''Fission Chicken'' is a
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
and
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 ...
character created by
John Patrick (J.P.) Morgan (1957–2010). Fission Chicken is a short-tempered
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
who can fly, is extremely
strong,
bulletproof
Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protectio ...
, and can project power bolts from his hands.
Starting in 1987, Fission Chicken appeared in numerous stories published in the comic book ''
Critters'', published by
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint.
History
Founding
Fantagraphics was found ...
, as well as his own 4-issue series from the same publisher. This was originally intended to be an 8-issue series, with a fifth cover having been already prepared, but was ended due to low sales.
Other appearances over the years include ''Plan Nine from Vortox'' (
MU Press
MU Press (officially Miscellanea Unlimited Press) was an independent comic book publisher based in Seattle, Washington, which operated 1990 – c. 2006. MU Press was one of the industry's most prolific " furry" comic publishers, while its mid-199 ...
), as well as in ''Furrlough'' (Radio Comix), ''Valiant Varmints'' and ''SFA Spotlight'' #14 (
Shanda Fantasy Arts). ''Varmints'' was a 1998 anthology comic in which Fission Chicken teamed up with other creators' anthropomorphic characters. Many of these were associated with the
furry fandom
The furry fandom is a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters. Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, speaking, walking on two legs, and wearing clothes. The term ...
, such as Beatrix Farmer created by
Steve Gallacci and
Taral Wayne.
Pages by J.P. Morgan can also be read on the Fission Chicken website.
Fission Chicken ("Fish" for short) fights a continuing battle against weird monsters and cultural brain death. Notably, he has battled the mind control attempts of Vortoxians (a malevolent race of alien
marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
experts), the Ditsy entertainment empire (a parody of
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
), and Video Zombies. Some unusual opponents he has fought include the Ether Bunny (a rabbit bank-robber who uses airborne incapacitating agents on his victims), Percival Ulmer "P.U." Evolcraft (a somewhat deranged occultist and a satire on
H. P. Lovecraft), ambulatory living toilets, the movie monster Ferdie Cruller (a pun on
Freddy Kruger
Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's ''A Nightmare on Elm Str ...
), the
Dero (a subterranean race), an army of incompetent and dull-witted invaders from the planet "Ineptune", and his own evil duplicate. Other characters in the series include Monica Fether (his beautiful girlfriend—who can also fire energy bolts), Skip Squirrelhard (his
P.I. friend, who aspires to be a children's book author), Dr. Lawrence Livergut and Crouton (a scientist and his assistant who often inadvertently create extra problems for our hero), and Norman Gnu (AKA Normannu the
Gnostic
Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...
Gnu, a free-spirited mystic who travels through time).
Unlike most superhero characters, Fission Chicken does not use an alias to hide his identity, and simply goes by the name "Fission Chicken". Several episodes reveal that his base of operations is an apartment in an unnamed city in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
(creator J.P. Morgan was a resident of Keansburg, NJ), and his friend Skip Squirrelhard is his upstairs neighbor.
"Fission Chicken" creator John Patrick Morgan died December 30, 2010, at the age of 53. His final online strip, the conclusion of a story arc, had appeared on
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
that year.
Characters
* Fission Chicken (Critters #15, August 1987)
* Fuzzy Cutekins (Critters #15, August 1987): Hated by Fission Chicken, a celebrity who makes a living from vapid and bottomless cuteness.
* Boogog (Critters #15, August 1987): A giant spider monster bent on eating Fission Chicken and Fuzzy Cutekins.
* Vortoxians (Critters #19, December 1987): Evil marketing geniuses from space, the PlanetCorp Vortox. They have made themselves into plastic robots in order to better conquer other worlds.
* Lomax Lizard (Critters #19, December 1987): An acquaintance of Fission Chicken who attempts to convince him to monetize himself through toys, comic books, and cartoons, all of which Fission Chicken rejects violently.
* Destructo Dog (Critters #19, December 1987): A B-List superhero who is targeted for Lomax Lizard's cash grabs after Lizard was rejected by Fission Chicken.
* Skip Squirrelhard (Critters #19, December 1987): Fission Chicken's upstairs neighbor, private investigator and aspiring children's book author. Frequently assists in fighting evil, mainly the Vortoxians.
* Selmor-99 (Critters #20, January 1988)
* Kikbak-72 (Critters #21, February 1988)
* P.U. Evolcraft (Critters #23, April 1988)
* Dr. Frankenstang (Critters #27 August 1988)
* "Strep" O'Coccus (Critters #27 August 1988)
* Walt Ditsy (Critters #28 September 1988)
* Steven Spielbird (Critters #30 November 1988)
* Michael Jukeson (Critters #30 November 1988)
*Dickey Mouse (Critters #30 November 1988)
*Dr. Livergurt (Critters #32 January 1989)
* Crouton (Critters #32 January 1989)
* Nuke Rooster (Critters #32 January 1989)
* The Dero (Critters #35 April 1989)
* Ayn Rant (Critters #35 April 1989)
* Livergut Labs Toilet (Critters #38 July 1989)
* Middle-Aged Generic Mutant Tortoises (Critters #39 July 1989)
* Ether Bunny (Fission Chicken #1)
* Nathrax, Lepsyro, and Flatucelen (Fission Chicken #1)
* K'CelBoo (Fission Chicken #1)
* Stu Dinerdud (Fission Chicken #2)
* Ferdie Cruller (Fission Chicken #2)
* Russ Cavern (Fission Chicken #2)
* Vid-Citizens (Fission Chicken #4)
* President Kingoff (Fission Chicken #4)
* Cyber-Republicans (Fission Chicken #4)
References
External links
Fission Chicken website(Archived at
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
)
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070220025303/http://home.earthlink.net/~johnpmorgan/FCindex.htm
* http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/f/fissionchicken.htm
Overview of FC art (with some animation) on YouTubeCartoonist J.P. Morgan and his Fission Chicken at Pseudo CommentsObituary for John P Morgan
{{Fantagraphics comics
Fantagraphics titles
Fictional chickens
2006 webcomic debuts
2000s webcomics