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, pe ...

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'' 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 narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...

, ''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 ex ...

, '' 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 (comic book)#The New 52, Batman'', ''Wytches (comics) ...

, ''

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'', ''Captain A ...

, 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. Backgr ...

''. He is also the creator of the Murphyverse, 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 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...

in late 1980. He showed an interest in comics during grade school. In

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

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 Unit ...

."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 film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' 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 Univers ...

'', 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 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 thei ...

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 Grou ...

. He has also had a run on ''

Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary Horror fiction, horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo Comics, Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introd ...

'' 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 w ...

, he is the artist on '' Joe the Barbarian'', with writer

. 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'', 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 R ...

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 Co ...

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 com ...

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, ''Bleeding ...

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 distri ...

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 metropol ...

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 largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, 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,

, 2003) *''Batman/Scarecrow: Year One'' (with Bruce Jones, 2-issue mini-series,

, 2005) *'' Off Road'' (script and art, graphic novel,

, 2005) *'' Outer Orbit'' (co-writer/co-artist/colorist, with

Zach Howard Zack or Zach may refer to: People * Zach (surname), various people * Zack (surname), various people * Zack (personal name), lists of people and fictional characters named Zack, Zach, Zac, Zak or Zakk * Záh (gens) or Zách, a ''gens'' (clan) in th ...

, 4-issue mini-series,

, 2006 – 2007) *''

'': #245-246: "Newcastle Calling" (with

Jason Aaron Jason Aaron (born January 28, 1973) is an American comic book writer, known for his creator-owned series '' Scalped'' and '' Southern Bastards'', as well as his work on Marvel series ''Ghost Rider'', ''Wolverine'', ''PunisherMAX'', ''Thor'', and ' ...

, 2008) *'' Joe the Barbarian'' (with

, 8-issue limited series, Vertigo, March 2010 – present, hardcover, February 2011, ) *'' Hellblazer: City of Demons'' (with

Si Spencer Si Spencer (1961 – 16 February 2021)Si Spencer, 1961-2021
at ''

, five-issue limited series, Vertigo, December 2010 – May 2011, ) *'' American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest'' (with

, five-issue limited series, Vertigo, August 2011 – December 2011) *''

'' (script and art, six-issue limited series, Vertigo, July 2012 – January 2013) *''The Wake'' (with

, ten-issue limited series, Vertigo, June 2013 – July 2014) *''Chrononauts'' (with

, four-issue limited series,

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

, March 2015 - June 2015) *''

'' (with

and

Matt Hollingsworth Matt Hollingsworth (born 1968, in California) is an American comic book colorist. Biography Hollingsworth graduated from The Kubert School in 1991 and began getting regular work from Marvel Comics and DC Comics. In 1993, he was hired to the Dark ...

, September 2015 – July 2016) *'' Catwoman (Vol 5)'': #23-24 (script and cover, with Blake Northcott, DC Comics, May 2020 - June 2020)

Murphyverse

*'' Batman: White Knight'' (script and art, with

, eight-issue limited series,

, October 2017 - May 2018) *'' Batman: White Knight Presents Von Freeze'' (script, with

Klaus Janson Klaus Janson (born January 23, 1952) is a German-born American comics artist, working regularly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and sporadically for independent companies. While he is best known as an inker, Janson has frequently worked as a penc ...

and

, spin-off to ''Batman: White Knight'', one-shot, DC Comics, November 2019) *'' Batman: Curse of the White Knight'' (script and art, with

, sequel to ''Batman: White Knight'', eight-issue limited series, DC Comics, July 2019 - March 2020) *'' Batman: Beyond the White Knight'' (script and art, with Dave Stewart, sequel to ''Batman: White Knight'' and ''Batman: Curse of the White Knight'', eight-issue limited series,

, March 2022 -)

Short comics

*''Batman/Superman Annual'' as contributing artist *''Angel Spotlight: Lindsey'' as contributing artist *''Star Wars Tales'' #19 as contributing artist *''Star Wars Tales'' #15 as contributing artist *''Noble Causes: Extended Family'' as contributing artist *''Absolute Zero'' (prequel to '' Interstellar'', written by

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...

, published in ''

Wired magazine ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online magazine, online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquar ...

'')

Covers and pin-ups

*''

Spike vs. Dracula ''Spike vs Dracula'' is a comic book limited series based on the ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' television series. Initially printed between February and June 2006 as five separate issues, the series was collected as a trade paperback ...

'' five-issue miniseries and TPB (2006), cover artist *''

Truth Serum "Truth serum" is a colloquial name for any of a range of psychoactive drugs used in an effort to obtain information from subjects who are unable or unwilling to provide it otherwise. These include ethanol, scopolamine, 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate ...

'' TPB (2006), pin-up *'' Batman Beyond 2.0 (digital comics)'' (2011), cover artist

Illustration work

* Five-page comic for

Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...

in ''Onelife'' magazine (UK) * Advertising illustration for

Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...

* Concept artwork Digilis with Peter Nelson

References

External links

* * * *
Murphy's Law: Checking in With Sean Murphy

Newsarama Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS. History N ...

, February 2, 2005
Power Wheels: Sean Murphy talks "Off Road"
Comic Book Resources, August 27, 2005
Space, The Funny Frontier
Broken Frontier, October 20, 2006
Space Cadets: Howard And Murphy On Outer Orbit
Newsarama, November 9, 2006
Interview about ''Outer Orbit''
The Pulse, Comicon
Tokyo Ghost: Image ComicsCrafting Tokyo Ghost: Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Sean Living people Background artists Massachusetts College of Art and Design alumni Murphyverse Former Roman Catholics American atheists People from Nashua, New Hampshire American comics artists American comics writers 1980 births