Eric Millikin#Witches and Stitches

Millikin is a descendant of Mary Eastey, who was executed for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials.

He began drawing horror art by age one-and-a-half, and by second grade, he was making teachers profane birthday cards showing his school burning down.Breithaupt, Christy (July 26, 2006). "[http://hub.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060726/NOISE08/607260319/1104/HUB Dark visions: MSU grad's 'Fetus-X' comic earns national recognition] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060810134421/http://hub.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060726%2FNOISE08%2F607260319%2F1104%2FHUB|date=2006-08-10}}". Lansing State Journal Millikin has been creating animated horror films using artificial intelligence animation since the 1980s, began posting art on the internet using CompuServe in the early 1980s, and began publishing on the World Wide Web in the early 1990s.Garrity, Shaenon (July 15, 2011) "[http://www.tcj.com/the-history-of-webcomics/ The History of Webcomics]" The Comics JournalXerexes, Xaviar (January, 2009). "[http://comixtalk.com/eric_monster_millikin_talks_fetuses_zombies_and_monkeys Eric Monster Millikin Talks Fetuses, Zombies and Monkeys]". Comixtalk

Millikin attended art school at Michigan State University in their Honors College. He paid his way through school by working in the school's human anatomy lab as an embalmer and dissectionist of human cadavers.Zabel, Joe (June 14, 2004). "[http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue040614/millikin.html Cutting Up The Dead: An interview with Eric Millikin] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041010140037/http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue040614/millikin.html|date=2004-10-10}}". The Webcomics ExaminerFingeroth, Danny (August 2008). "The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels". p. 276. While at art school, Millikin was homeless and lived in a car.{{Cite web|url=http://www.artlyst.com/articles/james-joyce-foundation-objects-to-new-childrens-book|title=James Joyce Foundation Objects To New Children's Book - ArtLyst|date=2014-02-08|access-date=2016-07-01|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208005143/http://www.artlyst.com/articles/james-joyce-foundation-objects-to-new-childrens-book|archive-date=February 8, 2014}} He earned a Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://news.vcu.edu//article/An_activist_artists_quest_for_spectacular_failure|title=An activist artist's quest for 'spectacular' failure|last=Catley|first=Kim|date=Oct 28, 2019|website=news.vcu.edu|language=en|access-date=2019-11-06|archive-date=2019-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106132520/https://news.vcu.edu//article/An_activist_artists_quest_for_spectacular_failure|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|last=Millikin|first=Eric|date=May 7, 2021|title=Reanimator/Reflection: Creating Mirrors through Time with AI, Sound, Video and Live-generated Art in the Dark Age of the COVID-19 Pandemic|url=https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7824&context=etd|website=VCU Theses and Dissertations}} Millikin teaches in the Department of Kinetic Imaging at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts.{{cite web | url=https://arts.vcu.edu/community/vcuarts-faculty-and-staff/directory/eric-millikin/ | title=Eric Millikin | date=6 January 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509041934/https://arts.vcu.edu/community/vcuarts-faculty-and-staff/directory/eric-millikin/ | archive-date=2023-05-09 }}

Millikin's art often includes self-portraits as well as portraits of celebrities and political figures. His work often incorporates mixed media and found objects, such as packages of candy, paper currency, and spiders. Millikin's works range from those made almost completely of text (including calligraphy, typography, anagrams, ambigrams, free verse, and cut-up technique poetry){{Cite web |last=Millikin |first=Eric |title=My Little Brother |url=http://www.serializer.net//comics/fetusx.php?view=archive&chapter=1299 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724062300/http://www.serializer.net//comics/fetusx.php?view=archive&chapter=1299 |archive-date=2011-07-24 |website=serializer}} to those that are optical illusions or completely abstract.

File:Still from Eric Millikin's "The Dance of the Nain Rouge," with subtitles.jpg

• The Dance of the Nain Rouge: A 2023 short animated documentary film about the Detroit folklore legend of the Nain Rouge, creating using AI deepfake technology .{{cite news |last1=Baetens |first1=Melody |title=Things to do this Halloween weekend in Metro Detroit |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/2023/10/25/things-to-do-this-halloween-weekend-in-metro-detroit/71313694007/ |work=The Detroit News |date=October 25, 2023}} The film is described as "an experimental decolonial Detroit demonology deepfake dream dance documentary."{{cite news |last1=Ringler |first1=Chris |title=THE DANCE OF THE NAIN ROUGE |newspaper=The Spooky World of Chris Ringler |date=18 October 2022 |url=https://spookychris.com/flint-monster-society/flint-short-film-freakout-films/ |access-date=1 November 2023}} It has been exhibited at the Peale Museum in Baltimore, Maryland,{{Cite web |date=2023-11-10 |title=Projections at the Peale |url=https://www.sparkbaltimore.org/events/projections-at-the-peale |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=SPARK |language=en-US}} the Festival of Darkness at the Redford Theatre in Detroit, Michigan,{{Cite web |title=Schedule - Festival of Darkness |url=https://festivalofdarkness.com/schedule/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=Festival of Darkness |language=en-US}} the International Folklore Film Festival in India,{{Cite web |title=7th IFFla - India SCHEDULE {{!}} Download Free PDF |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/730902207/7th-IFFla-India-SCHEDULE-13 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=Scribd |language=en}} and at the Esoteric Film Festival in Russia.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-15 |title=Танец Нэн Руж (The Dance of the Nain Rouge) |url=http://esotericfilmfest.ru/videos/%d1%82%d0%b0%d0%bd%d0%b5%d1%86-%d0%bd%d1%8d%d0%bd-%d1%80%d1%83%d0%b6-the-dance-of-the-nain-rouge/ |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=esotericfilmfest.ru |language=ru-RU}} It was awarded the "Best Innovative Technologies Award" ("Premio Migliori Tecnologie Innovative") at the 2024 Pisa Robot Film Festival in Italy{{Cite web |title=PISA ROBOT FILM FESTIVAL 3 - I vincitori - CinemaItaliano.info |url=https://www.cinemaitaliano.info/news/79524/pisa-robot-film-festival-3-i-vincitori.html |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=www.cinemaitaliano.info}} and "Best Animation Film" at the 2024 Absurd Film Festival in Italy.{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-02-01 |title=Awards of December 2023 – January 2024 |url=https://www.assurdofilmfestival.com/news/december-2023-january-2024/ |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=Absurd Film Festival |language=it-IT}} Millikin has been creating work based on the Nain Rouge since at least the early 2000s.{{Cite news |last=Creager |first=Ellen |date=October 31, 2009 |title=Mysterious Michigan |work=Detroit Free Press |pages=9A}}
• Cyborgs for Rebellion: A 2022 art installation of outdoor video projections in the woods, projecting on the trees of Bryan Park in Richmond, Virginia, where the slave uprising Gabriel’s Rebellion was planned in 1800. The video system projects “an infinitely rotating series of poetry reading, three dimensional portraits” created with artificial intelligence and 3D modeling.{{Cite web |last=Regina H. |first=Boone |date=November 23, 2022 |title=Photo Richmond Free Press {{!}} Serving the African American Community in Richmond, VA |url=https://richmondfreepress.com/photos/2022/nov/23/317022/ |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=richmondfreepress.com}}
• The Birth of a Vampire Nation: A 2019 artificial intelligence horror film created with AI trained on the films The Birth of a Nation and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, and videos of human blood cells and stars.{{Cite web |last=Catley |first=Kim |title=An activist artist's quest for 'spectacular' failure |url=https://news.vcu.edu/article/an_activist_artists_quest_for_spectacular_failure |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=VCU News |language=en-us}} The soundtrack is composed with AI trained on human heartbeats and radio waves from outer space.{{Cite web |title=ANIMART 2021 - THE BIRTH OF A VAMPIRE NATION |url=https://animartfestival.eu/2021/en/movies/232/ |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=animartfestival.eu |language=en}} The film "explores the use of fear in racial and gender politics as well as in popular media."
• CHARYBDIS-3: A spiraling video of infinite duration, created with artificial intelligence and facial recognition trained on endangered plants and animals, and projected on to a waterfall. The project's name comes from the sea monster Charybdis from Greek mythology.{{Cite web |date=2021-12-15 |title=Artists — InLight |url=https://www.1708inlight.org/artists |access-date=2024-06-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215150822/https://www.1708inlight.org/artists |archive-date=2021-12-15 }} The endangered species referenced in the video are species whose fates have been profoundly impacted by global climate change.{{Cite web|title=Moving Images Juror's statement.pdf|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LXlNRErGeuWdfQbfmU9mN6Lf_mEH61fz/view?usp=embed_facebook|access-date=2021-11-15|website=Google Docs}}
• Danger Beasts: Since 2016, Millikin has created the Danger Beast series of street art portraits of endangered animals created out of endangered plants, including a portrait of Harambe the gorilla made from Venus flytraps.{{Cite news|url=https://patch.com/michigan/royaloak/tours-bicycle-built-6-showcase-art-explored|title=Tours on Bicycle Built for Six Showcase Art Explored|date=August 11, 2016|work=Royal Oak, MI Patch|access-date=December 10, 2017|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=http://thestudiodoor.com/inside/?page_id=4574|title=ENDANGERED: ARTISTS|date=July 31, 2016|work=THE STUDIO DOOR|access-date=December 10, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115232319/http://thestudiodoor.com/inside/?page_id=4574|url-status=dead}}
• Made of Money, a series of portraits of accomplished historical figures who died in poverty, created from cut up paper currency woven together. Portraits in the series have included Nikola Tesla, Hedy Lamarr, Joe Louis, Vincent Van Gogh, and Edgar Allan Poe. Millikin created the portraits as a statement on economic inequality, as a reminder "that our best people aren't always rewarded with wealth, and that our wealthiest people aren't always our best."{{Cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/michigan/articles/2017-10-06/winners-to-be-announced-in-annual-artprize-competition|title=Winners Announced in Annual Michigan Art Competition|last=Karoub|first=Jeff|date=October 6, 2017|website=U.S. News & World Report|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107012805/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/michigan/articles/2017-10-06/winners-to-be-announced-in-annual-artprize-competition|archive-date=2017-11-07|url-status=dead}} As part of the ArtPrize festival in 2017, Millikin created a small fold-up book of the series and installed it inside one of the small PO Boxes at the local Post Office, as a critique of the large scale pieces that typically dominate the festival.{{Cite web|url=http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/arts/2017/09/25/artprize-2017-detroit-artists-grand-rapids/692665001/|title=ArtPrize 2017: Metro Detroit artists shine at massive competition in Grand Rapids|last=Reimink|first=Troy|date=September 25, 2017|website=Detroit Free Press}}{{Cite web|url=http://wfgr.com/enough-with-the-big-heres-the-smallest-venue-at-artprize-a-post-office-box/|title=Enough With The Big -- Here's The Smallest Venue At ArtPrize, A Post Office Box|last=Girard|first=Jojo|date=September 22, 2017|website=Greatest Hits 98.7 WFGR|language=en-US|access-date=2017-10-30}} Since the ArtPrize festival was created by the wealthy family of President Donald Trump's Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the installation was widely seen as an attack on the greed and unearned wealth of DeVos and Trump.{{Cite news|url=http://thecollegiatelive.com/2017/09/made-of-money/|title=Made of Money|last=Scheidel|first=Matthew|date=2017-09-28|work=The Collegiate Live|access-date=2017-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107033505/http://thecollegiatelive.com/2017/09/made-of-money/|archive-date=2017-11-07|url-status=dead|language=en-US}}
• Totally Sweet, a series of pop art, large-scale portraits of monsters, each created from thousands of packages of Halloween candy and a single spider.{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/30/eric-millikin-candy-art_n_4178295.html|title=Eric Millikin, Artist, Creates The Sweetest Halloween Art You'll See All Year|author= |date=October 30, 2013|website=The Huffington Post}}{{cite web |url=http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/monster-portraits-so-tasty-you-could-eat-them/ |title=Monster portraits so tasty you could eat them |author=Anthony Domanico |date=30 September 2014|website=CNET}}{{cite web |url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/news-article/get-taste-eric-millikins-totally-sweet-candy-monster-mosaics |title=Get a Taste of Eric Millikin's Totally Sweet Candy Monster Mosaics |author=Gregory Burkart |date=1 November 2013 |website=FEARnet}} Millikin uses over 40 different kinds of candy, and a single portrait can take between 5,000 and 10,000 candies.{{cite web|url=http://shine.yahoo.com/ellen-good-news/else-halloween-candy-amazing-portraits-course-232800790.html |title=What Else Can You Do with Halloween Candy? Make Amazing Portraits, of Course! |date=30 October 2013 |website=The Good News with The Ellen DeGeneres Show |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103172842/http://shine.yahoo.com/ellen-good-news/else-halloween-candy-amazing-portraits-course-232800790.html |archive-date=November 3, 2013 }}{{cite episode |title=Halloween in a Hurry |series=The Chew |date=30 October 2014 |network=ABC |season=4 |number=39 |last1=Kelly |first1=Clinton |last2=Symon |first2=Michael}} Included in the series are portraits of such monsters as Freddy Krueger, Lily Munster, Gort, Godzilla and the Bride of Frankenstein.{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/10/10/halloween-candy-portraits-eric-millikin/17026243/|title=Sweet or scary? See portraits made of Halloween candy|author=Jolie Lee |date=10 October 2014|website=USA Today}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ovationtv.com/the-sweet-portraits-of-eric-millikin/|title=THE SWEET PORTRAITS OF ERIC MILLIKIN|author=Ovation Staff|date=1 November 2013|website=Ovation|access-date=2015-01-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116021321/http://www.ovationtv.com/the-sweet-portraits-of-eric-millikin/|archive-date=2015-01-16|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.rts.ch/couleur3/programmes/le-trash-tag/6169292-mosaiques-sucrees.html |title=Mosaïques sucrées |author=Leila Roelli |date=8 October 2014|website=Couleur 3}} Millikin compares his artistic technique of building large monsters from many smaller parts to the similar techniques Victor Frankenstein used to create his monster.{{cite web |url=http://consumerist.com/2013/10/30/we-cant-decide-if-these-halloween-candy-monster-portraits-make-us-hungry-or-scared/ |title=We Can't Decide If These Halloween Candy Monster Portraits Make Us Hungry Or Scared |author=Mary Beth Quirk |date=30 October 2013|website=The Consumerist}}
• Hollywood Witch Trials, a series of painted portraits of celebrities like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan based on their crime mug shots, stylized to look like witches, and combined with excerpts from transcripts of the Salem Witch Trials.{{cite web| url =http://www.ericmillikin.com/ | title = Hollywood Witch Trials | access-date =2012-04-14 | last = Millikin| first = Eric}} The portraits are characterized by brilliantly colored paint brushed and smeared into expressionist swirls and spirals.Vincent, Pheroze L. (September 24, 2009). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20121107181024/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/11/28/stories/2009112850300100.htm Spinning a dark web of fun]". The HinduWalters, Maria (March 2009). "[http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2009/02/article.php?id=37 What's up with Webcomics? Visual and Technological Advances in Comics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302195705/http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2009/02/article.php?id=37|date=2012-03-02}}". Interface: The Journal for Education, Community, and ValuesHarvey, R. C. (February 16, 2009). "[http://gocomics.typepad.com/rcharvey/2009/02/on-a-mission.html Rants & Raves On A Mission]". GoComics
• American Mayhem, a series that uses optical illusions to transform the flag of the United States into cityscapes filled with monsters, and incorporates ambigram calligraphy that reads when the paintings are hung upside down.Sjoberg, Lore (March 4, 2011). "Alt Text: Going Undercover at an Unregulated Content Farm", Wired.{{cite web| url =http://www.ericmillikin.com/ | title = American Mayhem | access-date =2012-04-14 | last = Millikin| first = Eric}} Inverting a national flag in such a way is a commonly used distress signal.36 U.S. Code [https://web.archive.org/web/20140324220425/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-1996-title36/html/USCODE-1996-title36-chap10-sec176.htm §176](a) provides: "The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."
• {{vanchor|Witches and Stitches}}, a series of early digital comics, from the 1980s, which were the first webcomics ever published.{{cite web |url=https://uk.celebrity.yahoo.com/news/11-webcomics-worth-bookmarking-043002485.html |title=11 Webcomics worth bookmarking |author=Talita Calitz |date= March 2012|website=Yahoo! Celebrity}} This unauthorized Wizard of Oz parody comic was published by Millikin on CompuServe as early as 1985 when he was in elementary school.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/09/22-awesome-webcomics.html|magazine=Paste|title=14 Awesome Webcomics To Distract You From Getting Things Done|last=Smith|first=Alexander, K.|date=2011-11-19|access-date=2015-12-12|archive-date=2012-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918022910/http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/09/22-awesome-webcomics.html|url-status=dead}} Publishing on CompuServe allowed Millikin to self-publish, avoiding censorship.{{cite web|url=http://www.archive.thegauntlet.ca/story/pioneering-page?qt-latest_and_most_popular=0|publisher=Gauntlet|title=Pioneering the page: The decline of print comics, the growth of webcomics and the flexibility, innovation and controversy of both|last=Dochak|first=Sarah|date=2011-11-29|access-date=2016-09-25|archive-date=2016-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927084015/http://www.archive.thegauntlet.ca/story/pioneering-page?qt-latest_and_most_popular=0|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ce.org/Blog/Articles/2014/July/9-Major-Tech-Moments-in-Comics-History.aspx |title=9 Major Tech Moments in Comics History |author=Grace Dobush |date=24 July 2014 |website=Consumer Electronics Association |access-date=15 January 2015 |archive-date=27 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727002902/http://www.ce.org/Blog/Articles/2014/July/9-Major-Tech-Moments-in-Comics-History.aspx |url-status=dead }} Witches and Stitches is an early example of viral phenomenon, quickly becoming popular with audiences around the world and Millikin's success inspired many artists to create their own webcomics.{{cite web|url=http://archive.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/27768-comic-relief.html|publisher=The Pioneer|title=Comic Relief|author=Team Viva|date=2011-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114023959/http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/27768-comic-relief.html|archive-date=2012-01-14}}{{Unreliable source?|reason=This newspaper article seems to be little more than a fluff piece, and the claim that "Witches and Stitches" was an "instant hit globally" does not seem to be substantiated. |date=December 2023}} Copies of Witches and Stitches are now often difficult to find because Millikin was threatened with a lawsuit over the comic.Garrity, Shaenon K. (April 10, 2011). "History of Webcomics" Comicdom Con, Athens, Greece. {{YouTube|FzoiW8P_Trs|History Of Webcomics part 1 of 4}} Millikin's outspoken autobiographical style paved the way for other artists to express their thoughts and opinions on the web.Sreejita Biswas. (August 07, 2013 ). "[http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/31/20130807201308072020336069999916d/Stick-%E2%80%99Em-Up.html Stick 'Em Up!] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810234231/http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/31/20130807201308072020336069999916d/Stick-%E2%80%99Em-Up.html |date=2013-08-10 }}" Bangalore Mirror.
• Literally Impossible, a series of Op art paintings created as answers to questions from a literacy test used to deny voting rights to African-Americans in the American south before the Voting Rights Act of 1965.{{cite web |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20140130/BLOG44/140131001/For-Black-History-Month-Taking-an-impossible-literacy-test-with-Eric-Millikin-Can-you-pass- |title=Eric Millikin: Black History Month: Can you pass this 'Literally Impossible' impossible literacy test? |author=Eric Millikin |date=30 January 2014|website=Detroit Free Press}} The paintings feature illusionary impossible objects, ambigrams and palindromes.
• Fetus-X, a series of alternative comics created in collaboration with Casey Sorrow. Fetus-X featured a psychic zombie fetus floating in a jar of formaldehyde who may or may not be Millikin's missing conjoined twin or his clone from an alternate timeline or dimension.Simins, Elizabeth (Dec. 10, 2008). "A&E Top 10s: From the Cliché to the Controversial". Columbia Spectator The comic was run for a short time in Michigan State University's The State News in 2000. After the Catholic League protested the comic and then MSU president M. Peter McPherson declared he wanted it banned, the comic strip was removed for being too controversial.{{cite news|last=Bennett|first=Brandon|title=Guest appearance helps 'Fetus-X' move forward|url=http://statenews.com/index.php/article/2002/08/guest_appearance_helps_0145fetusx0146_move_forward|newspaper=State News|date=1 August 2002}}{{cite news|last=Castanier|first=Bill|title=Portrait of the artist as a playful grandfather|url=http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lansing/article-8227-portrait-of-the-arti.html|newspaper=City Pulse|date=12 December 2012|access-date=15 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816024821/http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lansing/article-8227-portrait-of-the-arti.html|archive-date=16 August 2013|url-status=dead}} During the controversy over the comic, many people protested on both sides of the issue.{{cite news|last=Birchmeier |first=Zak |title="Fetus-X" provides SN with originality |url=http://www.statenews.com/editions/082400/op_ltr5.html |newspaper=The State News |date=24 August 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051203085759/http://www.statenews.com/editions/082400/op_ltr5.html |archive-date=December 3, 2005 }}{{cite news|last=Hoxworth |first=Kim |title=Strip controversy bothers SN reader |url=http://www.statenews.com/editions/083000/op_ltr4.html |newspaper=The State News |date=30 August 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020226033356/http://www.statenews.com/editions/083000/op_ltr4.html |archive-date=February 26, 2002 }}{{cite news|last=Strank |first=Jody |title=Concern regarding "Fetus X" cartoon |url=http://www.statenews.com/editions/052400/op_ltr2.html |newspaper=The State News |date=24 May 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020107132543/http://www.statenews.com/editions/052400/op_ltr2.html |archive-date=January 7, 2002 }}{{cite news|last=Lattimore |first=Latoya |title=Cartoonists need to show respect |url=http://www.statenews.com/editions/052200/op_ltr2.html |newspaper=The State News |date=18 May 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020107125540/http://www.statenews.com/editions/052200/op_ltr2.html |archive-date=January 7, 2002 }} The comic was also published in other student newspapers like the University Reporter.{{cite news|last1=Millikin|first1=Eric|last2=Sorrow|first2=Casey|title=The Neglected Opportunity|newspaper=University Reporter|date=Sep 2001|page=12}} In 2002, Millikin began publishing Fetus-X as part of the online alternative comics anthology Serializer, where Millikin was an editor (along with Tom Hart) and contributing artist.Hart, Tom and Joey Manley (Oct. 21, 2002). "[http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=001184;p=1 Modern Tales And Tom Hart Launch Serializer.Net Today] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605164821/http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic%3Bf%3D8%3Bt%3D001184%3Bp%3D1|date=2011-06-05}}"Xerexes, Xaviar (Dec. 2006). "[http://comixtalk.com/index.php?q=2006_Roundtable the Comixpedia End of 2006 Roundtable]".MacDonald, Heidi (Oct. 12, 2006). "[https://archive.today/20130131220625/http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2006/10/12/serializernet-returns/ Serializer.net returns]".Bors, Matt (Oct. 24, 2006). "[http://www.mattbors.com/2006/10/serializernet_24.html Serializer.net] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820233953/http://www.mattbors.com/2006/10/serializernet_24.html|date=2008-08-20}}". In 2005, Millikin created Fetus-X for the video iPod and other mobile devices as one of the artists in the Clickwheel collective."Clickwheel Comics" Clickwheel, August 26, 2006. Fetus-X often used large-scale artwork, taking full advantage of the internet's formal possibilities, and incorporated animation and winding "infinite canvas" designs, going beyond the limited sizes and shapes of conventional printed pages.McCloud, Scott (July 25, 2000). "Reinventing Comics". Harper Paperbacks, Pg. 222
• Monkey Day, an international animal rights holiday. Monkey Day (celebrated December 14) was created and popularized by Millikin and Casey Sorrow in 2000 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 art shows and costume parties.McKenzie, Charlie "[http://www.hour.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=7928 Holiday monkey business] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013131425/http://hour.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=7928 |date=2007-10-13 }}". (December 8, 2005). Hour (Montreal, Quebec)"[http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=2980&IssueNum=131 A toast to Bubbles] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415031643/http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=2980&IssueNum=131 |date=2007-04-15 }}". (December 8, 2005). Los Angeles City Beat{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2015/12/14/record-mom-dad-d-like-you-meet-ted-cruz/77272316/|title=For the Record: Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Ted Cruz|website=USA Today|access-date=2016-06-05}} For Monkey Day 2012, USA Weekend published Millikin's The 12 Stars of Monkey Day, a series of paintings that were "in part inspired by the many pioneering space monkeys who rode into the stars on rockets, leading the way for human space flight."Millikin, Eric (December 12, 2012). "[https://archive.today/20130205063705/http://www.usaweekend.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C4&Dato=20121212&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=1212002&Ref=PH The 12 Stars of Monkey Day]". USA Weekend For Monkey Day 2013, Millikin created a mail art series where he mailed Monkey Day cards to strangers, including Koko the sign-language gorilla and President Barack Obama.Millikin, Eric (Dec. 12, 2013). "[http://www.freep.com/interactive/article/20131210/BLOG44/131212002/Eric-Millikin-sends-Monkey-Day-cards Eric Millikin sends Monkey Day cards to strangers]". Detroit Free Press In 2014, Millikin debuted a series of monkey portraits using 3D film techniques.{{Cite web|url=http://www.freep.com/story/news/weird/eric-millikin/2014/12/14/eric-millikin-monkey-day-2014-orangutan-3d/20396625/|title=Celebrate Monkey Day in 3D with Eric Millikin|website=Detroit Free Press|access-date=2016-03-13}}
• My Drinking Problem, a series of works of endurance performance art, known as "artistic drinking projects." These have included a "Pumpkin Space Odyssey," where Millikin consumed nothing but Pumpkin Spice Lattes for a month, drinking 150 cans of Vernors in just over two weeks for the ginger ale's 150th anniversary, and drinking enough Hi-C to use the empty drink boxes to brick up his own windows and those of Detroit art galleries.{{Cite news|url=https://ericmillikin.com/home/eric-millikin-pumpkin-spice-drink-odyessy|title=My Drinking Problem: Pumpkin Spice Odyessy|work=Eric Millikin|access-date=2017-07-23|language=en-US}}
• Very Serious Paper Cuts, a series of poems created using artificial intelligence and cut-up technique to create new poetry by cutting up and rearranging the pages of well-known books. For example, Millikin's Pride, Prejudice and Frankenstein contains twenty "experimental horrific love poems," each a variation on the same theme, with each starting with the beginning words of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, ending with the final words of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, and the middle words consisting of overlapping text from both sources. Other poems in this series have included The Arabian Nights Before Christmas, Romeo and Dracula and Juliet, variations on Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, and "creating poems out of a series of multiple texts from 1692, the year of the Salem Witch Trials, to sort of get glimpses into what was being recorded across different economic classes and different parts of the world at a single point in time." These poems are then collected into books, with some books distributed by secretly placing on the shelves of libraries and bookstores, in what Millikin calls "reverse shoplifting."Millikin, Eric (June 2012). "Pride, Prejudice and Frankenstein". p. 371-375.{{Cite news|url=http://www.freep.com/interactive/article/20140209/BLOG44/140209003/Eric-Millikin|title=Eric Millikin's Valentine's Day 'Very Serious Paper Cuts': 'Romeo and Dracula and Juliet' and more|work=Detroit Free Press|access-date=2017-10-12|language=en-US|archive-date=2014-06-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615055529/http://www.freep.com/interactive/article/20140209/BLOG44/140209003/Eric-Millikin|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.freep.com/article/20131128/BLOG44/131201004/Eric-Millikin-s-Serious-Paper-Cuts-Classic-books-cut-up-remixed|title=Eric Millikin's 'Serious Paper Cuts': Classic books cut up, remixed|work=Detroit Free Press|access-date=2017-10-12|language=en-US|archive-date=2014-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403055312/http://www.freep.com/article/20131128/BLOG44/131201004/Eric-Millikin-s-Serious-Paper-Cuts-Classic-books-cut-up-remixed|url-status=dead}}

Image:Fetusx fx082106painting.jpg

Galleries and museums that have held exhibitions of Millikin's artwork include the Krannert Art Museum, The Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar (now Museum of Contemporary Art Denver),{{Cite web |url=http://www.kam.uiuc.edu/pr/outofsequence/ |title=Out of Sequence:Underrepresented Voices in American Comics |access-date=2009-05-09 |archive-date=2008-09-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908075630/http://www.kam.uiuc.edu/pr/outofsequence/ |url-status=dead }} San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum,[http://cartoonart.livejournal.com/30634.html Monsters of Webcomics Virtual Gallery Artists] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226180811/http://cartoonart.livejournal.com/30634.html |date=2012-02-26 }} and Baltimore's Peale Museum. Millikin has had group exhibitions with Marilyn Manson and HR Giger.Ford, Andrew Michael (Oct 17, 2009). "[http://www.juxtapoz.com/Andrew+Michael+Ford/12900-damned-ii-featuring-marilyn-mason-hr-giger DAMNED II - featuring Marilyn Mason & HR Giger]{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}". Juxtapoz

Millikin also distributes his artwork through college newspapers, in alternative newspapers such as the Metro Times,{{cite news|url=http://www2.metrotimes.com/mtxtras/25th.pdf|title=Paper View|last=Mazzei|first=Rebecca|newspaper=Metro Times|access-date=2012-04-14}} and in magazines like Wired. His work is also published in major daily newspapers like The Detroit News,"News is honored by sports editors". (February 28, 2003). The Detroit News, p. 1H. Detroit Free Press,"Freep's fentanyl report is tops". (April 18, 2008). Detroit Free Press, p. 3A. The Courier-Journal,Millikin, Eric. [http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C4&Dato=20121218&Kategori=SPORTS&Lopenr=212180803&Ref=PH How apocalypse will affect sports fans] (December 18, 2012). The Courier-Journal The Des Moines Register,Millikin, Eric. [https://archive.today/20131120051945/http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C4&Dato=20121218&Kategori=SPORTS&Lopenr=212180803&Ref=PH How apocalypse will affect sports fans] (December 18, 2012). The Des Moines Register The Tennessean[http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C4&Dato=20110910&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=109100804&Ref=PH Aftermath of 9/11] (September 10, 2011). The Tennessean "Artist Eric Millikin created this illustration from some of the most powerful photos of people reacting to the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath." and USA Today.Millikin, Eric. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/21/detroit-mayor-primary/2680767/ How the count may have been mishandled] (August 21, 2013) USA Today

Millikin is known for his political and social activism, with his artwork often tackling controversial issues. He has championed Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as "Obamacare".{{cite news| url =http://www.freep.com/article/20120325/OPINION01/203250484/Editorial-Editorial-Uphold-affordable-care | title = Uphold affordable health care | newspaper = Detroit Free Press | access-date =2012-04-14 }} Millikin has also championed green energy, ridiculing the "Drill, Baby, Drill Brigade" of "oil producers, free-market zealots and global warming deniers."{{cite web| url =http://www.realclearenergy.org/2011/12/12/please_ignore_the_quotdrill_baby_drillquot_brigade_243565.html| title =Please Ignore The "Drill, Baby, Drill" Brigade| access-date =2012-04-14| last =Millikin| first =Eric| publisher =Real Clear Energy| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120616181201/http://www.realclearenergy.org/2011/12/12/please_ignore_the_quotdrill_baby_drillquot_brigade_243565.html| archive-date =2012-06-16}}

Millikin has also used his artwork to raise money for causes like helping Hurricane Katrina victims,{{cite web | url =http://www.webcomictelethon.com/d/1217.html | title =The Webcomic Hurricane Relief Telethon | access-date =2009-10-10 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081123063407/http://www.webcomictelethon.com/d/1217.html | archive-date =2008-11-23 | url-status =dead }} fighting diseases like muscular dystrophy,{{cite web|url=http://mda.altbrand.com/participants.shtml |title=Labor Day 2002 Webcomic Telethon |access-date=2009-10-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050527035927/http://mda.altbrand.com/participants.shtml |archive-date=May 27, 2005 }} and granting wishes to terminally ill children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.{{cite web| url =http://www.moovok.co.uk/gsp/index.php?date=2008-10-07| title =Guest Strip Project benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation| access-date =2009-10-10}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He has also created posters campaigning to raise money for programs to improve adult literacy,{{cite web | url =http://www.readingworksdetroit.org/?page_id=1144 | title =Reading Works Poster Page | access-date =2012-04-14 | last =Millikin | first =Eric | publisher =Reading Works | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20111203094757/http://www.readingworksdetroit.org/?page_id=1144 | archive-date =2011-12-03 | url-status =dead }} auctioned artwork to support soup kitchen efforts to feed the hungry, and created artwork to help people in the city of Flint who had lead-contaminated water during the Flint water crisis.{{Cite web|title = Twitter lights up over Snyder's State of the State speech|url = http://www.freep.com/story/news/2016/01/19/tweets-misots16-state-of-the-state-2016-rick-snyder-michigan/79028758/|website = Detroit Free Press|access-date = 2016-02-08}}

Millikin's artwork has won many awards from organizations including the Association of Alternative Newsmedia,{{Cite web|last=Snead|first=Molly|date=2019-07-13|title=2019 AAN Awards Winners Announced|url=https://aan.org/aan/2019-aan-awards-winners-announced/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=Association of Alternative Newsmedia|language=en-US}} Associated Press,{{cite web|author=|date=1 June 2014|title=Winners named in Michigan APME newspaper contest|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/1/winners-named-in-michigan-apme-newspaper-contest/?page=alll|website=The Washington Times}} Society of Professional Journalists,"Free Press wins big with SPJ; Journalists sweep the year's top awards". (April 19, 2009). Detroit Free Press, p. 9A. Investigative Reporters and Editors,"Mayoral reporting: Free Press wins top honor". (April 1, 2009). Detroit Free Press, p. 5A. National Association of Black Journalists,{{cite web|author=|title=2014 Salute to Excellence Newspaper Finalists|url=http://www.nabj.org/?STENEWSPAPER14|website=National Association of Black Journalists}} Online Journalism Awards,{{Cite web|title=How Detroit Went Broke|url=https://awards.journalists.org/entries/detroit-went-broke/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=Online Journalism Awards|language=en-US}} and the Society for News Design."The Best of Newspaper Design". (2009). p. 62. His artwork critical of alleged lies by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was part of the portfolio that won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in local reporting. The series resulted in Kilpatrick being sent to jail."Free Press wins its 9th Pulitzer; Reporting led to downfall of mayor". (April 21, 2009). Detroit Free Press, p.1A.[http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2009-Local-Reporting "The 2009 Pulitzer Prize Winners: Local Reporting"]. The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2013-10-26.

The American Library Association's Booklist describes how Millikin's expressionistic visual style "crosses Edvard Munch with an incipient victim of high-school suicide"Flagg, Gordon (August 2006). "Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists". Booklist, Pg. 23 and The Hindu describes his work as "haunting images."

Syndicated newspaper editorial cartoonist Ted Rall describes Millikin's work as "one of the most interesting webcomics around,"Rall, Ted (2006). Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists, New York: Nantier, Beall, Minoustchine. {{ISBN|1-56163-465-4}}. and former editor of The Comics Journal Tom Spurgeon named Millikin's work as belonging in the inaugural class of a webcomics hall of fame.{{Cite web|last=Spurgeon|first=Tom|date=March 23, 2013|title=FFF Results Post #328—Webcomics HOF|url=https://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/fff_results_post_328_webcomics_hof/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=www.comicsreporter.com}} The Webcomics Examiner named Millikin's comics one of the best webcomics, calling Millikin's work "one of the sharpest political commentaries available."{{cite web|url=http://webcomicsreview.com/?p=20|title=The Best Webcomics of 2004|access-date=2007-03-18|work=The Webcomics Examiner|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106205248/http://webcomicsreview.com/?p=20|archive-date=2007-01-06}} The webcomics blog ComixTalk named it one of the 100 Greatest Webcomics of all time,Xaviar Xerexes. 100 Greatest Webcomics Thread http://comixtalk.com/xerexes/100_greatest_webcomics_thread The Washington Post{{'}}s readers named it one of the top 10 finalists for Best Webcomic of the Past Decade in 2010,Cavna, Michael. "THE BEST WEBCOMIC: It's time to vote on your nominations..." [https://archive.today/20130205173135/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2010/01/the_best_webcomic_its_time_to.html] and Polygon has cited Millikin's work as some of the "most influential webcomics of all time."{{cite web | url=https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/11/27/18106566/webcomics-most-important-influential | title=The most influential webcomics of all time | website=Polygon | date=27 November 2018 }} Millikin's work has also been nominated for multiple Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards, including their top honor of "Outstanding Comic". Millikin has been a panelist and guest at webcomic conventions, including the inaugural New England Webcomics Weekend, the first convention organized by and focusing on webcomic creators.{{cite web|url=http://www.webcomicsweekend.com/official-guest-list/|title=Archived copy|access-date=2012-02-05|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604062122/http://www.webcomicsweekend.com/official-guest-list/|archive-date=2013-06-04}}Marshall, Rick (March 23, 2009). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090325113551/http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/03/23/webcomics-weekend-online-comics-get-their-own-convention-heres-what-you-missed/ Webcomics Weekend: Online comics get their own convention -- here's what you missed!]". MTV The Sunday Times described serializer as "high-art", and the Sydney Morning Herald considered them to be the avant-garde.O'Brien, Danny (February 26, 2006). "The tooniverse explodes". Sunday Times (London), p. 27[S].Sharwood, Simon. (August 30, 2003) [https://www.smh.com.au/technology/the-rebirth-of-comics-20030830-gdhaxn.html The rebirth of comics: Comics online]. Sydney Morning Herald(Australia), Pg. 5.

Millikin's artwork is given by Scott McCloud as an example of using the web to create "an explosion of diverse genres and styles".McCloud, Scott (2006). Making Comics, New York: Harper Collins Publishers. {{ISBN|0-06-078094-0}}. Pg. 227 Comic Book Resources describes Millikin's work as "mind-blowing" and has named it one of the "10 Greatest Innovations In Comics History."Reed, Bill "Sunday Brunch" http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/07/11/sunday-brunch-71110/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713020124/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/07/11/sunday-brunch-71110/ |date=2010-07-13 }}{{cite web |last1=Angelo |first1=Delos Trinos |title=10 Greatest Innovations In Comics History |url=https://www.cbr.com/comics-history-greatest-creations/ |website=Comic Book Resources |date=26 October 2023 |access-date=1 November 2023}} The Comics Journal has written that Millikin's comics "use the newspaper format for far more daring, entertainingly perverse work" than most comics and is "perfectly at home at a good alternative weekly or a great college paper."Wood, Mariko (March 2003). "Download: Good Comics and Baud Web Comics". The Comics Journal, No. 251, p. 38. Millikin's projects have been published by Modern Tales and Webcomics Nation, where he was one of the all-time most popular artists.The Comics Continuum (February 19, 2003) [http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0302/19/longplay.htm Longplay Lineup][http://www.webcomicsnation.com/popular.php Popular / New Today] "All-Time Top 100 ... 12. Eric Monster Millikin By Eric Monster Millikin" Retrieved 2011-11-18. Millikin is one of the few, and first, webcomic creators successful enough to make a living as an artist.Brenner, Lynn (February 27, 2000). "What People Earn: How Did You Do This Year?". Parade Magazine, p. 9.

His artworks advocating for U.S. government loans as a solution to the automotive industry crisis of 2008–2009 was described as a "gutsy move" that "stretch[es] the limits of the medium" and CNN's Kyra Phillips described it as "in your face".Phillips, Kyra. "Big Three Push For Bridge Loan". (Dec. 5, 2008). CNN Newsroom, 2:00 PM EST Congressman John D. Dingell displayed it on the House floor urging passage of government loans to automakers and reiterated the central theme of the piece, saying "now is the time for us to 'Invest in America'."Dingell, John D. "[http://www.house.gov/dingell/110/081210autosvote.html Dingell Statement on Auto Industry Loan Bill] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307185158/http://www.house.gov/dingell/110/081210autosvote.html |date=2010-03-07 }}. (Dec. 10, 2008).

Millikin's work has also been praised by ESPN's Mike Tirico during a 2011 Monday Night Football half time show.Detroit Free Press staff (Oct. 10, 2011) [http://www.freep.com/article/20111010/SPORTS02/111010033/ Purchase today's special Tigers, Lions front page]

However, not all criticism of Millikin's artwork has been positive. Since 2000, Millikin has been the target of protest campaigns organized by the Catholic League for what they call his "blasphemous treatment of Jesus"."[http://www.catholicleague.org/catalyst/2000_catalyst/1100_catalyst.htm#MICHIGAN%20STATE%20PRESIDENT%20ACTS%20PRESIDENTIAL Michigan State President Acts Presidential] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710142219/http://www.catholicleague.org/catalyst/2000_catalyst/1100_catalyst.htm |date=2007-07-10 }}". (November 2000). Catalyst Journal of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights Catholic League spokesman Patrick Scully described Millikin's work as "offensive to Catholics and Christians. It completely ridicules the Catholic faith and is not funny." The Hartford Advocate has called Millikin a "borderline sociopath."{{cite web| url =http://www.ctnow.com/custom/nmm/hartfordadvocate/hce-hta-0201-ht06comics06.artfeb01,0,3994240.story| title =Stand-Up Comics| access-date =2007-03-19| work =Hartford Advocate| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070223190648/http://www.ctnow.com/custom/nmm/hartfordadvocate/hce-hta-0201-ht06comics06.artfeb01,0,3994240.story| archive-date =2007-02-23}}

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