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Okko is an exceptional comic series that mixes the best parts of Hellboy, Samurai Champloo, and Lord of the Rings into one fantastic package that I can’t put down.

The series follows along as the titular character, a ronin named Okko, makes his way across a mythological version of Japan with a masked warrior named Noburo, an inebriated monk named Noshin, and a young boy named Tikku. With equal parts samurai epic and horror film, Okko immediately presents a set of circumstances and characters that are both endearing and exciting. Part of this easy connection is the artwork of Hub (French artist Humbert Chabuel), whose grace in depicting lively characters is complemented by his amazing, evocative landscapes and intensely detailed imagining of this strange historical fiction. It’s a rare artist who can depict humans, nature, and rampaging monsters with equal skill.

While it’s extremely unlikely that classical Japan was rife with talking rats, demonic tree spirits, and legions of the undead, Hub interjects these elements casually and convincingly into a tale that draws you deeply inward. While none of the events of this second book truly depend on anything that has happened previously, the characterization that the first book, The Cycle of Water, establishes enriches the appreciation of the story significantly. It’s a story that is driven forward equally by both plot and character, looking beautiful the entire time.

It’s not too common to see a Japanese warrior epic that isn’t drawn in manga style. While there are some small manga elements present, the artwork is far more complex and enjoyable, free from gigantic eyes and tiny skirts, and presented in full color. As someone who studied under comic legend Moebius, Hub is doing some amazingly respectable work.

The entire cycle of books, which is being translated from the French by Archaia Press, is scheduled to include five books that explore the elements. The universe is deep and interesting enough to have warranted a strategy game published by Asmodee as well.

Because there are a lot of swords, spears, and antique guns involved, there is a great deal of blood and violence, though little of it could be considered gratuitous. Sometimes you just need to chop the head off of a zombie to survive. The elegance of the book seems to forbid any kind of profanity, though two pages of a nude, female warrior, in addition to pages full of complex dialogue, relegate this to a mature-audiences status. Regardless, it’s absolutely worth picking up as a serious contribution to the medium of comics.

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