Yakari


Yakari is a Franco-Belgian comic book series, aimed at a younger audience, written by Job and illustrated by Derib, both from Switzerland.
Job has finished working on Yakari. The series is now written by Joris Chamblain who is from France.
Yakari has been adapted to a cartoon series on television, a movie was announced. Yakari is one of the most well-known Franco-Belgian comics in Europe.

Concept

Yakari is a young Sioux Native American who has the ability to understand and speak animal languages. During his adventures, he meets all sorts of North American animals. His best friends are a girl Sioux, "Rainbow", a Sioux boy "Buffalo Seed" and his pony "Little Thunder". He has a totem animal, "Great Eagle", who frequently appears to him to give him critical advice.
The setting is the North American Great Plains, mainly. Horses have already been introduced by the Spanish, but there is no mentioning of white man whatsoever in the series. It can therefore be assumed that Yakari's adventures take place after the 15th century, but long before the settling rush in the late 18th/19th century.
The comic shows a very positive view of the culture of the Sioux and depicts them as peaceful people who live in harmony with nature.

Characters

Humans:
Mounts and wild animals:
Totem animals:
The books have been translated into at least 17 languages including English, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Scandinavian languages, Finnish, Breton, Indonesian, Polish, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic, Inuktitut and Catalan etc.

Original French versions

Only the original French language publication is indicated.
  1. Yakari
  2. Yakari et le bison blanc
  3. Chez les Castors
  4. Yakari et Nanabozo
  5. Yakari et le grizzly
  6. Le secret de petit tonnerre
  7. L'étranger
  8. Au pays des loups
  9. Les Prisonniers de l'Ile
  10. Le grand terrier
  11. La toison blanche
  12. Yakari et le coyote
  13. Yakari et les seigneurs des plaines
  14. Le vol des corbeaux
  15. La rivière de l'oubli
  16. Le premier galop
  17. Le monstre du lac
  18. L'oiseau de neige
  19. la barrière de feu
  20. Le diable des bois
  21. Le souffleur de nuages
  22. La fureur du ciel
  23. Yakari et les cornes fourchues
  24. Yakari et l'ours fantôme
  25. Le mystère de la falaise
  26. La vengeance du carcajou
  27. Yakari et longues-oreilles
  28. Le chêne qui parlait
  29. Le réveil du géant
  30. Le marcheur de nuit
  31. Yakari et les Appaloosas
  32. Les Griffes de l'Ours
  33. Le marais de la peur
  34. Le retour du lapin magicien
  35. L'escapade de l'ourson
  36. Le lézard de l'ombre
  37. Le mangeur d'étoiles
  38. Yakari et la tueuse des mers
  39. Le jour de silence

    English Versions

is the current publisher for the English version of the series.
  1. Yakari and Great Eagle, 2005,
  2. Yakari and the White Buffalo, 2005,
  3. Yakari and the Beavers, 2006,
  4. Yakari and the Grizzly, 2006,
  5. Yakari and the Stranger, 2007,
  6. Yakari in the Land of Wolves, 2008,
  7. Yakari: The Island Prisoners, 2009,
  8. Yakari and the White Fleece, 2010,
  9. Yakari and the Coyote, 2011,
  10. Yakari: The River of Forgetfulness, 2012,
  11. Yakari and Nanabhozo, 2013,
  12. Yakari: Little Thunder's Secret, 2014,
  13. Yakari: The Great Burrow, 2015,
  14. Yakari: Lords of the Plains, 2016,

    Television series

Original stories involving original and additional characters were written for both television series.
The :fr:Yakari |1983 version, made in French for the French station Antenne 2 and also aired by the Swiss Télévision suisse romande, had 52 episodes.
The :fr:Yakari |2005 version, also in French, was a Franco-Belgian co-production made for France 3 and RTBF. An initial season of 52 episodes was followed by three more, 26 episodes each, and nine more episodes on DVD. The fourth season is different from previous seasons as it is completely CG-animated. A movie sequel is in the making.
The series was nominated for the TVFI Export award.