10 Artists Inspired By Alien Encounters

Just like brushes with the divine, imagined encounters with alien life have often been a source of artistic inspiration. Early cultures illustrated suspiciously modern technology, and Renaissance paintings are littered with odd flying objects. And it didn't stop there. Even in modern times, visitors from another world continue to find their way to some of our most popular writers, musicians, and entertainers.

10. GRANT MORRISON

With his signature shaved head, tailored suits, and occult interests, Grant Morrison quickly became the comic book world's first true rock star. Prior to working on household names like Batman, X-Men, and JLA, Morrison spent six years at the helm of his own series, The Invisibles. The story follows a group of techno freedom fighters trying to peel back the layers of a world that has been living in a false reality. With its manic blend of time-wielding overlords, ancient folklore, and cyberpunk visions, it's almost no surprise to learn that these ideas were the product of a cosmic encounter.

According to Morrison, during a visit to Kathmandu in 1994, he was sitting on the roof his hotel when aliens began appearing in droves. They showed him a "sea of pure information," explained the "larvae" state of our universe, and asked him to pass on this knowledge to the rest of us. Speaking at Disinfocon in 1999, Morrison revealed that The Invisibles was his attempt to share the knowledge he obtained from his encounter in Kathmandu. It sounds wild to us, but Morrison assures that if we want to meet aliens ourselves, we just have to believe.

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