Matchbook art by Jason D’Aquino based on the rather terrifying looking cover for the vintage pulp novel ‘The Hungry Ones’ from 1968.
 
I’ve been a fan of miniature artist Jason D’Aquino since becoming aware of him back in 2008 when I saw some of his artwork drawn on the little wooden spoons that are included in Good Humor ice cream bowls, as well as his detailed matchbooks on which the New York artist incorporates images of everyone from Hunter S. Thompson to Alfred Hitchcock. Since that time D’Aquino has expanded his matchbook art (for which he only uses vintage matchbooks) to include homages to lurid pulp fiction novels featuring bad girls and guys acting as you would expect them to. Poorly.

D’Aquino (who also used his artistic skills in the tattoo business until 2014) has credited Maurice Sendak and H. P. Lovecraft as his inspirations. His most recent matchbook artwork features naughty pulp pinups (including Bettie Page), a few serial killers, Christopher Walken, and an incredible teeny-tiny homage to Gene Wilder in which D’Aquino managed to reproduce a sweet riff on the movie poster for the 1974 film Young Frankenstein, The piece not only included Wilder but also Marty Feldman (who played Igor) and his creation of “The Monster” as played by actor Peter Boyle. I’ve been lucky enough to see some of D’Aquino’s work up close and in-person and can safely say that it is even more magnificent than it looks on your screen. A dizzying array of D’Aquino’s artful matchbooks follow. Some are delightfully NSFW.
 

A reproduction of the cover of the 1962 pulp novel ‘Blondes are Skin Deep.’
 

‘Homicide Hotel,’ 1951.
 

‘Illicit Desires,’ 1949.
 

The original artwork for the pulp novel ‘Kill Now Pay Later’ was done by the great Robert McGinnis back in the early 1960s.
 

‘Tavern Girl,’ 1950.
 

A reproduction of a cover from a vintage issue of ‘Detective Magazine.’
 

‘The Dead Stay Dumb,’ 1951.
 

‘Thrill Girl,’ 1952.
 

‘The Long Night,’ 1952.
 

Bettie Page.
 

Alfred Hitchcock.
 

Vincent Price holding the head of actor Peter Lorre.
 

A tiny homage to the 1985 film ‘Re-Animator.’
 

Actor Christopher Walken.
 

D’Aquino’s glorious tribute to the 1974 film, ‘Young Frankenstein.’
 

David Berkowitz, the ‘Son of Sam.’
 

Hunter S. Thompson.
 

‘Bizarre’ magazine.
 

Another bondage-style image from ‘Bizarre’ magazine.
 

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Looking for a TON of burlesque matchbook covers? Well, you can stop looking.
Sexy vintage matchbook covers