Artistic ‘explosion’ from graffiti art crew brings superhero images to West Side

Comic book superheroes burst from the word “CABOOM,” which is a play on words: CAB is the Chicago graffiti art crew that completed the mural on the West Side, while “KABOOM” is the sound of an explosion — in this instance, an artistic blast. | Robert Herguth / Sun-Times

Bombs go “KABOOM.”

But artistic explosions go “CABOOM” — with CAB, a pioneering graffiti crew that’s been in Chicago for decades, and BOOM is what happens when members of the group descend on a space and collaborate on a splashy piece of public art.

Like across from Marshall High School on the West Side, where artists who are either part of or affiliated with CAB painted a sprawling mural in 2019 on the side of a three-story building at Kedzie and Fifth avenues featuring not only the word “CABOOM,” but intricate images of superheroes within the letters.

There’s Captain American and Hulk, Ironman and Black Panther, Thor and Rocket Raccoon.

Part of the mural at Kedzie and Fifth avenues, done in 2019 by the CAB graffiti crew.

The project was about getting the crew together, as members often work solo, and showcasing their collective artistic skills. But the intent was also to bring color and inspiration to the neighborhood — and to young people.

“We wanted to give something to the kids to enjoy,” says the 42-year-old graffiti artist who goes by Werm and lives in West Lawn.

He painted the “C” and “M” in the mural, along with Captain America and Thor — who are both part of the wildly popular Marvel Comics universe.

Werm says the crew has done several CABOOM paintings in recent years, but this is “the only one still up” and intact.

The other half of the West Side mural, located across from Marshall High School.

HateK 312, who is part of CAB and painted the first “O” and Ironman, says doing this kind of art in “underrepresented neighborhoods” helps show younger residents there are creative outlets.

“I’d rather have a kid pick up spray paint than a gun,” he says. “We like to give kids another option, let them know there’s another option.”

Painting right across from Marshall “was a plus,” HateK says.

But the group pretty much lucked into the location, as a CAB member who goes by DTeK says he knew someone from the building and got permission to paint on the wide-open wall, which faces west.

“It’s a good thing for the kids,” says DTeK, who’s 37 and lives in Cicero. While the crew was painting, “all the kids were at the windows” at Marshall watching.

The street artist who goes by DTeK, shown in front of the mural that he helped complete in 2019.

Too many kids in Chicago “grow up so rough” and “don’t know what they want to be in life,” he says.

Such murals hopefully inspire them into realizing “you can do anything,” DTeK says. And the hero theme shows “heroes are around.”

He painted the “A” and Rocket Raccoon, who Marvel describes on its web site as “a more or less heroic figure” who “acquired a pretty lengthy list of foes, as one does spending the better part of a careering foiling the attempts at galactic takeover.”

“We’re all pretty good in our crew, we don’t hang out a lot, but when we do . . . we just transform,” DTeK says.

HateK, who is in his 30s and lives in Little Village, chose Ironman because “of his style, his aesthetics,” and the artist likes that “he’s technologically advanced.”

His aim was to “make the kids go, ‘Wow.’”

The 36-year-old street artist known as Mr. Laylo painted the “B” and the giant green Hulk character.

“The theme was the Avengers super heroes, and we just got together and randomly picked who we wanted to do, Werm already had Captain America, and I had a big ‘B’ to fill, it was pretty cool,” says Mr. Laylo, who grew up in Chicago and Cicero but recently moved to Canada. “The process overall took a little over two weeks . . . it’s all spray paint.”

The artist who goes by GNEE painted the second “O” as well as Black Panther, which he described as “definitely one of my favorites.”

Another “CABOOM” painting — done by the CAB graffiti art crew on the North Side in 2019. It’s since been painted over.

GNEE, who is 47, lives in Englewood and describes himself as “affiliated” with CAB, says he liked that Marshall kids watched the mural come to life.

“That’s always cool for people to see live art happening . . . they think it’s magic, but it takes hard work,” he says.