Akiko
Encyclopedia
Akiko is an American comic book
series written and drawn by Mark Crilley
and published by Sirius Entertainment
. The comics have spawned a series of children's novels from Random House
.
The story has been described as a cross between The Wizard of Oz
and Star Wars
, centering on the adventures of Akiko, a Japanese American
girl, on and around the planet Smoo. She is accompanied by her alien friends, Mr. Beeba the well-read professor, the courageous but impulsive Spuckler, Gax the worn down, kindly robot
, and Poog, the Tooglian, floating, purple head.
Akiko was created while Crilley was living and teaching English in Japan
in December 1992. It was inspired by both Japan
ese anime
and manga
as well as classic American comics such as Little Nemo
and Calvin and Hobbes
. Upon publication in the United States
it did not become mainstream, but gained an audience nonetheless. Crilley describes his work as safe for children but written for adults.
Akiko has been nominated in the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
over a dozen times since 1995. In 1998, Mark Crilley and Akiko were nominated for Best Serialized Story, Best Continuing Series, Best Title for Younger Readers, and Best Cover Artist.
Other items:
When Crilley originally shopped his comic around, Sirius Entertainment believed it could work as an adult series, despite its child-safe tone. Crilley later expressed some surprise at Akiko's relative success. "The people in the comics world expect grittiness, a certain amount of violence, certainly a lot of bang for their buck, and it's kind of a surprise that it has been so warmly embraced by the critical establishment," he stated. Despite much of the comic having been partially inspired by children's stories such as The Wizard of Oz
, he believes that the dialogue strikes a chord in both adults and children, as with the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes
.
At the suggestion of his fans, Crilley created a series of issues which takes place on Earth. He had Akiko's friends from Smoo crash land in rural Japan, and he thus hoped to possibly enlighten some readers about Japanese culture.
The last issue of Akiko came was published in March 2002. On Mark Crilley's blog, he stated that the comic has gone out of production because it hasn't made enough money. He continues to write novels in the Akiko book series, however, with the tenth and final novel due out sometime in the near future. He has recently created a new book series about extraterrestrials, Billy Clikk, and a manga
series, Miki Falls
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series written and drawn by Mark Crilley
Mark Crilley
Mark Crilley is an American comic book creator and children's book author/illustrator. He is the creator of Miki Falls, Akiko, and Brody's Ghost. He is also noted for his instructional videos for drawing in the manga-style.-Akiko:...
and published by Sirius Entertainment
Sirius Entertainment
Sirius Entertainment is an American comic book company which celebrated 15 years of publishing in 2009. Sirius has published popular titles such as Dawn, Poison Elves, Akiko, and Mark Smylie's epic fantasy Artesia series during its first years....
. The comics have spawned a series of children's novels from Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
.
The story has been described as a cross between The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
and Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, centering on the adventures of Akiko, a Japanese American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
girl, on and around the planet Smoo. She is accompanied by her alien friends, Mr. Beeba the well-read professor, the courageous but impulsive Spuckler, Gax the worn down, kindly robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, and Poog, the Tooglian, floating, purple head.
Akiko was created while Crilley was living and teaching English in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in December 1992. It was inspired by both Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
as well as classic American comics such as Little Nemo
Little Nemo
Little Nemo is the main fictional character in a series of weekly comic strips by Winsor McCay that appeared in the New York Herald and William Randolph Hearst's New York American newspapers from October 15, 1905 – April 23, 1911 and April 30, 1911 – July 26, 1914; respectively.The...
and Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
. Upon publication in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
it did not become mainstream, but gained an audience nonetheless. Crilley describes his work as safe for children but written for adults.
Akiko has been nominated in the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
over a dozen times since 1995. In 1998, Mark Crilley and Akiko were nominated for Best Serialized Story, Best Continuing Series, Best Title for Younger Readers, and Best Cover Artist.
Comics
- Akiko on the Planet Smoo (one-shot)
- The Menace of Alia Rellapor (issues 1-18) (Collected in Vol 1-3)
- The Story Tree (issues 19-25) (Collected in Vol 4)
- Bornstone's Elixir (issues 26-31) (Collected in Vol 5)
- Stranded in Komura (issues 32-34) (Collected in Vol 6)
- Moonshopping (issues 35-38) (Collected in Vol 6)
- The Battle of Boach's Keep (issues 40-47) (Collected in Vol 7)
- Flights of Fancy (a collection of backup and experimental stories from issues 1-46 - includes all of issue 39)
- Flights of Fancy - The High Flying Expanded Edition (all of the original Flights of Fancy, plus backup from issue 47 and all of issues 48-52 and an original 4-page story with the teenage Akiko from the later novels)
Other items:
- Wizard Magazine issue 86 (one short color story about a comic book convention)
Children's books
- Akiko on the Planet Smoo (March 2000)
- Akiko in the Sprubly Islands (September 2000)
- Akiko and the Great Wall of Trudd (March 2001)
- Akiko in the CastleCastleA castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
of Alia Rellapor (September 2001) (ends adaptations from comic) - Akiko and the Intergalactic Zoo (April 2002) (original stories begin)
- Akiko and the Alpha CentauriAlpha CentauriAlpha Centauri is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus...
5000 (March 2003) - Akiko and the Journey to Toog (September 2003)
- Akiko: The Training Master (February 2005)
- Akiko: Pieces of Gax (November 2006)
- Akiko and the Missing Misp (November 2008)
Production
Akiko on the Planet Smoo, the first comic in the series, was published in December 1995. Since then, 52 issues of the comic have been published. The story in which Akiko rescues the prince (featured in the first eighteen issues) was originally meant to be a reversal of the traditional fairy tale in terms of the gender roles, but Crilley said that, later, "...the whole Prince-rescuing plot became little more than a pretext for a long and obstacle-packed journey. I wanted Akiko to start out as quite weak, but have her acquire strength over time."When Crilley originally shopped his comic around, Sirius Entertainment believed it could work as an adult series, despite its child-safe tone. Crilley later expressed some surprise at Akiko's relative success. "The people in the comics world expect grittiness, a certain amount of violence, certainly a lot of bang for their buck, and it's kind of a surprise that it has been so warmly embraced by the critical establishment," he stated. Despite much of the comic having been partially inspired by children's stories such as The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
, he believes that the dialogue strikes a chord in both adults and children, as with the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
.
At the suggestion of his fans, Crilley created a series of issues which takes place on Earth. He had Akiko's friends from Smoo crash land in rural Japan, and he thus hoped to possibly enlighten some readers about Japanese culture.
The last issue of Akiko came was published in March 2002. On Mark Crilley's blog, he stated that the comic has gone out of production because it hasn't made enough money. He continues to write novels in the Akiko book series, however, with the tenth and final novel due out sometime in the near future. He has recently created a new book series about extraterrestrials, Billy Clikk, and a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series, Miki Falls
Miki Falls
Miki Falls is an OEL manga series created by Mark Crilley. It is structured as a four-volume series, each book taking place during one of the seasons over the course of a year.-Plot:...
.