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Well, good evening!
Before we begin tonight’s message, please stand as Nikolai Volkoff sings the Russian National Anthem!
Your respectful silence is appreciated!
Nikolai is a legendary superstar of professional wrestling, his career spanning back nearly 50 years now.
In 1970, as Bepo Mongol, he was one-half of The Mongols, WWWF International Tag Team Champions.
In 1974, Nikolai’s shot at renowned champion, Bruno Sammartino sold out Madison Square Garden!
In 1985, partnered with The Iron Sheik, Nikolai was a WWF Tag Team Champion.
In 2005, he was deservedly inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Squared Circle Comics publishers Kevin LaPorte & Amanda Rachels had the good fortune of getting to know Nikolai at the Mississippi Comic Con in Jackson back in May. He regaled us with funny stories of his days in the business and entertained both us and many a fan with impromptu jokes and skillful card tricks. He’s a man of many talents!
Some fun facts about Nikolai the man, as opposed to Nikolai the wrestler. He’s not really from Russia, but he speaks the language (and several others) fluently. These days, he is a U.S. citizen and resident of the Baltimore area. He still appears frequently at comic and wrestling conventions and maintains connections with many of his friends garnered throughout his career.
There’s a lot more to his story than we can fit in an introductory email, and you’ll find the fill for those gaps in the comic NIKOLAI, an actual biography based on detailed, extensive interviews between Nikolai and writer and wrestling historian, John E. Crowther (writer of Rochelle the Teenage Cockroach). The tale follows Nikolai from his roots in Romania and tells of his adventures immigrating to America and into the legendary halls of professional wrestling.
Issue 2 of Nikolai’s comic is available RIGHT NOW at our website, http://inversepress.com, scripted by John Crowther (The Killer Bees) and art by Dell Barras (The Killer Bees, Transformers, G.I. Joe) and colors by Andrew Pate (The Killer Bees).
Nikolai was the first member of the Squared Circle Comics stable, and we’re proud to have him as a collaborator and friend! We’re equally proud of his comic, and we think you’ll love the art and story, too. Check out some sample pages from inside the book:
To celebrate the launch of NIKOLAI 2 on our website, we’re offering up a brand new Nikolai Volkoff print and trading card, both illustrated by Amanda Rachels (Vicious Circus, Flesh of White). The original art for each of these pieces – painted in watercolor by Amanda – are both available as part of this sale!
The original print art is AUTOGRAPHED by Nikolai & Amanda, and there are options to have the print and trading card autographed as well!
