Boom Teams Up With The Magicians For OGN By Sturgess And Bak

Boom! Studios have announced an upcoming graphic novel set in the universe of author Lev Grossman’s The Magicians exploring the backstory of major character Alice. If you’re a fan of the books and the Syfy show, this news probably brings you great joy.
Originally published in 2009, The Magicians introduces readers to “Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy”, which has a difficult curriculum, “famous and infamous alumni, and a record of only…a few deaths per graduating class”.
The first of what may be a number of releases will be The Magicians: Alice’s Story, written by Lilah Sturges (Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass, Jack of Fables), and illustrated by Pius Bak, featuring a cover by Steve Morris (Buffy The Vampire Slayer).
Boom! Studios explains:
Alice is manifestly brilliant, and she’s always known that magic is real. During her years at Brakebills Alice rises to the top of her class, falls in love with Quentin Coldwater, and witnesses a horrifically powerful magical creature called the Beast invade their dimension. Soon after graduation, Alice and Quentin set their sights on the idyllic setting from their favorite children’s books, Fillory. In Fillory, magic flows like a river but even with talking animals, enchanted items, and the chance to become king and queen of a magical land in the offing, nothing is what it seems and something far darker lies in wait behind the spellbinding facade. Now fans will learn untold secrets of Alice’s journey, the world of THE MAGICIANS, and will find answers to some of their biggest questions.

Lev Grossman says:

Usually when your work is being adapted, you just hope you’ll end up with something reasonably faithful to your vision. You never expect to have that vision turned around and expanded to reveal incredible new things you never even knew were there. But that’s what happened with ALICE’S STORY.

Sturgess adds:

Working on THE MAGICIANS has been a complete joy for me from beginning to end. The original novel is so good. It’s just so good. Like, have you read this thing? And it really speaks to me, being as it is the emotional biography of basically every sensitive gifted-and-talented kid. The best part for me was getting to adapt it in a way that presents the events of the novel in an entirely new context, by focusing on Alice rather than Quentin. It’s a change that, perhaps not coincidentally, makes it one of the most effortless jobs I’ve ever had; in real life I’m only a hair’s breadth away from Alice personality-wise, for better or worse.

Artist Pius Bak chimes in:

What I enjoy most about drawing is that it allows me to create things that are not real by building worlds and exploring them in my art. So I feel very lucky to get to be working on THE MAGICIANS, because drawing Fillory and the magical world surrounding it is so much fun!” said artist Pius Bak. “The original novel is incredible and Lilah’s adaptation of it . . . is just perfect. This feels like the best work of my career and I can’t wait for fans to see the final graphic novel in 2019.

Print copies of The Magicians: Alice’s Story will be available for sale in July 2019 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), bookstores or at the Boom! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the Boom! Studios app.
For continuing news on The Magicians comic books, original graphic novels and more from BOOM!, stay tuned to www.boom–studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.