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BOOK REVIEW! OCTOBRIANA - DER ERSTCOMIC-STRIP AUS DEM UdSSR-UNDERGROUND BY PETR SADECKY (und Melzer Verlag GMBH, 1972)

The whole thing is in Kraut so I don't understand nary a word as much as if this were in French which I can somehow absorb in my rather dimbulb chrome-dome. Still, after all these years or at least since I first heard Kevin Dunn's flipside to his "Nadine" single I did have somewhat of a curiosity about this particular comic heroine. The entire concept of a cult-level freaked out femme revolutionary with a red star tattoo'd on her forehead did seem somewhat tasty, and although other things have taken precedence over getting hold of any Octobriana in any wayshapeform over the years at least I do get to finally find out what all of the fuss surrounding this character is about, even if I probably am the last person on this planet to do so.

OCTOBRIANA isn't a comic strip in the standard sense of the word, and frankly I was under the impression that these stories would be in standard adventure strip panel form like a lefty STEVE CANYON 'r somethin'. This book is more or less like an illustrated tale complete with art that I will say is slightly enticing and shows a saga that does seem worthy of any comic fan's reading time, but this sure isn't what I was expecting (or even hoping for) lo these many years.

Octobriana's definitely the ULTIMATE Soviet Superheroine, a blond big tittied gal with liver lips dressed in an extremely scanty outfit that some might consider teetering across the line of good taste. She has this frightening aura about her and I get the feeling she also smells funny as well, like she forgot to wipe. Real sinus reaming stuff. The artwork by the Czech cartoonist Petr Sadecky is what one would hope for in an adventure story with some beautifully framed action panels but not knowing the language I can only take this 'un in on the art alone.

OCTOBRIANA is what perhaps a few of you readers would deem "out-there-in-orbit" what with the phallic symbols and surreal settings. I can't detect any of the time-traveling oft described in her stories and the Klansmen featured on the cover are nowhere to be seen (neither is Stalin) but you can tell the gal gets around a whole lot, appearing in China one story and the Arctic another and well, if someone does have an English translation I would be somewhat interested.

Best thing about OCTOBRIANA is that, in the spirit of socialist share and share alike, the character has always been public domain so anyone can (and has) do with the gal whatever they want. I've seen a few bits here/there and none of them seem to match the original but I was thinking...since OCTOBRIANA is anyone's for the taking how about someone doing a comic with her fighting against all of those creeds and such that the gal has defended all of these clenched fist years. Now wouldn't that be something to get all of her longtime fans just RILED??? Sure hope so since I haven't had a good laugh in ages!

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