''Okko'' is a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

written and illustrated by

Humbert Chabuel Humbert, Umbert or Humberto (Latinized ''Humbertus'') is a Germanic given name, from ''hun'' "warrior" and '' beraht'' "bright". It also came into use as a surname. Given name ;Royalty and Middle Ages * Emebert (died 710) * Humbert of Maroille ...

, who goes by the pen name Hub, with colors done by Hub and Stephan Pecayo. It was originally published in French as a series of books starting in 2005. An English translation by Edward Gauvin began to be published in 2006 by the French Delcourt and

Archaia Studios Press Archaia Entertainment, LLC, commonly known as Archaia (formerly known as Archaia Studios Press), is an imprint of American comic book and graphic novel publisher Boom! Studios. Archaia Entertainment, LLC was originally an American comic book pub ...

. The Okko series consists of five "cycles", ending with ''The Cycle of Emptiness'' published by Delcourt in 2015-2016.

Premise

The action of the first cycle of ''Okko'', ''The Cycle of Water'', takes place at the far end of the known lands of the Empire of Pajan. Pajan itself is a vast and diversified island, surrounded by a multitude of

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

es. Its name is derived from that of its Imperial Family. Though the Pajans have reigned for a millennium, in the last few decades three major families—the ''Ataku'', the ''Bashimon'', and the ''Yommo''—have called into question their legitimacy and now refuse to cease their battles against the Imperial Family. These power struggles have destabilized the Empire, and famine and catastrophes follow one another. This period of chaos is commonly called the ''Era of Asagiri'' (the ''Time of Mists''). The ''Okko'' series begins in the middle of this tumultuous period, in the year 1108 of the official calendar. The way of life and various habits of the inhabitants of the Empire of Pajan are rather close to those of

medieval Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to the Paleolithic, around 38–39,000 years ago. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when ...

. However, a major difference is the existence of supernatural creatures and magic. A technological revolution occurred a few centuries prior to the beginning of the series, allowing the creation of ''exo

bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters) ...

'', colossal combat armors handled from within by marionettists. Their use radically changed the traditional art of war in the Pajan Empire. The Ataku family has taken the lead in the construction and the handling of these machines of war.

Reception

The comic books were well received, and were praised for their originality and detail. However, it has been criticized for being unnecessarily verbose and slow moving. A board game based on the comic books, ''Okko: Era of the Asagiri'', was released by Asmodee in 2008.

Comic books

The series consists of: * ''The Cycle of Water'' (originally published by Delcourt in 2005) * ''The Cycle of Earth'' (originally published by Delcourt in 2007-2008) * ''The Cycle of Air'' (originally published by Delcourt in 2009-2010) * ''The Cycle of Fire'' (originally published by Delcourt in 2011-2012) * ''The Cycle of Emptiness'' (originally published by Delcourt in 2015-2016)

Notes

{{Reflist 2005 comics debuts Archaia Studios Press titles Fantasy comics Alternate history comics French comics titles