Though there were a few obvious pop culture references in the GPK series from the start, they didn’t start getting super overt until towards the end of the run. Not that I’m against it, in fact, I’m kind of sad that the following Freddy Kruger homage is the only “branded” horror icon to really show up in the GPK universe…
Stickers 617a&b, Claude Flesh and Slasher Asher, made their debut in the final series (15) back in 1988, and was painted by long time artist Tom Bunk. Not only was this the final series, but these cards were also some of the final in the original numbering scheme (if you haven’t noticed, the number picks up from set to set…) I really like this card and the art, not just for the Freddy reference (which is rad), but because it’s also simple and straight forward, and in a way a callback to the original series stickers. I’m also glad that bunk chose a darker palette for the painting, side stepping a super gaudy red and green sweater and sticking with something a lot more moody and atmospheric.
Once again, I’m also helping to organize the annual Countdown to Halloween alongside the tireless and super cool monster kid John Rozum. So if you like what I’m doing over here, you might want to head on over to the Countdown site and check out the huge list of other sites participating in this year’s spooky festivities. There’s also a like-minded sister collective called Blog-O-Ween being put together by my pal Cody, the Crooked Ninja Turtle Sensi. Be sure to check them out as well.
