edubuntu-artwork-usplash hangs during boot in 8.10 ubuntu

Binary package hint: edubuntu-artwork-usplash

(May or may not be related to bug 318522 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/edubuntu-artwork/+bug/318522. In my case I believe the package install completed successfully). See also my posts at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1050686 and http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1051327.

usr/lib/usplash/usplash-artwork.so in /boot/initrd.img* causes a fully up-to-date 8.10 Ubuntu to hang at start of boot if edubuntu-artwork-usplash has been installed, but works fine with standard artwork.

I have a LUKS encrypted LVM partition containing root. Boot hung before asking for LUKS passphrase. Only difference between working files in /boot and failing files was initrd.img-2.6.27-9-generic. Only difference in the initrd.img archive was usr/lib/usplash/usplash-artwork.so, which had been installed and symlinked after adding edubuntu-artwork packages version 0.1.0-55ubuntu1 (intrepid).

I was able to fix by uninstalling the 2 edubuntu-artwork packages and running
sudo dpkg-reconfigure linux-image-$(uname -r)