| All About Jonathan Wojcik & Bogleech.com |
| Location: Bel Air Maryland until 2007. Palm Bay, Florida at the time of this writing. Formal education: zilch. Day job: if I had one, I might not be doing this. Major likes: insects, parasites, monsters, Halloween, toys, animation, mythology. Major dislikes: anti-intellectualism, corn. Life status: available!!! (Don't push!) Favorite Movies: Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Little Shop of Horrors, The City of Lost Children, The Applegates, The Fly (in any form), Gremlins 2, Ghostbusters, Joe's Apartment, Robot Monster, Yellow Submarine, Studio Ghibli films, The Forbidden Zone, Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, Fiend Without a Face, Fantastic Planet, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Return of the Jedi, The Thing, The Blob (original and remake), Dead Alive. Favorite Television shows (past and present) include: The Real Ghostbusters, The Addams Family, Futurama, Pee wee's Playhouse, The Venture Brothers, Aaahh! Real Monsters!, Digimon Adventure, Pokemon, Superjail!, Spongebob Squarepants, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Chowder, Invader Zim, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Monsters, Tales from the Dark Side, Tales from the Crypt Favorite Video Game series: Pokemon, Silent Hill, Paper Mario, Animal Crossing. Somewhat ceased to be a gamer with the end of the gamecube/ps2 generation. Contents of ubiquitous fishing vest: pens, pencils, paper, paperclips, rubber bands, nail clippers, scissors, LED flashlight, digital camera, magnifying glass, tinfoil, bandages, realistic rubber cockroaches, disinfectant, toothbrush, toothpaste, mirror, paper towels, very special emergency knife, plastic tubes for live insects, extensible magnet pen, clock, tiny rubber smog monster, and soar throat ghost. Favorite Pokemon monsters (in order) : |
| Collection Photos (currently packed in boxes, may be setting up again in 2009) |
| AIM: SCYTHEMANTIS |
Bogleech.com was created in 2001 as a geocities homepage where I
organized a small directory of monster-themed websites. Soon, I started
adding creature sprites from various old video games, later began
documenting my collection of Halloween crap and finally started hosting
my own artwork and writing. Bogleech is now a relatively expansive all-
purpose website devoted to my many areas of expertise, all of which boil
down to "strange creatures." I study biology, collect anything to do with
monsters and develop my own creepy, slimy characters for various art
projects.
I can be found around the internet under the name bogleech or more
commonly Scythemantis (that's Scythe+Mantis, not "Scy the Mantis")
organized a small directory of monster-themed websites. Soon, I started
adding creature sprites from various old video games, later began
documenting my collection of Halloween crap and finally started hosting
my own artwork and writing. Bogleech is now a relatively expansive all-
purpose website devoted to my many areas of expertise, all of which boil
down to "strange creatures." I study biology, collect anything to do with
monsters and develop my own creepy, slimy characters for various art
projects.
I can be found around the internet under the name bogleech or more
commonly Scythemantis (that's Scythe+Mantis, not "Scy the Mantis")
For just as long, I've been extremely passionate about the wide diversity of the natural world. From
before I could even read, I would spend hours going over biology books, figuring out the mechanisms
of parasites, protozoa and marine life from pictures alone. By the time I hit kindergarten, I was already
well acquainted with most of the creatures I write articles about, though I continue to learn of brand
new animals almost weekly.
It truly distresses me how little the average person thinks about the mind-boggling array of complex,
alien creatures right beneath their feet, and it will never cease to baffle me that people can be
small-minded enough to look at the ornate, perfect form of any insect or spider and only think "yuck" or
"kill it." There's not a single organism on this Earth that I've ever been able to even find ugly, and yes, I
do consider this mindset inherently, objectively superior. It's damn near the only thing in life that I take
seriously.
before I could even read, I would spend hours going over biology books, figuring out the mechanisms
of parasites, protozoa and marine life from pictures alone. By the time I hit kindergarten, I was already
well acquainted with most of the creatures I write articles about, though I continue to learn of brand
new animals almost weekly.
It truly distresses me how little the average person thinks about the mind-boggling array of complex,
alien creatures right beneath their feet, and it will never cease to baffle me that people can be
small-minded enough to look at the ornate, perfect form of any insect or spider and only think "yuck" or
"kill it." There's not a single organism on this Earth that I've ever been able to even find ugly, and yes, I
do consider this mindset inherently, objectively superior. It's damn near the only thing in life that I take
seriously.
I was born in 1983 on October 31st, Halloween. No, really. I wouldn't say it's a remarkable coincidence
so much as a heavy influence on me in itself. Halloween has the misfortune of being shrouded in
negative misconceptions, and if you're one of those people who considers it a spiritually dangerous or
"occult" celebration, you're welcome to e-mail me for a stern history lesson.
To me, Halloween is entirely about the weird, wacky monsters, bugs and bats (oh, and junk food.) I do
consider myself a horror fan, but I get a great deal more enjoyment out of a bright and cheerful
children's Halloween special than any teen slasher or torture movie. What I love about the genre isn't
violence, gore and juvenile attempts at subversiveness, but atmosphere, storytelling and sheer
imagination.
so much as a heavy influence on me in itself. Halloween has the misfortune of being shrouded in
negative misconceptions, and if you're one of those people who considers it a spiritually dangerous or
"occult" celebration, you're welcome to e-mail me for a stern history lesson.
To me, Halloween is entirely about the weird, wacky monsters, bugs and bats (oh, and junk food.) I do
consider myself a horror fan, but I get a great deal more enjoyment out of a bright and cheerful
children's Halloween special than any teen slasher or torture movie. What I love about the genre isn't
violence, gore and juvenile attempts at subversiveness, but atmosphere, storytelling and sheer
imagination.
As we can see by this doodle from 1985, my style and technique have changed very little.
Regardless, you can watch my progress over on deviantart, where I post a ton of stuff that doesn't
make it onto this website.
Regardless, you can watch my progress over on deviantart, where I post a ton of stuff that doesn't
make it onto this website.
It's impossible to pin down how I became so enamored with fantasy beasts, as they're an omnipresent
theme in my life for as far back as memory serves. I enjoyed movies, cartoon shows and video games
almost exclusively according to creature content, and began coming up with my own original monsters
as soon as I learned that a pen in your hand can make lines on a paper.
theme in my life for as far back as memory serves. I enjoyed movies, cartoon shows and video games
almost exclusively according to creature content, and began coming up with my own original monsters
as soon as I learned that a pen in your hand can make lines on a paper.
| Pets past and present: |
| A wide array of cockroaches |
| Predatory Terrestrial Flatworms |
| Aquatic Amphibians |
| 2-3 Rats at any given time |
| Various Millipedes |
| Various Land Snails |
I also have, or have had, giant waterbugs, isopods, pill millipedes, glass shrimp,
clawed frogs, crayfish, a pipa frog, a cane toad, carrion beetles, mudskippers,
tree frogs, a vietnamese giant centipede, leopard slugs, leatherleaf slugs, hermit
crabs, fiddler crabs, a giant trap door spider, a golden-silk spider, a black widow
spider, a sea urchin, sea anemones, barnacles, a small mantis shrimp, emperor
scorpions and whip scorpions.
clawed frogs, crayfish, a pipa frog, a cane toad, carrion beetles, mudskippers,
tree frogs, a vietnamese giant centipede, leopard slugs, leatherleaf slugs, hermit
crabs, fiddler crabs, a giant trap door spider, a golden-silk spider, a black widow
spider, a sea urchin, sea anemones, barnacles, a small mantis shrimp, emperor
scorpions and whip scorpions.