The cold, stygian dark of the extreme sea depths is home to some of our planet's strangest creatures. Henry Compton (1928-2005) was present on some of the earliest Gulf of Mexico cruises on which these fishes were collected for the first time in Texas waters. On returning, Compton would photograph the specimens, and then paint them. David A. McKee uses Compton's work to explore bioluminescence, life in the deep, taxonomic arrangement, and life history.