Phelan Thomas Morkel (born October 25, 1975) is an American cartoonist, filmmaker, actor, animator, writer, singer and musician best known for creating Mole Miner, Morten, Living on an Edge and Cirque Funtastique, co-creating Wonderbeaver, We're the Investigators and The Morkels, and co-developing The Yuyu Show.
Morkel has performed as a bluesman at the Chicago Blues Festival and Ottawa Bluesfest. He has released several studio albums of contemporary blues music and blues rock, beginning with Plymouth Rock (2009). Morkel has received four Grammy Award nominations for his music, and the single "Yarmouth" from his album Straightforward (2011) spent several weeks on the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Adult Contemporary charts.
Early life and education[]
Phelan Thomas Morkel was born on October 25, 1975 at Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He is the son of Nicholas H. Morkel (born August 16, 1931), a cartoonist of German, Irish and Afrikaner descent and Cassandra Morkel (née Bergamo; May 2, 1930 – February 11, 2014), a therapist of Italian and Spanish descent. His mother, born in Buenos Aires, immigrated to Boston at the age of 10. His uncle-in-law is the Bostonian writer Charles Simonsen (born August 5, 1925). Phelan Morkel has a younger sister, Julianne Shannon "Julie" Morkel (born August 21, 1978) who is a writer, producer and actress; and a younger brother named Jason Peter Morkel (born February 1, 1980) who is an actor; his siblings have worked on a number of Phelan's shows, including several Morkel & Associates productions. His cousin, Justin Felix Morkel (born June 4, 1978), is a filmmaker.
Morkel's parents careers had a great effect on his and his siblings' upbringing. Phelan in particular wanted to be a cartoonist like his father. His parents wanted their children to have a positive outlook on life, and believed that involvement in the community would help with their future life. Morkel and his siblings were members of Camp Fire Boys and Girls and other youth organizations.
Morkel attended Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg.
Career[]
Early comics[]
Morkel began drawing comics at a young age.
Darren the Mole Miner[]
In 1993, Morkel's comic strip Darren the Mole Miner debuted in the school paper at Montachusett Vocational Technical School. He later submitted it to a "young comic artists" competition in Sketches magazine, where it earned the attention of many in the comic strip world.
After being featured in Sketches, the comic strip quickly gained national attention for its teaching of geology and the history of mining. By 1995, Morkel had signed a deal with Publishers' Syndicate to syndicate the strip to newspapers and signed a deal with Little, Brown and Company to release collections of the comic. The first collection, Hey, It's Me, Darren!, made Morkel one of the youngest authors to have a title debut on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Other ventures[]
The Morkel siblings own three radio stations in Worcester County, Massachusetts - WPJJ, WPJJ-FM and WCBR-FM.
Artistry[]
Musical style[]
Morkel has a tenor voice. He is a guitarist and singer who studied under blues guitarist/singer Johnny Sanders and jazz guitarist Tom Boatwright (the latter of which has also acted as a composer for some of Phelan's television projects). In 2010, Morkel performed at the Chicago Blues Festival and the El Kadsre City International Bluesfest. His music is predominantly blues rock, blues, roots rock, Americana and hard rock. He also uses musical comedy in his shows and movies.
In 2019, Fender introduced a signature model for Morkel, the Fender Phelan Morkel Signature Stratocaster.
Influences[]
Morkel has stated his influences as a cartoonist include Jim Davis, Gus Arriola, Rumiko Takahashi, Leiji Matsumoto, Berkeley Breathed, Albert Uderzo, George Gately and Muriel Fahrion, as well as his father Nicholas; while his musical influences include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Jeff Healey, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Beck, Howlin' Wolf, ZZ Top and Dr. John.
Personal life[]
Relationships and friendships[]
Morkel married cartoonist Gabrielle Babbington in August 2010 at Church of the Covenant in Boston, Massachusetts. The officiant of the ceremony was professional wrestler Ted DiBiase. The couple split their time between Westminster, Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California. They own a diner in Westminster named Phelan and Gabby's, which opened in 2015 and is housed in a restored Worcester Lunch Car Company barrel-roof unit that had previously been sited in Andover. They also own a vacation home in Park City, Utah.
Morkel is friends with voice actors David A. James and Tagi Miori; fellow comic artists Monica J. Burroughs, Cesar Olave and Steven Wylie; and comedian Josh McQueen.
Beliefs and activism[]
Morkel is a devout progressive Christian, having been raised within the United Church of Christ. He has shown support for the LGBTQIA+ community, and has encouraged other Christians to be more inclusive towards those in the community. When his brother Jason drew criticism from conservatives in 2016 for admitting to being an atheist, Phelan defended him, saying "He is entitled to his own belief in whether or not God exists, and I respect that."
Morkel has described himself as "mostly Democratic". He endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, voting for Jill Stein and Joe Biden, respectively, in the actual elections. In the 2024 United States presidential election, he initially endorsed Lori Youngblood in the Democratic Party primaries, and later voiced support for Kamala Harris. He also endorsed Marty Walsh in the 2013 Boston mayoral election, Charlie Baker in the 2014 and 2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial elections, Mitt Romney in the 2018 United States Senate election in Utah and Maura Healey in the 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.
Family[]
His mother Cassandra died on February 11, 2014 due to complications from a botched liver transplant. She was 83 years old.
Morkel had planned to attend the Great White show at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island on February 20, 2003, but had to leave during the opening act to pick up a friend. When they came back, the building had burst into flames. Ironically, his uncle Charles Simonsen, at 16 years of age, had survived the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire.
Interests[]
In addition to his love for blues music, Morkel has also expressed a love of the bands Culture Club, Tears for Fears and Sugar Ray, and has collaborated with members of those three groups. He is also a fan of OneVision, who provided the theme for his show Living on an Edge, and has occasionally performed live with them.
Morkel is aware of many of his works' followings within the furry fandom, jokingly once stating that "the only reason anthropomorphic characters are more common than ever in modern animation is because of furries", along with noting the fact his wife has a background in the fandom. He has occasionally appeared at furry conventions, wearing a fursuit of the mole representation of himself that has occasionally appeared in his works.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Writer | Director | Producer | Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Mole Miner: Quartz Madness! | Co-writer | Co-director | Executive | No | — | |
| 2017 | The NeverEnding Story | Co-writer | Yes | Co-producer | Cameo role | School Bus Driver | Nominated for Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film |
| 2019 | Black Pope | No | No | Yes | Yes | Joseph McMahon | |
| The Irish Job - A Mole Miner Movie | Co-writer | Director | Executive | Yes | Additional voices | ||
| 2021 | The NeverEnding Story: Part II | Co-writer | Director | Co-producer | Cameo role | Diving instructor |
Television[]
| Year(s) | Title | Creator | Writer | Director | Producer | Actor | Roles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–present | Mole Miner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Executive | No | — | Also creator and character designer. |
| 2003–2008 | Trisha's Way | No | No | No | No | Yes | Himself | 2 episodes. |
| 2003–present | Orange Creek | No | No | No | No | Yes | Superintendent Morkel (voice) | 20 episodes |
| 2004 | The Sticks | No | No | Yes | No | No | — | Episode: "The Suburban Revolution" |
| 2005–present | Morten | Yes | Yes | Yes | Executive | No | — | Also character designer. |
| 2005–2010 | The Yuyu Show | Developer | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Skip, additional voices | |
| 2006–present | It Ain't Easy | No | No | No | No | Yes | Philip Studebaker | 4 episodes |
| 2007 | Alexventures | No | No | No | No | Yes | Derrick (voice) | Episode: "Un-Animated" |
| 2010–2016, 2022–present | Madcaps | No | No | No | No | Yes | Kevin Deegan | 38 episodes |
| 2013–2020 | Prism Shore | No | No | No | No | Yes | Patrick Boyle (voice) | 10 episodes |
| 2015 | Suburbia | No | No | No | No | Yes | Michael MacMillan | Episode: "Substitute Teacher" |
| 2016–present | Living on an Edge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Additional voices | Various episodes. Also character designer. |
| 2017–2021 | Fight Scene | No | No | No | No | Yes | Leonard Harmon / John Doe | 3 episodes |
| 2018 | Finny Skinny | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | President Morkel (voice) | Episode: "Finny Seeks Retribution" |
| 2022–present | Vicente | No | No | Yes | Executive | No | — | |
| 2023 | Square Miles | No | No | No | No | Yes | Himself | Episode: "The Odd Ones" |
Bibliography[]
| Title | Year | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tales from Rockingham Lane | 1999-2003 | Storyteller Comics | Author Creator Illustrator |
| 99 Red Balloons: A Story About Family, Faith and What's Happening | 2024 | Penguin Random House | Author |
Discography[]
- Plymouth Rock (2009)
- Straightforward (2011)
- Blues Christmas (2013)
- Wild Guitar (2015)
- Cape Cod Blues (2017)
- Westminster (2019)
- Singing About Love and Other Subjects (2022)