Octobriana is a Russian

comic a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

created by Petr Sadecký by modifying the work of

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

artists Bohumil Konečný and

Zdeněk Burian Zdeněk Michael František Burian (11 February 1905 in Kopřivnice, Moravia, Austria-Hungary – 1 July 1981 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) was a Czech painter, book illustrator and palaeoartist whose work played a central role in the development of p ...

for an unpublished comic book series Sadecký commissioned them to do, under the working title of Amazona. As a character embodying

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

ideals, Octobriana was said to be usable by anyone, rather than being

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

ed by an author or corporation. This has resulted in the character appearing in various artistic works since her first official published appearance in the political art book ''Octobriana and the Russian Underground'', by Petr Sadecký, published by

Tom Stacey Tom Stacey FRSL (11 January 1930 – 24 December 2022) was a British novelist, publisher, screenwriter, journalist and penologist. He was a prominent member of White's. Early life Stacey attended Wellesley House School (1938–1943), originall ...

in 1971. Petr Sadecký had created a fictitious real life origin for the character, which he presented as true.

''Octobriana and the Russian Underground''

In ''Octobriana and the Russian Underground'', Sadecký describes the PPP as a loose group of cells, not only in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, but throughout the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. This group, Sadecký wrote, started around 1957, after the

20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was held during the period 14–25 February 1956. It is known especially for First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev's "Secret Speech", which denounced the personality cult and dictatorship ...

in 1956. At first they called themselves Progressivnaya Politika (Progressive Politics) and tried to go back to the pure principles of the White movement and their Scandinavian roots; the

Rus' people The Rusʹ (Old East Slavic: Рѹсь; Belarusian language, Belarusian, Russian language, Russian, Rusyn language, Rusyn, and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Русь; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki, Garðar''; Greek language, Greek: Ῥῶς, ''Rhos ...

. They were descendants of the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

. Later they put together

samizdat Samizdat (russian: самиздат, lit=self-publishing, links=no) was a form of dissident activity across the Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the document ...

comics about the superheroine Octobriana, a character said to embody the principles of the Russian Revolution and battle against both Russian and American oppression. Sadecky provided a history for Octobriana where she is said to be thousands of years old and the child of a

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

and a

Toltec The Toltec culture () was a Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture that ruled a state centered in Tula (Mesoamerican site), Tula, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Mexico, during the Epiclassic and the early Post-Classic period of Mesoam ...

princes, whose original name was Mahari (which means "divine maiden" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

). She was given radiation treatments that made her immortal and reborn as a superhuman in a radioactive volcano. Her ethnicity has often shifted; the initial Amazona character seems to have been a confused mix of different indigenous backgrounds. In Sadecky's book, she was said to have

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

n features. Later portrayals have often ignored this and rendered her as white. Sadecky portrayed her as a legendary figure who has been sighted throughout history; there are reports from Siberia, Spain in the time of the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...

, Chinese explorer

Zhang Qian Zhang Qian (; died c. 114) was a Chinese official and diplomat who served as an imperial envoy to the world outside of China in the late 2nd century BC during the Han dynasty. He was one of the first official diplomats to bring back valuable inf ...

, and an unpublished book by left wing Moroccan politician

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. She has been called The White She-Dragon, The Girl with the White Face Coming from the Sky, The Mother of the Seven Red Stars, Angelic Maiden who Turned into a Devil, the Avenger. It is said that she comes from an ancient civilization and was granted immortality by radiation treatments, then underwent an ordeal in a radioactive volcano which transformed her into a superhuman being. She pilots the Wonder Machine, which travels through time and space, crewed by Native Americans. Her weapons and equipment include a

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 1856 ...

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

, a

kris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...

knife, and a shark-tooth necklace which can detect radiation. One story was "The Living Sphinx of the

Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and wes ...

Radioactive Volcano 1934", in which she swims into a radioactive

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

and kills a giant

walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped, flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in ...

with her kris. Afterwards she brings the tribesmen of the

Koryaks Koryaks () are an indigenous people of the Russian Far East, who live immediately north of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Kamchatka Krai and inhabit the coastlands of the Bering Sea. The cultural borders of the Koryaks include Tigilsk in the sou ...

home with a giant flying ball. Another story was titled "Octobriana and the Atomic Suns".

The Octobriana hoax

The supposed origin of the character was in actuality Sadecký's own creation. Petr Sadecký, while still in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, enlisted the help of two Czech artists, Bohumil Konečný and

, in creating a comic centering on the character of "Amazona." Sadecký told the two that he had a buyer interested in the comic, and they worked together on writing and illustrating the Amazona comic. However, Sadecký betrayed his friends by stealing all the artwork and escaping to the West. When there was no publisher interest after a number of years, Sadecký changed the Amazona strips into a political statement, by adding a red star to the character's forehead, creating an elaborate back story, and renaming her as "Octobriana: the spirit of the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

". When news reached Konečný, he was shocked that his work had been misused without his consent, and eventually managed to confront Sadecký at the office of the German publishing house that Sadecký was employed by. Under the threat of legal action, some of the stolen artwork was returned, but Sadecký went to the UK shortly afterwards with pages and cover art that he had stolen, finding a sympathetic publisher for his fictional Octobriana story in Tom Stacey, who was unaware of the previous controversy. Major inconsistencies in the story Sadecký presented in the published ''Octobriana and the Russian Underground'' book, and a panel in his book where Octobriana is referred to as "Amazona" (p. 83), lend credence to this story. In addition, Burian and Konečný sued Sadecký in a West German court, winning the case but never recovering all their stolen artwork. As Octobriana is still widely believed to be the product of dissident cells within the U.S.S.R., she is not copyrighted, and has appeared in a variety of artistic incarnations.

Other appearances

Comics

Appearances in other comics include: ''

The Adventures of Luther Arkwright ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' is a limited series comic book written and drawn by Bryan Talbot. The story is adult in tone, with many mythological, historical and political references, and a little explicit sex. English writer Warren El ...

'' by

Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot (born 24 February 1952) is a British comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' and its sequel '' Heart of Empire'', as well as the ''Grandville'' series of books. He collaborated ...

. Octobriana featured in 'The Firefrost Principle', issue 3 of the Valkyrie Press series, as well as on the cover. Talbot was said to have included Octobriana after first reading about her in a ''

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'' article in 1971, publicising the release of the ''Octobriana and the Russian Underground'' book in the UK. ''Cherry's Jubilee'' #2, an erotic comic by

Larry Welz Lawrence Welz (born November 21, 1948) better known as Larry Welz, is an American cartoonist, who created Cherry Poptart (now known simply as Cherry (comics), Cherry). He was an early contributor to the underground comix movement in the San Franc ...

published by Tundra Publishing in 1992 and also starring

Cherry Poptart ''Cherry'' (originally ''Cherry Poptart'') is an erotic comic book about a sexually adventurous 18-year-old woman and her friends, written and drawn by Larry Welz. History First published in 1982 limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

from Revolution Comics is the first time Octobriana appeared in a solo comic book series, which ran for six issues (an issue 0 preceded the main 5 issue series) and was published in the UK and USA between 1996 and 1997. It featured two strips, one written by Stu Taylor and illustrated by Blake O'Farrell with Octobriana and members of the PPP (including Petr Sadecky) set in a 1960s Soviet Union. The second strip - Return of Octobriana - was written by John A. Short and featured a different artist for each of its five chapters, and was set in a contemporary 1990s Russia. ''Octobriana Filling in the Blanks'' - mini-series from Artful Salamander in 1997/8 2 issue comic series written by Stu Taylor and illustrated by Dave Roberts and Mark Woolley. "I Fell In Love With A Russian Devil-Woman" - short story in ''Romantic Tails'' anthology issue 1 from Head Press in July 1998. Written by Stu Taylor and illustrated by Dave Roberts and Mark Woolley. ''

Nikolai Dante ''Nikolai Dante'' was a comic book series published in the weekly British science fiction anthology '' 2000 AD'' from March 1997 through July 2012. History ''Nikolai Dante'' was created by writer Robbie Morrison and artist Simon Fraser. The ...

'': "The Octobriana Seduction", written by

Robbie Morrison Robbie Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer known for his work in the weekly anthology '' 2000 AD'', where he co-created the long-running serial ''Nikolai Dante'' with artist Simon Fraser. Career Morrison began his career in '' 2000 ADs ...

, drawn by Andy Clarke and published in '' 2000 AD'' in 1998. ''Armageddon Patrol: The Shot'' - one-shot from Alchemy Texts in 1998 by John A. Short. Octobriana clashes with the Armageddon Patrol's Maiden America during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The ''Octobriana Special'' from Alchemy Texts in 2001 - a

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

comic (with features) written by John A. Short. Including a continuation of Short's Return of Octobriana storyline from the Revolution Comics mini-series with ''Commie Zombie Dictator from Hell'' drawn by Shaun Bryan. She also made an appearance in the Dutch comic strip series ''

Agent 327 ''Agent 327'' is a Dutch action/comedy comic series by cartoonist Martin Lodewijk. It was a regular feature from 1966 until 1983, and again from 2000 to the present. The eponymous Agent 327 is a James Bond/Maxwell Smart-like Dutch secret agent who ...

'' by

Martin Lodewijk Martinus Spyridon Johannes Lodewijk (born 30 April 1939) is a Dutch comics writer and cartoonist, and advertising adviser. Martin Lodewijk was born in Rotterdam. He dropped out of high school in 1957, and started drawing cartoons, notably of spac ...

in the album ''"Cacoïne and Commando's"'' (2000), where a character that resembles Octobriana is introduced. In the comic strip the character is called ''"Novembriana"'', but a reference is made to the

album in which she first appeared. In 2010, the comic book company

Poseur Ink Poseur Ink (2003-2013) was a small-press publisher and distro by comic artist Rachel Dukes. Based in San Diego, California the company specialized in independent comics, zines, buttons, and novelty T-shirts. During that time Poseur Ink published ...

announced a new title based on Octobriana, written by Steve Orlando and illustrated by Chaz Truog (

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

). In early 2010 the company started a Kickstarter fundraiser to start early pre-orders for the upcoming project. The noted underground/erotic cartoonist John Linton Roberson is co-starring Octobriana, along with a number of other public domain comics characters including Projunior, in his most recent ''VLADRUSHKA'' series in 2012, and has announced she will be revealed to be the title character's long-lost sister. ''The New Amazons Preview Special'' from Kult Creations in September 2013 written by John A. Short and illustrated by Gabrielle Noble, depicting the New Amazons clash with

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

. Short later wrote a book on the history of Octobriana, ''Octobriana: The Underground History'', which also contains a new Octobriana story drawn by Noble. Octobriana With Love 1 cover A

On May 9, 2020,

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

-winning cartoonist and graphic designer

Jim Rugg Jim Rugg (born February 1, 1977) is an American cartoonist and illustrator from Pittsburgh known for his tongue-in-cheek evocation of 1970s-era comics and pop culture. His graphic novels and comics collections include '' Street Angel'', '' Afro ...

launched a Kickstarter campaign for a new Octobriana comic, ''Octobriana 1976''. ''Octobriana With Love'', an all-new, full colour, comic book celebrating the 50 year anniversary of Octobriana, was announced by Dead Good Comics on 13 January 2021. A Kickstarter campaign followed during April / May 2021. Edited by Stu Taylor and published in November 2021, creators for the graphic novel anthology included Stephanie Phillips,

Marc Laming Marc Laming, is a British illustrator and designer. Laming began his career working for Fleetway Publications. Best known for his work on Marvel's Star Wars titles he also illustrated the five-part ''Planet Hulk'' miniseries that formed part of ...

, Simon Fraser, Andrea Towers, Stephen Byrne, Andy Belanger,

Joyce Chin Joyce Chin is a comic book penciler, inker, colorist, and cover artist. She has created content under the Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and '' IDW Publishing'' labels. A large portion of Chin's work ha ...

Michael Cho The shooting of Michael Sungman Cho occurred on December 31, 2007, in the Orange County city of La Habra, California. Cho, a 25-year-old Korean-American artist, was brandishing a tire iron outside a store and was shot by two police officers. Th ...

, Nicole Goux, Juni Ba and

Marguerite Sauvage Marguerite Sauvage is a French illustrator and scriptwriter. She has provided illustrations in press, publishing and advertising ('' Society of Illustrators 49th, American Illustration 26, American Illustration 28''). She is also a comic book ar ...

David Bowie

*A film to star

Amanda Lear Amanda Lear (; born 1939) is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress, and former model. She began her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s, and went on to model for Paco Rabanne, Ossie Clark, and ...

and to be produced by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

was announced in 1974 but was never made. David Bowie allegedly had also written music for the movie. *David Bowie included ''Octobriana and the Russian Underground'' in his Top 100 books list published in October 2013

In other media

Other appearances include: *As a

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Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

's arm *The short

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film ''Octobriana and the Finger of Lenin'' (2003) starring Noora Piili. *Recruited to a superhero team on episode 66 of the tabletop RPG podcast Tales of Nowhere. She subsequently appears in 67 and 68. *The cover of ''Octobriana and the Russian Underground'' appeared as a poster during the second episode of British comedy horror web series ''

Truth Seekers ''Truth Seekers'' is a 2020 British supernatural comedy horror streaming television series created by Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, James Serafinowicz, and Nat Saunders. The series was directed by Jim Field Smith and stars Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, ...

'', created by

Nick Frost Nicholas Jonathan Frost (born 28 March 1972) is a British actor, author, comedian, painter, producer and screenwriter. He has appeared in the ''Three Flavours Cornetto'' trilogy of films, consisting of ''Shaun of the Dead'' (2004), ''Hot Fuzz ...

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...

, James Serafinowicz and Nat Saunders. The series was released on

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on October 30, 2020.

Awards

* 1997: Won " Best New Comic (British)"

National Comics Award The National Comics Awards was a series of awards for comic book titles and creators given out on an annual basis from 1997 to 2003 (with the exception of the year 2000) for comics published in the United Kingdom the previous year. The votes wer ...

, from the 1996 mini-series from Revolution Comics1997 National Comics Awards
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