At The A.V. Club, Scholastic Graphix have announced a comic book adaptation of the Animorphs series, scripted and illustrated by Eisner Award-nominated artist Chris Grine (“Alien Bones”). The first graphic novel, due out in October, is based on the first book in K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant’s series, 1996’s The Invasion.
“I love this series,” said Grine, “and I can’t wait to share it with the fans who have been wanting this to happen for so long. Having never adapted a book into a graphic novel before, let alone a series so deeply ingrained in pop culture, it was both super exciting and panic-inducing at times.” Applegate and Grant said, “We are very excited by this opportunity to bring Animorphs to a new readership. Morph to your favorite battling beast and join the resistance to Yeerk domination!”
Written by Applegate and Grant with various ghostwriters across 54 books from 1996 to 2001, Animorphs followed a group of children who are given the ability to turn into animals by a kindly alien to battle the evil Yeerks, a slug-like species that could take over people’s minds. According to our Robbie Pleasant, the series “dove into discussions of war, morality, sacrifice, innocence – did I mention that these are teenagers fighting a war? While the idea of changing into animals and secretly saving the world might sound lighthearted, the subject matter grew more and more serious and dark as the story advanced and the readers grew up.” At the height of its popularity, the series spawned a toy line, and a live-action Nickelodeon series starring Shawn Ashmore.
“Animorphs: The Graphic Novel – The Invasion” will be released on October 6: in the meantime, head over to The A.V. Club for a four-page preview.
