Werewolf Fortune-Teller speaks the Truth

This Moment of Truth brought to you by Doug TenNapel's Ghostopolis.

Napoleon's Pyramids

I had high hopes for Napoleon’s Pyramids. It promised a lot: a swashbuckling hero, a mysterious medallion, an evil count, and an Indiana Jones-esque adventure to unlock the secrets of the pyramids. I’ve learned to be skeptical though about stories that sound too good to be true. There’s always something wrong. The hero is unlikable, the Maguffin is dull, the villain is unbelievable, or the adventure is a bait-and-switch that promises much more than it ever intended to deliver. Napoleon’s Pyramids has none of these problems. It’s exactly what it claims to be and so much more.

Ethan Gage is a fantastic hero. He’s an American living in France in 1798. He’s the former apprentice of Benjamin Franklin and a Freemason. He’s a much better former apprentice than he is a secret society member though. He barely understands the origins of the basic Masonic symbols, much less posses any real secrets. His big flaw is that he has no purpose. He doesn’t believe in anything, so he flits from whorehouse to card game and back again. Which is really a cool place for a charming rogue to begin his story, but many authors would fear to let him grow out of that. I know because I’ve read their books. Not Dietrich though. Gage’s journey changes him as much as it thrills his readers.

Art Show: Sky Wolf's a lousy tracker

Sea Dragon



By NC Wyeth. [Golden Age Comic Book Stories]

Mermaid



By Kep (though I can't tell if that's the photographer, PhotoShopper, or just the person who uploaded to Allday. [Swing with Shad]

After the break: a forest girl, mammoths, Red Sonja, a belly dancer, Sky Wolf vs the Heap, the Invisible Woman, and Rocket Girl.

Adventureblog Gallery: Magical

Hubba hubba



By WT Benda.

Castle



By Franklin Booth.

Totoro forest



By Jackson Sze. And there's lots more just as wonderful by other artists too at the Totoro Forest Project.

Woodfolk



By J. Allen St. John?

Somebody's in trouble



By Sanjulian.

Artist of the Day: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

I mentioned the other day that I'm a big fan of Bouguereau. He's maybe not the first person you think of when you think of adventure art, but he did do some Greek mythology stuff. And he did this painting, The Bohemian.

I fell in love with The Bohemian when I saw it at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Part of it's because she reminds me of a girl I had a crush on in college. Part of it's Notre Dame in the background. But mostly it's because she's a gypsy and I freaking love gypsies.

They live free, nomadic lives. They have cool music and hot dancing girls. And they always seem to find themselves near old castles, whispering around their campfires about werewolves and vampires.