. Seeing the way in which people have reacted to the art is wonderful and satisfying.


The Kickstarter campaign for Unico: Awakening is running until June 2, 2022, so if you’re interested in any of these gorgeous rewards, now’s the time!

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