A New Breaking Bad Art Book Is a Meth-Have

It’s been off the air for nearly a decade, but there are no signs of Breaking Bad (2008-2013) slowing down. Fans of the AMC series about high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) turning to a life of crime have snapped up tons of show merchandise, from K-Swiss sneakers to a Monopoly game.

In 99.1% Pure: Breaking Bad Art, viewers will get to see the show from a new angle—illustrations. The hardcover book assembles a collection of creative works from artists and fans around the world who have been inspired by the series.

Characters like Walter and his partner Jesse Pinkman, lawman Hank Schrader, ethically challenged lawyer Saul Goodman, and others are featured in more than 150 separate works.

The collection is fully approved and endorsed by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, who helped select the art included in the book and also provides an introduction. Breaking Bad script coordinator/post-production assistant Jenn Carroll and assistants Melissa Ng and Clementine Dunnell helped choose the art for the book; while Claudia Azurmendi and Joanna Zhang wrote the text. Gillian told Entertainment Weekly that the collection was inspired by fan-submitted art the staff kept on the walls of the show’s offices during production.

“It is the ultimate compliment,” he said. “It made my eyes light up every time I walked down the hallway, but I didn't realize that it really is the highest compliment until I was actually writing the introduction for this book. It dawned on me: What better compliment is there than art being inspired by something I had a hand in? What an amazing thrill, this feeling of, ‘God, this is something we did that inspired artists to do work.’”

And yes, Gilligan thinks a Better Call Saul fan art book would be interesting, too.

You can pre-order 99.1% Pure: Breaking Bad Art on Amazon for $39.99. It’s scheduled for release August 17.