Oksi
| Author | Mari Ahokoivu |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Mari Ahokoivu |
| Cover artist | Jonathan Yamakami |
| Language | Finnish |
| Genre | |
| Published | August 2018 October 26, 2021 (English translation) |
| Publisher | Levine Querido |
| Publication place | Finland |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 376(original) 400(English translation) |
| ISBN | 978-1-64614-113-5 (English translation, hardcover edition) |
Oksi is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Mari Ahokoivu. Originally released in Finnish and published by Asema Kustannus in August 2018, the novel was translated into English by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro and published by Levine Querido on October 26, 2021.
Development and publication
A fantasy novel, Oksi adapts a story from Finnish folklore and follows Umi, a mother bear.[1][2] Mari Ahokoivu, a Finnish comics creator, both wrote and illustrated the novel. She worked on Oksi for about five years prior to its release in 2018.[1] Digital art constitutes the novel's visual component, as does a mixture of ink and watercolor art.[2] Ahokoivu uses a mainly black-and-white color palette in Oksi, with grays commonplace throughout; splashes of color are also present, though have rare appearances.[2][3] Borderless panels are also used in Oksi.[4]
The book was originally written in Finnish and published by Asema Kustannus in August 2018.[5][6] This version included English subtitles.[5]
An English translation by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro for the publisher Levine Querido was published on October 26, 2021.[7][8]
Themes
Oksi has been cited by book reviewers to have a parent–child dynamic present in its themes, similar to the folklore it is based upon.[2][3] The world in the graphic novel is primarily populated by non-human animals and spiritual entities.[3]
Reception
Arpad Okay of ComicsBeat wrote positively of Oksi, opining that "Stormy charcoal wash has all the bare power of black and white comic art, but within character and landscape Ahokoivu achieves layers of murk, smoke, and shadow. There aren't a lot of other artists doing this kind of genre conflation — Zao Dao, Emily Carroll — and no one doing it like Oksi is."[8] Okay also wrote that Ahokoivu and Aronpuro "created a book that I've read more than once but still not enough to definitively put words to what it means to me, adding that the book is as "beautiful as it is gutting."[8]
Kirkus Reviews also offered positive commentary on Oksi, calling it "visually powerful and emotionally compelling," and adding that "the storyline meanders whimsically but then quickly shocks with its sudden eruptions of violence, a stark reminder of the harshness of the natural world and the powerful universality of wanting to belong."[2] Hillary Brown of The Comics Journal wrote that Ahokoivu's use of watercolor "with its gradations and sense of being difficult to control, is a good choice" for Oksi, aptly suggesting instability.[3] Touching on the parent–child dynamic, Brown wrote that "There's something Promethean at work here, with humans receiving the gift of fire only to turn it to violence, and Ahokoivu renders that flickering, fascinating substance repeatedly with an awareness of its transformative power."[3]
Accolades
Oksi was a nominee for the Sarjakuva-Finlandia prize in 2018, as well as the HelMet Award in 2019, and the Jarkko Laine Award in 2020.[6]
References
- ^ a b Hill, Carlyn (May 9, 2018). "The Cute Meets Creepy Creations of Comic Artist, Mari Ahokoivu". Threadless. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Oksi". Kirkus Reviews. June 28, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Brown, Hillary (January 6, 2022). "Oksi". The Comics Journal. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Ambaum, Gene (September 7, 2021). "Graphic Novel Review: Oksi by Mari Ahokoivu". Library Comic. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "Mari Ahokoivu: Oksi". Asema Kustannus. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41387471-oksi". Goodreads. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ "Oksi". Levine Querido. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c Okay, Arpad (November 23, 2021). "REVIEW: Mari Ahokoivu's OKSI is a storybook on fire". ComicsBeat. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- https://bleedingcool.com/comics/mari-ahokoivus-376-page-graphic-novel-oksi-publishing-in-english/
- https://www.thebookishland.com/blog/2022/3/10/review-oksi-by-mari-ahokoivu
Category:21st-century Finnish novels Category:2018 graphic novels Category:Young adult novels