Arkas

Who is Arkas?

Arkas is a Greek comics artist that started his work in the early 80s. His comics have a unique style, combining humor and sometimes deep philosophical questions. The structure of the stories is very simple, with each volume having individual strips which follow some general plot guidelines. Most of the times we will only see two main characters: One is the rational, sceptical and questioning figure, while the other is a rude, vulgar or just empty-headed character who has most of the funny punchlines. The stories take place in a variety of different locations/situations and the protagonists can be humans, animals or even videogame characters.

Arkas seldom appears at conventions and generally avoids publicity and appearances on television shows or interviews, as he has been quoted to believe that the artist should be known through his work, not through personal promotion. A mystery has been created around his identity and his real name still remains unknown, although the Greek newspaper Kathimerini has also mentioned it as Antonis Evdemon. According to fan rumors, he is a psychiatrist, possibly a university professor.

Arkas in Greek means Arcadian or someone from the province of Arcadia. However, the CamelCase style in which his name is written suggests that Arkas may be only his initials. In 1997, Arkas was asked to design the logo of Thessaloniki when the city became the European City of Culture for that year. Arkas has been translated into other languages and has become known outside Greece. Translations of his books can be found in English, French, German, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Bulgarian, Polish and Serbian.