ED WOOD, JR. Card Set (1992). (NO BOX)

Long celebrated as "the worst film director of all time," Ed Wood, Jr. holds a special place in Hollywood history. This card set was issued prior to the Tim Burton film which revived interest in Ed's bizarre career. In fact, Kitchen Sink Press' Hollywood attorney gave this card set to Burton and it may have inspired his film. The 36 cards are illustrated by Drew Friedman, the well-known underground cartoonist (Blab!) whose spot-on pointillistic caricatures can be seen regularly in mainstream magazines like Entertainment Weekly and Time.

Friedman, who has long been attracted to the stranger side of the culture, has brilliantly captured Ed's various sides and his motley assortment of cast members. Ed Wood, Jr. can be seen as "himself" (card #36) and in transvestite form with a wig and his beloved cashmere sweater (#35). Other cards include Bela "Dracula" Lugosi; Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson; actress/stripper Fawn Silver; TV horror hostess Vampira; actor Gregory Walcott; chiropractor and Lugosi stand-in Dr. Tom Mason; Hollywood prophet Criswell; actor Lyle Talbot; actor/bodybuilder Steve "Hercules" Reeves; and actress/songwriter and ---briefly--- Mrs. Ed Wood, Dolores Fuller. These, and other performers depicted "starred" in such Ed Wood Jr. masterpieces as Plan 9 From Outer Space, Glen or Glenda, Jailbait and Bride of the Monster (a full Wood filmography appears on the back of card #36) along with concise summaries of the respective actors' career and realtionship to Wood.

Note: there were two distinct printings of this set. The 1st features various bright dutone colors on the card fronts. The 2nd printing has a duller, barely perceptible duotone. Card #1 in the 1st printing credits publisher Kitchen Sink Press in Princeton WI. The 2nd credits Kitchen Sink in Northampton MA. The two also features very different Friedman-designed boxes.

What we are offering here is the full 36-card set from the scarcer and aesthetically superior first printing minus only the box. Long out of print and a bargain at $10.95