J.P. Morgan

J.P. Morgan (real name John Patrick Morgan, born 1957, died December 30, 2010), was an American cartoonist and a long-time resident of New Jersey, USA.

Biography
Morgan started drawing in second grade, impressing his teachers with elaborate drawings of Frankenstein monsters. In high school, he became a fan of Warner Bros. classic cartoons, "Rat Fink" creatures and hot rods, and made some sales to Hot Rod Cartoons, followed by CARtoons (with some longer comic stories). After graduating, Morgan attended Parsons School of Design for three years.

Career
After graduation, he continued to write and draw comics. He was an editorial cartoonist for the Courier, a local newspaper, for twelve years. He also became active in the privately published mini-comics scene of the 1980s, publishing a number of issues of Fudgong Funnies. Morgan came up with the character Fission Chicken and went on to create numerous FC stories for Critters, a monthly comics anthology, which led in turn to Fission Chicken's own title.

Morgan continued to write and draw the adventures of the Chicken of Wrath until his death. His final online strip appeared on Christmas Eve 2010.

Influences
Science fiction, horror, and fantasy movies influenced Morgan's work. Morgan cited Gilbert Shelton, Gahan Wilson, and B. Kliban as artistic influences. His favorite authors include Philip K. Dick, Roger Zelazny, and Raymond Chandler.