yeahhhh siccckkkK! ( )

This review first appeared on The Book Zone(For Boys) blog

If you are an adult who was 10 years old or above in 1985 then you don't need me to explain exactly who the Garbage Pail Kids were. If you are a teen or younger, and you have a devilish and macabre (some may say sick) sense of humour, then you have one hell of a treat in store for you with this book.

The Garbage Pail Kids originally appeared as a series of collector stickers, the first series of which appeared in 1985. Money was tight in those days as I come from a big family, so I was not able to become an obsessive collector of these stickers, but I had a number of friends who could afford them, and we would delight in their subversive and frequently disgusting images. I think they were eventually banned at my school, a story that was repeated across many schools in the UK and the USA. Parents and teachers hated them, ergo kids loved them!

The stickers came about as a reaction to the twee-ness of the Cabbage Patch Kids (and also, as explained in Art Spiegelman's introduction to this book, because Topps did not manage to strike early enough to get a cheap license from the makers of those dolls). Instead of images of those rather unnerving looking dolls, they featured horrible (in the best sense of the word) parodies. The artwork on these stickers was invariably of a very high quality, and they became so popular that they ended up running for a massive fifteen series, finally coming to a close in 1989.

Earlier this year the awesome people at Abrams Comic Arts published a retrospective book of the first five series. This book is page after page of artistic nastiness, with each page showcasing a different card in wonderful enlarged format, with every card in these series displayed. This hardcover book has a wax-coated dust jacket, designed to emulate the wrappers in which the stickers and accompanying strip of chewing gum were sold. We are also treated to a packet of four previously unreleased cards, although I haven't yet been able to bring myself to detach them from the inside back cover.

I think this book has huge appeal for today's youngsters, even though I know that there will be some teachers and parents who will frown at me saying so. Children's fiction has changed immeasurably since the late 80s, and kids are now able to read a plethora of books that just would not have seen the light back in those days. Author's such as Darren Shan, Lemony Snicket, Barry Hutchison.... the list goes on and on.... have taken great delight in making kids squirm, whilst also ensuring that the disgusting and macabre are laced with humour.

The Garbage Pail Kids book should also not be underestimated for its educational value. Bear with me whilst I explain.... The names of the various GBK kids are great examples of alliteration, word play and rhyming. A few personal favourites of mine include Adam Bomb, Drew Blood, Toothie Ruthie, Michael Mutant, Hugh Mungous, Brenda Blender, Stormy Heather and Gore May. And there are so many more I could mention. ( )

My parents would not let me buy Garbage Pail Kids stickers when I was growing up. Consequently, I was fascinated by them. Anything my parents didn't want me to have – GPK, Big League Chew, Stephen King books – must've been really amazing. I saw this book featured on TV last week and knew I had to have it, if for no other reason than to gratify the child-of-the-80s in me who lusted after these sticker cards from afar.

Garbage Pail Kids was a spoof of the Cabbage Patch kids produced by Topps, and created by Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the Holocaust graphic novel, Maus. They were irreverent, creative, and really, really gross. Now, Abrams ComicArts and Spiegelman have released a hardcover book showcasing the first five of the 15 series produced by Topps. Each card, 206 in all, is given its own page, scanned from the original art, nice and big to give you a better glimpse than you've ever had of these truly beautifully disgusting kids. A very nice, informative introduction by Spiegelman and an afterword by artist John Pound round out the book.

It's a very nicely-produced book, with many very clever touches. The dust jacket is made from the same waxy material the card packs were originally wrapped in. The actual boards feature a minimalistic photo of the chalk-like gum stick that came in every pack. Four rare, never-before-released cards are included, as well.

I have only two complaints. One is that the card backs are not included, apparently not considered to be of the same artistic merit as the card faces. I tend to think they were an equally important part of what made GPK great, so they are missed. My other complaint is that the book features only the first 5 series – 1/3 of the total art produced. Hopefully, interest is great enough that Topps and Abrams will see fit to release additional volumes. I would love to eventually have the full set on my shelf. Then I can finally thumb my nose at my parents and my inner child will sleep soundly for the first time. ( )