Halloween Countdown 2009: Monster #7

[Artist sketch based on eyewitness account.]

The Great White North holds many mysteries. One of the most unusual involves a large spider-like being reported in a letter to one Miss Abigail McCarthy of Boston Massachusetts sent by a man named John Campbell in the Fall of 1896.

The letter reads like a typical cordial correspondence of the times, but one line stands out above the rest:

"...began normal enough...was alighted upon by the strangest of beings...creature out of the most dire and forgotten nightmares...walking like a man but possessing limbs and features like that of an insect..."

Seven feet tall with six full limbs and multiple eyes glowing fiercely in the dark, this creature was not given a name by it's gold seeking discoverer, but the description does closely match the child god Chokko-Amba of Inuit legend.

Halloween Countdown 2009: Monster #6

[Illustration of "The Treacham" based on eyewitness accounts.]

Completely lacking rear appendages, the strange creature dubbed "The Treacham" pulls itself along the ground with powerful claw-tipped paws at the end of sinewy front arms. Rumored to be capable of moving just as swiftly in water, most reports find this creature dragging itself along dry land, waiting for an unsuspecting goat, small cow, or even a human being who may have stumbled unknowingly into its domain.

Halloween Countdown 2009: Monster #5

For over a century a creature known only as "The Gromb" has haunted those who would wander out into the rocky sun-baked areas of Western Nevada naive enough to think that the harsh elements were the worst of their fears.

Early silver miners told a tale of a bear-sized beast with fangs as long as pick-axes and paws the size of wagon wheels hiding among the shadowed crevasses and natural rock caves that jutted the bleak landscape.

Most assume the stories were concocted to keep would-be claim jumpers and other competition away from the promise of silver and other valuable minerals, but others believe the stories hold some ancient truth, and that the spirit of a long forgotten Indian totem haunts the land seeking retribution for the sins of western settlers.[Artist Sketch of "The Gromb" based on several eyewitness accounts.]

Halloween Countdown 2009: Monster #4

[Artist sketch of "Squishy" based on several eyewitness accounts.]

Often appearing on cloudless mist-shrouded nights, "Squishy" has been haunting the wheat fields of Hutchinson Kansas since the mid 1950s. Often explained away by officials as "swamp gas" emitted from nearby marshes, sightings of the glowing apparition are often accompanied by unexplained electromagnetic phenomenon and have also been known to coincide with reports of crop circles and similar otherworldly signs.

Halloween Countdown 2009: Monster #3

Sailors have spun yarns about mermaids, ghost ships, haunted fog, and assorted sea monsters since the day after we ourselves crawled out of the primordial ocean and turned right around in an attempt to conquer the sea that birthed us.

One such mythic creature, sung in fisherman song and legend for thousands of years, is the ghost crab; a crustacean with claws of human skulls said to be those of men who did not heed the ghost crab's warnings.

Indonesian legend holds that ghost crabs are minions of the demon Noka-ai', and fishermen believe the mere sight of a ghost crab portends certain death if they do not cast off their nets and return immediately to shore. Even then, safety is not guaranteed and the demon Noka-ai' may still take umbrage upon the vessel and sailors that received the demonic warning.



[Illustration of the ghost crab based on ancient legend.]

Halloween Countdown 2009: Monster #2

Known as "Ducktopus" to residents living near seaside Oso Flaco Lake, this strange creature was first mentioned in the Spring 1974 issue of Strange but Really Real Science magazine.

Further reports have been sparse, lending most in the really really real scientific community to posit that the creature was not a monster and, barring a complete fabrication of the story, was in fact an ordinary octopus eating or resting on top of a dead seagull, duck or other local water fowl.


[Artist Sketch of "Ducktopus" based on eyewitness account]

Halloween 2009: Monster #1

Reports of a 6' leech-like creature with long claws and eyes below it's gaping maw began quietly with a one line article in The Heber Springs Tribune Issue 6 Volume 64, March 11th 1926.

Sightings became more frequent as the early century progressed, with at least three a month by the mid nineteen-forties.

Not ironically, these reports also coincided with an ever increasing tourist boon for nearby Greer Lake.

"He done got a mouth on his forehead, an big 'ol glowin' eyes!" Reported Hick Heber, a local restaurateur, in a 1936 sighting. "I thunk I was dunfer."

Later dubbed "Mouthy McGee" by an entrepreneurial local named Rick Heber, "'ol Mouthy" began appearing on billboards, T-Shirts, and even as the mascot for nearby Heber Elementary School.


[Artist Sketch of "Mouthy McGee" based on several eyewitness accounts]

Greer Lake dried up for a few years in the late sixties, and so did the tourist trade. The lake has returned, but the tourists never did.

The last reported sighting of Mouthy McGee was over twenty years ago.

"It's a beautiful lake and a wonderful town," says Nick Heber, current resident. "We'd like to leave "Mouthy" in the past where he belongs. He's dunfer."

Robot Art

Before we roll into Halloween Countdown 2009 I wanted to post my robot art entries in a contest held over at The Attic of Astounding Artifacts. I didn't win, but I had fun.





These are each illustrations of actual toy robots from decades past. The first one is based on a toy called Jupiter Robot, and the second is Smoking Space Man.

I think they'd make nice T-shirt designs.

Halloween Countdown 2009

Starting October 1st and running to October 31st, I will be joining in on the blogosphere wide Halloween Countdown 2009!

I did it last year and it was a scream, and an undeniable challenge to come up with something new for 31 days straight.

My plan this year is simple; I'll post a drawing, sketch, picture, or some other personally created artistic representation of a monster every day.

Stay tuned, boys and ghouls.

Mwuahahahahahaaaaaa!

Sonic Scream

Ollie forgot to put the toilet seat down....again!*



*Non nerd note: Dinah Lance, aka superhero and JLA** member Black Canary, is married to Oliver (Ollie) Queen, fellow superhero and JLA member Green Arrow. Black Canary's super power is a "sonic scream."

**Justice League of America.