Jen Lee is a rising star in 
the comic world. After her release of her web comic Thunderpaw, Lee is quickly becoming a ubiquitous name because of the complex and sincere characters she creates. In an interview with Inkstuds Radio, Lee chatted about her new comic, Vacancies, released by NoBrow Press in June 2015. She discussed her inspiration for Thunderpaw and how it set the stage for her new work that is taking the comic world by storm.
Originally conceived as a video game, Thunderpaw grew out of Lee’s interest in comics and dog behavior, as a form of self-therapy. After quitting her marketing job, Lee released her web comic for her own enjoyment, not expecting many people to read it. However, Lee’s talent was noticed overnight, and her web comic soon had a large readership and many fans. The success of her web comic led NoBrow Press to contact Lee over Twitter, where they asked to work with her, launching the process of creating Vacancies.
Vacancies is Lee’s first print comic and occupies the same world as Thunderpaw. The canine characters navigate situations dealing with abandonment and isolation, themes that Lee and her readers are naturally drawn to and that create compelling stories. Vivid attention to detail in terms of the story as well as the rich illustrations create a comic that is as intelligent and sincere as it is entertaining. In the future, Lee plans on continuing to work with the same motifs featured in both Thunderpaw and Vacancies, though she is open to wherever her creative whims may take her. Intricate and thought-provoking, Vacancies is not to be missed.