I remember discovering "men's sweat magazines" at thirteen. The
perfect age. The attraction to these mags ,with their covers that looked
like posters for B-Movie action flicks was immediate. Illustrated by
artists like Norman Eastman, Norman Saunders, Al Rossi, Mort Kunstler, and James Bama they were like Sgt. Rock and
Sgt. Fury comics on steroids. But with the added ingredient of sex.
These covers and the illustrations inside showed vivid examples of Nazi
brutality. To be sure there were plenty of examples
of villainous Japanese. But it turns out the ones with Nazis are the
most collectable. Nazis have been pop culture's No.1 villains for over
80 years. They've appeared in movies, television series, and comic
books. For years they were "heels" in wrestling
arenas across America.
The covers for these mags were the inspiration for grind house
flicks like ILSA, SHE-WOLF OF THE SS (1975) starring Dyanne Thorne.
Captured American GIs were stripped to the waist and tortured by
sadistic Nazi she-wolves. Other covers featured damsels
in distress at the mercy of brutal Nazi torturers and deranged
doctors. Steve Holland and Eva Lynd are the two best known models for the
characters on the cover of these mags. Both were equally adept at
playing the hero/heroine or villain/villainess. Sometimes
they would appear in the same illustration as both. But of course there
were other actors and models who appeared in these illustrations. In
her auto-biogaphy Sleeping With Bad Boys (2007) Alice Denham
mentions posing for such illustrations.
When I created the character Miss Ginger Snaps with Vance Capley, I
had the idea that "America's Foremost Burlesque Queen" would have
posed for a few of these illustrations too.
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