It’s no secret that it took a while before Powell-Peralta’s skeleton based graphics really took root. Before the Ray ‘Bones’ Rodriguez famous Sword & Skull graphic, Powell-Peralta offered simpler large font based graphic Quicksilvers, Brite-Lites, Beamers, etc. The photo below was recently uncovered of Ray ‘Bones’ Rodriguez on a pre Sword & Skull graphic Brite-Lite deck, and oddly enough he has a Skull Skates sticker on his helmet. It took a while for the darker skeleton and overall death inspired graphics to take hold of the industry in the early 80s, and it’s no surprise that Skull Skates may have been an early inspiration for the dramatic changes.
