"Well, sir, there's nothing on earth
Like a genuine, bona fide
Electrified, six-car monorail
What'd I say?
Like a genuine, bona fide
Electrified, six-car monorail
What'd I say?
Monorail
What's it called?
Monorail
That's right! Monorail" — Lyle Lanley, Marge vs. the Monorail.
What's it called?
Monorail
That's right! Monorail" — Lyle Lanley, Marge vs. the Monorail.
The Simpsons illustrations by Oktopolis: The Art of Brian Miller
Officially licensed artwork inspired by The Simpsons episode Marge vs. the Monorail.
When FOX and licensee Acme Archives contacted me to create new illustrations for The Simpsons I knew right away I wanted to pay tribute to some of my favorite episodes. Having worked on The Simpsons comic books in the past I was already deeply entrenched in the art style and visual storytelling cues.
One of the stand out episodes from the series has always been Marge vs. the Monorail, written by Conan O'Brien and featured guest star Phil Hartman as the voice of Lyle Lanley.
The illustration features Homer as the monorail's conductor and includes silhouettes of Springfield favorites Lard Lad Donuts and Krusty Burger in the background along with the steeple of the First Church of Springfield.
The illustration was created using the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of tools including Adobe Draw on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil for the majority of the hand drawn elements. The Monorail was created in vector using Adobe Illustrator before being further tweaked with hand drawn elements. The entire illustration was composited in Adobe Photoshop where colors were adjusted and typography finalized.
This illustration was sold as a San Diego Comic Con exclusive by Acme Archives. Marge vs. the Monorail writer Conan O'Brien was broadcasting live from Comic Con and sent his people over to compliment the artwork and acquire one for his office. No better compliment can be paid to the artwork than that.
Officially licensed artwork inspired by The Simpsons episode Homer at the Bat.
The second illustration focuses on Homer and his baseball antics from Homer at the Bat. The episode follows the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team, led by Homer, having a winning season and making the championship game. Mr. Burns makes a large bet that the team will win and brings in nine ringers from the "big leagues" to ensure his success.
Homer's secret weapon is Wonder Bat, a lucky bat he made from a fallen tree branch struck by lightning. They enjoy an undefeated season and earn a spot in the championship game against the Shelbyville Nuclear Power Plant.
With the score tied and bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Burns pinch hits Homer who is hit in the head by the first pitch, knocking him out and forcing in the winning run. The team wins the title and Homer, still unconscious, is paraded as a hero.
Both illustrations were sold as limited edition fine-art prints by the Dark Ink Art imprint of FOX licensee Acme Archives.
illustration by Brian Miller © Oktopolis. All rights reserved. This artwork may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Oktopolis. All characters and names © & ™ their respective owners. Illustration © Oktopolis. The Simpsons and all related characters are trademarks of Fox and are used with permission. The Simpsons © & ™ Fox. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Fox.
