Rob Morphy

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My sticker/T-shirt illustration (with type design by Marc Storrs), my original illo for American Monsters and various eyewitness sketches and a Japanese toy inspired by the classic Russian CE3K case of the...

VORONEZH ALIENS: In what may be the most bizarre extraterrestrial encounter ever reported, dozens of eyewitnesses claimed that in the autumn of 1989, a trio of colossal, robotic, three-eyed aliens—along with their boxy mechanical companion—landed and attacked a pair of teens in a Russian park.

Here’s our podcast about this bat shit crazy case: https://cryptonautpodcast.com/podcast/42-voronezh-aliens/

Here’s the original article I wrote back in 2010: https://www.cryptopia.us/site/2010/10/voronezh-aliens-russia/

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Illustration for an article/podcast about one of the weirdest paranormal / extraterrestrial / inter-dimensional phenomenons on record: Sam the Sandown Ghost Clown (aka the Sandown Spaceman, aka the Golf Links Ghost)

“In the spring of 1973, two children had a run in with an inexplicable clown-like entity that eerily beckoned to them from beneath a bridge and managed to lead them into what some have speculated was an alternate dimension.”

https://www.cryptopia.us/site/2018/11/sam-the-sandown-ghost-clown-england/

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I’m not sure of the provenance of this photo save for the fact that it was attached to this 2015 article about the creature in question, but I’m secretly delighted that the folks around Mill Lake use my illustration on what I can only assume are WANTED posters for the arm less, glowing eyed, pickle-shaped monstrosity!

https://www.richlandsource.com/life_and_culture/what-monster-lurks-at-charles-mill-lake/article_4b08763a-72ac-11e5-891c-2bacb759ce5f.html

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T-shirt design for the awesome Monsters Among Us Podcast's “Cryptid Crate” memorializing a terrifying 1988 encounter between a teenager and 7-foot tall, green scaly skinned, red-eyed monster known as the Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp.

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"Saint McGavin" is my tribute to one of the great unsung actors of the 20th Century – and all too briefly 21st – Darren McGavin (born William Lyle Richardson, May 7, 1922 – February 25, 2006).

Like many extraordinary performers not possessing classic matinee idol good looks, McGavin is often referred to (with a great deal of affection no doubt) as a great character actor, but that belittles his accomplishments. All actors play characters, McGavin, however, inhabited his roles. He had a face, mannerism, and magnetism on the big or small screen, that was astonishingly compelling.

There’s not a fan out there of “Kolchak: the Nightstalker” who doesn’t for a moment believe that Carl Kolchak is living, breathing human being with ink stained fingertips and passion for the truth, no matter how bizarre that truth may turn out to be. Generations of yuletide film fiends absolutely know in their hearts that Ralphie’s profanity spewing, turkey loving; major award winning father is absolutely and in every way possible an actual person with gruff exterior and a soft heart.

Thus was the power of McGavin. Whether the role required you to love him or loathe him, he tackled it with gusto, becoming whatever it was he was supposed to be, yet, at the same time, infusing each performance with that inimitable “je ne sais quoi” that was uniquely his own. He was one of the best and his work deserves to be reappraised by the next generation of cinema lovers.

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The 7th inductee to my long delayed "Power Puff Girl Series" is the oft befuddled Mayor of Townsville... The aptly monickerd: "Mayor!"

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The 18th character to step into my “DC Rest Home” series is the non-progressively christened, yet butt-kicking badass Batgirl! Not to be confused with Batwoman – who has had a much shorter, but, as a Jewish Lesbian, was in many ways an infinitely more intriguing character – or Bat-Girl, who were created in 1956 and 1961 respectively in order to (I shit you not) challenge the censors’ notion that Batman was having an illicit homosexual affair with his young ward Robin, Batgirl (at least her most famous incarnation) was brought to life in 1967’s Detective Comics No. 359, by Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino. Barbara Gordon, who by day she is the daughter of beloved Gotham Police Commissioner James Gordon, by night she dons a cape and cowl and takes to the street as an ally of her famous namesake. In Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel “Batman: The Killing Joke,” Gordon was shot by the Joker (coming soon) and soon after became the paraplegic computer whiz known as Oracle. On a personal note, my mom, Denise Morphy, agreed to pose for this sketch with the understanding that I would abnormally age her in accordance with the theme of this series… she bought me my first Batman comic and introduced me to the Adam West series when I was too young to even tell time… the woman is a saint! So, without another moment’s wait I present the brilliant, beautiful, badass… Batgirl!

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The 17th character to make it into my “DC Rest Home” series is Batman’s 5th Dimensional super fan, and one of my fav weirdo offshoot characters, the inimitable Bat-Mite! First appearing in May, 1959’s Detective Comics No. 267 in a tale titled "Batman Meets Bat-Mite," written by Bill Finger and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff, the tiny, ridiculously powerful, imp-like, inter-dimensional entity – unlike the Supes puckish adversary, Mr. Mxyzptly – idolized Batman and did his best to emulate the Dark Knight. Using advanced 5th Dimension technology; the Bat-Mite had nearly immeasurable powers, which he uses in order to highlight Bat’s crime fighting skills. Despite the fact that he has put his hero in danger on more than one occasion, the fact is that Bat-Mite is more of an annoyance than a true villain. In later, post-Crisis incarnations Bat-Mite has been relegated to the role of a delusion that Batman creates after suffering a life threatening injury, but this weird, little “Great Gazoo” of Gotham has charmed scads of fans in its own outlandish way. Without another moment's hesitation, I proudly present one of the most bizarre characters in the DC universe… Bat-Mite!

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The 16th resident settling into the “D.C. Rest Home” is the high-jumping Forager! First appearing in the inestimable Jack Kirby’s pet project New Gods No. 9, published in August of 1972, Forager was originally said to be a member of a species of humanoid-insects that had evolved from “micro-life” disseminated during the epic war between the New Gods of New Genesis and Darkseid of Apokolips, but it was eventually revealed that he was actually a member of the New Gods who had been raised not in their palatial floating city, but by the humanoid-bugs of the Insect Empire on the planet’s surface. Ostensibly killed saving Batman’s (see the 1st installment of the “DC Rest Home” series) life and the Earth during 1988’s brilliant “Cosmic Odyssey,” by Jim Starlin and Mike Mignola, I choose to believe that Forager, like Supes and so many others before him, will eventually be resurrected and live to a ripe old age. So it is with eternal optimism that I present the acrobatic, not-quite-insectoid warrior Forager!

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My 15th inductee into my "" is former superhero and agent of the Lords of Chaos cum murderous super-villain: Hawk! A founding member of one of my all-time favorite crime fighting duos, the ill-fated “Hawk and Dove,” Hank Hall and his brother Don were the unwitting agents of the mystical, god-like Lords of Chaos and Order respectively. (For the record the Lords of Order were also responsible for giving archeologist Kent Nelson the helmet of Nabu, thus granting him, and his numerous successors, the powers and mantle of Dr. Fate – see the 4th “D.C. Rest Home” installment). Made famous (well, not famous, exactly) in 1968’s “Showcase No. 75,” the characters of Hawk and Dove were created by the legendary Spidey artist Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates. In an effort to capture the zeitgeist of the Vietnam era debate between conservative, pro-war, anti-communists and liberal, anti-war protestors, Ditko and Skeates endeavored to create a pair of brothers who would represent the ideological divide that literally seemed to be tearing the nation apart at the seams. On one hand you had the macho, hyper-militant, conservative jock, Hank Hall (aka. Hawk) and on the other hand you had contemplative, scholarly, liberal pacifist Don Hall, (aka. Dove). Not surprisingly Hawk and Dove would constantly butt heads about everything from the war in Vietnam to how to best subdue villains. They would eventually join Teen Titans West. After Dove was tragically killed by Shadow Demons in 1985’s “Crisis on Infinite Earth’s,” Hawk no longer had his brother’s influence to pacify him and his violent, war-like tendencies came to the fore. Hawk would eventually become the hero slaying villain known as Monarch and later Extant. Although he was killed in 2009’s “Blackest Night” series, Hank, like so many of his super heroic brethren, was resurrected and once again assumed the Hawk mantle. So it is with great affection that I present life-long Republican and likely Archie Bunker aficionado; the square jawed warmonger Hawk!

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The 14th character conscripted into my “DC Rest Home Series” is an inventor, pacifist, acrobat, part-time Justice Leaguer, New God royalty and intergalactic escape artist known throughout the universe as Mister Miracle (a.k.a. Scott Free).

Created by arguably the single most influential artist in the history of comics; a man who’s venerable memory rests on a throne of a million Stan Lee concocted hyperboles, the one and only Jack Kirby, Mister Miracle first burst upon the D.C. scene in April of 1971 as part of Kirby's impressive, but short-lived Fourth World saga, which also included the Forever People, New Gods and their eternal nemesis, Darkseid.

The essentially immortal Mister Miracle is the biological son of the ruler of New Genesis known as Highfather. As part of a treaty designed to end a devastating war between New Genesis and Apokolips - ruled by the tyrannical Darkseid - an exchange of heirs was made by the two rulers and Scott Free traded places with Darkseid's son Orion.

Like all proper Dickensian origin stories, Scott was raised in the squalid and depraved conditions of Granny Goodness' "Terror Orphanage," before eventually rebelling and escaping to Earth with a badass warrior known as Big Barda - with whom he would eventually tie the knot - and a nearly invulnerable, magnetically sealed alien super suit, which molds to his skin (and, in the case of the aged version, beard) with memory fibroids that serve as a life-support system. The suit also has a Motherbox, which allows him to fly, shoot fission blasts and create mini shock-waves. It also supplies him with an array of escape gadgets that would make both Batman and Houdini green with envy!

As if all of this weren’t enough, Mister Miracle is also the living embodiment of the Anti-Life Equation, which allows him to warp reality on a cosmic level and dominate the will of all sentient races. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be) this ability is fueled by rage and negativity, two traits that Free rarely embraces. So instead of ruling the galaxy with an iron fist, he lives in the suburbs and occasionally, when the situation demands, helps save the world.

So it is with great pleasure that I present one of my all time favorite characters… “Happy-go-lucky Old Mister Miracle”

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The lucky 13th member of my "D.C. Rest Home Series" is the nefarious genius, most famous bald guy after Mr. Clean and Telly Savalas and legendary Supes nemesis: Alexander "Lex" Luthor! Created by Superman co-poppas, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Lex Luthor first appeared in the April, 1940 issue of “Action Comics #23,” wherein he lived in a dirigible suspended city and tried to provoke war in Europe. It didn’t take him long, however, to graduate from mere war instigator to the lofty position of  Superman’s archenemy. In these dog days of summer when an all too real megalomaniacal, narcissistic, sociopath and (alleged) billionaire is actually (I still can’t believe it) vying for the most powerful leadership position on Earth, one almost can’t help but to draw parallels between this fictional super villain and the genuine threat to democracy, good taste and world peace that is Donald J. Trump. In fact the only real differences between the real estate developer/reality show host/bankruptcy junkie Trump and the fictional business magnate Luthor is the fact that Luthor is a charismatic genius who believes in honest to goodness science and does not try to overcompensate for his male pattern baldness by stapling a dead marmoset to his head. Also Luthor actually did get elected president of the United States… one parallel I pray never occurs. So, without further adieu, I present the standard bearer of the Republican Party and the next President of the Uni-- I'm just Messin' around! It’s the leathery egghead Lex Luthor!

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Random sketchbook excerpts from over the last 7 years or so - mostly pencil and good ol’ rollerball gel pens!

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"Saint Kirby” is my tribute to a man who is arguably the most influential artist in the history of the comics medium; the inimitable (though oft imitated) Jack “The King” Kirby. There are so many tributes to Kirby’s phenomenal career (and controversies surrounding it), that it would be a waste of space to re-chronicle it here. Suffice it to say Kirby’s dynamic pop-art style influenced generations of comic book artists and he co-created some of the most enduring characters in the history of the medium. With the late, great Joe Simon, Kirby created America’s most iconoclastic superhero (second, perhaps to Supes): Captain America. And after a string of horror, western and romance comics, Kirby helped to herald the rebirth of the super hero at Marvel with the legendary Stan Lee. Some of the most famous Lee/Kirby collaborations include the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the original X-Men, Doctor Doom, Magneto, the Inhumans, the Black Panther, the Avengers, Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Kirby also illustrated the first issue of Spider-Man, but Stan Lee chose Steve Ditko to redraw the story. As if that weren’t impressive enough, for DC Comics Kirby created The New Gods, Mr. Miracle and perhaps best known of the DC villains, the nefarious Darkseid. While there have been scads of brilliant artist to grace the pages of comic books, none were quite so influential or memorable as Jack Kirby.

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"Saint Allen" is my tribute to the amazing career of writer, producer and director: Irwin “the Master of Disaster” Allen. A graduate of New York's Columbia School of Journalism, Irwin Allen was described as a wonderful synthesis of P. T. Barnum and Cecil B. DeMille who elevated showmanship on both television and cinema screens to dazzling new heights. He helped to pioneered the Special Effects extravaganzas in movies like "Lost World" (1960) and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1961) as well as the sci-fi revolution with series such as "Lost in Space" (1965-68), "The Time Tunnel" (1966-67) and "Land of the Giants" (1968-70). As beloved as he may be to some for his many contributions to the sci-fi/fantasy genres, what Irwin Allen will forever be known for is the champion of the epic disaster film, which came to dominate the box office during the 1970's. While Allen may not have been the first to attempt to capture natural (and unnatural) disasters on the silver screen, he managed to pioneer the use of cutting edge FX combined with stellar all-star casts the likes of which had never (well, rarely) been seen. While his two most famous, profitable and (in my humble opinion) best disaster flicks are the legendary "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) and "The Towering Inferno" (1974), the litany of celluloid destruction he left in his wake on both the large and small screens are mind boggling. 1978 gave us "Swarm;" the all-star, killer bee invasion epic and a personal favorite of mine -- I mean how often can you watch Fred MacMurray get killed in a massive bee-induced train crash? This was followed by the lackluster "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure" (1979) and his convoluted yet over the effin' top volcano-run-amuck-magnum-opus "When Time Ran Out..." (1980). On television Allen treated audiences to multiple made-for-TV disaster movies with self-explanatory titles like: "Flood!" (1976), "Fire!" (1977), "Hanging by a Thread" (1979), "The Night the Bridge Fell Down" (1979), and "Cave-In!" (1979). These inspired countless imitators. There can be little doubt that critics have been just in suggesting that Allen was feeding off the carcass of his own success in later years, but the influence those successes have had on popular entertainment is undeniable and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

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"Saint Harryhausen" is my tribute to the extraordinary life and career of artist, writer,  producer and “Dynamation” creator Ray Harryhausen. It is nearly impossible to overestimate Harryhausen's contributions to contemporary cinema. Filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, John Landis, Joe Dante, John Lasseter, George Lucas (the list literally goes on and on) have all acknowledged the profound influence Harryhausen has had on their work and, as if that weren’t enough, his animation for “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” directly inspired executives at Toho Studios to create their most iconic character: Godzilla! While it might be forgivable for a novice movie fan to dismiss Harryhausen as a great stop-motion animator who worked on a couple of good (and not-so good) sci-fi/fantasy flicks during the 20th Century, the fact is that Harryhausen may well be the most influential filmmaker of the last half-century. From “Star Wars” to “Jurassic World” to “Lord of the Rings” to “Avatar” to “Piranha” to “Mars Attacks“, the work of Ray Harryhausen has inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe to create the type of cinema which has gained dominance over the past 40 years; the blockbuster. On a personal note, most of my favorite cinematic moments would not have happened if Harryhausen had not animated (I’m lookin’ at you Mighty Joe Young, Talos and Ymir) or inspired them and for that I am forever grateful!

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"Saint Honda" is my tribute to the phenomenal Ishirō Honda 本多猪四郎. Honda was a filmmaker who will long be remembered for his contributions to the kaiju and tokusatsu genres, but who also was a respected director (and long time collaborator, and dear friend of, Akira Kurosawa) who made brilliant horror, war, drama and documentary films. Undoubtedly his most famous contribution to the world of cinema, however, is the beloved Japanese savior/nemesis: Godzilla. A character whose popularity may even eclipse that of the venerable King Kong. Honda -- along with the father of Japanese special effects, Eiji Tsuburaya 円谷 英二 and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka 田中 友幸 -- is the man arguably most responsible for the creation and success of the Godzilla franchise. Much like my last inductee into my "Saint Series," Tsuburaya, I could not imagine a world wherein Honda did not exist to help feed my youthful imagination with ideas that I never could have fathomed on my own. He helped to populate my universe with incredible, beautiful, color filled fantasies of monsters and aliens and fantastic technologies. To not have had the films of Ishirō Honda in my life would have crippled my burgeoning imagination in ways I can't even conceive of. But forget my testimonial, just take a look at this very abridged filmography and bask in the cinematic glories of this pop culture colossus: Godzilla (1954) Half Human (1955) Rodan (1956) The Mysterians (1957) Varan the Unbelievable (1958) Battle in Outer Space (1959) The Human Vapor (1960) Mothra (1961) Gorath (1962) King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) Matango (1963) Atragon (1963) Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) Dogora, the Space Monster (1964) Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) The War of the Gargantuas (1966) King Kong Escapes (1967) (1967) Destroy All Monsters (1968) All Monsters Attack (1969) Latitude Zero (1969) Space Amoeba (1970) Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) Godzilla may be king of the monsters, but Honda is the king of kaiju... Hail to the King!