In memory of the lovely Yvonne Craig

Yvonne Craig, a ballet dancer who turned to acting in the early 1960s, and best known for her role as Batgirl on the "Batman" television series, passed away on Monday, August 17, at the age of 78. You can read a more complete death announcement by clicking here.

Craig may have moved on, but she lives on in those fun episodes of "Batman"; her appearances opposite Evil Presley in "It Happened at the World's Fair" and "Kissin' Cousins; and her many guest appearances on television series during the 1960 and 1970s. And in photos like the ones that will make this a Picture Perfect Wednesday, despite the sad news of Craig's passing.

Honey Starchilde, Space Hooker!

NUELOW Games is preparing to make another collection of art available. This one will have a retro-sci fi theme, similar to the popular Scenes From Yesterday's Future collection. Here are a few images from the set that NUELOW Games' L.L. Hundal nicknamed "The Exploits of Honey Starchilde, Space Hooker!"

I'm including her amusing comments (together with one of my own, incorporating her Honey Starchilde name) on these Xela illos with this post. They made this Picture Perfect Wednesday even more perfect.

Honey Starchilde's Close Encounter of the Entirely-Too-Friendly Kind...

Honey and her pimp Gerald discover why open-air bukakke parties are illegal on Mining Outpost Xevon IV.

Gerald must rescue Honey from a rival pimp who has the backing of the Space Mafia.

New art collection avaliable from NUELOW!

The eighth collection of art from the archive of NUELOW Games is now available to those among the public who want some cool classic horror comic book art to look at, and bloggers, website owners, and small- and self-publishers looking for neat royalty free artwork that is provided with few limitations to use and re-use. Most images in the set are included in both b/w and color formats, and in 72dpi and 300dpi to make them as easily and as broadly useful as possible.

You can click here to see a preview of the booklet indexing the art in "NUELOW Stock art Collection #8: Killers & Cultists" (under the quick preview link on the page), or you can get your own copy of this great collection. By way of further preview, here is a small sampling of the images included in the set. Click on them to see larger versions.

By Alex Schomburg & Karl M.

By Jack Sparling

By Matt Baker

By Bob Forgione

Click here to see the entire inventory of NUELOW's royalty-free art packs.

To all my American friends -- Happy Independence Day!

I hope it's a safe and happy one, spent with friends and family! (And may your fireworks stock resemble that of Susan Hayward's.)

For July 4th: Complete Golden Age Oddballs Patriotic Edition!

Just in time for 4th of July... the latest release from NUELOW Games spotlights two patriotically themed heroes from the Golden Age of comic books--Major Victory and Yankee Girl. 

In addition to every single Golden Age appearance of both characters, including covers, "Complete Golden Age Oddballs: Major Victory and Yankee Girl," contains brief publication histories for each; an overview of how they are being incorporated into NUELOW Games' emerging comic book universe; ROLF! game stats; and a bonus expansion to the OGL Modern superhero rules first published in "Madden's Boys."

Here's a preview of the book--a couple slash pages and some of the included covers.

Click here to see previews or to get your own copy of "Complete Golden Age Oddballs: Major Victory and Yankee Girl,"

Ann Miller is ready for the Fourth of July!

She's prone to overkill. Or maybe she's going to be celebrating the Fourth by dropping fireworks on the heads of  those fun-loving folk in ISIS.

Have you got your plans all settled? Whether you have or not, we wish you and yours a Happy Fourth of July (tomorrow)!

A request from the management regarding fireworks

Be sure to practice safe handling of fireworks this Fourth of July. We don't want to ruin Gloria Grahame's outfit again this year.

Furies of the Jungle by Art Saaf & Karl M.

These illos will be appearing in a forthcoming stock art pack from NUELOW Games. They are adapted from art originally done by Art Saaf for Nedor/Standard Comics in the mid-1940s. The tentative title for the set is "The Deadlier of the Species."

For the record, the blonde is Tygra. an aid worker in Africa who gained super-strength after chugging a severe overdose of an experimental medicine; and the dark-haired one is Princess Pantha, an animal tamer who took to wearing fur bikinis after being stranded in the jungle during a safari than went horribly wrong. NUELOW Games has published two books with Princess Pantha--"The Hunt of M'Gana" and "The Footsteps of Fate"--each of which feature the work of Art Saaf.

A popular topic among gamers and fantasy fans these days seems to be, "how does she not get hurt in skimpy armor?" I don't recall the question ever being asked regarding John Buscema's or Frank Frazetta's portrayal of Conan, but I guess people need things to complain about. And "realism" in fantasy art (limited to female characters, and excluding impossibly large swords) is the latest Big Thing, I suppose.

Well, at least as far as jungle characters in OGL d20 Modern games, I have the answer for you.: They have the Hearty and Untouchable talents from the Jungle Master tree.  and it should be added to the selection available to Strong Heroes, Tough Heroes, Fast Heroes, and Dedicated Heroes. The rest of this post is presented under the Open Game License, and may be reproduced within its terms. The material originally appeared (in a slightly different form) in NUELOW Games' "Judy of the Jungle: The Lords of Memnon". Copyright 2015 Steve Miller.

JUNGLE MASTER TALENT TREE

   Prerequisite: Strength 14, Dexterity 14, Constitution 16

   Beastmaster: You gain a +4 bonus to all Animal Handling skill checks. Animal Handling becomes a permanent class skills. If it was already a class skill, you gain 2 ranks in Animal Handling.

   Hearty: You gain double the amounts of hit points through First Aid and natural healing.

   Silent Death: You gain a +4 bonus to all Move Silently skill checks. You deal +2 damage with melee weapons.

   Terror of the Jungle: You have a +4 bonus to all Buff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks when in a wilderness environment.

  Untouchable: Your Class Defense Bonus increases by +2 when you select this talent. For all even character levels acquired, you gain an additional +1 bonus to you class-based Defense Bonus. The benefit from this talent is negated by using armor or other Defense Bonus-enhancing gear.

For more from NUELOW Games (and me!), visit the blog by clicking here.

In memory of Elizabeth Montgomery

It's 20 years today since the passing of the great Elizabeth Montgomery. She is best remembered for her role as Samantha in the "Bewitched" television series, but she had a thriving career both before and after what became her signature role. Read more IMDB.com.

For more images from the "polar bear shoot," click here.

Mohammed Monday: 'You can't draw me!'

Pamela Gellar and her organization sponsored an art contest for people to draw the Prophet Mohammed. Not surprising to anyone, a pair of psychopathic idolators (posing as Muslims) tried to shoot up the gathering where the $10,000 prize was given out for the best entry. Fortunately, the only deaths were those of the would-be mass-murderers themselves. Fortunately, their lives ended as they had led them -- in failure.

On that note, here's one of the entries from Gellar's constest. And a quote from a post at the Reason.com blog on the topics of the event and the violence it drew. Too bad so many American "leaders"--from President Obama down--believe the opposite.

The future must belong to those who recognize a categorical difference between free expression and violent reprisals. The future must belong to those who affirm speech over silence and freedom over fear, regardless of who is speaking and who is offended.  

Picture Perfect Wednesday: Dancers by Jack Sparling

NUELOW Games released one of its art packs that's themed to International Dance Day! You can get more information on the set by clicking here, or you can just enjoy the nice Sparling art right here at Shades of Grey!

 

It's International Dance Day!

Here are some pictures of ballerinas to celebrate... and when you're done sitting around looking at photos--go dance!

#internationaldanceday

Mohammed Monday: Dedicated to Gary Trudeau

After accepting the George Polk Award, Gary Trudeau blamed the victims in the "Charlie Hebdo" murders, You can read his speech here. Apparently, he thinks that if you're "offended" or "feel pain" over something someone writes or draws that it's an appropriate response to murder the people who offended you.

The only appropriate response if someone threatens murder or commits murder over art is for anyone who cares about the freedom of expression to do MORE of the same. I don't describe myself as a "free speech absolutist" but I AM a fanatic when it comes to the position that it's never an appropriate response to commit violence over a drawing or a cartoon. In my mind, there should never be a "but" behind that sentiment... especially not when it's coming from someone who has made their living drawing cartoons, like Gary Trudeau

In honor of Gary Trudeau's fucked-up outlook are a trio cartoons I did a few years ago for the "Everybody Draw Mohammed" craze. I figured I'd practice what I preach.

And if you feel pain or feel like I should die because the cartoons are badly done or because they feature magical, soul-searing images of the Prophet Mohammed, I really don't care. I do suggest you seek the services of a good psychiatrist, however. You clearly have issues that need to be worked out, and that may only be treatable with anti-psychotic medications.

Trivia: The first image led to the idea that became the "Jihad Fairie Activity Page" cartoons.

Happy Easter!

Easter Fact: The easter bunny gets to hang out with chicks. It doesn't matter if he's being cute...

... or creepy.

Mohammed Monday: Will the real Mo please stand up?

Once a month (if I remember), I'm post a Mo-toon to this blog, as a sign of disrespect to the idolators who so worship images of the Prophet Mohammed (may pies be upon him), they fly into blind rages over ,mere implication that their false god has been portrayed with pen or pixels.

If I know who the original artist was, I provide credit. In this case, I do not.

Karloff portrays his most evil character in 'Bedlam'

Bedlam (1947)
Starring: Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy House, Richard Fraser, Ian Wolfe and Leyland Hodgson
Director: Mark Robson
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

When Nell Bowen (Lee), an actress turned live-in companion and jester for one of London's leading citizens (House) makes it a personal crusade to improve conditions at the Bedlam institution for the insane, she makes a personal enemy of its Apothecary General, Master Sims. She soon discovers that those who Sims feels threatened by end up as inmates at Bedlam, whether they are insane or not.


In "Bedlam," we see Boris Karloff playing the most despicable and evil character he ever portrayed during his career. Master George Sims is a self-centered little man who has achieved some small degree of social standing through toadying and by abusing his position by turning the government-operated asylum and its inmates into a sideshow attraction, complete with admission fees. Although he talks about compassion, it is clear that he has has none, both from his attitude and deeds. Everything within the walls of his asylum are there to boost his fragile ego, and anyone who threatens it from the outside, he brings under his control by having them committed by a board of governors that he has under his sway.

If played by a lesser actor, Master Sims would probably have been a boring character consisting of pure evil covered by a thin veneer of hypocrisy and oily charm. However, Karloff manages to infuse humanity into this monstrous figure, giving Sims a dimension that makes him just sympathetic enough that viewers can appreciate where he's coming from even while recognizing that he is an absolute villain.

One of the key moments for Sims' is when he falls into the hands of the inmates and they put him on trial to determine if insanity drove him to commit all the cruel acts he is responsible for. Without ruining the film, I can say that Sims gives a speech that convinces the inmates that he is indeed sane, because his actions were driven by a hunger for recognition from his betters and a sad hope to be accepted as their equal. But, although Sims seems to be soul-searching and understanding that his behavior is misguided and wrong, it quickly becomes apparent that he will fall back into his old ways, because the only way for him to overcome what is ultimately an unsurmountable degree of self-loathing is for Sims to feel himself bathed in what he considers the reflected light from his "betters."

And it is this reflected light that starts the conflict between Master Sims and Nell Bowen. She not only shows Sims up in front of one of the nobles whose approval he so desperately wants, but she shows herself to be more favored than he when she isn't punished for displaying repeated and open contempt for him. Worse, Bowen doesn't need the approval that Sims devotes his entire life to gaining, so he has no real weapons to weild against her except his ability to force her into his charge and break her spirit and mind.

It is plain to viewers early on that Nell will ultimately end up at Sims mercy, because she refuses to back down, and as the film unfolds, much of the suspense comes from the fact that there seems to be no way out for Nell and that her strong spirit will get her killed. The confrontations between Sims and Nell, which never rise above verbal sparring, are really the heart of the film... and they are scenes that would not work half as well if it wasn't because the lines are being delivered by two great actors whose performances are bringing dimensions to the characters far beyond what would usually be expected from a low-budget drama.

These great performances also lift the film to the point where you're not quite sure what's going to happen... and not just because Val Lewton has delivered films with genuinely suprising endings before (is there anyone who can honestly say they saw the ending of "Cat People" or "I Walked With a Zombie" coming before it hit?), but because the characters have a degree of life to them that doesn't let us assume that the script will follow the pat ending where the heroine is rescued and the dastardly villain gets his just rewards. (And, to some degree, Lewton once again delivers a powerful and unexpected ending, perhaps the creepiest of any of his RKO films.)

Of course, I also need to give some credit to Mark Robson, the film's director. He was an editor at RKO whom Lewton wanted to give a chance to direct, and for whom Lewton passed up the opportunity to work on films with bigger budgets. 

After his early hits, RKO execs wanted to give Lewton more money to work with, but it meant that Robson would not have a chance to direct. Lewton chose to stay with the smaller budgets and the B-pictures, showing personal character and a degree of loyalty to his fellow creators that one wishes more people possessed. 

And Lewton's faith in Robson was obviously well-placed. While most of Lewton's RKO pictures are lean efforts without a second of filler to be found, "Bedlam" is even tighter than the rest. There is not a single scene that doesn't start or end at just the right moment, and there is not a single shot that isn't perfectly timed or lit.

With the excellent performances from its stars, able assistance from a talented supporting cast, and great direction, camera-work and editing, "Bedlam" is a fine thriller that fans of classic movies should seek out. 

"Cat People" and "The 7th Victim" may get most of the commentaries when it comes to Lewton films, while "Frankenstein" and "Targets" get the accolades in the Karloff canon, but "Bedlam" is a film that deserves more attention from fans and reviewers alike.

It's the first Day of Spring!

Piper Laurie is ready for the sun!

...