WHO WAS FRANCESKA MANN? When I started work on my graphic novel about people hiding in ARTIS zoo during World War II, I needed models for the character design. For obvious reasons, there weren’t many photos of these people! That’s when I discovered Franceska. Someone I’d describe as a heroic martyr of the time. A few months later, Chad Bilyeu asked me to create a one-page comic about ANYTHING for his Sunday Funnies exhibit, and my mind turned to her. So I tried to do her justice. 

WHAT IS SUNDAY FUNNIES? The Megillah Sunday Funnies exhibit features original, full-color comics inspired by classic full-page Sunday comic strips such as Gasoline Alley, Little Nemo in Slumberland, Popeye, and Krazy Kat. Chad “in Amsterdam” Bilyeu has curated an international array of 35 artists who have created new and original artwork in the same format as the renowned classics with a modern spirit and rendered in contemporary styles.

The exhibit continues through May 26th, 2023 at the OBA central library in Amsterdam.