''Fetus-X'' was a weekly romantic horror

comic a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

written and drawn by

Eric Millikin Eric Millikin is an American artist and activist based in Detroit, Michigan. He is known for his pioneering work in artificial intelligence art, augmented and virtual reality art, conceptual art, Internet art, performance art, poetry, post-In ...

and

Casey Sorrow Casey Sorrow is an internationally known American cartoonist, illustrator, and printmaker. ''Fetus-X'' Sorrow's early comic collaboration with Eric Millikin, ''Fetus-X'', was run for a short time in Michigan State University's ''The State News ...

. Millikin is an American artist and former human anatomy lab embalmer and

dissection Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause o ...

ist.Zabel, Joe (June 14, 2004).
Cutting Up The Dead: An interview with Eric Millikin
". ''The Webcomics Examiner'' Sorrow is an internationally known

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, pe ...

illustrator and printmaker. ''Fetus-X'' has been published in newspapers, books, and as a

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

since late 1999.Bennet, Brandon (August 1, 2002).
Guest appearance helps ‘Fetus-X’ move forward
". ''The State News'' The first ''Fetus-X'' comics were drawn by artist Casey Sorrow, who later left to create the comic ''Feral Calf''. The storylines of ''Fetus-X'' generally revolve around Millikin's use of the

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

in both romantic relationships and battles with various ghosts, demons, aliens, and monsters. The artwork is

mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different media. Materials used to create mixed media art incl ...

, combining

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

paintings with found objects. The text is often written in

free verse Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French ''vers libre'' form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. Definit ...

. Early comics are in black and white, but after 2002 most are full color.

History

Millikin began drawing horror comics by age one-and-a-half, when he made crayon drawings of ghosts terrorizing him during toilet-training. By second grade, he was making teachers profane birthday cards showing his school burning down.Breithaupt, Christy (July 26, 2006).
Dark visions: MSU grad's 'Fetus-X' comic earns national recognition
". ''

Lansing State Journal The ''Lansing State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Lansing, Michigan, owned by Gannett. Overview The ''Lansing State Journal'' is the sole daily newspaper published in Greater Lansing. The newspaper had an average Monday through ...

'' The first ''Fetus-X'' newspaper strips were published in spring 2000 in

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

's ''

The State News ''The State News'' is the student newspaper of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. It is supported by a combination of advertising revenue and a $7.50 refundable tax that students pay at each semester's matriculation. Though ' ...

''. Immediately there were problems with censorship, Catholic League protests, and threatened cancellation. After the Catholic League protested the comic and then MSU president

M. Peter McPherson Melville Peter McPherson (born October 27, 1940) is president emeritus of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. He previously served as a special assistant to President Gerald Ford, administrator of USAID under President Ronald ...

declared he wanted it banned, the comic strip was removed for being too controversial. During the controversy over the comic, many people protested on both sides of the issue. Those who were against the comic protested on religious grounds. One said, "As a

born-again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

, I just wanted to notify the writers of “Fetus-X” that the comic strip svery offensive. ... I pray that one day you will come to know the power of the cross." Another warned, "Do you remember what happened when they said, 'not even God can sink the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

''?' There are certain things you just don’t joke about. ... keep your blasphemy to yourself." Those in favor of the comic said that "I would not hesitate to liken 'Fetus-X' to the

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

of comic strips ... It is the courage, imagination and talent of both the band and the strip that will set them apart from the other flavors of the week and earn them both places in artistic history." And: "It's frustrating to see the ultimate goal of

political correctness ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

gain precedence over the basic principle that Casey Sorrow and Eric Millikin have the artistic right to their own opinions." After six months, ''The State News'' cancelled the comic strip despite support from some readers. It continues to be published on the web and in many college newspapers and in alternative newspapers such as Detroit's ''

Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. History and content Supported entirely by advertising, it is distributed f ...

''Millikin, Eric (April 13, 2005).
Holy Shit, the Pope is Dead
''

'' and the '' University Reporter''. In the fall of 2002, ''Fetus-X'' became part of the subscription-based online

alternative comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which ...

anthology

Serializer Serializer.net was a webcomic subscription service and artist collective published by Joey Manley and edited by Tom Hart and Eric Millikin that existed from 2002 to 2013. Designed to showcase artistic alternative webcomics using the unique natu ...

, a spin-off of the successful webcomics site

Modern Tales Modern Tales was a webcomics subscription service active from 2002 to 2012. Joey Manley was the website's publisher and original editor. The site featured a roster of approximately 30 professional webcomic artists. Shaenon Garrity, one of the si ...

. Other comics on Serializer included '' Achewood Sunday Edition'', '' The Magic Whistle'', and '' Little Laurie Sprinkles''.Hart, Tom and Joey Manley (Oct. 21, 2002).
Modern Tales And Tom Hart Launch Serializer.Net Today
". In the fall of 2005 ''Fetus-X'' became a free comic on

Webcomics Nation Webcomics Nation was a webcomic hosting and automation service launched on July 29, 2005 by Joey Manley. Unlike Manley's previous webcomic sites, Webcomics Nation was based on user-generated content and relied on online advertisement revenue, wh ...

. In June 2006, Millikin was interviewed in the book '' Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists,'' edited by award-winning syndicated editorial cartoonist

Ted Rall Frederick Theodore Rall III (born August 26, 1963) is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic strip, comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and e ...

. ''Attitude 3'' also includes other webcomics such as ''

Cat and Girl Dorothy Gambrell is a cartoonist who writes and draws the online comic strip ''Cat and Girl'' in addition to the blog ''very small array''. Her work has appeared in the literary journal Backwards City Review and the Anton Chekhov anthology The Oth ...

'', ''

Dinosaur Comics ''Dinosaur Comics'' is a constrained webcomic by Canadian writer Ryan North. It is also known as "Qwantz", after the site's domain name, "qwantz.com". The first comic was posted on February 1, 2003, although there were earlier prototypes. ''Dino ...

'', ''

Diesel Sweeties ''Diesel Sweeties'' is a webcomic and former newspaper comic strip written by Richard Stevens III (R Stevens). The comic began in 2000,Rall, Ted (2006). '' Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists'', New York: Nantier, Beall, Minoustchi ...

'', and ''

The Perry Bible Fellowship ''The Perry Bible Fellowship'' (abbreviated to ''PBF'') is a webcomic and newspaper comic strip by Nicholas Gurewitch. It first appeared in the Syracuse University newspaper ''The Daily Orange'' in 2001. The comics are usually three or four pa ...

''.Rall, Ted (2006). '' Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists'', New York: Nantier, Beall, Minoustchine. . After being offline due to a server crash, Serializer relaunched in October 2006, under the editorship of Eric Millikin.Xerexes, Xaviar (Dec. 2006).
The Comixpedia End of 2006 Roundtable
.MacDonald, Heidi (Oct. 12, 2006).
Serializer.net returns
". ''Fetus-X'' was among the comics on the relaunched serializer, along with '' A Softer World'', '' Idiot Box'', and ''

Templar, Arizona ''Templar Arizona'' is a webcomic written and drawn by Spike Trotman, Charlie Spike Trotman. It was hosted on Webcomics Nation. Trotman describes ''Templar, Arizona'' as "a story about a town, and the people who live there", specifically referring ...

''.Bors, Matt (Oct. 24, 2006).
Serializer.net
".

Characters and plot

Typical plots of ''Fetus-X'' comics involved the title character Fetus-X interacting with a

lab rabbit A domestic or domesticated rabbit (''Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus'')—more commonly known as a pet rabbit, bunny, bun, or bunny rabbit—is a subspecies of European rabbit, a member of the lagomorph family. A male rabbit is known as a ''bu ...

named Bunny. Fetus-X was a psychic zombie fetus floating in a jar of

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section F ...

who may or may not be Millikin's missing conjoined twin or his clone from an alternate timeline or dimension.

Critical reaction

In their review of serializer.net, ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...

'' wrote: "It's a pleasure to see strips like ... ''Fetus-X'' use the newspaper format for far more daring, entertainingly perverse work ... 'Fetus-X''would be perfectly at home at a good alternative weekly or a great college paper."Wood, Mariko (March 2003). "Download: Good Comics and Baud Web Comics". ''

'', No. 251, p. 38. In their review of ''Attitude 3'', the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

wrote that "the visual style of Eric Millikin’s ''Fetus-X'' 'crosses

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

with an incipient victim of high-school suicide.'" Flagg, Gordon (August 2006). "Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists". ''

'', p. 23. Since 2000, ''Fetus-X'' has been the target of protest campaigns organized by the Catholic League for its "blasphemous treatment of Jesus".Michigan State President Acts Presidential
". (November 2000). ''Catalyst Journal of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights'' "This particular comic is offensive to Catholics and Christians," Catholic League spokesman Patrick Scully said in August 2002. "It completely ridicules the Catholic faith and is not funny." The ''

Hartford Advocate ''CTNow'' is a free weekly newspaper in central and southwestern Connecticut, published by the ''Hartford Courant''. The previous iteration of CTNow was New Mass. Media, a privately owned weekly newspaper company until 1999, when its owners, inc ...

'' has called Millikin a "borderline sociopath." ''Fetus-X'' was named one of the best webcomics of 2004 by ''

The Webcomics Examiner Joe Zabel (born July 7, 1953)Zabel entry
Who's Who of Amer ...

'', who called it "one of the sharpest political commentaries available. In an era where presidents are treated as messiahs, and questioning the fatherland’s foreign policies is socially unacceptable, Eric shows how necessary it is to yell at the top of your lungs about the madness of it all." In 2006, ''Fetus-X'' was nominated for multiple

Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards The Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards (WCCA) were annual awards in which established webcartoonists nominated and selected outstanding webcomics. The awards were held between 2001 and 2008, were mentioned in a ''The New York Times'' column on webco ...

including Outstanding Comic, Outstanding Single Panel Comic, and Outstanding Romantic Comic. It (referred to as "''Foetus-X''") was later disqualified for not meeting the Award's defined genre criteria for romance comics. In 2007, ''Fetus-X'' was again nominated for multiple Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards including Outstanding Romantic Comic. It was not disqualified from the romance category in 2007. ''Fetus-X'' was used along with ''

Penny Arcade ''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have establish ...

'', ''

American Elf James Kochalka (born May 26, 1967, in Springfield, Vermont) is an American comic book artist, writer, animator, and rock musician. His comics are noted for their blending of the real and the surreal. Largely autobiographical, Kochalka's cartoo ...

'' and ''

Questionable Content ''Questionable Content'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''QC'') is a slice-of-life webcomic written and illustrated by Jeph Jacques. It was launched in August 2003 and reached its 4,500th comic in April 2021. The plot originally centered on Marten Re ...

'' as an example of comics using the web to create "an explosion of diverse genres and styles" in

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and ''Making Comics'' (200 ...

's 2006 book ''

Making Comics ''Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels'' is a book by comic book writer and artist Scott McCloud, published by William Morrow Paperbacks in 2006. A study of methods of constructing comics, it is a thematic sequ ...

''.McCloud, Scott (2006). ''

'', New York: Harper Collins Publishers. , p. 227.

Side projects

Eric Millikin has won awards for his illustrations for major newspapers such as ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the '' Detroit Tribune'' on Februa ...

''."News is honored by sports editors". (February 28, 2003). ''The Detroit News'', p. 1H. Casey Sorrow's illustrations have appeared in publications like ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

.'' ''Feral Calf'' is a comic by former ''Fetus-X'' artist Casey Sorrow. It is about feral fish people doing strange things to each other and is also hosted on

. Eric Millikin and Casey Sorrow also created the holiday

Monkey Day Monkey Day is an unofficial international holiday celebrated on December 14. The holiday was created and popularized in 2000 by controversial artists Casey Sorrow and Eric Millikin when they were art students at Michigan State University. Monke ...

(celebrated December 14) as an opportunity to educate the public about monkeys, as a holiday that supports evolution rather than religious themes, and an excuse to throw monkey-themed costume parties.McKenzie, Charlie
Holiday monkey business
". (December 8, 2005). ''Hour (Montreal, Quebec)''A toast to Bubbles
". (December 8, 2005). ''Los Angeles City Beat''

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Official websiteSerializerFeral Calf
2000s webcomics American webcomics Horror webcomics Political webcomics Romance webcomics Webcomics in print fr:Fetus-X