From Times Immemorial, Russian Leaders and Their Populations have Been Bored When They aren’t Fighting a War, New Moscow Comic Book Suggests

Paul Goble

              Staunton, Oct. 1 – While many would suggest that Putin’s presentation of Russian history has many comic-book-like elements, a real comic books has now appeared in Moscow suggesting that Russian leaders and the Russian people have been bored when they aren’t fighting a war.

              The Bombor publishing house has now issued a comic book, The History of Russian in Comics. From the Ancient Slavs to Vladimir Putin, which in frame after frame carries that message (nemoskva.net/2026/10/01/vyshla-istoriya-rossii-v-komiksah-ot-drevnih-slavyan-do-putina/).

              Many times Russian leaders as presented in this comic say they are “bored” when they are sitting at home rather than going to war, although to be fair, a few, including Nicholas II, are less than pleased with what happens after they take up arms against someone. Only when Russian leaders fight and win wars do the Russian people enthusiastically support them.

              The comic book which echoes Putin’s own line isn’t winning from Russian readers. All those who left reviews at the Labyrinth book store were negative, with one typical description of the comic being that it is “a terrible propaganda product” and not worth "more than a kopek."