MARBLES IN MY UNDERPANTS

What's lurking under the bed? Who's casting that shadow outside my window? Common questions children ask themselves in the dead of night. But what if, instead of those rather innocuous queries, the child asks things like: What's inside this bunny that makes him move? What if I put a raisin in a dead man's nose? If I leave the paw of a deceased mole in the sun, will it grow sprouts and fungus like potatoes? This is the world of Renée French, who's independent comic book stories have been disturbing readers and provoking reactions since the early '90s. Oni's hefty collection, Marbles In My Underpants, is the first major volume of her work to be published anywhere. It's a comprehensive retrospective, examining French's versatility and the spectrum of her career, from the harsh early work in Grit Bath up to Corny's Fetish, a touching tale of a lonely man and his desire for love. Through horror, psychedelia, and, ultimately, a skewed approach to conventional storytelling, French gets to the dark middle of the human psyche, crafting a truly unique comic-book experience.