On sale this week is Petrograd, an Oni Press graphic novel that's been long anticipated by those of us who've been following its production. Written by Philip Gelatt with artwork by Tyler Crook, the 250-page book depicts the famously difficult assassination of Gregorii Rasputin from a particularly creative angle: what if the mad monk's death was orchestrated by British spies?

Check after the jump for an exclusive 20-page preview of Petrograd.


Set against the chaos of the first World War, Petrograd follows a British agent called Cleary who's saddled with the all but impossible and profoundly dangerous task of arranging the death of one of the most powerful men in Russia. This historical thriller was meticulously researched by writer

Philip Gelatt, who spoke more about surprising plausibility of the story in a 2009 interview with Robot 6:

I encountered this strange rumor that has been floating around since Rasputin's death that there were British spies involved in the assassination and that the British government had a stake in this man's death for various reasons. It's a rumor that's been around since 1917 but more recently some forensic evidence has made it seem that this might actually be what happened. So the potential in that idea really grabbed me and stuck with me. What the hell were the British doing assassinating a Russian holy man? Who was this British agent charged with this monumental task? How the hell would any of that actually work?"

Petrograd is illustrated by Tyler Crook, who ComicsAlliance readers will remember as the new artist of Mike Mignola's beloved B.P.R.D. series for Dark Horse.

Petrograd is on sale now in finer comic book shops and bookstores, and can also be purchased online from retailers including Things From Another World.







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