The Art of The Order of Odd-Fish: Illustrations

Jo Vs. the Nang-Nang by Teddy Bihun It’s Jo wrestling with the nang-nang at the Municipal Squires’ Authority, as Commissioner Olvershaw howls in fear! What an incredible Olvershaw—I feel like I’m rapidly aging just looking at him. The flying papers and fluttering curtains give the whole piece a wild, kinetic feeling, not to mention off-balance Jo struggling with the thrashing nang-nang as it tears off her fingernail with that proboscis (gross! awesome!). The nimbus of blue electricity crackling at the end of each of the nang-nang’s cilia make it even more startling and alien. (Check out an even larger version here.) Teddy is a professional illustrator, and everyone should go look at his blog for more eye-popping genius.

Desolation Day by Teddy Bihun Teddy asked me, what scene hadn’t yet been illustrated for the Odd-Fish art show? I told him I’d love to see something of the Desolation Day ceremony, when the citizens of Eldritch City dress up as Silent Sisters, tear apart an idol of the Ichthala, and drink its unholy milk. Teddy painted this truly unsettling picture. The weird joy on the milk-drinkers’ faces is really disturbing, and exactly what I wanted. Teddy is a real find; this guy should be illustrating EVERYONE’S book. Go check out Teddy’s blog for more fantastic art!

Ian Unravels the Ichthala by Teddy Bihun Another wild, exciting, cinematic painting from Teddy Bihun! It’s Ian pulling the golden thread out of the All-Devouring Mother to destroy the monster and save Eldritch City. Amazing work—I don’t think I can pile enough compliments on this! The wild zigzagging of the thread, Ian’s determined grimace, the ostrich’s shriek, the beautiful dawn sky, the otherworldly, Lovecraftian All-Devouring Mother and Silent Sisters cathedral—this is the climactic picture I’ve been waiting for. Go check out Teddy’s blog!

Oona Looch by Chen Reichert of Botodesigns A stunning, hilarious picture of Eldritch City’s mafia queen! Chen nails what’s so grotesque yet irresistible about Oona Looch, right down to the absurd “Razzle-Dazzle!” t-shirt, poor Fipnit trotting along behind her, and the utterly impassive Looch daughters. Oona’s fishlike old-man face, her slack, lascivious mouth, and piteously feminine eyelashes are perfect. Chen does brisk business at Botodesigns, which makes T-shirts, paintings, prints and more with a “Japanese-inspired robot and plant art land” theme. You can also find her at Etsy. It’s worth checking out my original post about this, complete with more Chen Reichert work (including a picture of Heather and me as American Gothic!) here.

Jo’s Life in the Desert by Tracy Weber A delightful trio of painted wooden boxes depicting Jo, the ruby palace, and the washing machine where Jo was found. Tracy is an old friend from college, and these boxes are exquisite, subtle—everything I’ve always liked Tracy’s design sensibilities. Tracy said that her ruby palace was inspired by a Frank Lloyd Wright building in the desert. For individual shots of the boxes, and more background about Tracy, check out the original post here (you will have to scroll down a little after jump).

Lily Larouche’s Christmas Costume Party by Samantha Jo Somehow Samantha Jo gained access to the inside my skull and painted the EXACT IMAGE I wanted to convey for Lily Larouche’s Christmas costume party! “>Check out the larger version, and hunt down all the different characters mentioned in the text—Korsakov with daffodils on his head, the alligator in a bikini, Jo at the organ, the worm, the UFO, the eggplant. Even better is the stuff Samantha Jo dreamed up: the clown talking to the pterodactyl, the flower, and the Southern belle; the minotaur arguing with the Statue of Liberty; and my favorite, the wallflower bear in a tutu on the stairs, looking at the party with awkward longing. Do yourself a favor and check out Samantha Jo’s website!

Jo’s First Morning in Eldritch City by Kathleen Spale It’s the scene where Jo is looking out over Eldritch City on her first morning. I have particular affection for this moment in the story, and this painting. I especially appreciate how Kathleen has captured Jo’s emotion—the tentative anticipation in her eyes, the nervous clutching of the chest. Amid all the wacky images and weird hijinx, this painting has a seriousness and a wistfulness about it that’s refreshing. And the sunset and fish crashing back into the sea are beautiful! Thank you, Kathleen! Go lose yourself in Kathleen’s awesome artwork on her website.

Grand Feast of the Order of Odd-Fish by Dawn Heath A blazingly talented artist has reached directly into my imagination and created precisely what I’d been dreaming about! It’s the Odd-Fish feast from when Jo first comes to Eldritch City, and it’s everything I wanted: raucous, fantastical, yet homey and goofy. Clearly, Dawn read the scene carefully: the knights and squires are all seated where the text implies, and there’s tons of little details: Dame Delia’s snake, Sir Oliver’s many hats, bald Sir Alasdair, the cracked mirrors and pictures, the feast robes with epaulettes and turbans! I have stared at this for minutes on end, always finding something new. I particularly love the little cockroach on the microphone in the alcove, the other one asleep under the table, and yet another trying to catch Dame Delia’s snake. A masterpiece! This really sums up the rollicking spirit I tried to create. Check out Dawn Heath’s other work online here.

Jo in the Archives by Dawn Heath It’s Jo Hazelwood in the Odd-Fish archives, with the coded manuscript from her father. Take a close look at that manuscript: Dawn took the trouble of figuring out the code of colors from the book, and applied it to the book Jo is holding! This portrait feels like a picture of a medieval saint. I love Jo’s grave yet calm demeanor, the colorful books in the background, and that exquisitely-worked-out manuscript she’s holding. Another triumph! Do check out Dawn Heath’s other work online here.

Ken Kiang’s Costume Notes
by Freya Trefonides

Ken Kiang’s notes hilarious, futile, egotistical notes for possible supervillain costumes. These are some seriously dapper evildoer outfits! The perfect Kiangian touch: “Must get more of this desk stationery. I love it! It just screams ‘professional.’”

Nanookina Dinkle’s Theological Column (Gods #97-#98)
by Freya Trefonides

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Nanookina Dinkle’s Theological Column (Gods #99-#100)
by Freya Trefonides

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Laughing Girls and Beautiful Monsters by Karen Alexander (Azro on DeviantArt) The picture is from an ancient story from the Odd-Fish’s tapestry, which is only briefly mentioned in the book: “a ballroom full of laughing girls dancing with beautiful monsters.” Karen takes this little phrase and goes to town! This is one of the things I enjoy most about fan art—how some artists take something that’s offhandedly mentioned, just a line or two, and expand it. And what a humdinger of a picture! I particularly appreciate how the women are all obviously totally smitten by the monsters, and the monsters are laughing flirtatiously. And the variety of fashions, and the variety of monsters, are wondrous! I want to go to this party.

Sir Martin and Dame Evelyn Hazelwood by Mercedes (offbyzero on DeviantArt) A family portrait of Jo’s parents, taken just before Jo’s birth! I especially like Dame Evelyn’s haunted look, with the darkness under her dead-to-the-world eyes, and Martin’s muddled, slightly-worried-but-I’m-not-quite-sure-what-for air. Mercedes deftly captures the awkwardness of the young couple as Dame Evelyn’s nightmarish secret festers between them. This makes me want to write a prequel!

Jo With Candle by Britnee Berman (slimyfrogz on DeviantArt) It’s a gorgeous portrait of Jo Hazelwood, this one emphasizing her mysterious secrets. What a knockout! Britnee’s packed it with symbolic heft—Jo’s mask, hood, and finger-to-the-lips indicating her secret life, the ingenious candlestick that is a fish vomiting out a building (I especially love that), the fish ring, the subtle fish barrette. The atmosphere of hushed secrecy is cunningly reinforced by the muted blues and grays. It’s beautiful.

Jo Collage #1 by Carol Mollica It’s a collage of Jo Larouche’s life! I love how Carol integrated the text of the book jacket into the piece, including the warning about Jo being “dangerous” (helpfully pointed out, with dry humor, as “enclosed advice”) and put in so many little subtle touches—the fish and the bird and the mysterious woman in the margin (Aunt Lily? Jo’s mother? A Silent Sister?) and the clip from the British WWII posters (”keep calm and carry on”)! Bang-up job, as they would say! Carol’s original collage style brings a unique angle to this collection. Visit her blog “Artist In Progress” here.

Jo Collage #2 by Carol Mollica Another great collage from Carol! I like the goth look of Jo here—worthy of a Tim Burton character!—and how Carol runs the gold thread alongside the prophecy about being “the bride of the apocalypse” and Ian lurking in the margin. The Chinese (Japanese? Eldritch City?) coins are a nice touch too! Carol has a unique, intriguing collage style of arranging illustration, text, and emblems. Visit her blog “Artist In Progress” here.

Ian of the Odd-Fish by Basil Arnould Price (TiamatRouge on DeviantArt Modern dandy Basil Arnould Price, a fifteen-year-old prodigy whose work on DeviantArt is staggering, contributed this stylish portrait of Ian Barrows, Jo’s best friend in Eldritch City. Basil really captured the what I wanted Ian to be; both his unstable, adolescent good looks and his tentative awkwardness. The rose in his hand and the butterfly perched on his rifle give him such a fragile, earnest air. It seems fraught with symbolic import, like some allegorical code. I also appreciate that Basil put Ian in proper knightly raiment. It gives it a medieval, chivalrous atmosphere. The brooding weather in the background, with the nightmarish half-face in the clouds, is a masterful complement to Ian’s uncertain mood. Basil writes, “I felt like Ian was sort of an embodiment of the gentle, somewhat youthfully insecure first boyfriend, complete with awkward teenage facial hair. He’s the sort of boy that I can easily identify with. And yes, those are monstrous faces in the background, intended to represent Ichthala, along with the unnamed fish that so lovingly vomits up the city.” Exactly.

The Origins of Eldritch City by Karen Alexander (Azro on DeviantArt) The creation of the universe as depicted in the Odd-Fish tapestry: the All-Loving Mother tricked by Aznath, the Silver Kitten of Deceit into vomiting the 144,444 gods into existence. Gorgeous, raucous, strangely solemn, this is just what I imagined the tapestry to be like: crammed with life, but its rambunctiousness streamlined into a flowing whole. Karen has included many of the gods mentioned in Odd-Fish: along with Ichthala and Aznath, there’s also Zam-Zam, the Dancing Ant of Sadness; Fumo, the Sleeping Bee; Quafmaf, the Pigeon of the Moon; Nixilpilfi, the Gerbil Who Does Not Know Mercy; Mizbiliades, the Bleeding Butterfly; Pzarnarfalasath, the Rhinoceros Whose Laughter Destroys Worlds; Zookoofoomoot the Maggot of Dismay; Pft the Mouse; and more! Karen’s giddy profusion of gods puts me in the mind of the otherworldly bathhouse in Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

Jo and Ian with Odd-Fish Banner by Diana Todd Good enough to be a book cover! It’s beautiful! Diana’s clearly spent some time poring over photos of real ostriches, right down to their knock-kneed stance and the imperious look in their eyes. The armor and regalia are exquisite, especially the authentic-looking ostrich tack (stirrups!) and the semi-transparent feather headpiece. This is the best kind of art: doing the diligent research, and then setting it on fire with imagination!

Dame Delia’s Schwenk Field Notes by Diana Todd I can totally see Dame Delia snatching up a crumpled paper bag and scrawling these expert sketches of the beast as she chases it across Eldritch City. It might be too small to see here, but scribbled among the sketches are the notes “The Schwenk—Struthiconiicopteri Schwenkii” (I love the pseudo-Latin scientific name!) along with “sharp bill” and “crest is rarely raised” and “caught a glimpse of the bird in flight” and “tracked the bird around the city for several hours. It is just as elusive as Korsakov said!” This is beyond fan art; this is an authentic document from Eldritch City that somehow wriggled into our world. Diana makes the Schwenk even more enigmatic by never fully revealing it, but only capturing it in a few hastily-executed sketches, each showing a different aspect. Making it feel that much more real! At last, the Schwenk has found its John James Audubon.

Hanging by a Thread by Diana Todd What a joyous, buoyant feeling this one has! Ian and Nora are hanging from Jo’s legs; and Korsakov and then Sefino are hanging from Ian’s leg, and Audrey’s hanging from Nora’s arm—and there’s Aunt Lily floating nearby with her own balloon (a reference to her reckless hot-air ballooning in California?), and the Belgian Prankster popping up in the corner. This is just wonderful composition, summing up the essence of all the characters in their expressions and body language. I love the close attention to detail here. Who remembers Ian’s tan corduroy jacket? Diana does, apparently. And Nora’s Teenage Ichthala shirt is the perfect touch. But my favorite thing is how Colonel Korsakov is pouting about something . . . as though he had been unexpectedly scooped up by Nora’s foot, and is patiently enduring the indignity of flight. Another strength: I like how Sefino looks like a fop, but also looks like a real cockroach. Smashing work, Diana!

Some Odd Knights by Hailey McLaughlin Jaw drops to floor. Brain explodes with awe. Eyes joyfully melt. A double triptych of Lily Larouche, Colonel Korsakov, and Commissioner Olvershaw, both in their prime and in their old age! I can’t decide what I like best: the vivacious Audrey Hepburn feel of young Lily Larouche, the dashing figure Korsakov cuts as a young KGB agent, or the terrifying decrepitude of Olvershaw as he reaches out to demolish you with his thumb (and if you zoom in close enough to the hi-res version, you can even see his crinkly nose hairs!). A visual feast! More choice details: Korsakov’s teeny-tiny teacup, Olvershaw’s thumb fluttering on the edge of a stringlike arm, and the nonplussed cockroach assistant. Read the original post, with Hailey’s accompanying dialogue, here.

Odd-Fish Ostrich by Libby I knew Libby was a good cartoonist from her illustrations for The Strange Ship II ending, but this is a huge level-up. The elaborate, jewelry-like feel to the ostrich armor is perfect, especially the feathers on top—putting me in the mind of a simpler Aubrey Beardsley—but the best part for me is the imperious, cocky expression on the ostrich’s face. And those mysterious runes! Libby explains the runes: “From left to right: Tyr, god of war. I figured it would aid in battle. Kaen (reversed), in order to ward off chaos/bad luck. Naudr (reversed), to ward off death.” I love details like that! Read the original post here.

The Hunting of the Schwenk by Kevin Buckelew Kevin Buckelew is the notorious fish-hat-wearing young man from Colorado whom, it was revealed in March 2009, is actually my mother. Here we see Colonel Korsakov and two Odd-Fish squires, hot on the tail of the elusive Schwenk! So many great details: the squires shushing each other as they wield weapons from Sir Festus’ collection, the tentative manner in which Korsakov peers around the corner, the hidden Wormbeard skulking on a lizard-dog in the alley, the way the Schwenk blithely strides across the rooftops, the hypercolorful design of Eldritch City . . . I especially like how Kevin himself is peering out the window (with mysteriously long, sharp fingernails?) and how the words on the storefront, “Kevin Fish Hats,” are twisted into a weird Eldritch City alphabet. My original post about this art. Kevin’s post on DeviantArt.

Oh Joy For Hat by Sammi Riff (Authoress-Feind on DeviantArt) It’s the cockroach butlers of the Odd-Fish praising their Hat of Honor, just before dumping it on Jo’s head. I love the monocles, the waistcoats, the bottles of moonshine, the bow ties, the singing and walking-sticks and dancing . . . especially how Jo is speechless and Ian is laughing next to her. This is pretty much exactly how I imagined the scene!

The Schwenk by Sammi Riff (Authoress-Feind on DeviantArt) Sammi’s vision of the Schwenk here is fantastic — like a technicolor Pegasus, a fierce, rainbow-drenched hallucination. I particularly like its mischievous smirk!

Eldritch City by Sammi Riff (Authoress-Feind on DeviantArt) A landscape of Eldritch City at night. I like the lurching angles of the buildings and the storm of pastel dots bubbling up from below. The sky, with the concentric circles, reminds me of a van Gogh sky. Mysterious and slightly surreal . . .

The Ruby Palace by Sammi Riff (Authoress-Feind on DeviantArt) Here’s Lily Larouche’s ruby palace! With an economy of shapes and a kind of suggestive impressionism, Sammi makes us feel the isolation of Jo’s home in the desert. I like how the palace’s darkness gives it a threatening, forbidding feeling, as though there really might be a dangerous baby in there. The cactus in the foreground is an adroit touch, making us feel the vast distance between us and the palace. Well done!

Jo Trapped Under the Hat of Honor by Sammi Riff (Authoress-Feind on DeviantArt) Here’s Jo after the cockroaches have thrust the Hat of Honor onto her: glum, exasperated, and embarrassed as she’s weighed down by the massive, Seussian hat!

Ken Kiang Taunts the Indignant by Freya Trefonides Here’s a wonderfully detailed rendering of Chapter 6 by my protegee Freya. It’s the scene when Ken Kiang, before shooting down Colonel Korsakov’s plane (with Jo, Aunt Lily, and Sefino aboard) taunts them by reciting a list of life’s simple pleasures. I love how Ken Kiang gazes fondly into the middle distance as he recites “Chamomile tea . . . Funny puppies–oh, the silly things they do! . . . the smell of freshly baked bread . . . dandelions . . . ” and Jo chases the Inconvenience around as Sefino, Aunt Lily, and Korsakov freak out. Tons of great little details: Sefino’s collection of powdered wigs (with colored bows!), the jawbone of an underwater animal, a blunderbuss, a box of Turkish cufflinks, and even the bust of Yuri Andropov! “For the love of Lenin, shut up, Kiang!”

Aznath and Ichthala by Mallory Woods This is the first piece of Odd-Fish art I received after the book came out—and it sets the standard high for everything to come! It’s Jo and Fiona outfitted in ceremonial armor for their climactic duel at the Dome of Doom. Dueling tradition requires that each duelist costume themselves as one of the 144,444 gods of Eldritch City. Jo (on the left) is dressed as Aznath, the Silver Kitten of Deceit; Fiona (on the right) is dressed as Ichthala, the All-Devouring Mother. I love the anime style, which puts me in the mood for a kinetic action sequence. I also appreciated that Mallory took the trouble to figure out what would make practical battle armor—in the book, Ichthala is described as a shapeless blob of tentacles and mouths, but Mallory wisely streamlined Fiona’s costume into something sleeker and scarier. (And those dead, blank red eyes! Masterstroke!) The bold variety of colors in Fiona’s costume make a good contrast with Jo’s various subtle shadings of silvery fur. And I love that set, determined expression on Jo’s face! A classic. Here’s my original post on the art. Visit Mallory Woods (a.k.a. DarkshireWarlock) on DeviantArt.

Jo in the Ruby Palace Garden by Michelle I received this watercolor even before Odd-Fish was finished! It was painted by Michelle, a woman who worked at Jinx, the now-defunct coffeehouse where I wrote much of The Order of Odd-Fish. I have no idea what happened to her. We had planned for her to illustrate the whole book. This was her picture for the first chapter: Jo creeping around the ruby palace’s garden during Aunt Lily’s costume party. I particularly like the mysterious red windows simmering in the background darkness, the way Jo is curvily framed by trees and Chinese lanterns, and the merry toad crouched among the roots. It’s a weird coincidence that Michelle’s choices of colors and composition are startlingly close to what became the actual cover, years later! I still wonder what happened to her. Read the original post here.

The Belgian Prankster by Kathleen Simmons Here’s a gloriously gleeful comic-book style character sheet for the Belgian Prankster! This one’s by Kathleen Simmons, known as LittleDarlingEve on DeviantArt. Kathleen deftly conveys the mix of goofy whimsy and insane terror that is the Belgian Prankster by showing him in four different modes. In the full-body drawing he looks guileless, almost innocent. Then Kathleen shows his monstrously eager, feral side when his stinger is out; gives us a taste of his contemptuous irony with the third picture; and then neatly acknowledges that Hoagland Shanks is the Belgian Prankster in disguise with the fourth picture, in which he blissfully clutches a pie! I love the red bags under his eyes, his exploding gray hair, his overall creepiness. Bravo! At the tender age of 19, Kathleen’s already getting in at the ground floor at Disney: she snagged one of the coveted positions working as a Disney Cast Member for five months at Disney World next year. Go Kathleen! With her skills, she’s going far. Seriously, do yourself a favor and check out the tons of great art she’s already done on DeviantArt.

Colonel Korsakov by Danie Here is a superb portrait of Colonel Korsakov, clearly on the verge of blustering about his digestion. The artist Danie (whose DeviantArt profile, under the name ClassyFat, is stellar) describes her methods as such: “The figure is scrap pieces of framing mats super-glued together then painted with oil . . . then he is hot glued onto a piece of spray-painted cardboard.” Interestingly, “the tassles on his shoulders are real . . . I envisioned him fatter though. Ah well. It’s Korsakov on a diet.” To be sure, Korsakov needs to diet. I love the mixed-media approach (great choice to use real tassels for his epaulettes) and the quizzical-bordering-on-outrage expression in his eyes is perfection. His luxurious beard and mustache and exactly as I imagined, as well as his formidably bristling eyebrows. I’m very lucky to have this. Thanks for an incredible job, Danie! Here’s Danie’s original posting of this on DeviantArt.

Jo Eavesdropping by Freya Trefonides Jo hides in a bush in Aunt Lily’s garden, eavesdropping on costume party guests. Nearby a man dressed as a UFO gossips with a woman dressed like an eggplant about Aunt Lily’s out-of-control antics. The eggplant has a properly bored, la-di-dah expression; the UFO has a fish-eyed, nerdy look that makes me think he’s trying to impress her. Freya adds a whole new social subtext to the scene! Great stuff!

Jo and Fiona in Costume Armor by Panndy Here’s another cool imagining of Jo and Fiona in their costume armor! Jo, on the left, is Aznath, the Silver Kitten of Deceit. Fiona, on the right, is Ichthala, the All-Devouring Mother. Fiona is really terrifying—like something out of the movie ALIEN?—I love how her costume is bristling with teeth and horns. And Jo’s got such a cool, tough expression; I especially like her fluffy silver armor! The burning dark red background and having Jo and Fiona back-to-back were great ideas. I can feel the tension between them. Fantastic job!Visit Panndy’s DeviantArt profile here.

I’m A Violent Guy! by Freya Trefonides Another winner from Freya! I particularly like the composition in this one. It feels like we’re standing with Colonel Korsakov, Jo, and Aunt Lily while the boy dressed as the hedgehog points a gun at us! Korsakov and Lily flank Jo on either side, as if protecting her, and Jo seems to be reaching out for Korsakov’s hand for reassurance. But Korsakov has his hands on his hips in defiance. I also like the cut of Aunt Lily’s dress and the flaming design on the hood of the hedgehog’s sports car. Nice work!

Jo Hazelwood by Mangamoo1 Here’s a quirky, cool portrait of Jo from Mangamoo1 from DeviantArt. I love the feeling of this one, which catches Jo’s quiet humor. She seems both dainty and punk, both poised and otherworldly. The golden thread and the fish are smart extra details, but it’s the eyes that really sell me here—they seem to go beyond merely large manga eyes—all the way to the hauntingly huge eyes of a Margaret Keane painting. Great work!

Lily Larouche by Karen Alexander (Azro on DeviantArt) It’s a sober, contemplative portrait of faded starlet and ex-knight Lily Larouche. I love when artists take an unexpected perspective on the subject—Karen doesn’t focus on Lily Larouche’s wackiness and glamor, but on her secret sadness. That’s a hard emotion to pull off, but Karen does great justice to Lily’s character, deepening it so that Lily Larouche feels like a real person with a tragic past and not just a caricature. I imagine that this is the look Aunt Lily sometimes get in her eyes at the ruby palace—and when Jo asks what’s wrong, Aunt Lily just smiles vaguely and changes the subject. Karen writes, “I don’t know why I drew her with a hat, maybe because every time I think of crazy older women I see a a floppy sun hat?” Ha! Bonus! This looks a bit like Judi Dench, whom I think would be perfect to play Aunt Lily if there was ever an Odd-Fish movie—well, either her or Helen Mirren.

Young Sir Nils by Karen Alexander (Azro on DeviantArt) It’s Sir Nils van der Woort when he was still a knight of the Odd-Fish, before he became the Belgian Prankster. Karen writes that this is “right before he enters the service of the Silent Sisters. I kind of wanted to show him contemplating betraying his fiancee and Order (as well as his city and all of humanity but that’s another story.) ” Karen got the brooding, “contemplating betrayal” emotion spot on. The shifty expression and sidelong grimace seal the deal. An tense, threatening portrait! Check out her original post on DeviantArt here.

Young Colonel Korsakov by Karen Alexander (Azro on DeviantArt) This forbidding portrait of a young Colonel Korsakov rounds out Karen’s trio of charcoal drawings of the knights in their younger days. Karen writes, “this is a young(er) Korsakov, probably when he was first assigned to capture the Schwenk. I imagine he looks a bit spacey because his digestion is telling him two things at once.” Spacey, yes; and fierce; and, somehow, rather bohemian? I guess it’s because Karen gave him longer hair—it gives him a raffish, artistic vibe that offsets nicely his military background. I like to think Korsakov let himself go a little when he settled into Eldritch City. Here’s Karen’s post on DeviantArt.

Sefino Drunk by Freya Trefonides In Chapter Four, Jo and Aunt Lily’s house is filled with noxious green insecticide by the obnoxious handyman Hoagland Shanks. Colonel Korsakov is afraid the insecticide has killed his cockroach partner Sefino, but in fact it has only made the foppish insect tipsy. I particularly like the glazed, half-focused look in Sefino’s eyes here, his off-balance stance, his uncertain waving of his walking-stick. Freya has clearly put in her fair share of time with inebriated insects.

Jo Flying Ethelred by Freya Trefonides I believe this is the first illustration I received from Freya! It’s Jo flying through the sky on her ostrich Ethelred. I had this picture hanging on my refrigerator for a long time—I like how Jo and Ethelred are blithely flying by while the bird below them is shocked and terrified, so much that its eyes are literally popping out of its head, its feathers leaping off its wings! Ethelred in particular has a serenely pleased look. I also like the “J” sweater!

Jo in the Bath by Freya Trefonides Here’s Freya’s imagining of a scene from Chapter Two, when Jo is in the bath at the ruby palace, thinking about her life with Aunt Lily. As usual, it’s the little details that make it work: the clawed feet of the bathtub, the light slanting through the windows, Jo’s pensive expression as she mulls over her situation. And of course, the overwhelming red-and-goldness of Aunt Lily’s decorating scheme. Solid!

Early Freya Art: Ken Kiang and Jo on Ethelred by Freya Trefonides Here’s some of Freya’s earliest Odd-Fish art. We can see the hints of future awesome work to come! This Ken Kiang is a bit sterner and I daresay scarier than the Ken Kiang in her throbbingly detailed illustration of the dogfight in Chapter 6, and the Jo astride Ethelred here will soon take spectacular flight. (I like the addition of sunglasses/goggles. It can get windy and sunny way up in the sky.)

The Black Box by Freya Trefonides In Chapter Two, Aunt Lily figures out how to open the mysterious black box that fell from the sky in Chapter One. Little does she know it is the Inconvenience, and the lives of Aunt Lily, Jo, Colonel Korsakov, and Sefino are about to come exponentially more troublesome and annoying. Here Freya cleverly puts the viewer in the point of view of Aunt Lily as she looks into the black box for the first time.