"Octobriana: The Underground History" launches!

After yesterday's major downer I decided to read a book that had arrived and that I had been looking forward to. ....
 
John A. Short
Kult Creations http://kultcreations.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/october-fest-octobriana-underground.html
16 x 24 cms
Perfect bound
116 pages,
b&w and colour illustrations plus photographs
UK £9.99     Eur  £11.99  Outside Europe £13.99

'Octobriana: The Underground History' by John A. Short, published by Kult Creations is a numbered, signed, book - limited to just 300 copies... 120 PAGES LONG. LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED. 

It contains the full story behind the original book that introduced the cult communist superheroine to the world. It also features a full breakdown of all her uses and appearances since - in comics, movies and audio drama... From 'The Adventures of Luther Arkwright' to the David Bowie and Billy Idol connections. 

NEW COMIC STRIP ACTION - written by J.A. Short & illustrated in full colour by GABRIELLE NOBLE (and containing the Devil Woman's full origin story.) And with bonus new Octobriana illustrations by NEIL EDWARDS, HUNT EMERSON and VINCE DANKS . Fully painted covers by SIMON BREEZE. It's going to be REVOLUTIONARY! 

Is the book what I thought it might be?  Well, to that I have to give a resounding "NO!"  As I read through it and looked at the art and images I realised that it was far better than I expected. 

Having looked at the photo of Petr Sadecky I realised that I had met him in the early 1980s at a UK Comic Art Convention. Bearded and full of what the comic scene in then Czechoslovakia held for us and I even got a couple of Czech comics.  I got an address in Germany and....that was it. Reading Short's book I think that sums up Sadecky.

What Short has managed to do is dig out old articles and gather information that lets him cut through the whole Sadecky-Octobriana story which has a lot of twists and turns.  And information on the real Octobriana (or "Amazona") artists and their part in this story.  There is even a stripography of Octobriana appearances in comic strip and film format and more.

Octobriana is a character shrouded in a lot of confusion and more than a few bad rumours.  Short has written a book that has to be seen as the ultimate source-book on the subject and proves people can still write interesting and original books about comics.

And then there is the full colour origin story which really could not be much better and is pure Octobriana from start to finish!

10 out of 10 and highly recommended!