PUKETACULAR

Topps and IDW finally gave fans what they had been requesting for years...a Garbage Pail Kid comic book! Behold PUKETACULAR - the historic first issue!


News first hit back in July, 2014 (SDCC) that Garbage Pail Kids fans were finally going to get comic books to add to their collections! Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) - an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books and comic strip collections - was awarded the contract, and the project quickly started to take shape.

Initial reaction to the idea was mixed, largely due to the 'non-GPK' looking image drawn by Peter Bagge that was circulated at SDCC (the image eventually became the Deluxe Edition cover below). However, once the final artwork by Mark Pingitore hit the Web the anticipation grew!

Over the next few months both IDW and Topps did a lot of promotion for the upcoming release. This page provides a comprehensive look at Garbage Pail Kids Issue 1 from advertising all the way to production. You can even flip through the entire comic book right here at geepeekay! Enjoy!

RELEASE DATE: December 24, 2014

FEATURED ARTISTS: Peter Bagge, Dean Haspiel, Mark Pingitore, Joe Simko, Jeff Zapata, Jay Lynch, Fred Wheaton, Bill Wray, Hilary Barta, Jason Millet, Vito Delsante, Shaun Manning



PROMO MATERIAL & ADVERTISING

From the IDW Website:

Remember mullets and teased bangs? Stonewashed denim jackets and jeans? Well, not everything about the ‘80s was lame, because that’s when the Garbage Pail Kids ruled the world! Those irreverent, satirical stickers quickly became a pop-culture phenomenon, but they never had their own comic book… until now! In the spirit of the avant-garde cartoonists and humorists who fathered these miscreants, a new generation of alternative-comics creators has lent their unique talents to bring the Garbage Pail Kids into the wacky world of comics!

Topps and IDW promoted the @#%$ out of this product. From Jumbo Cards to Promo Cards to T-Shirts and more...Comic CONNER was a regular at any CON that took place the second half of 2014. One of the neatest promotional items was the 8 page Ashcan (Official Collectors Binder) that was distributed at the NYCC. The inside (meant to resemble a 3-ring binder) provided fans with a detailed look at some of the artwork involved.

Ashcan (front)
Ashcan (back)

Ashcan (inside sample)

The Joe Simko artwork that appears on the Retail Incentive cover was used in A LOT of different ways to promote the comic. In addition to the Ashcan (and FOUR different Jumbo Card variations), CONNER/BOYD/CODY was also available on T-shirts sold at CONS, and on the Promo Cards displayed below. Topps also distributed Promo Cards that featured the Mark Pingitore cover artwork at both the NYCC and Philly Non Sport Card Show in 2014.

P1 (front)
P2 (front)
P3 (front)

NYCC (front)
NYCC (back)
PNSU (front)
PNSU (back)

T-Shirt Advertisements

As the release grew closer, PREVIEWS magazine ran a full page ad in their October issue. This provided collectors with their first glimpse at the different covers and their prices. The ad featured the original cover drafts that did not have the 'PUKE-TACULAR' banner, nor the suggested age warning, etc.

PREVIEWS Magazine
Issue #313, 10/2014
(click to enlarge)


COVER VARIATIONS

As is typical with comic book releases, Topps and IDW decided to create a number of different cover variations for collectors to buy. Comic enthusiasts will immediately notice the similarity between the Regular Edition cover and the Detective Comics #27 cover (featuring the first appearance of the Batman!)

Original promo images of the comic was released that did NOT include the 'Puketacular' banner, artist names and 'Mature Readers' warning. In the end a total of FOUR variations were released. There was rumor of a "Phantom Variant" edition...and a cover image even leaked...but it was never produced.

Click the images above for hi-res versions



BONUS CARDS

The Deluxe Edition was the only one of the four different covers to come sealed in a bag. The reason for this is because it includes a Bonus Card SP1: Comic-Con RON (below). This card (drawn by Brent Engstrom) not only comes in the typical WHITE border, but has also be found with a rare BLACK border and an even MORE rare RED border! Are there any colors left to find?!

Bonus Card SP1
(white border)
Bonus Card SP1
(black border)
Bonus Card SP1
(red border)



READ THE COMIC

Now that you know everything there is to know about HOW Issue 1 came to life, why not read it!? That's right, you can flip through hi-res scans of the entire PUKE-TACULAR below! Well…what are you waiting for...start reading!