Toxic Tales of Williamsburg Opening at the Abbey

Thanks to everyone who came to the opening and made the night a success. Several beers and not much sleep later, I sit here in awe of a great night. Thanks to Mark Quinlan for hosting, Matt Enis for his dilligent assistance in framing and hanging the pieces, and my Brooklyn and AC crews for coming, boozing, and schmoozing. Prints are available for sale and I will probably post decent files of them here soon.


Brent Cox and myself.


Mary Varn and John Holt


Carrie Oelfke


Madam Mainstay and Terror from Tenant X


The Slick and the Maddening Menace of the Radiac Maniac


Animation Collective Crew- Ray & Karen Alma, Megan Crisp, Jon Renoni, and Lauren Krueger

--B

Toxic Tales of Williamsburg Pin-Up #4: Luxo, The Living Condo

When Greedy developers did not heed the words of a local sage, they broke ground on a cursed lot! After erecting a multi-storied luxury apartment building, they soon realized the structure contained sentient life! Now the giant dwelling has become a misunderstood monster, roaming the streets of Williamsburg for a home as... Luxo, the Living Condo!



Hey all! The day is here and the show is framed. The pieces look good despite minor color and size issues. If you can make it, check out the opening tonight. If not, the show will be hanging up for a month.

The Abbey presents
"Toxic Tales of Williamsburg"
Comic Book covers by Brendan Tobin

Saturday, August 25th, 2007 6PM
The Abbey
536 Driggs Ave. (between N. 7th & N. 8th)
718.599.4400 L Train to Bedford Ave.

--B

Toxic Tales of Williamsburg Pin-Up #3: Madam Mainstay

Mabel Manicotti has been a Williamsburg resident from before anyone can remember! Possessing a well maintained sanctuary on North 6th Street, few realize that she retains great mystical abilities, coupled with a time/space-bending cosmic lawnchair! From the comfort of her front stoop, Manicotti defends the old way of life from astral regentrification as... Madam Mainstay!



Three days until the show and, true to form, still cranking out pieces. I have a good feeling overall that the work is coming along well and the pieces are looking good. Still, printing and framing and time will tell. Hope to see a good many of you there. For now, enjoy Madam Mainstay.

--B

Toxic Tales of Williamsburg Pin-Up #2: The Slick

While EPA agent Carl Carrington was testing dirt samples at a local construction site, he was engulfed by a strange oily substance present in the groundwater! His body underwent an astonishing transformation, now possessing the ability to seep through any substance! Carrington presently lurks the night, using his crude-born powers to wipe out crime as the superfund hero known as... The Slick!



Well, one week until the show hangs at the Abbey. Here's another card featuring the Slick, a commentary on the Exxon Mobil spill that still saturates the ground here in Greenpoint/Williamsburg 50 years after the fact. I gotta get moving on the actual pieces that will be up on the walls, but I guess stress motivates a man.

--B

Sweet Christmas, Sucka!

Luke Cage, Hero for Hire. Marvel's first blaxploitation hero, Luke Cage gained his powers as a guinea pig in an experiment performed on prison inmates. Gaining super-strength and bulletproof skin, Luke busted out and began a long career of mopping up Harlem's seedy underground. As the name Hero for Hire suggests, he was different than other Marvel superheroes, as he often asked for payment for his services. Hey, a sucka's gotta eat!

--B

Vincent and Theo

Here's some quick doodles of the kitties done in Flash to cheer up my wife. Vinrod the crazy, loud street urchin and big bro Theodore, the methodical and nervous, but nurturing fatboy. Obviously named after the Van Gogh brothers, the two seem to resemble the men they're named after respectively. And the litterbox they contribute to can only be described as a post-impressionistic masterpiece.

--B

Razorback

Razorback is a horrible character that first mixed it up with Spidey in "Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man" at some point in the 1970s. He's so lame that I absolutely love him. His real name is Buford Hollis, which rules, and he's the first comic character from Arkansas. He's a trucker, which also rules, and drives a rig called "The Big Pig". He wears a boar's head on his noodle that can shock you and has a beergut. The best detail though? He has the mutant ability to drive anything. ANYTHING. It could be a 1972 Ford Pinto or the Space Shuttle. He has the superhuman power to operate it. That totally rules in such a lame way. 10-4, good buddy.

--B

Toxic Tales of Williamsburg Pin-Up #1: Captain Hipster

When cool dude Dylan Donaldson purchased a funky white belt in a vintage clothing store, little did he know it was a totem containing an awesome power! After donning the article, he was transformed into a superhuman dynamo with great strength and agility, as well as the uncanny sense to detect the next great fashion trend! Donaldson now prowls Bedford Avenue, defending hip and non-hip citizens alike from the forces of villainy as... Captain Hipster!



Above is the inked and colored, as well as the original penciled, versions of the Captain Hipster pin-up. This will be featured on one of the 4 cards promoting the show at the Abbey, along with the character description. It's so tragically hip.

--B

Superman

Well, with all the Marvel stuff I've been posting as of late, it's time to represent the Distinguished Competition. Here's the ol' Man of Steel floating above Metropolis at sunset. I dig how it worked out, especially with the gradients on the skyline (which are limited in Macromedia Flash). Also, included is the original pencil sketch.

--B

Toxic Tales of Williamsburg Sketches

Coming up on August 25th, I will be hanging a show at the Abbey here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There will be 4 to 5 pieces up on the walls, each one a mock comic book cover with the banner "Toxic Tales of Williamsburg". While trying to keep the subject of the show somewhat hush-hush, I've decided to post some sketches of the characters featured on the covers.



Captain Hipster.



The Slick.



Madam Mainstay.



Luxo, the Living Condo.

--B

The Leader, Big Headed Villain of Note

The Incredible Hulk's arch nemesis: the Leader! Big Head=Cool Villain. Gotta' dig his 'stache.

--B

Flyers

This is a flyer I created for my good friend Mark, who is a bartender and manager at The Abbey, my local watering hole here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He showed Film Noir movies for a few months every Sunday and asked if I could create flyers for them. I had a few ideas and this is the one he went with. Currently, I have a few "hard-boiled" books to read by Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, and the like and hope they will inspire some future gritty, crime drawings. Time will tell.



Another flyer, this one for the Lyric Lounge, a sister bar to the Abbey, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I don't remember if this was just a Halloween party or their "Door Closing" gala. The place is probably a highrise condo building now. The font was inspired by the Creepshow logo, which is pretty cool. And, of course, my man Frankie representing the reason for the season.

--B