Akin: Script for The Manga Bible

Posted by tom | Aug 23, 2011

Picking up from The Manga Bible to The Rhyme Bible to The Manga Bible (8/19/2011), More on The Manga Bible by Siku (8/20/2011), and Siku: concept/art for The Manga Bible (8/22/2011).

 The Manga Bible

With the limited time I had to explore on-line for more on The Manga Bible: From Genesis to Revelation (Siku/Akinsiku. Doubleday. 2007), I came across an interview of Akin on Beliefnet (along with pictures of some of the first pages). Well worth a read as one receives more insigh on the genesis and direction of the material. Below's a quote:

Describe some of yours and Siku’s illustration background and your Christian background.

I studied Fine Art at Yaba College of Technology in Nigeria and Animation in England. In between, I illustrated a strip for Sphinx magazine and wrote “Fever of the Gods” for Judge Dred Magazine. Siku also studied Design in Nigeria and went on to become one of the major artists working on 2000 AD. My Christian background is someone very mixed. I grew up in an Anglican household, switched to Roman Catholic as a child, then to Evangelical Pentecostal as a teenager, and now I am just a plain Christian. I like simplicity.

When were you and Siku first inspired with the idea of drawing a “Manga Bible”? Was there a particular moment or life event that made you guys know it was time to collaborate?

Well, "The Manga Bible” is really Siku’s baby. I was just made godfather. I came into the project by divine default. Siku and I have worked together over many years on different projects. With "The Manga Bible,” I came on board last-minute as a writer and, for me, it was a dream project in terms of merging two worlds that are of great interest to me. I have been a long-time fan of Japanese comics and animation. In fact, the first cartoon I got hooked on as a kid was “Gigantor.” I absolutely loved that show. I really want to do an all-out Mecha-meets-Bible intergalactic fest. That would be fun!

For more, including how they shaped the Biblical story and what they thought the response would be to their work, visit http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Bible/The-Manga-Bible-Interview.aspx.

If you've read The Manga Bible, I'd love to read your thoughts/comments.

Add comment