I'm a glutton for a good 'ol fashioned collaboration, especially if it's depraved.
If you agree, feast your eyes and mind on gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman's delightfully twisted renditions of Vince Gilligan's now-storied show, Breaking Bad.
Steadman (for those who aren't a Hunter S. Thompson-head like me) was a longtime colluder with Thompson, accompanying his acid-soaked prose with ink-spattered visions of violence that are nothing short of holy-shit-inducing. His work is instantly recognizable, marked by a frantic hand that is decidedly touched with a bit of madness, of melancholy, possessing the uncanny ability to celebrate the maligned creature lurking in all of us.
Steadman and Thompson simultaneously rose to fame in 1970 when they were paired up to cover the Kentucky Derby for the now defunct Scanlan’s Monthly, which resulted in the grotesquely gorgeous piece, “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved," now considered a seminal article that aptly showcased the two men's propensity for the pervertedly clever.
Today, Steadman remains a bit of an elusive beast, though he has been collaborating with the Flying Dog Brewery since 1995 in designing their labels, which range from the "Raging Bitch," a screaming, heavy-nippled dog, to the more subtle (psssh!) Pearl Necklace, boasting a noseless rotting hag.
Gilligan commissioned Steadman to create six different covers for each season of the upcoming limited-edition Breaking Bad Blu-ray release. But hold your damn horses, because they're not available until February.
You can try to snatch up these delectable collectibles sold exclusively on Zavvi.com ($30), but the depiction of character Gus “The Chicken Man” Fring, as well as the season five cover of Mike Ehrmantraut and Hank Schrader’s show finale edition, have already sold-out.
And really, why wouldn't they?
