Patrol of Terror, Real Men magazine cover 1966

Victor Prezio's cover for Real Men magazine is a trip, right? The pink and purple haze, the shadow of some men with guns, and this woman pulling up her stocking—it’s a whole story in one image. I can't help but imagine Prezio in his studio, trying to nail that perfect pose, mixing colors to get that skin tone just right, even as it borders on the grotesque. What was he thinking as he painted her face, with the glint in her eye? What about the shadow men lurking? It's like he's caught between pulp fiction, noir, and a cheesecake pin-up. Painting, like any medium, is about making marks that speak, that connect—or, in this case, maybe disconnect. It's not high art, but that’s okay. It's just a part of the endless conversation artists have across time, riffing off each other’s ideas and images.