October 04, 2026

Very Graphic Russian History


Very Graphic Russian History
The Soviet Union defeats Nazi Germany in a comic book history of Russia. Labirint.ru

On October 1, independent outlet Govorit NeMoskva reported on a new book: A History of Russia in Comics. The work purports to be a comprehensive retelling of Russian history, but critics say it's not exactly objective.

The book, recently published by Russian company Labyrinth, tells the story of Russia from ancient times to today. The blurb says that "Sharp humor and vivid artwork sheds light on the Time of Troubles and show 'who lives well in Rus'." By all appearances, the book seems to be a kid-friendly romp through history, filled with action and color.

However, it's not so straightforward. The book sits at a 2.5/5 stars per customer reviews. Comments say that it's pretty naked propaganda, with phrases that wouldn't be out of place on state media, like "Western partners plundered Russia." One reads, "I can hardly bring myself to call this a book." Others comment on its lackluster art style.

Govorit NeMoskva highlighted a handful of passages they found particularly baffling. In one, a Novgorodian prince grows restless and starts a war. His warriors shrug their shoulders and sign on anyway.

In another, Nicholas II starts the Russo-Japanese War, saying he "has a bad feeling about this." Things are grim until Stalin comes to power, and suddenly children praise Stalin "for our happy childhood, for the victory, for the fact that we are alive."

Towards the end, Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a rally, yelling, "Crimea!" To which the crowd responds, "Ours!"

The book sells for R856, or about $10.

Check out the book here, although good luck getting your hands on a copy if you're in the states. If you're looking for a better Russian history book, well, have we got the recommendation for you.

You Might Also Like

How Russia Got That Way
  • September 29, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Gaming the Invasion
  • September 09, 2026

Gaming the Invasion

Russia is turning its war in Ukraine into video games — with state money, Kremlin narratives, and mixed results.
A Tankless Affair
  • May 17, 2026

A Tankless Affair

The 2026 Victory Day was unique in its lack of military hardware, and its strangeness didn't stop there.
Immortalizing a Modern Hero?
  • October 12, 2025

Immortalizing a Modern Hero?

The governor of the Kursk Region has announced plans for a new monument to honor a "hero" of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955