Akiko is a bi-monthly black & white comic book published by Sirius Entertainment, written and illustrated by Mark Crilley. It is sold in comic book stores throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. First published in 1996, the Akiko series has enjoyed considerable critical success, including twelve Eisner nominations, and a spot on Entertainment Weekly's 1998 "It list".
It is also a series of books for young readers published by Random House Children's Books. A total of six books are in the works, each to be made available in both hardcover and paperback formats.
The basic concept is this: a 4th Grader named Akiko is taken off to a distant planet called Smoo, where she has a variety of exciting adventures. The graphic novel told the story of Akiko's first visit to Smoo, where she was enlisted by the planet's King, a jovial leader by the name of Froptoppit, to search for his missing son, the Prince. The first 18 issues of the Akiko series recounts Akiko's second visit to Smoo, a much more dangerous mission that involves the King Froptoppit's arch enemy, a mysterious woman by the name of Alia Rellapor. This 300-page tale, entitled "The Menace of Alia Rellapor," reunites Akiko with her four loyal companions Spuckler, Gax, Poog, and Mr. Beeba, while introducing a number of new characters along the way.
This first 18-issue story arc also served as the source material for the first four Akiko children's books from Random House. When the fourth book is published in the fall of 2001, the entire tale will be complete.
Akiko belongs to a relatively small number of comic books which fall into the "all ages" category. It contains no scenes of graphic violence or objectionable language, and is suitable for even the youngest children. At the same time it strives to be interesting for adults, in the tradition of films such as "The Wizard of Oz" and comic strips such as "Calvin & Hobbes." Often pegged as a humor comic or children's comic, Akiko actually includes a wide variety of material, ranging from adventure to drama.
Visually Akiko differs from most black & white comics in its generous use of grey toning, which allows for subtleties in light and shading similar to those found in full-color comics, and at times reminiscent of movie stills or animated films. Panoramic double-page spreads have become a feature of almost every issue, creating environments of epic scale in which the stories take place.
