Jim Phoenix here and I want to tell you about a little award winning magazine called BarelyEvil. It is a clever, well put together, temple of awesomeness. For those of you who’ve been under internet quarantine for the past few years, BlueBlood (yes, Amelia G and Forrest Black’s BlueBlood) are back in printed and digital magazine form. I love it. BlueBlood has always been a favorite of mine to cover. One look at BarelyEvil #3 and you can see why.
When not winning awards (Big Congrats to the team for the AltPorn Award on BarelyEvil and the 3.5 million other awards they racked up that night!), Forrest Black and Amelia G somehow find time to put out a quality (award winning) magazine. Issue three features Daizy Cooper (who is quickly becoming my new favorite model), Dana Dark (she lives her to her name in this issue), the ever alluring Penny Poison, and Menton3. There’s also a great story from Amelia G.
We start the pictorial journey with Penny Poison. I’ve covered Penny a bit over the years and I am amazed afresh each and every time I see her work. This spread by Amelia G and Forrest Black pushes the limit for me. Let me take a moment to talk about Forrest Black. He is the story teller of the photo spreads. Every picture and every setting is, from what I’ve read in a very cool interview, his creation. The tandem of Black and G is equivalent to the Magic and Kareem of my day. This Penny Poison shoot demonstrates this concept perfectly.
Penny Poison is front and Center with a small tied shirt around her as a top and something of a plaid skort (I believe) with a killer black skull belt. Her outfit is a bit girl next door (hey, I’m from Vegas, alright?) but what really takes one’s breath away is the posing of white skin against ink. A lot of times I see Penny Poison in shoots where her ears (pointy) or tongue (split) are the focus. This set of art does let us glimpse at those trademarks, but it also opens up a whole new level of Penny. I am enthralled by her ink. The colours pop right off and I am not sure if that is because Amelia G and Forrest Black are such great photographers or if what we see is truly an amazing job by a lot of tattoo artists. I think the answer is ‘both’. There is a purple raven head with Vaughn-esque eyes on her back that really captures the attention. The poses themselves are well wroth the price of the issue and all things I cannot show here due to the extreme NSFW nature.
Lil’ Daizy Cooper comes at us full blast with Satanz Hoe. The floral backdrop works with the colour scheme that Daizy uses in her hair, her bracelets, and on her face. I love her makeup here. The little touches like the hearts under her eye really sets this piece off. Plus, we have the same style of stockings (slightly mismatched). How can you not like Daizy Cooper? I won’t say what she does with the crucifix in this one photo that involves a full length mirror, but I will say the only photo I could show of her that was remotely SFW was the front cover.
Dana Dark is new for me. It is a rare treat when I get to see a new model as mysterious and engaging as Dana Dark. I can’t show anything of her due to SFW rules, but what pops to me is ‘Imagine Madonna in her black hypno top and mix that with P!nk, add a great set of ink (I love the Bettie Page spin on the magic woman. The work and colours are spectacular). All of the colours in the red/orange hue are represented in her hair (top and bottom), her makeup, and her ink. Everything flows so well together. Of course Forrest Black picked the perfect type and background to complement everything.
The last picture set belongs to Menton3. I first learnt the name through Vaughn Belak’s Dodging Knives and Throwing Bullets as Menton3 writes the introduction. I was hooked into his world with that introduction and I am so glad to see him in the pages of BarelyEvil. I am a huge horror fan and to see his work reminds me of the old horror comics I would read as a kid (most of these would be pre-code). It’s light vs Dark; loneliness and longing going hand in hand with seduction; power with raw beauty (dark beauty), and rage. These are the images of Menton3. I can’t show a lick of his work here because of, you guessed it, SFW rules. However, I can tell you that if you looked at IDW’s Silent Hill, X-Files, The Dunwich Horror, 30 Days of Night, and Dungeons and Dragons, then you have seen his work. The timing here is perfect as I just downloaded 30 Days of Night from ComiXology. His style draws you in and dares you to look away. A feat I have not yet mastered.
Finally, I want to take a bit of time to talk about Amelia G’s story, Walking In L.A., the story that is set so well by the graphics that the words take a life of their own on the page. ‘His T-shirt read “Bad Attitude, Good Fuck”… How’s that for a hook? I enjoy Amelia G’s writing. This story is no different. She brings you in with her to a place that many of us will never go. Her exposure of LA reminds me of this parallel collection from Las Vegas that I once read. It’s this raw exposed nerve adventure that doesn’t back down, doesn’t sellout or make nice; it takes the reader and makes them witness a life they rather walk across the street from than even say hello. Society needs that magnifying glass that doubles as a vanity mirror, and that is what Amelia G brings us. She does so in her art be it photography or writing.
If you like BlueBlood, then this is an easy sell. Go buy the Award Winning BarelyEvil magazine. If you don’t know who BlueBlood is, then this magazine is a great way into their world. I love the print editions, but the digital is just gorgeous to behold.
