Back in February of this year, BOOM! Studios announced (exclusively via The Beat) The Last Witch, a new duology of young adult fantasy graphic novels from writer Conor McCreery, artist V.V. Glass, color artist Natalia Nesterenko, and letterer Jim Campbell. The first book in the series, The Last Witch: Fear and Fire, was due out in stores in December. A lot has changed since then, though, and now the publisher is announcing, once again exclusively via The Beat, that The Last Witch will instead arrive in stores in January of 2021 as a miniseries.

Here’s how BOOM! Studios describes The Last Witch, which will be released as part of the publisher’s Boom Box imprint:

On the day of an annual festival, young Saoirse’s father and entire village are destroyed by the vengeful Cailleach. Now, on the run with her mysterious Nan and her younger brother Brahm, Saoirse discovers that the blue-black birthmark across her shoulder that has always made her an object of teasing is actually a powerful witchmark, which allows her to resist dark magick…and take it for herself.

Nan must teach Saoirse to control her powers so that she can combat the dreaded Cailleach and her devious handmaidens, before they can release the terrifying Eater of Worlds from the faerie lands — and destroy all living things!

The format change for The Last Witch from graphic novel to miniseries is the latest from BOOM! Studios. Earlier this year the publisher made the first book of James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas‘s graphic novel series Wynd a five-issue miniseries. The move seems to be further evidence of the publisher’s commitment to supporting direct market comic shops as they continue to weather the COVID-19 pandemic and recover from this summer’s Diamond shutdown. Making The Last Witch a miniseries gives retailers the opportunity to sell The Last Witch both in a single-issue format and as a graphic novel (at which point competition with the much larger bookstore market becomes a factor).

In a statement announcing the series, BOOM! Studios senior editor Shannon Waters described why The Last Witch is such an appealing story:

THE LAST WITCH is the perfect story for all the magical humans out there who are on the verge of discovering their destinies. Vengeance, fantasy, and fate all combine in this exciting new adventure series, and we can’t wait for readers to catch a glimpse of the magic Conor, V.V., Natalia, and Jim are brewing!”

Check out covers for the first issue by Glass, Jorge Corona, and Peach Momoko below. The first issue of The Last Witch is slated to arrive in comic shops and digitally in January of 2021.

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