By Don Hudson
To Be Continued...
Girls of the Jungle
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| By Frank Cho |
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Saturday Serial: Jenna of the Jungle
Continuing Don Hudson's "Jenna of the Jungle" (and including a random bonus jungle girl afterwards). Click on the panels for a larger image, and come back next Saturday for Part Four.
JENNA OF THE JUNGLE: PART THREE
By Don Hudson
By Don Hudson
Thursday, June 4, 2020
'The Portrait' is a well-done early horror film
The Portrait (1915)
Starring: Andrey Gromov and Ivan Lazarev
Director: Wladyslaw Starewicz
Rating: Six of Ten Stars
A young artist (Gromov) buys a painting to liven up his cramped rooms. He soon comes to regret his choice, as the painting begins to change and come to life...
"The Portrait" is a rare silent horror movie that holds up to modern viewing in almost every respect. Sure, the main character is a bit over the top in his emoting, but he's not as bad as what I've seen in other films of this period. The practical effects are well done, and all the bits of business surrounding the painting coming to life are creepy and well staged. It's almost perfect.
Almost.
Unfortunately, this is one case where I desperately wanted there to be the sort of "shocking" surprise twist-ending" that's usually anything but surprising that I so often complain about in the reviews I post to Terror Titans. This film would actually have benefitted from something--almost anything--else than its actual ending. I understand why it ended the way it did... I just wish it hadn't.
But what don't you judge for yourself. Check out "The Portrait" below, and let me know if you agree with my estimation of the ending.
Starring: Andrey Gromov and Ivan Lazarev
Director: Wladyslaw Starewicz
Rating: Six of Ten Stars
A young artist (Gromov) buys a painting to liven up his cramped rooms. He soon comes to regret his choice, as the painting begins to change and come to life...
"The Portrait" is a rare silent horror movie that holds up to modern viewing in almost every respect. Sure, the main character is a bit over the top in his emoting, but he's not as bad as what I've seen in other films of this period. The practical effects are well done, and all the bits of business surrounding the painting coming to life are creepy and well staged. It's almost perfect.
Almost.
Unfortunately, this is one case where I desperately wanted there to be the sort of "shocking" surprise twist-ending" that's usually anything but surprising that I so often complain about in the reviews I post to Terror Titans. This film would actually have benefitted from something--almost anything--else than its actual ending. I understand why it ended the way it did... I just wish it hadn't.
But what don't you judge for yourself. Check out "The Portrait" below, and let me know if you agree with my estimation of the ending.
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Wonder Woman Wednesday
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| By J. George |
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| By Sebastien Dardenne |
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| By Richard Sala |
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| By Dick Giordano |
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| By Kevn Maguire |
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| By Frank Cho |
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
'Peculia' is a swift and entertaining read
Peculia (2002, Fantagraphics)
Story and Art: Richard Sala
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
Peculia wanders the countryside and neighborhood around her mansion and encounters various supernatural menaces, usually after disregarding advice from her faithful servant, Ambrose.
Peculia was one of Richard Sala's signature characters. She's a young woman who usually appears wearing a "little black dress", When she's not being menaced by odd creatures or villains who seem to have stepped out of B-movies or gothic romances, she's being stalked by the mysterious Obscurus and his agent Justine. Exactly what the relationship is between Obscurus, Justine, and Peculia is never revealed, but there are hints that Obscuras and Peculia were once romantically involved, or at least very good friends, and that Justine is jealous of them. What caused the rift between Peculia and Obscurus, why he is isolated in a secret base and always masked is also never revealed--although he seems to be suffering under some of magical curse--but his spying on Peculia through Justine just as often puts Peculia in danger as saves her from it.
"Peculia" collects nine short tales that originally appeared in "Evil Eye" 1-9 during 1998 and 1999. Each is a self-contained story, and each feature a mix of horror and humor for which Sala's whimsical, simple art style is the perfect vehicle. The tone of stories reminds me of Poverty Row 1940s horror flicks with more than a little 1960s/70s Eurotrash horror movies and sex comedies throw in--and I'm invoking those in a positive way, as I find many of those movies quite fun and these comics capture the best of what they have to offer.
Over the course of the nine tales, Peculia's strolls brings her into encounters with weird gremlins who are attracted to music; three witches with a strange secret; a crazed widower who would cause many Edgar Allen Poe characters to reexamine their choices in life; a strange mystic sorority and the chutuloid monster that ends up dooming them, a homicidal girl battling a cult devoted to Bast; hoards of zombies and maniacs; a psychopathic psychiatrist conducting unholy research on unwilling subjects; Death himself; and more weird townsfolk than you think could be packed into one book. And all of this while Justine and Obscurus lurk nearby to either cause or solve problems.
While the first five tales in the book get increasingly good, and the remaining four hold steady-qualitywise, I still have to quibble with the fact that we never get an explanation for why Obscurus is seemingly cursed with total anonymity toward anyone but Justine; it's the one thing that I was disappointed over when I got to the end of the book. On the other hand, I was so delighted by the tiny continuity detail that tied the first story and eighth story in the book together that I am almost able to overlook my annoyance and so keep my rating of Seven of Ten Stars for the book.
"Peculia" is a swift and enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys crisp, straightforward cartooning and horror stories told with a sense of humor. (As a final note, I should mention that the book also contains a never-before-published color story. It's a fun, wordless little tale, but we don't talk about things that aren't in black-and-white in these parts!)
She left those shoes behind halfway through her second appearance appearance--in "Evil Eye" #2 (1998)--and she went barefoot everywhere from then on (which was 10 more issues of "Evil Eye", various pin-ups., and "Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires" (2005).
What does this mean? We have no idea, but we further observed that most female characters that appeared in the Peculia stories were barefoot. (The four panels above were excerpted from the first and second stories in the "Peculia" (2002) collection.)
Story and Art: Richard Sala
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
Peculia wanders the countryside and neighborhood around her mansion and encounters various supernatural menaces, usually after disregarding advice from her faithful servant, Ambrose.
Peculia was one of Richard Sala's signature characters. She's a young woman who usually appears wearing a "little black dress", When she's not being menaced by odd creatures or villains who seem to have stepped out of B-movies or gothic romances, she's being stalked by the mysterious Obscurus and his agent Justine. Exactly what the relationship is between Obscurus, Justine, and Peculia is never revealed, but there are hints that Obscuras and Peculia were once romantically involved, or at least very good friends, and that Justine is jealous of them. What caused the rift between Peculia and Obscurus, why he is isolated in a secret base and always masked is also never revealed--although he seems to be suffering under some of magical curse--but his spying on Peculia through Justine just as often puts Peculia in danger as saves her from it.
"Peculia" collects nine short tales that originally appeared in "Evil Eye" 1-9 during 1998 and 1999. Each is a self-contained story, and each feature a mix of horror and humor for which Sala's whimsical, simple art style is the perfect vehicle. The tone of stories reminds me of Poverty Row 1940s horror flicks with more than a little 1960s/70s Eurotrash horror movies and sex comedies throw in--and I'm invoking those in a positive way, as I find many of those movies quite fun and these comics capture the best of what they have to offer.
Over the course of the nine tales, Peculia's strolls brings her into encounters with weird gremlins who are attracted to music; three witches with a strange secret; a crazed widower who would cause many Edgar Allen Poe characters to reexamine their choices in life; a strange mystic sorority and the chutuloid monster that ends up dooming them, a homicidal girl battling a cult devoted to Bast; hoards of zombies and maniacs; a psychopathic psychiatrist conducting unholy research on unwilling subjects; Death himself; and more weird townsfolk than you think could be packed into one book. And all of this while Justine and Obscurus lurk nearby to either cause or solve problems.
While the first five tales in the book get increasingly good, and the remaining four hold steady-qualitywise, I still have to quibble with the fact that we never get an explanation for why Obscurus is seemingly cursed with total anonymity toward anyone but Justine; it's the one thing that I was disappointed over when I got to the end of the book. On the other hand, I was so delighted by the tiny continuity detail that tied the first story and eighth story in the book together that I am almost able to overlook my annoyance and so keep my rating of Seven of Ten Stars for the book.
"Peculia" is a swift and enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys crisp, straightforward cartooning and horror stories told with a sense of humor. (As a final note, I should mention that the book also contains a never-before-published color story. It's a fun, wordless little tale, but we don't talk about things that aren't in black-and-white in these parts!)
Post-Script From the Department of Odd Observations
In her first appearance--originally in "Evil Eye" #1 (1998)--she wore a pair of black shoes, perfectly matched to her little black dress. |
| There was a time where Peculia wore shoes... |
She left those shoes behind halfway through her second appearance appearance--in "Evil Eye" #2 (1998)--and she went barefoot everywhere from then on (which was 10 more issues of "Evil Eye", various pin-ups., and "Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires" (2005).
 |
| ... but, once she left them behind, she never wore shoes again. |
What does this mean? We have no idea, but we further observed that most female characters that appeared in the Peculia stories were barefoot. (The four panels above were excerpted from the first and second stories in the "Peculia" (2002) collection.)
Monday, June 1, 2020
Musical Monday with Shane Filan
Shane Filan is a singer from Ireland who currently holds the distinction of being the Irishman with the most number-one hits on the UK Singles Charts--16 times in total. He comes to Shades of Gray with "Beautiful in White", a very pretty song with an equally pretty video... a celebration of love and weddings, and a very appropriate entry with which to get June started!
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Magic Tricks with Georges
The Vanishing Lady (aka "The Conjuring of a Woman at the House of Robert Houdin") (1896)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
A magician gives a private performance where he makes a lady vanish and then reappear gradually.
Usually, I find the Georges Méliès films where he's just doing standard magician's tricks but using camera trickery to accomplish the illusion to be the most uninteresting of his works. However, "The Vanishing Lady" is one of the most impressive entries in that category, because the film stops are nearly undetectable, and the way he is takes steps to "prove" the magic is real almost appear like they are mistakes and are very well done.
For a bit of film that's some 125 years old is very impressive... and I suggest you take a minute (literally) to check it out right now.
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
A magician gives a private performance where he makes a lady vanish and then reappear gradually.
Usually, I find the Georges Méliès films where he's just doing standard magician's tricks but using camera trickery to accomplish the illusion to be the most uninteresting of his works. However, "The Vanishing Lady" is one of the most impressive entries in that category, because the film stops are nearly undetectable, and the way he is takes steps to "prove" the magic is real almost appear like they are mistakes and are very well done.
For a bit of film that's some 125 years old is very impressive... and I suggest you take a minute (literally) to check it out right now.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
Saturday Serial: Jenna of the Jungle
Continuing Don Hudson's "Jenna of the Jungle" (and including a random bonus jungle girl afterwards). Click on the panels for a larger image, and come back next Saturday for Part Three.
Jenna of the Jungle: Part Two
By Don Hudson
By Don Hudson
To Be Continued...
Girls of the Jungle
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| By Mike Hoffman |
Friday, May 29, 2020
Doing a little recycling...
The art is by Richard Sala. The re-purposing of said art was done by yours truly, Steve Miller.
(The drawing originally appeared in "Peculia" (2002, Fantagrahics). Review coming soon!)
(The drawing originally appeared in "Peculia" (2002, Fantagrahics). Review coming soon!)
Firearms Friday with Grace McDonald
Born in 1918, Grace McDonald began her show-business career in vaudeville, but transitioned to film as world war was looming in 1940. She was a rising Hollywood star during the World War ii years, with an energetic and cheerful screen presence, as well as talent both as a dancer and an actress, that saw her fit equally well into musicals, comedies, and even dramas.
McDonald had grown to be a B-level star and mainstay at Universal--she received top billing in the 1944 remake of "Secret of the Blue Room", "Murder in the Blue Room"-- when she abruptly traded acting for married life. In 1945, McDonald married Ralph Green. They raised three sons together and remained married until her death in 1999.
(I really hope someone cleaned that gun after McDonald was done posing with it...)
McDonald had grown to be a B-level star and mainstay at Universal--she received top billing in the 1944 remake of "Secret of the Blue Room", "Murder in the Blue Room"-- when she abruptly traded acting for married life. In 1945, McDonald married Ralph Green. They raised three sons together and remained married until her death in 1999.
(I really hope someone cleaned that gun after McDonald was done posing with it...)
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
The Swank Quarterly
Hilary Swank is looking outside and wondering--will I get to go anywhere in June?!
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