S.S. Julian
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octopolis.bsky.social
S.S. Julian
@octopolis.bsky.social
1.3K followers 340 following 1.1K posts
Cartoonist and creator of Octopolis, a sci-fi fantasy about the future where humans are extinct and octopuses have inherited the Earth. Get Issue #1 now at octopoliscomic.com
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octopolis.bsky.social
The Electric Monk, considered somewhat frivolous back on its home planet, is quite a hit on Earth.
An excerpt from Douglas Adam’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (1987). Text: He was appreciated. All day he had gone up to people, fallen into conversation with them, listened to their troubles, and then quietly uttered those three magic words, "I believe you." The effect had invariably been electrifying. It wasn't that people on this world didn't occasionally say it to each other, but they rarely, it seemed, managed to achieve that deep timbre of sincerity which the Monk had been so superbly programmed to reproduce. An excerpt from Douglas Adam’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (1987). Text: On his own world, after all, he was taken for granted. People would just expect him to get on and believe things for them without bothering them. Someone would come to the door with some great new idea or proposal or even a new religion, and the answer would be, "Oh, go and tell that to the Monk." And the Monk would sit and listen and patiently believe it all, but no one would take any further interest.
November 4, 2025 at 3:32 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Douglas Adams predicted ChatGPT in 1987
An excerpt from Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adam’s (1987). Text: The Electric Monk was a labor-sav-ing device, like a dishwasher or a video recorder. Dishwashers washed tedious dishes for you, thus saving you the bother of washing them yourself, video recorders watched tedious television for you, thus saving you the bother of looking at it your-self; Electric Monks believed things for you, thus saving you what was becoming an increasingly onerous task, that of believing all the things the world expected you to believe. Unfortunately this Electric Monk had developed a fault, and had started to believe all kinds of things, more or less at random. It was even beginning to believe things they'd have difficulty believing in Salt Lake City. It had never heard of Salt…
November 4, 2025 at 3:27 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Gone fishing
🐙🐋🐡
A cartoon drawing of sardines with a purple octopus holding a fishing rod in the foreground. By ss Julian octopoliscomic.com A cartoon drawing of sardines with a purple octopus holding a fishing rod in the foreground. The fishing rod has a letter attached to it. By ss Julian octopoliscomic.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:34 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Words to live and die by.
🐙🐡🐋
A digital ink illustration of an orange octopus grasping a striped pyjama shark. The text reads ‘Devour that which would consume you’. Octopoliscomic.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:14 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
I got to tour my local recycling center! The good folks at @republicservices.bsky.social were kind enough to show us around. I left with a renewed respect for the complexity of the work involved. Below are some key takeaways:

#environment #recycling
October 27, 2025 at 5:58 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Thanks @octonation.bsky.social for drawing with me! That was a blast. I loved diving into coloring octopuses at the end, that’s a whole area of exploration in itself!
Screenshot from How to Draw an Octopus with SS Julian and Octonation Screenshot from How to Draw an Octopus with SS Julian and Octonation Screenshot from How to Draw an Octopus with SS Julian and Octonation Screenshot from How to Draw an Octopus with SS Julian and Octonation
October 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
You may be wondering about the monkey. I wanted the magician to be doing some magic, but I was further inspired by the Thoth deck, which has an ape floating underneath Mercury. In a sense, we're the monkey... primates from the far past watching these aliens of the future transmute reality.
A closeup of a tarot card illustration by SS Julian of the Alchemist. A ghostly monkey watches in surprise.
October 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
In classical tarot the Magician is displayed with ritual tools: wand, sword, cup and disc. In Octopolis, their analogues are branch, shell, siphon and pearl. I'll talk more about my reasons for choosing those items in a later post.
A close-up of tarot card illustration by SS Julian of the Alchemist. An alter of scallop shells on which sit a giant pearl, tunicate and shell.
October 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
I chose the harlequin or larger pacific striped octopus for this piece. It a beautiful hypnotic pattern into which I've incorporated the infinity symbol on the mantle. It's one of the few species IRL to socialize with one another, and therefore among the first octopus magicians.
Photo of the black and white larger Pacific striped octopus. Source: California Academy of Sciences A closeup of a tarot card illustration by SS Julian of the Alchemist. A spotted octopus wields a piece of coral.
October 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Next up in my Octopolis Tarot deck: The Magician! As in classical antiquity, these reality-shapers are called 'alchemists'.
#octopolis #tarot #octopus 🐙🐡
A tarot card illustration by SS Julian of the Alchemist. A spotted octopus wields a piece of coral before an alter of scallop shells on which sit a giant pearl, tunicate and shell. Above the scene a ghostly monkey watches in surprise.
October 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
I will be doing a 'How to Draw an Octopus' livestream with @octonation.bsky.social this Thursday at 10AM PDT! The event is free to join, so please drop in if you're so inclined. Link to calendar event below:
A promotional image of a cartoon purple octopus half-way illustrated with blue tracing lines visible on one side. Text: Octonation + Octopolis: How to Draw an Octopus Live-stream with SS Julian. October 23, 10AM PDT
October 21, 2025 at 9:10 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Great to have a batch of new followers overlap with #portfolioday! Welcome all, I'm S.S. Julian: cartoonist, designer and #sciart artist. I make Octopolis, a science-fantasy comic series about the future when humans are extinct and octopuses have inherited the Earth!

Portfolio: ssjulian.com
A digital illustration by SS Julian. Title: Octopolis purple and yellow octopuses wearing clothes float in front of a host of other characters... a dangerous-looking yellow octopus, an angry orange octopus riding a wolf eel, all before a castle wall of coral. A digital illustration by SS Julian of a rainbow-colored octopus that appears to adopt the colors of the pride flag. A digital illustration by SS Julian featuring a repeated pattern of nudibranchs A digital illustration by SS Julian. Two kids dive into a watering hole filled with fish that look like maple leaves.
October 16, 2025 at 11:19 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
The octopus is described as having a very short mantle with almost straight fins, and very large large eyes, diameter ~2/3rds the length of the width of the head. It's a deep red-orange, with white (uncolored) spots along the arms. Single row of suckers framed by rows of cirri.
Close-up of a digital illustration by SS Julian of the newly described Carnarvon flapjack octopus. focus on the eyes Close-up of a digital illustration by SS Julian of the newly described Carnarvon flapjack octopus. focus on the arms and suckers Close-up of a digital illustration by SS Julian of the newly described Carnarvon flapjack octopus. focus on the fins
October 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
The description itself was based on collected/deceased specimens, which makes sense since a lot of the species-specific morphology is internal. But it doesn't make for pleasant viewing! Though in all fairness they also included a charming black-and-white scientific illustration.
A photo of a deceased specimen of the newly described carnarvaron flapjack octopus, taken from the Australian journal of taxonomy. https://doi.org/10.54102/ajt Photographic diagrams of deceased specimens of the newly described carnarvaron flapjack octopus, taken from the Australian journal of taxonomy. https://doi.org/10.54102/ajt A diagram of scientific illustrations of the newly described carnarvaron flapjack octopus, taken from the Australian journal of taxonomy. https://doi.org/10.54102/ajt
October 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Were you excited about the ‘Carnarvon flapjack octopus’, but disappointed at the lack of cute photos? To rectify this, I have read the article and here offer my artist's interpretation of the newly described species:
#sciart #octopus
A screenshot of the article abstract in the Australian journal of taxonomy by Tristan Joseph verhoeff. A digital illustration by SS Julian of the newly described Carnarvon flapjack octopus. the octopus is red-orange with white spots. it has big eyes and cirrate fins on either side of its small mantle.
October 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Yes
Beetle Moses comic about squids listening to Nelly
October 11, 2025 at 1:17 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Hey Bay Area! Come join us in celebrating Octoberfes— I mean, OCTOfest, this Sunday at Ocean View Brew Works in Albany! @dannastaaf.bsky.social will be speaking at 4 pm about why octopuses are the best animal, and I will be determining which of Ocean View’s beers pairs best with shellfish!
A poster promoting Ocean View Octofest. Join Octopolis October 12th. 4pm talk by Danna Staaf. Image is of a two-spot octopus wearing a little green hat and playing a horn while simultaneously cheering with three other beer steins.
October 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Was not actively participating in #invertober this year but I do have this old drawing of a scaly-food gastropod that I simply must share
A digital drawing of an underwater hydrothermal vent with an octopus riding a giant scaly foot gastropod with some sick-ass turbines in the distance
October 10, 2025 at 1:37 AM
octopolis.bsky.social
Ooh yeah I already have a sketch ready for that one actually!
A pen and ink sketch of ‘the lovers’ tarot featuring octopuses
October 9, 2025 at 1:32 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Happy World Octopus Day! To celebrate, here’s the first piece in my series of Octopolis tarot cards: The Fool!
#octopolis #worldoctopusday #octopus #tarot
A digital illustration within a tarot card frame titled ‘The Fool’. The images is of a mimic octopus bursting through the surface of the ocean into a sunlit day. The octopus is covered in many colored stripes. It holds one arm up through which light refracts. In another arm it holds a bundle of kelp. Beneath the water is a yellow cuttlefish looking very happy.
October 8, 2025 at 2:05 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Every autumn the maple fish take on their fall colors.
An illustrated scene of kids in a watering hole. One kid in shorts has just done a cannonball while the other looks down at them through snorkeling gear. A mix of autumn fish and leaves circle the column of bubbles created by the splash.
October 6, 2025 at 4:36 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Paging @aptshadow.bsky.social
meme of two muscular people locking arms, duplicated 8 times. arms are labeled 'spider' and 'octopus'
October 1, 2025 at 7:43 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Hey Arielle, here are some examples of my work.
ssjulian.com/comics
A comic page from How the Octopus Lost its Shell written by Danna Staaf and illustrated by SS Julian. A comic page from Octopolis: Holdfast by SS Julian. A comic page from Seeing the Condor by SS Julian. A comic page from Octopolis: Holdfast by SS Julian.
September 23, 2025 at 7:37 AM
octopolis.bsky.social
I'll be at LA Comic-con this weekend! Drop by to say hi and be among the first to grab the new Octopolis coloring book! 🐙
A promotional image for Octopolis at LA Comic Con 2025 with attendance details: September 26-28 2025 artist's alley kentia hall f17. The image is a cartoon drawing of an orange octopus looking intense, and the pattern of a lightning-struck brain on the octopus's mantle.
September 22, 2025 at 5:39 PM
octopolis.bsky.social
Working on an octopus coloring book
🐙🐡🐋🦑
A colorful drawing of an octopus blending in with a tessellated pattern by SS Julian A black and white drawing of an octopus blending in with a tessellated pattern by SS Julian
September 19, 2025 at 4:22 PM