Illustrator, designer, and now comic series creator, Robert Batuo Mbu, has spent the better part of three decades wielding a pencil like his own personal wand. In his words, “I take pride in using my art to spread light, liberation, and stories from deep within, and sharing them with the world.”
The Halifax-based creative is turning heads with Orakl: The Legend of Akung, a newly launched comic series that brings together Afro-futurism, healing, and long-overdue conversations around men’s mental health.
Mbu, a nominee for this year’s Innovative Business Owner of the Year award, says the comic is more than just a creative endeavour—it’s a personal mission.
“Mental health is important to me. I have suffered from depression. I have gone through the stages, comparing myself to others, addiction, feeling alone,” Mbu shares. “We all know men are known to not talk about their feelings and share their feelings. But then, when you talk to others, that is when you realize that there are more spaces in the community for people.”
Launched on June 17 across social media platforms, Orakl: The Legend of Akung is a vivid and introspective project over 27 years in the making. Deeply inspired by his Cameroonian roots and family, particularly his sister Akung, who lends her name to the series’ central character, the story is set in a utopian world where the Black community was never colonized.
Mbu says, “the main character is looking to heal, to bring the world together and heal the world together.”
Mbu speaks openly about how creativity has helped him navigate his own inner storms.
“Creativity is a source of healing; it is a source of spreading my light to others. It is like wielding magic, while being very very liberating. It started to teach me resilience, perseverance and restored my faith in humanity and God.”
Comic series fan Ayrton Ilunga, moved to Halifax in 2015. After moving from Kenya, he felt like he did not see himself represented in the media he consumed.
Orakl offered something he’s never seen before: a Black-led comic series that mirrors his own emotional landscape and cultural experience.
“This anime helps me feel seen and understood,” Ilunga says. “It gives me a chance to see a reflection of myself without having to ask someone else and burden them with my problems.”
The series resonates deeply with Ilunga, who describes Orakl as the first time he’s encountered a comic that places Black identity at the forefront.
“It feels great to be represented,” he says.
Robert Mbu’s journey as a creative was far from traditional—starting in accounting in Cameroon, he shifted paths in search of validation, eventually discovering his true calling in design. After excelling in fashion school but not landing a role at a major fashion house, Mbu launched his own brand, Batuo, to give underrepresented creatives a platform to express themselves authentically. He moved to Halifax in 2021, drawn by its arts scene and immigration opportunities, and has since made it his creative home.
“My childhood dream was to be an anime artist. So I feel like now that I have a comic series, I feel like I am fulfilling my childhood dream,” says Mbu, adding that as creatives, “we deserve the space, we deserve the spot. We need eyes.” He credits the exposure he has received through his work as a designer for his ability to create his comic series touching on platforms he values.
“The arts and culture hold you in their arms when you’re feeling low,” Mbu hopes his series will do that by fusing fashion, anime, and ancestral storytelling.
Mbu hopes to take Orakl even further, with ambitions to develop a pilot episode, garner support from cable television and telecommunications company Eastlink, and eventually bring his story to platforms like Netflix.
“I went from, I like watching anime, I love art, I love creating, I have a story to tell, to creating my anime to tell that story.”
“In a time where mental health and representation remain critical yet under-discussed, Orakl: The Legend of Akung is more than just art. It’s a cultural milestone, a comic that dares to heal,” says Mbu.
This article appears in Jun 1-30, 2025.
