Hector Garrido...RIP

In absolutely devastating news, G.I. Joe legend, Hector Garrido, the man famous for making so many of us fall in love with the brand thanks to his glorious card and box art, passed away on Sunday the 19th of April, he was 92 years old. The Argentinian born artist immigrated to the United States and began working professionally in the 1950’s. Well known for his work on book covers for series such as the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, it was his incredible G.I. Joe packaging art that blew us away as kids and helped sell a huge amount of product for Hasbro in the 1980’s. I’ll never forget the first time I saw Action Force figures with his art on the cards and then again when visiting the US as a kid and discovering G.I. Joe for the first time. In fact, 1988 v2 Storm Shadow still stands out for me as a moment of real breathtaking magnitude and most of it was down to the superb artwork Hector had provided for that toy!! It is a loss that is felt across the community and something I doubt we will ever truly be able to come to terms with but thankfully his legacy will always be with us in his exceptional art. Rest in peace, Hector, this card back explosion is for you...