Octopolis, the world’s first cephalopod-centric comic, is coming to Kickstarter.

2023 Brown-Handler Resident S.S. Julian's residency is over, but his journey as a cartoonist is just beginning. Today Julian announced the launch of his Kickstarter campaign to self-publish the first Issue of his cephalopod-centric solarpunk comic Octopolis. Here's what Julian had to say about his latest project:

Tired of dystopias? Then you may enjoy Octopolis, a refreshingly non-dystopian post-apocalypse. What’s different? The humans are extinct!

Of course, things can’t stay peaceful forever. There’s a new intelligent species stirring up trouble: the octopus. They’ve build a society in the coral-encrusted ruins of our sunken cities. Maybe these new stewards of the sea will do a better job than the last ones. After all, they have 9x the brain power, and none of the bones!

The Story
Octopolis follows the adventures of one particularly precocious octopus: Kurita, a young female octopus. Kurita lost two arms and ever since regenerating they seem to have minds of their own, which… they literally do!

Kurita dreams of making her fortune as a philosopher in the great metropolis of Polyps. One day, Kurita finds the answer to her wishes: an ancient shield, heavier than stone and sturdier than shell. She’ll soon find that her discovery is more important - and more dangerous - that she could possibly imagine.

Kurita will need to embrace her whole identity in order to wield this artifact and stop a power-hungry cannibal queen from repeating the mistakes of the past!

The Science
Octopolis draws on real scientific discoveries about octopus behavior and intelligence: the extraordinary behavior of the lesser Pacific striped octopus, the real-life locations Octopolis, Octlantis, and the Octopus Garden on Davidson Seamount.

Octopolis is a celebration of the ocean, and those interested in marine biology will appreciate the attention to detail. The only magic in Octopolis is the magic of the ocean! Ultimately, the action-packed underwater adventure shares a message about the importance of sustainability, biodiversity, and diversity in general!

Julian is committed to using his platform to advocate for environmental awareness. In January, he organized a speakers event with fellow Brown-Handler resident Lindsey J. Smith and brought together several notable Bay Area scientists and creators together to speak at a panel event: Building a Climate of Empathy. Authors Danna Staaf, Tiffany Yap and others spoke about how empathy is a key element in engaging with the community about climate change.

About the Author
S.S. Julian is a Bay Area cartoonist with a degree in creative writing from Stanford University.
Julian worked as a product designer for a decade, but during the pandemic decided to dedicate his energy towards educating about sustainability and biodiversity through his art.

In Octopolis, Julian seeks to depict the wonder of the ocean with the same enthusiasm as the fictional worlds of his favorite books and comics.

The Details
S.S. Julian is self-publishing Octopolis Issue #1 via Kickstarter on May 14.
The book runs 64 pages long, and is illustrated in full-color. An exclusive prologue comic will also be available. Top tier backers can commission an illustration of their own ‘Octopolitan citizen’, and may even see their octopus avatar drawn into a future issue!

Octopolis: a rare non-dystopian post-apocalypse story for scifi fantasy readers and ocean enthusiasts alike. Read the prologue and the first 12 pages of the comic now, at octopoliscomic.com

For media inquiries, contact [email protected]

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