Petrograd

by Philip Gelatt

Tyler Crook (Artist)

The year is 1916. The fate of millions of people hangs in the balance, and in Russia’s capital city of Petrograd, corruption rules the day and conspiracy rules the night. But to British intelligence officer Cleary, the Petrograd post is all about relationships and carousing. He drinks and parties with the rich and powerful; he flirts and cavorts with workers and countrymen. His life is all late, drunken nights, bleary-eyed mornings, and the occasional report back to London.



However, the city is like a tinder box ready to be set ablaze, and there are dark clouds on the horizon for Cleary. Rumors circulate that the Tsarina’s most trusted advisor is counseling the Tsar to make peace with Germany. Cleary, to his horror, is tasked with ending the influence of that advisor. A man famous for his acts of debauchery; for his heresy and his power: Gregori Rasputin. And so, the stage is set for one of the most infamous and strangest assassinations of all time, and a world that would never be the same.



Acclaimed writer and director Philip Gelatt (Europa Report, They Remain) and renowned artist Tyler Crook (B.P.R.D., Harrow County)'s debut comic is back in print, featuring a new cover and introduction from established historian David R. Stone.

• ISBN10: 1637150156
• ISBN13: 9781637150153
• Publish Date: 25 January 2022 (first published 16 August 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Oni Press,US
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Petrograd is a fascinating and deeply engaging graphic novel about the assassination of Rasputin by British agents in 1916 (Spoiler alert - he was *not* easy to kill). Originally released in 2011, this reformat and re-release with new cover and introduction is due out in Jan 2022 from Oni Press. It's 272 pages and will be available in paperback format in this edition.

I was admittedly unfamiliar with the exact political circumstances and background surrounding the end of the Romanov rule and the revolution in Russia and how they related to Raputin's assassination and death. This book does a good job of painting the broader strokes. The narrative seems fantastical, but apparently the high points are widely accepted if not completely proven. It's not always clear where the real history shades over into fiction in this volume, but it's certainly a riveting read. I found the afterword by eminent Russian historian Dr. David R. Stone enlightening although I was surprised to learn that a number of characters in the book which were so over the top as to be almost unbelievable were, in fact, historically accurate.

The art by Tyler Crook suits the story very well and serves to fill in the narrative by Philip Gelatt. It's a successful partnership and the book manages to combine espionage, politics, revolution, and some murder and skullduggery without ever one time being pedantic or boring.

Four stars. Well done.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes