Renee French’s characters live in strange worlds, somehow both comforting and dismaying. Eerie and expressive, sometimes confusing, always exactingly drawn, Renee’s illustrated stories grace several books, comics, and anthologies. Among my favorites are the story of Edison Steelhead in her graphic speculative novel The Ticking, and her rats - showing a different turn of Renee’s style - in online strip, then book, Micrographica.

What’s particularly exciting is Renee’s drawings, sketches, and studies – like the fly guy below – appearing regularly on her blog.