Rhys Cooper's Garbage Pail Kids Prints

I wasn't sure what to tackle tonight, but when I saw Rhys Cooper's Garbage Pail Kids ("GPK") prints last week I knew I'd have to write about them at some point, and now seems as good a time as any. The reason these posters appeal to me so much is because not only do they carry on the proud (and gross) legacy of the GPK trading cards, they also happen to feature some great film references. I thought tonight I'd go over a few of my favorite Rhys Cooper prints created for Gallery 1988's GPK show. Note: All of the posters included here are still available for purchase as of the writing of this post.

"2nd Hand Rob" Art Print
Rhys Cooper
12" x 18"
$25 - Limited to 100
Inspired by: Robocop

Cooper's Robocop-inspired GPK print is bat-shit crazy (in a good way). Imagine a futuristic Detroit where, instead of an efficient cyborg patrolman policing the mean streets, a snot-nosed kid comprised of metallic bits and baubles and armed with a fork and firearm prowled the Motor City burning it to the ground and leaking oil all the while. Scary, isn't it? Rhys' "2nd Hand Rob" print is available for $25 through the Gallery 1988 website. The print measures 12" x 18" and is limited to an edition of 100. I'd also like to point out that all of these posters are screen prints, so it goes without saying that they're beautifully detailed in person.

"Allen Hunter" Art Print
Rhys Cooper
12" x 18"
$25 - Limited to 100
Inspired By: Predator

The "Allen Hunter" print is about as insane as "2nd Hand Rob" and is based on a character that's just as recognizable as Robocop. This one wasn't a hard sell for me, as I'm interested in just about anything Predator or Alien related. My favorite touch has to be that, in addition to simply sporting a necklace made up of "trophies" from his deceased victims, Allen Hunter also has a pacifier attached. Wait, does that mean he killed another Garbage Pail Kid? Makes sense. "Allen Hunter" measures 12" x 18, is limited to an edition of 100 and is available through Gallery 1988 for a measly $25.

"Chester Burst" Art Print
Rhys Cooper
12" x 18"
$25 - Limited to 100
Inspired By: Alien

I briefly mentioned Alien in the previous paragraph, so this seemed like the logical next step. This print is just creepy. Rhys' "Chester Burst" takes our favorite little chest bursting xenomorph and somehow grafts a pudgy child on top of it with very disturbing results. It's not bad enough that this abomination's freakish arms and legs seem to jut out without any rhyme or reason, but did the artist have to distort Chester's face like that? It's for this reason that I am both sickened and enamored by this poster. Like all the prints in this post "Chester Burst" is available through the Gallery 1988 storefront and costs $25. Go get it!

"Dull Boyde" Art Print Rhys Cooper 12" x 18" $25 - Limited to 100 Inspired By: The Shining

"Ultra Vincent" Art Print Rhys Cooper 12" x 18" $25 - Limited to 100 Inspired By: A Clockwork Orange

I think these last two may be my favorite. Cooper managed to meld the sophisticated horror and absurdity of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and A Clockwork Orange with the potty humor crassness of the Garbage Pail Kids. I guess it's not that huge a stretch since Art Spiegelman, the man behind the comic memoir Maus, also known as the only comic book to ever be honored with a Pulitzer Prize, is the genius who originally thought up the GPK while working at Topps (my brain exploded when I learned that). "Dull Boyde" and "Ultra Vincent" exemplify the fun that can be had when merging pop-culture and repurposing iconic imagery. And I love how Rhys has managed to recreate so much of what was special about the GPK, down to the "Peel Here" arrow and the dashes that outline the sticker boundary. These are great! "Dull Boyde" and "Ultra Vincent" are currently available through the Gallery 1988 website for $25 apiece. Both posters measure 12" x 18" and are limited to an edition of 100.

To learn more about Rhys Cooper be sure to visit his Studio Seppuku store and his Facebook page. If none of these posters float your boat there's a lot more than just these five available, so be sure to visit Gallery 1988 to see the rest. And as an FYI - I'll have a giveaway later this month for one of these prints. Yay! Free stuff!