The irony was that when I decided to review Ileana Surdukan’s “Lost Sunday” I didn’t get away with me. It actually motivated me. I don’t write too many reviews. Because between full-time jobs, families with young children, housework and various other interactions, I don’t have enough free time. In fact, after a long day of getting things done, when I planned to write this review on a Saturday evening, I had to fix an unexpectedly broken printer instead. I was very angry. I wanted to throw stupid things on the wall to steal the little free time I should have.
Nina, the young protagonist of Lost Sunday, knows this feeling too well. She lives in a city without Sundays – there is no day of rest – because the evil witch stole it. And the other six days are vicious wolves filled with boring pieces that don’t produce meaningful results. After Saturday, the following week begins again with the same fruitless cycle as Monday. In the end, Nina had enough and went out into the dangerous world of witches to get back on Sunday.
oni Press
As you probably understand, Surdukhan tells a story about burnout and the need for rest. Well, it is actually a re-announcement, or rather, regrowth of fairy tales known in Germany as Frau Hall, and fairy tales known in many other countries as old ladies’ daughters and old men’s daughters.
Creating during the 2020 pandemic, Romanian Sadokan originally published Lost Sunday in French. The Romanian and English version was later funded by the highly successful Kickstarter campaign. The book won the 2022 Eisner nomination for 2022 for Best Painter/Multimedia Artist. This week, ONI Press will release the hardcover English version of Lost Sunday into a wider distribution.
From the first page, my whimsical illustrations and fascinating prose were a reminder that I beat me, defining Scotty Young’s career and winning Eisner. Nina speaks as she walks along the unstable ladders and rope bridges between her stressed town’s Dr. Seuss-like buildings. Stressful days of the week are literally described as fantastic wolves that become panels where Nina and the other characters act. All the characters look fantastical, friendly and fun.
oni Press
Essentially, from images to story style, Surdukhan perfectly captures everything that makes fairy tales, parables and f stories so wonderful, fun and powerful. The fanciful and mystical elements allow old and young to escape in the magical world with childlike innocence and adoration. And while the story is superficially simple, it is full of deep layers. Lessons for both children and adults.
Surducan creates these layers in the same way as art through stories. For example, she uses colour to contrast the gray and brown worlds of burnout with the brightness and lightness of her free time. The effect works both at cognitive and emotional levels, as all good fairy tales require. Each page is fun.
Surducan deals with themes and morals with maturity and wisdom. The focus does not go far from the risk of burnout or the need for a break, but she also presents the issue of falling from the other side of the horse. By creating a Sunday every day, you can “solve” your burnout. Always take a break, lazy and selfish. However, Surducan also reveals this false accusation. So we learn that in Nina, we have been humbled and humbled to make a positive change.
oni Press
On Sunday, I was able to make the lost Sunday a real test. On a Sunday afternoon, my 4-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter were quickly sitting next to me on the couch. Soon, they were enchanted on the lost Sunday, listening enthusiastically through the full 52-page story, asking excited questions and pointing to the fun picture. My daughter laughed cheerfully with the snippets of the dialogue here and the stupid images there. And she persistently asked about the subjects of greed, humility, laziness, hard work and rest, long after we were finished. When asked if I should buy a physical copy of the book, both responded loudly and aggressively. While reading Lost Sunday, my kids and I experienced the magic of fairy tales together. And it was the absolute best part of my Sunday. (Thanks, Ileana Surducan!)
Nominated for Ileana Surducan’s Eisner, The Lost Sunday is a fun re-image of traditional fairy tales, adding a modern theme of burnout and the need for free time. Through whimsical illustrations, beautiful colors, charming characters and layered storytelling, Surdukhan captures everything about fairy tales, which are wonderful, fun and meaningful. And most importantly, my kids were totally fascinated from start to finish.
“Lost Sunday” is a fun fairy tale about burnout and free time
Lost Sunday
Nominated for Ileana Surducan’s Eisner, The Lost Sunday is a fun re-image of traditional fairy tales, adding a modern theme of burnout and the need for free time. Through whimsical illustrations, beautiful colors, charming characters and layered storytelling, Surdukhan captures everything about fairy tales, which are wonderful, fun and meaningful. And most importantly, my children (ages 2 and 7) were totally fascinated from start to finish.
My kids loved it!
Fun, Eisner nominated illustration.
All good fairy tales should be.
Some secondary themes are merely touched on.
