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Monday, January 31, 2011

Good Girls featured on Bad Girl Chats!

The Ladies of StatiCCreep

Creator of the long running syndicated strip "Sylvia" is undertaking a series of articles about female Chicago artists in the comics industry. Is there room for them? How are they utilizing all the social networks to promote their work? Stay tuned for all sorts of interesting interviews, and click HERE for the first installment! Go Bad Girls!

New Winter Hours!

With freezing sleet, 50 mph winds and a general hibernation factor,
Las Manos Gallery will be changing its hours for winter!

Please take note!

Friday: 12:30 - 5:30pm
Saturday: 11am - 5pm
Sunday: 11am - 5pm

Stay Warm!

StatiCCreep in Time Out Blog

StatiCCreep reviewed in the Time Out Blog!
Click HERE for the full story!


Written by Web Behrens:


"At Andersonville’s Las Manos Gallery (5220 N Clark St, 773-728-8910), The Static Creep exhibition assembles nearly two dozen artists. Not all of them, strictly speaking, offer comic-book or sequential art; a few veer simply into the land of pop-culture-infused illustrations or collages. Still, there’s plenty to engage your eyes and your brain.

Here, the multiple worlds of comics collide. The best-known artists are probably Nicole Hollander (creator of the “Sylvia” strip, carried by the Chicago Tribune) and Heather McAdams (familiar to readers of the Reader). And you’ll get an entirely different view of Jeffrey Brown here than at the MCA; his detailed, black-and-white illustrations offer some impressive chiaroscuro work, compared to his simpler sketchbook art at the museum. Meanwhile Jill Thompson, who works wonders with watercolors, contributes some pages from the indie comic Beasts of Burden, as well as pages from Marvel Comics’ The Inhumans and her own Scary Godmother books.

Fans of a certain vampire slayer will thrill to see Jenny Frison’s gorgeously rendered covers for Buffyverse comics, which appear in doublets—first graphite on white Bristol board, then graphite and white pastel on gray paper. Andrew Pepoy represents for the Archie Comics line, while Mike Norton (with an eye-catching Green Lantern splash page) and Chris Burnham (with a stunning, not-yet-published cover for Batman Inc.) ably depict the superheroes."

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Zombies Invade Las Manos Gallery!

Some say that the presence of zombies flare up
in our society when people are particularly
anxious over tough times and the possible end
of the world. With a recession and Nostradamus'
predictions of our demise in 2012, the climate
is ripe for some zombie art!

The artists in the StatiCCreep Exhibiton of
Sequential Art are no exception! Lucy Knisely,
Hilary Barta, Jeffrey Brown and Jill Thompson
are feeling the undead in their pens...


Lucy Knisely
"Zombies at the Riviera"














Knisely's zombie invasion hits particularly
close to home. The Riviera Theater on Lawrence
and Broadway in Uptown, Chicago, is the
comical but gruesome scene of the living and
their sudden struggle to stay undevoured!
Knisley's delicate and light drawing style clashes
strongly with images of the undead taking
slow delight in eating Uptown residents.
We at Las Manos have trouble passing this
intersection without our mind's eye filling
in the staggering carnage. Nice job Lucy!

(click HERE for more on Lucy Knisely)
















A detail of "Zombies at the Riviera"



Hilary Barta:
"Zombie Wedding at Slaughter Swamp"
Creep #4 - Dark Horse Comics




















Barta's zombie stories are a blend of old-school
horror and classic blonde femme-fatal meets
untimely demise. Set in the south, moss and
dead trees add to the aura of dread. These wordless
panels convey the message of terror simply by the
shading and silent screams. What woman can't
relate to this zombie nightmare? Lost in the woods,
confronted not only by a brutal death, but then to be
zombified and live in polygamy in mud and ooze?
Barta's zombie narrative scares the living daylights
out of any independent woman!

(click HERE for more on Hilary Barta)













A detail of "Zombie Wedding at Slaughter Swamp"



Jeffrey Brown
"Zombie Sex Slave"





















We are delighted to have Jeffrey Brown's
work at Las Manos Gallery this month.
Along with the StatiCCreep show, Brown
has work in Chicago's Museum of
Contemporary Art as part of the "New
Chicago Comics" exhibition.

(click HERE for info on the MCA's show)


Jeffrey Brown takes us to the sweeter side
of zombie love. "Zombie Sex Slave" shows
the tender side of affection for the undead.
The love of a rotting arm is treated as an
object of worship. Not unlike that of the
obsession of long-dead musicians by living
folks today...






















It's clear from Brown's "Abbey Road
Aftermath" - the Beatles' 1969 London
roof top concert ending in zombie slaughter -
that he takes a particular satisfaction in
penciling zombies in the music industry.
"Paul is dead" the 1969 rumor that Paul
McCarthy had perished, plays a jumping-off
point for Brown, launching zombie Paul,
passionate about taking other musicians,
and Yoko Ono, to the other side...

(Click HERE for more info on "Paul is Dead,"
and HERE for more on Mr. Brown)



A detail from Jill Thompson's
"Beasts of Burden"





















Jill Thompson jumps right out of the
zombie box by skipping human corpses
and going straight to undead dogs. Her
super-saturated watercolor style adds
a grisly punch to the decomposing
animals. If human zombies stagger slowly
through the streets, are dog zombies able
to chase you? Either way, her illustrations
are incredible and give us chills...

(click HERE for more of Jill's work)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The StatiCCreep Exhibition of Sequential Art Opening


COMIC BOOK ARTISTS FLOOD LAS MANOS GALLERY!
Show Runs January 14th-February 6th, 2011.
5220 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60640
773-728-8910



The ladies of the StatiCCreep Show- Lucy Knisely, from left, Nicole Hollander, Corinne Mucha, Sarah Becan and Heather McAdams! The other ladies of StatiCCreep but not seen are Jenny Frison, Alyssa Herlocher and Jill Thompson.


Heather McAdams' "Willie Nelson"



Mitch O'Connell, center, and Bill Reinhold chat during the opening of The StatiCCreep Exhibition of Sequential Art at Las Manos Gallery on Friday evening...


Andrew Pepoy, left, and Bill Reinhold were kind enough to pose for a photograph. Thanks for showing your amazing work gentlemen...


Bill Reinhold's "The Prowler"


Andrew Pepoy's "Simone and Ajax"


Cynthia Plaster Caster, center, spent a little time at the show- looking for a new model perhaps?


Mitch O'Connell, right, and Fam...


Mitch O'Connell's "When we were married" at left.

Thanks to Josh for mixing/playing live music at the event. Sponsorship through good beats is always appreciated!


Steve Krakow of Plastic Crimewave and Secret History of Chicago Music!
Thanks for the great radio plug for the show Steve!
Two of Steve Krakow's screen-printed music posters.


The fabulous Nicole Hollander doodles a little Sylvia action on the wall of paper during the show!

An assortment of Nicole Hollander's strips. Her comic, Sylvia, has been syndicated for nearly thirty years!


Alyssa Herlocher and her friend Jose at the opening...


Alyssa Herlocher's "Cat Calling Vickie a Hussy"


Incredible Artists Doug Klauba, left, and Dave Dorman, right, chat about... paint quality? airbrush technique? brush preference? astrophysics? We wouldn't put it past them!


Doug Klauba's "The Spider Strikes"


Dave Dorman and wife!

Dave Dorman's "Star Wars, Dark Forces"

Dave Dorman takes a stab at a comic doodle...


Lower on-the-spot-sketch by Hilary Barta, upper drawing by Dave Dorman!

Lucy Knisely, center, chats with Sarah Becan & friends...


Lucy Knisely's "Zombies at the Riviera"


Chris Burnham & friend.


Chris Burnham's "Batman & Robin #16"


Sarah Becan and friend!
A panel of Sarah Becan's work.



Hilary Barta, right, points out a few details of his incredible Zombie Wedding
sequence.


Hilary Barta's - "Zombie Wedding At Slaughter Swamp"


Hilary Barta, left, and Mitch O'Connell hug it out!


Folks take a closer look at Mitch O'Connell's incredible mixed-media pieces. The man is confident- not everyone can pull off using purple glitter in abundance!


Tony Akins with a few fans. Future comic convention goers- wear your platforms if you want to talk to this man!

Tony Akins "Cave of the Gilded Virgins"


Hundreds of comic book fans pushed their way through the gallery on Friday night. Live music, sketches, wine, snacks and comic books kept people shoulder-to-shoulder for several hours. Thanks for the turn-out everyone!


People take a better look at Chris Burnham's Batman and Officer Downe pages!


Alex Wald's "Zip"- seven pages of beautiful drawings!


A few fantastic pieces by Heather McAdams...

A closer look at some of Jenny Frison's pencil on bristol board covers...

Lucy Knisely's amazing and hilariously gruesome "Zombies at the Riviera"

Screen-printed posters by Steve Krakow up top, "Annie" pages by Andrew Pepoy at bottom...

Chris Burnham has as photo taken with a fan on Friday night.

Self-published books, magazines, calendars, sketchbooks, postcards and zines available by Sarah Becan, Doug Klauba, Andrew Pepoy, Heather McAdams, Nicole Hollander & many more!


Tim Seeley's "Hulk"


Jill Thompson's "The INHUMANS"


Jeffrey Brown "Zombie Sex Slave"

Heather McAdam's "Dart Nose"



Jenny Frison's Illyria 4 Cover