Octobriana and the Russian underground comix
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
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Here's a link to Jim Rugg's Octobriana 1976: www.kickstarter.com/projects/jimrugg/fluorescent-blacklight-outlaw-comic-book
So, this is a cool little rabbit hole….The music video “dancing with myself” by Billy Idol starts off with a tattoo on his arm of this girl. I had no idea who she was or anything, I was just wondering what his tattoo was all about. Turns out it’s Octobriana lol cool!
Short history - Sadecky persuaded Czech illustrators Bohumil Konecny and Zdenek Burian to create a "superhero" comics for the western market as it would be impossible to release it in the communist Czechoslovakia. It was supposed to be about an Amazonian warrior with themes of "nature X civilization" called Amazona.
Sadecky later emigrated and took (stole) some original art with him. In order to make it interesting for the cold war audience, he added a red star on the heroine´s forehead, renamed her Octobriana and fabricated the whole story about russian underground.
She was originally called "Amazona" before Sadecky ran off to America with the stolen art. (Check out page 83 where he forgot to change her name in a word balloon.) In Vampirella #8 (1970) Billy Graham drew a female barbarian named Amazonia, who had already appeared in Eerie and would appear again in Vampirella #12 in 1971. Vampi #8 is interesting because it's also the issue where Sadecky's drawing of Octobriana/Amazona appeared on the fan page with the bat on her forehead. Graham's Amazonia sure looks a lot like Octobriana. Did Sadecky submit Octobriana to Warren? Did one of them rip off the other?
Oh man... you got the HARDCOVER.
Yeah, the whole story behind the book's creation is a scam. It's one big fake by Petr Sadecký who stole everything from Zdeněk Burian a Bohumil "Bimba" Konečný. He was their admirer and he got his way into their "inner circle" and became their friend. They took him into their families as one of their long lost son. Then Sadecký made these kinda old artists work on comics called Amazona. Only few sketches and rough sketches were made. Nothing comics like, not even a decent storyboard to be mentioned. Some of our Czech artbooks presenting these two artists show Amazona drawings as a part of their lifeswork. However, Zdeněk Burian was well respected among people and people in the Party (the Reds), so he survived the reprecussions of the regime when Sadecký emigrated from Czechoslovakia to the UK, but Bohumil Konečný's reputation took its toll. He was forbidden to officially work as an artist and his works couldn't be published or displayed. This whole revenge shower from the Party started when Sadecký released this book with reworked sketches and drawings. He put the red star on Amazona's forehead and renamed her Octobriana according to the October Revolution. He even got paid handsomly, as I have heard, but these two artists weren't and since there are problems with the rights and their ownership, Octobriana became sort of a public domain figure. That's why we can find her in many comic books, including Luther Arkwright, as you pointed out. Bimba Konečný couldn't work anymore and the Party in the Communist regime was very tough on him and only because of few of his friends he could secretly work on something, like Král Madagaskaru - one shot comics (King of Madagascar) by Gustav Krum, the dominant artist of that comics. If you are interested in Czech comics and Czech artists in general, not only comics per se, feel free to ask me. I have a decent collection of those. Nevertheless, I mentioned Czech artists, but historically I also meant Slovakian as well. Thank you for introducing this book.
Thank you. - JR
Jim...😂... You're deadpan delivery of "and then had orgies" reminded me when I stopped laughing that I never finished reading the Faust series. Was inspired to reach out to Tim, order the books and commission a piece...not sure why orgies made me think of Claire but really glad I did. Looking forward to the new project backed it last week.
This is the first time I've ever watched this channel and I really enjoy it. Thanks UA-cam algorithm!
Jim, that is such a dope story - you really had me going til you pulled the rug out from under us! Looks like the Kickstarter is off to a flying start, will definitely be giving it a look in myself!
"Pulling the Rugg" ...Kayfabe Classics
Octobriana also shows up in a Dutch comic called Agent 327: Cocaine and Commandos.
Remember when this book was covered in Sunday supplements in the UK. So wanted to read those comics when I was 11, so disappointed it wasn't real.
Fascinating. And Jim's blacklight version looks awesome. Looking forward to it.
A lot of it looks like a mix of Frank Miller and Dan Brereton
Dutch cartoonist Martin Lodewijk used her alongside his own russian character Olga Lawina in the longrunning Agent 327 series. Makes sense, he was a pretty hip guy in the 70s. This particular story was done around 2000 though.
cafans.b-cdn.net/images/Category_85064/subcat_175715/YOqv36eq_1604160636511gpadd.jpg
Ha! I pulled out my Luther Arkwright trade. I remember Octobriana, but without context, the story was different. Thank you!!
An illustrator that you should look into is Emory Douglas. He was the artist for the Black Panther Party and had great influence on subsequent revolutionary artists.
What an awesome story - I can't wait for this book, Jim!
Very cool backstory for Jim's book. Can't wait!
I just went and backed the comic!! I'll be getting that printed version! I was just talking about the possibility of black light comics and whether there were any in existence with a friend not that long ago and now Jim Rugg is making it happen. Hell Yeah!
It's interesting that she started as a fake folk hero, but she spread out so much inside that underground comix narrative that she ultimately became the pop cultural figure she was meant to be. The absolute example of "Fake it 'til you make it".
So much for “relatively cheap!” Paperback copy starts at $161.40 used on Amazon!
I have that very same "Leather Nun" book but it has a different cover and is entitled "Holy S---!" Was literally all set to mail it in to you guys!
Hell yeah Jim, this rules! I just pledged my Earth bucks! Dragonkiller in the background flipped my wig for some major stun damage, I can't wait to see it for real! This is gonna be badass. I'm very excited. Thanks Jim Rugg, you're rad!
If Octobriana is in public domain, how come there aren't that many comic books, and graphic novels using her as a super-hero character? Is it because the creator of the character still has the registered trademark? I mean she technically has no copyright, so that means that a new character who is patterned after her could be made, right?
I remember coming across a brief mention in a cousin's copy of, I believe, 'Hustler' magazine, in the late Seventies or early Eighties, of an illicit hardcore film version of Octobriana shot in the Soviet Union and smuggled out to the West, with a purported frame enlargement of an actress portraying the character in carnal union with a male figure. This was probably my introduction to the character, and at the time I accepted the background story of surreptitious samizdat production at face value. In fact, this episode is the first I've learned that this whole backstory was a hoax, leading me to wonder now of the accuracy of the report of the Octobriana film ('Hustler' would not have been above deliberately perpetrating a hoax).
I knew the character from Luther Arkwright, but had no idea that all of this other stuff existed... Cool!!!!
It's like dragon ball af. A lie that the fans ran with.
Yo this is such a good history lesson.
Way to go, man! Bringing back one of the cult characters. Sweet
One of the greatest comic book hoaxes
by greatest I mean shit, this book is shit
Jim, check for 'Kaja Saudek' a czech comic artist from that time - this style reminds me alot on him!
Oh and he has a brother photographer ... so somebody with all access to photo reproduction.
that's amazing
Make sure to watch til the end lol
So im from Serbia, where can i buy online physical copy of Octobriana 1976 ?
adhousebooks.com/
amzn.to/2Rfd2ef
Jim can you talk about how you got the rights to make your Octobriana comic. Was she public domain or something like that?
She's been public domain since her first publication in Octobriana and the Russian Underground. I think it was part of the hoax - the idea that she was this underground folk character/symbol of the dissidents. Anyone could use her. And since 1971, a lot of cartoonists have created stories with her. You thinking about making an Octobriana comic? Do it! - Jim Rugg
@@CartoonistKayfabe Thanks Jim.