- This is the place to find the latest Octobriana-related news and
Octobriana Online update information.
Octobriana Online's Back! -- 06-04-99
Hello again. Yes, I know it's been a couple of months since the
last update. What's that? You want to hear my excuse? Um, how
about that I've been busy putting together Octobriana: Underground Tales -- the graphic novel that ended up going through more changes
than a chameleon suffering with multiple personality disorder?
If I were superstitious, I would honestly have to say that Underground
Tales was cursed from day one. The costs involved with the book
were bad enough, but throw in the overnight corruption of most
of the book's digital files (meaning that over half of the book
was permanently lost) and the post-deadline arrival of one of
the book's lead strips, meant that Underground Tales very nearly
never happened at all.
However, I am now proud to announce that Octobriana: Underground Tales -- an A5 sized, black and white, 44 page magazine collecting
together a series of articles and comic strips spanning Octobriana's
three decades in existence -- is now available for the bargain
price of £1 (or about $2). To order a copy, contact John A Short
at Wonderworld Comics, 1 Lansdowne Crescent, Bournemouth, BH1
1RU, England. Tell him I sent you.
So, what's been updated? Here's a rundown:
News (which you're reading)
Octobriana: Underground Tales (format update)
COMICS 99 Octobriana 20 Questions Quizshow (new addition)
Artful Salamander @ COMICS 99 -- 06-04-99
Artful Salamander ran the first Octobriana 20 Questions Quizshow at the landmark COMICS 99 at Bristol on 4 April 1999. The UK's
first ever comics festival served as a replacement of sorts for
the late and lamented annual UKCAC weekends (the UK equivalent
of the monstrous San Diego Comic Con).
Stuart Taylor hosted the quizshow, whereby four members of the
audience pitted their wits against each other, to discover who
was the most canny when it came to Octobriana. Also on hand was
Bryan Talbot, who as well as providing the star prize -- a unique
Octobriana sketch, created during the quiz itself -- answered
audience questions regarding Octobriana along with Stuart Taylor.
A heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who attended, especially
the four contestants, Bryan Talbot and Stuart's lovely assistant
Sarah (who ensured the relatively smooth running of the whole
shebang). If you didn't see the quizshow -- either because you
couldn't attend the festival or extract yourself from the bar
-- then check out the questions here.
Bugs & Dead Links Fixed -- 02-02-99
The dead links and bugs on Octobriana Online that were brought
to my attention have now been fixed... hopefully! Thanks to Andy
Nixon for pointing out that the Octobriana Gallery's links weren't
working (the only excuse I have is that I'm still learning how
to use the web page creation application).
Octobriana Online Arrives! -- 01-02-99
Almost two years in the making, Octobriana Online finally went
live on 1 February 1999. Created and designed by Artful Salamander's
Stuart Taylor, Octobriana Online aims to be the definitive web
resource for all things Octobriana.
As well as reproducing material from the nigh on impossible to
find Octobriana & The Russian Underground book, Octobriana Online
will also provide a comprehensive database relating to the more
modern-day interpretations of the Russian Devil-Woman -- including
the recent award-winning, critically-acclaimed adventures produced
by Revolution Comics and Artful Salamander.
Octobriana Online welcomes contributions from anyone with an Octobriana
story to tell, or an Octobriana image to share with the world.
Contact Stuart Taylor for more information.
Underground Tales Format Change -- 18-01-99
The forthcoming Octobriana: Underground Tales graphic novel by Artful Salamander has undergone a format change.
The 68-page book will be released to coincide with the UK COMICS
99 festival, and will no longer reprint the critically-acclaimed
Filling In The Blanks mini-series.
The running order for the book is as follows:
The Legend Of Octobriana (a four-page strip reprinted from Revolution
Comics' Octobriana 0); The Living Sphinx Of The Kamchatka Volcano
(a modern interpretation of one of the original Octobriana strips);
Octobriana: Genesis Of A Comics Legend (reproduction of the Octobriana
chapter from the original 1971 book, Octobriana & The Russian
Underground); Enter... Octobriana (reprint of the 1960s strip
from Revolution Comics' Octobriana 1); The Price Of Freedom (reprint
of the 1990s strip from Octobriana 1); Commie Zombie Dictator
From Hell (previously unpublished eight-page strip); Sleep To
Dream (three-page Filling In The Blanks interlude); and I Fell
In Love With A Russian Devil-Woman (eight-page 'romantic' story
from Head Press' Romantic Tails 1).
Octobriana: Underground Tales will have an introduction written by Bryan Talbot, and will initially
only be available from the COMICS 99 festival.
Octobriana At COMICS 99 -- 11-01-99
Artful Salamander will be at the UK COMICS 99 festival event to
sell copies of Octobriana: Filling In The Blanks and the first ever Octobriana graphic novel, as well as copies
of the out of print Revolution Comics Octobriana series. On hand
over the weekend to answer any Oct-related questions you may have
will be Stuart Taylor, John A Short, Dave Roberts, and others
to be confirmed.
At 5.30pm on Saturday 3 April, Stuart Taylor of Artful Salamander
will be hosting Octobriana 20 Questions -- an audience participation event where the history and future
of this comics legend will be revealed in a unique and entertaining
manner.
Learn what connection rock stars David Bowie and Billy Idol have
with Octobriana; what did Octobriana represent to her creators;
and why Octobriana is still a relevant character today.
There'll be prizes galore, as well as an opportunity to hear what
acclaimed comics writer/artist Bryan Talbot has to say about Octobriana
and her fascinating publishing history.
Octobriana In 1999 -- 08-12-98
Artful Salamander publisher and writer, Stuart Taylor, has announced
his plans for Octobriana during 1999. As well as the publication
of the cult character's first ever graphic novel -- Octobriana: Underground Tales -- to coincide with COMICS 99 (the UK's major comic event in
April 1999), Taylor intends for Octobriana to have a larger profile
in the media.
"1999 is going to be a big year for Artful Salamander and Octobriana,"
said Taylor, "the recent addition of writer John A Short and penciller
Shaun Bryan to Artful Salamander is a testament to that. These
talented guys are working with me to produce some exciting, all-new
Octobriana material."
The first new Octobriana material to be produced by John A Short
and Shaun Bryan are the two strips in the forthcoming Octobriana:
Underground Tales graphic novel. Taylor intends to follow this
with an Octobriana online comic strip to be featured on Artful
Online:
"The format of the online strip has yet to be finalised," explains
Taylor, "as you need to approach this in a completely different
way than a traditional comic strip."
Artful Online will also include an Octobriana Database during
early-1999 as well. The Database will include features, news and
reviews on the character, spanning the 25+ years she has been
in existence.
Octobriana Meets The Beatles -- 26-11-98
Octobriana will encounter Sixties pop sensation The Beatles in
an all-new Octobriana comic strip adventure released in 1999.
The 10-page story, called 'If You Can Remember The Sixties, You
Were Never Really There', is featured in the Octobriana: Underground Tales graphic novel, to be published during April 1999.
Written by John A Short -- who co-wrote the original, award-winning,
Octobriana mini-series from Revolution Comics (1996-97) -- the
tongue-in-cheek tale takes place in the 1960's and pits Octobriana,
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and
the Maharishi against the witch Baba Yaga.
The story is illustrated by Shaun Bryan -- who drew Commie Zombie
Dictator From Hell, also featured in the Octobriana: Underground Tales graphic novel -- and firmly establishes the Octobriana series
as the place to see the latest British comics talent.
Octobriana: Underground Tales -- 03-11-98
Octobriana will appear in her first ever graphic novel during
the UK COMICS 99 event in April 1999. Entitled Octobriana: Underground Tales, the 84-page book will collect the two-issue, critically-acclaimed
Octobriana: Filling In The Blanks mini-series, as well as include
all-new material.
The confirmed running order of Octobriana: Underground Tales is
currently as follows:
* The Legend Of Octobriana -- written and drawn by John A Short
(four-page prelude strip to the original Revolution Comics mini-series).
* Filling In The Blanks Pt 1 -- written by Stuart Taylor and illustrated
by Dave Roberts/Mark Woolley
* Sleep To Dream -- written by Stuart Taylor and illustrated by
Dave Roberts/Mark Woolley (three-page Filling In The Blanks interlude,
previously given away free at UKCAC'98)
* Filling In The Blanks Pt 2 -- written by Stuart Taylor and illustrated
by Dave Roberts/Shaun Bryan/Mark Woolley
* Commie Zombie Dictator From Hell -- written by John A Short
and illustrated by Shaun Bryan/Andy Nixon (previously unpublished
'flashback' to the 1990s strip from the Revolution Comics mini-series)
* TBA -- written by John A Short and illustrated by Shaun Bryan/Andy
Nixon (an unconfirmed 'flashback' to the 1960s strip from the
Revolution Comics mini-series)
Octobriana: Underground Tales will have a strictly limited-edition
print run, and will initially only be available at COMICS 99.
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