About Octopolis
Octopolis is a graphic novel, written and illustrated by S.S. Julian.
Humans are extinct, and Octopuses have inherited the Earth.
Octopolis is a non-dystopian post-apocalypse story set underwater. In a future where humans drove themselves into extinction, a new intelligent species has evolved: the octopus. They’ve build their own society in the coral-encrusted ruins of our sunken cities.
The Tide Wall, a living reef that protects the city-state of Polyps. Its parapets are studded with elkhorn coral that breach the surface at low tide, and patrolled by guards at low tide. There are two entrances: A weighted lower gate for ground transport, and a buoyant upper gate for swimmers.
Life under the sea
Octopuses have domesticated all sorts of animals for their purposes. This sand octopus rides a black-tipped reef shark and wields a turitella-shell spear.
The octopuses have a vibrant trade economy. Kurita’s family is preparing their sledge with a load of kelp textiles and preserved krill to take to market.
Our fearless hero
Octopolis follows the adventures of Kurita, a young female octopus on the cusp of adulthood. She lives with her family on the edge of the Great Kelp Forest. They make their living cultivating kelp for textiles and for their buoyant pods, which are useful as floatation devices.
Kurita lost two of her arms in a childhood accident. Ever since they regenerated (like all octopus arms), they seem to have minds of their own. Of course, they literally do! Kurita loves her ‘younger’ arms and considers them the source of her creative ideas, but they tend to get her into trouble more often than not.
Like any octopus, Kurita is curious. She dreams of making her fortune as an alchemist in the great metropolis of Polyps. She’s about to get her wish, but probably more than she ever bargained for!
The shadow of empire
Ruins of a fallen empire litter the ocean’s coasts. Here the main characters explore a sunken subway station, abandoned except for a skeleton of the elusive two-tailed fish.
Cephalopods don’t leave skeletons behind, so they have no idea that humans ever existed. They believe this ancient sea-spanning empire was ruled by octopuses like themselves.
They call it… Octopolis.
S.S. Julian is the mind behind Octopolis.
Hi there! I am a cartoonist, originally from San Diego CA and currently based out of the Bay Area.
I studied Creative Writing from Stanford, and worked for years as a game designer and later as a product designer for Goodreads.com. A couple years ago I decided to quit my job to make the comic I’d been dreaming about for years a reality.
I’ve spent my life swimming and scuba diving along the California coast. It’s a vital ecosystem that’s actively threatened by human activity. In Octopolis, I’m hoping to depict the ocean with the same enthusiasm afforded the fictional worlds in all my favorite books and comics.
Right now I live in the Bay Area with my wife and dog. I volunteer as a diver at the SF Aquarium of the Bay, where I get to feed the wolf eels, giant sea bass, and of course, the octopus.
Disclaimer: I am a human, not an octopus with designs on world domination. Why would you think that?