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(In a Sense) Lost and Found
(In a Sense) Lost and Found, the first graphic novel by rising star Roman Muradov, explores the theme of innocence by treating it as a tangible object; something that can be used, lost, and mistreated. Muradov's crisp, delicate style conjures a world of strange bookstores, absurd conspiracies, and charming wordplay. A surreal tale in the mold of the best American alternative comics, In a Sense retains its distinctly Eastern perspective.
Roman Muradov was born in Moscow, Russia. He now resides in San Francisco, California.
Roman Muradov was born in Moscow, Russia. He now resides in San Francisco, California.
56 pages, Hardcover
First published February 11, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
July 15, 2014
HUH.
The problem with this book is that it went right over my head. Actually, that could be a problem with me, in all fairness, but I think a story should strive to ensure that its point, message should be somewhat conveyed to readers and simpleton(me) alike.
Frankly, if I hadn't actually know what it's about, having read the blurb and a detailed review by someone on an intellectual plain way above mine, the story would have been a girl who lost something, ties to find it, decides the thing and herself are better off without each other in any case despite what society says. However within this limitation, what I applaud is that Muradov was still able to say something, even if that was marred by jumbling scenes and dialogue, plus art that wasn't always clear, which wept compounding so that by the time the conclusion swung around, I could barely discern what was going even in the physical sense.
Yet when I think about what this lost thing was,-innocence as a tangible thing-I can't help wondering how/what the experience would have been, had I been able to grasp it.
As much as I love the idea of (In a Sense) Lost and Found, I can't help thinking that the execution was (in a sense) faltering and
dissonant.
Recommended, with reservations.
Review copy provided by Nobrow Press.
The problem with this book is that it went right over my head. Actually, that could be a problem with me, in all fairness, but I think a story should strive to ensure that its point, message should be somewhat conveyed to readers and simpleton(me) alike.
Frankly, if I hadn't actually know what it's about, having read the blurb and a detailed review by someone on an intellectual plain way above mine, the story would have been a girl who lost something, ties to find it, decides the thing and herself are better off without each other in any case despite what society says. However within this limitation, what I applaud is that Muradov was still able to say something, even if that was marred by jumbling scenes and dialogue, plus art that wasn't always clear, which wept compounding so that by the time the conclusion swung around, I could barely discern what was going even in the physical sense.
Yet when I think about what this lost thing was,-innocence as a tangible thing-I can't help wondering how/what the experience would have been, had I been able to grasp it.
As much as I love the idea of (In a Sense) Lost and Found, I can't help thinking that the execution was (in a sense) faltering and
dissonant.
Recommended, with reservations.
Review copy provided by Nobrow Press.
July 8, 2015
This book has magic in it. It's unique and based on my skimming of reviews for this (as of now rated 3.32) book, it's also confusing to a lot of people. It has a range of unique things, though. The art is really accomplished and fascinating. It reminds me of the art of Luke Pearson, who writes a rave blurb for it… but it's darker, with lots of browns and black.. it's got a little Matisse in it.. and I dunno, David B, dark fantasy, deliberately disorienting.
It's for pages on end wordless, which I like, but when people do speak, it is surreally, with sometimes made-up words and clever malaprops and surrealistic silliness. The darkness of the art speaks to the underlying seriousness of the kind of allegory it shares, of a woman who has awakened one morning from troubled dreams to discover her innocence (seen as a tangible object) has gone missing. And everyone seems to know the innocence is literally gone. So she has lost it and must find it again (in a sense, as the somewhat clumsy title suggests.. why not just call it Lost and Found and let us wrangle over the extent it is or isn't lost and found?). I read it three times today, and I tried to get the tone it was going for and couldn't quite do it, I'm afraid. I just think it is really unique, one of a kind. I think it is fantasy, but maybe even more so alternative comics, sort of bizarre.
It's for pages on end wordless, which I like, but when people do speak, it is surreally, with sometimes made-up words and clever malaprops and surrealistic silliness. The darkness of the art speaks to the underlying seriousness of the kind of allegory it shares, of a woman who has awakened one morning from troubled dreams to discover her innocence (seen as a tangible object) has gone missing. And everyone seems to know the innocence is literally gone. So she has lost it and must find it again (in a sense, as the somewhat clumsy title suggests.. why not just call it Lost and Found and let us wrangle over the extent it is or isn't lost and found?). I read it three times today, and I tried to get the tone it was going for and couldn't quite do it, I'm afraid. I just think it is really unique, one of a kind. I think it is fantasy, but maybe even more so alternative comics, sort of bizarre.
March 16, 2017
I found this immensely interesting, strangely disturbing and oddly gratifing as Muradov takes us on a journey with our unnamed female lead as she awakens to find that she has lost something, a something that is never identified but is none-the-less important especially as far as everyone else is concerned. She spends much of the book trying to find this something while questioning whether she really needs it, finally coming to her own conclusion rather than blindly accepting what she is told by everyone else. I think this is a story that you take your own message from to a certain extent as Muradov leaves much for the reader to decide the meaning of, which for me adds to what his overall message is, basically make your own choices and decisions and do what is right for you.
January 5, 2020
Review here: https://youtu.be/3dDGJVTf464
timestamps for titles in description!
timestamps for titles in description!
April 30, 2015
This is one of those graphic novels that's difficult to describe. A woman wakes up one day to discover that her innocence has gone missing. As she heads out to search for it, she is stared at, mocked, and chastised for leaving the house without it. Embarrassed, she seeks refuge in a bookstore where she meets a curious old man. Her quest to recover her innocence continues and she discovers that there's something of a black market for innocence. But is it true innocence? Can one even regain their innocence once it's been lost?
The world of (In a Sense) Lost and Found is quite surreal. The artwork, mostly in shades of brown, is tinged with hints of Picasso. The language is whimsical, to say the least. There's some amusing (and occasionally confusing) wordplay at work to add to the off-kilter nature of the story. In the end, I felt like I was missing something (and it wasn't my innocence); this is a very strange and somewhat opaque graphic novel. Still, I'm glad I read it although I'm not sure to whom, exactly, I would feel compelled to recommend it.
The world of (In a Sense) Lost and Found is quite surreal. The artwork, mostly in shades of brown, is tinged with hints of Picasso. The language is whimsical, to say the least. There's some amusing (and occasionally confusing) wordplay at work to add to the off-kilter nature of the story. In the end, I felt like I was missing something (and it wasn't my innocence); this is a very strange and somewhat opaque graphic novel. Still, I'm glad I read it although I'm not sure to whom, exactly, I would feel compelled to recommend it.
February 6, 2020
I loved this book! It had an interesting premise, two lovely characters (and a few that got only mentioned once or twice), quirky art style and great, engaging narrative. Some of the reviewers here have found the book pretty difficult to understand, but I think that the message and the story are actually quite straightforward. It isn't really a book you should overanalyze - although there is great nuances underneath the simple premise. Just enjoy it as it is, and follow our main character as she goes after her stolen innocence. This book is witty, delightful and surprisingly warm.
January 1, 2023
The allegory about innocence (and often the dialogue) is whatever but the art is amazing!!!
October 3, 2014
I am at a total loss here. This book has some sort of meaning that is beyond me. A young woman wakes up one morning and can't find her innocence. She has written that as the first sentence of her story. Never again is the lost item ever mentioned by name. However everyone knows what she has lost. They can tell by looking at her. She is told to stay in her room till she finds it. Leaving by her window, she is haunted by the stares. For some reason her skirt gives her away. She hides out in a bookstore, enters a strange underground place, perhaps an apothecary's, finds where her missing "thing" has been sold/sent/given to and tries to get it back. This is a haunting world. The art is dark, has some very strange Picasso moments, Seussian buildings, very surreal, metaphysical. I have absolutely no idea what is really happening here, what is going on or what it means but the story, combined with the art, made me feel very glad the woman made the choice she did in the end. Strange!
November 14, 2014
I'm not entirely sure what to make of the narrative, but I need to go back through this to catch more of the moving parts. It begins and ends with references to a dream, and this is perhaps the way to take in this work: as if you're trying to make sense of a dream. The art is one of the highlights here, and it reminds me a little of Seth.
November 24, 2015
Lovely poetic read.
Why people find this confusing reading is beyond me, it's an artistic fairy-tale like story with a a pretty simple message: be like you wish to be despite what other people think and you'll be happier. At least that's what I got from it. It's more about enjoying the art work than following a plot or understanding some elaborate message.
Why people find this confusing reading is beyond me, it's an artistic fairy-tale like story with a a pretty simple message: be like you wish to be despite what other people think and you'll be happier. At least that's what I got from it. It's more about enjoying the art work than following a plot or understanding some elaborate message.
May 11, 2016
The story is interesting, the thing that broke my heart about this book is that you can barely see the illustrations. I blame the quality of the paper, but honestly, the colour is just so DARK that it makes impossible for you to distinguish what you're seeing. It just looks like a blurred shadow at times. Which is a shame, because from the little I could see, it looks amazing and very creative.
October 24, 2015
Super oblique but so beautiful.
January 10, 2018
A beautiful but obtuse book. The artwork is a bit like Matisse, Picasso, and Chris Ware all having a fight, which would be great if the images weren't frequently so dense and with a colour palette so dark that it's hard to tell what is actually happening. On top of that you have a vague plot and some forced/awkward language that felt like it was trying a bit too hard. I feel with a bit more time, effort, and re-reads I could probably get something more out of this but as it stands, it's either too sophisticated or too nebulous to have made much impact on me.
January 19, 2025
Seems like I read his books in reverse order ! This is his first graphic novel, and it shows. Visually, while already showing promise of the creativity to come, it's much more conventional. Narratively, it's also much easier to follow. While the premise is pretty nonsensical (a girl wakes up having literally lost her innocence and goes on a quest to find it and bring it back home), it's fairly linear for once. It's very whimsical, tonally somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and A Series of Unfortunate Events
July 2, 2017
Roman does good comics, he's very good at it. But he makes you the reader work for it. Yes, you'll have to look closely, read and reread certain bits, think a while, ponder and all that. You know how you might look at some art and think "well what's this all about"? you might have to do that. There's wordplay and ambiguity and wonderful illustration in this story. I think you'll like it.
The version I have is printed very dark, but it doesn't ruin it.
The version I have is printed very dark, but it doesn't ruin it.
February 9, 2020
Ei ollut minulle tämä kirja. Taide oli aivan liian tummaa, joten oli todella vaikea saada selvää, mitä kuvissa tapahtui. Lisäksi tässä leikiteltiin paljon englannilla, ja epäilen, että oma kielitaitoni jäi ainakin paikoitellen kakkoseksi.
Tarina oli kuitenkin kiva! Tässä siis päähenkilön viattomuus eli neitsyys katoaa ihan yhtäkkiä, ja nainen sitten etsiskelee sitä. Parasta/kauheinta on se, kuinka muut suhtautuvat naisen vs. miehen viattomuuden menetykseen.
Tarina oli kuitenkin kiva! Tässä siis päähenkilön viattomuus eli neitsyys katoaa ihan yhtäkkiä, ja nainen sitten etsiskelee sitä. Parasta/kauheinta on se, kuinka muut suhtautuvat naisen vs. miehen viattomuuden menetykseen.
November 13, 2020
I would have been pretty lost if I didn’t read the back of the book first to figure out what the hell is going on. That said, the concept and art are very cool, even if I think there was nothing to be gained from making the big reveal at the end be what she was searching for the whole time.
Quick read that succeeds on its style. (And really, for some reason, made me appreciate a highly stylist comic writer like Michael DeForge.)
Quick read that succeeds on its style. (And really, for some reason, made me appreciate a highly stylist comic writer like Michael DeForge.)
July 22, 2021
CW: Abandonment, sadness
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What a strange read. the art style makes me feel like I'm watching a mod-themed cartoon from the 60's or 70's. This graphic novel depicts innocence as a physical object which is a very interesting idea. the dialogue to me went over my head in some spots. I would recommend to adult readers as this book can be harder to read.
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What a strange read. the art style makes me feel like I'm watching a mod-themed cartoon from the 60's or 70's. This graphic novel depicts innocence as a physical object which is a very interesting idea. the dialogue to me went over my head in some spots. I would recommend to adult readers as this book can be harder to read.
March 23, 2017
Preface: I don't normally read graphic novels. They aren't really my thing, but I was trying to branch out and try new things. Also, it was really short and helped bolster my necessary number of read books for my library's winter reading program.
Anywayyy.... the main thing is I just don't get it. Perhaps it's my ignorance of the medium and no fault of the author - I don't know. I did kind of like the weird word choices and the illustrations but that's pretty much it.
Anywayyy.... the main thing is I just don't get it. Perhaps it's my ignorance of the medium and no fault of the author - I don't know. I did kind of like the weird word choices and the illustrations but that's pretty much it.
February 7, 2022
Stopped halfway through due to it's general lack of legibility. I dont know if it was just my print but the pages were too dark and jumps between panels had me (In a Sense) lost as to where I was and what was happening.
August 9, 2025
Maybe I'm just a sucker for obscurity and surrealism but I quite enjoyed this, I don't think what it's trying to say is particularly profound, but it's the perfect length for what it is doing, but it gave me plenty to think about, and the art is FANTASTIC
June 3, 2017
So beautiful. And the wordplay reminds me of John Lennon.
August 17, 2017
A quirky little graphic novella that treats innocence as a tangible object, which is lost by the main character and thus takes the reader on her journey of discovery after this realization.
September 14, 2017
Unlike most abstract comics, I didn't hate this and even found parts of it interesting.
If this is a dreamscape, then surely it's a sign of how our dreams are stuck in last century's technology.
If this is a dreamscape, then surely it's a sign of how our dreams are stuck in last century's technology.
September 16, 2017
This was interesting, but I do sense there is a bit of wasted potential with the premise.
November 15, 2019
Loved the art, wish I understood what was happening a teensy bit more
February 24, 2020
The art trumps the story.
April 25, 2020
Not really my jam.
January 25, 2021
Not a fan, the illustration colours are too dark and sometimes you can’t see what’s happening.
March 15, 2022
Confusing
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews