(In a Sense) Lost and Found

A highly regarded figure on the small-press comics scene, Muradov has been self-publishing his distinctive, off-beat comics for several years, most notably in The Yellow Zine. His strips combine a deeply melancholic philosophy with elaborate word play, all set off with his sublime art: blending rich manga-like flair with European crispness and clarity. Muradov’s toned down his more confusing sensibilities for this debut graphic novel while retaining his playfulness and incisive wit. Heroine F. Premise awakes one morning to find her innocence has gone missing, much to her father’s shame and to the horror of strangers, as she discovers after fleeing her home. Innocence here is depicted as a literal, tangible thing that can be seen by—or visually hidden from them—and the story examines the manner in which society labels and judges this quality. As Premise pursues the thieves who stole her innocence to a mysterious lair, she becomes more and more ensnared by a strangely mundane world, one in which she must decide what it means be innocent and what that might be worth. The art that takes center stage in the metaphorical narrative, in shapes and colors working together harmoniously to produce an utterly immersive beauty. (Sept.)