Sean Gordon Murphy (born 1980) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, ...
comic book creator
developed specialized terminology. Some several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is un ...
known for work on books such as ''
Joe the Barbarian
''Joe the Barbarian'' is an eight-issue comic book limited series written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Sean Murphy. It was published in 2010-2011 by Vertigo Comics.
Morrison has discussed the inspiration behind the series:
The first issue w ...
'' with
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for the ...
, ''Chrononauts'' with
Mark Millar
Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer and television producer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series '' The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ...
, ''
American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest'' and ''The Wake'' with
Scott Snyder
Scott Snyder is an American author. He is known for his 2006 short story collection ''Voodoo Heart'', and his comic book writing, including '' American Vampire'', ''Detective Comics'', ''Batman'', '' Wytches'', ''Swamp Thing,'' and ''Justice Lea ...
, ''
Tokyo Ghost
''Tokyo Ghost'' is an American science fiction comics series written by Rick Remender, drawn by Sean Murphy and colored by Matt Hollingsworth, released in September 2015 by Image Comics. The current story arc concluded in issue #10, with the poss ...
'' with
Rick Remender
Rick Remender (born February 6, 1973) is an American animator, comic book writer and television producer who resides in Los Angeles, California. As a comic book creator, he is best known
for his work on '' Uncanny X-Force'', ''Venom'', ''Capta ...
, and the miniseries ''
Punk Rock Jesus
''Punk Rock Jesus'' is a six-issue limited series comic book created by Sean Murphy and published by Vertigo comics. The series ran for six issues from September 2012 to January 2013 and was collected as a trade paperback in April 2013.
Backg ...
''. He is also the creator of the
Murphyverse
The Murphyverse is the unofficial name given to a line of American comic books created by writer/artist Sean Murphy, and published by DC Comics under its Black Label imprint.
Development
Following the critical and commercial success of '' B ...
, writing ''
Batman: White Knight'' and its sequels ''
Curse of the White Knight'' and ''
Beyond the White Knight''.
Early life
Sean Gordon Murphy was born in
Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester. Along with Manchester, it is a seat of New Hampshire's most populous ...
in late 1980. He showed an interest in comics during grade school. In
Salem he apprenticed to local painter and cartoonist, Leslie Swank. He graduated from Pinkerton Academy high school in 1999, and attended
Massachusetts College of Art
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation’s oldest art schools, the only publicly funded independent art school ...
in Boston, and then
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France.
Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Un ...
.
["Bio"]
seangordonmurphy.com. Retrieved October 21, 2010
Career
Murphy started working professionally before graduating, on titles such ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'' and ''
Noble Causes
''Noble Causes'' is an American comic book series created and written by Jay Faerber, illustrated by a variety of artists and published by Image Comics.
The series follows the lives of the Nobles, a wealthy superhero family in the Image Universe. ...
'', before moving onto various projects for
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
.
[
Murphy's comic book work includes the miniseries ''Batman/Scarecrow: Year One'' with writer ]Bruce Jones Bruce Jones may refer to:
* Bruce Jones (actor) (born 1953), British actor
*Bruce Jones (American football) (1904–1974), American football player
*Bruce Jones (comics) (born 1944), American comic book writer
*Bruce Jones (surfboards) (?–2014), ...
for DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
and the graphic novel '' Off Road'' for Oni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Gr ...
.
He has also had a run on ''Hellblazer
''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introduced. Its central character is ...
'' and, also at Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...
, he is the artist on ''Joe the Barbarian
''Joe the Barbarian'' is an eight-issue comic book limited series written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Sean Murphy. It was published in 2010-2011 by Vertigo Comics.
Morrison has discussed the inspiration behind the series:
The first issue w ...
'', with writer Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for the ...
.
In 2005 he published his first original graphic novel, ''Off Road'', which went on to win an American Library Association Award for young adults.[
In 2006 Murphy illustrated the Dark Horse miniseries ''Outer Orbit'' along with miniseries co-creator, Zach Howard.][Arrant, Chris (April 9, 2012)]
"Exclusive: Sean Murphy's PUNK ROCK JESUS Rises at Vertigo"
Newsarama.
Murphy worked on ''Joe the Barbarian
''Joe the Barbarian'' is an eight-issue comic book limited series written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Sean Murphy. It was published in 2010-2011 by Vertigo Comics.
Morrison has discussed the inspiration behind the series:
The first issue w ...
'', which was published in early 2010.
In 2012 Murphy wrote, penciled and inked the six-issue, black and white creator-owned Vertigo miniseries ''Punk Rock Jesus'', whose protagonist is a clone of Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
who starred in his own reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
program as a child, and has grown into a rebellious young man.[Hunt, James (July 16, 2012)]
"Punk Rock Jesus #1"
Comic Book Resources. The miniseries was described as Murphy's "passion project years in the making", and focuses on religion and the media in the United States as themes, more complicated issues than Murphy had previously addressed in his work. The series was inspired by Murphy's reaction to ascendance of Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 ...
into the national spotlight. Murphy says, "Sarah Palin scared the shit out of me in 2007 -- I was floored that someone that ignorant could come so close to being President. And a lot of her comments were about religion, politics, and the media. It made me want to take action, but I was just a comic book artist and I wasn't sure what I could do. So I started addressing my concerns about these three topics in ''Punk Rock Jesus''. And I felt I really had something, but then Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
was elected and suddenly the need for ''Punk Rock Jesus'' was gone. I was an Obama fan, and I'm glad that Palin isn't anywhere near the nuclear codes, but I felt that I'd missed a window where ''Punk Rock Jesus'' would be most relevant. But 2012 election
This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*3–4 January: ...
] has brought up all my old concerns, so suddenly ''Punk Rock Jesus'' feels relevant again."[Dueben, Alex (June 12, 2012)]
"Murphy Gets Passionate with 'Punk Rock Jesus'"
Comic Book Resources. The series received positive reviews by Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom ...
,[ ]Weekly Comic Book Review Weekly Comic Book Review (WCBR) is an American blog founded by Jason Montes focusing on reviews of newly issued comic books with occasional reviews of graphic novels or comic book related television programs and movies.
The blog is valuable to comi ...
, Bleeding Cool
Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleedin ...
and IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...
.
Personal life
Murphy lives in Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metro ...
with his wife Katana Collins, having moved there from Brooklyn in 2016. Murphy was raised a Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
, but is now an atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
.[
]
Bibliography
Full-length comics
*'' Crush'' (with Jason Hall, 4-issue mini-series and TPB, Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
, 2003)
*''Batman/Scarecrow: Year One'' (with Bruce Jones Bruce Jones may refer to:
* Bruce Jones (actor) (born 1953), British actor
*Bruce Jones (American football) (1904–1974), American football player
*Bruce Jones (comics) (born 1944), American comic book writer
*Bruce Jones (surfboards) (?–2014), ...
, 2-issue mini-series, DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
, 2005)
*'' Off Road'' (script and art, graphic novel, Oni Press
Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Gr ...
, 2005)
*''