Janet K. Lee is a lovely person to be around. She's also an award-winning illustrator, co-creating Return of the Dapper Men with writer, Jim McCann. AND the illustrator of Marvel Comics adaptations of Jane Austen's "Emma" and "Northanger Abbey". It doesn't stop there...

INTERVIEW

Q: What are you working on right now?

I've actually sold a book that I'm writing - as well as illustrating! It'll come out in 2025 from McMillan; I'm basically sitting in a corner writing and thumbnailing right now...

Q: What was the last project you worked on that's been completed?

I finished Sea Sirens, part of the two-book Frank Baum "non-Wizard of Oz" book series that I did with Amy Chu.

It's about a girl who likes to surf with her cat - and inadvertently finds herself in the middle of a battle between the mermaids and the sea serpents. The cat though, accidentally wins the battle and is named a great war hero.

It was a lot of fun - adventures with mermaids... and the cat can talk! Cats underwater are a blast to draw.

Q: What's the age group for this book?

The story is great for 8-12 year olds because it has a lot of fantastical magic illustrations and it's got a cat who likes to go underwater, and of course, can talk! So what's not to love?

They're stories of friendship among girls and my favorite part is that Amy [the writer] incorporated Vietnamese fairytales (which I had never experienced before) that are wonderful. For example, once the main characters are underwater, the mermaids can understand the cat, but the Trot, little girl, can't. So she's given a pearl that allows her to understand the cat - and this pearl comes directly from a Vietnamese fairytale.

[By using the pearl], we see that the cat is very upset because Trot's been very dismissive of him, though he's clearly very important - and she's not giving him credit.

Kind of sounds like a Star Trek translator in pearl form...

Yes it is! It is exactly like that, maybe THEY got it from the Vietnamese fairytale. There's one about a farmer who's given a pearl, and he's able to understand animals which is part of the fairytale.

But yeah, this book has dragons, and lots of other visuals. [As an illustrator], any book where I get to figure out what orcas wear to a banquet is a fun time!

More Info:
https://www.j-k-lee.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/dapper_janet/
TW: https://twitter.com/Janet_K_Lee

ARTICLES

Artist Spotlight: Janet K. Lee (Return of the Dapper Men) @NY Comic Con 2023

Otakus & Geeks