Subliminal Messages in Modern Art:
The Art of Ramon Perez, Jr.
Okay, we all love Ramon Perez's work for Palladium (especially how virtually
every one of his characters has tattoos, henna markings, and/or body piercings),
but has anyone ever noticed that he hides "secret" messages in his artwork? No?
Well, a bunch of people over at the Palladium Mailing List have, so I decided to
go through all my books at home and compile a list of all the subliminal
messages in Perez's work. There was a lot more of it than I expected... could it
be that Mr. Perez is using his position as a favored artist at the
second-most-popular (and, frankly, best) gaming company on Earth to corrupt the
minds of innocent youngsters like you and me?
Nah... (Besides which, I'm not really all that innocent :-) At any rate,
here it is, starting with Rifts books and working through to Nightbane.
Enjoy! And if I've somehow missed any, e-mail me at hida_jiremi@yahoo.com.
Rifts World Book 12: Psyscape
Even though this is the earliest numbered book that features Perez's
work, it isn't the first. Because of a number of delays in publication, Psyscape
(World Book 12) was actually published after Federation of Magic (World Book
16). Thus, the first Rifts book featuring the unique stylings of Ramon Perez was
in fact World Book 13: Lone Star. Just a little continuity note for
ya.
page 67: The Psi-Nullifier in the foreground is reading a copy
of Erin Tarn's first(?) book, "Humankind's Rise From Chaos." The two mages in
the background are having a bit of difficulty because of his picnic. One
(apparently using either Fly as the Eagle or Levitation) is falling out of the
sky, flapping his arms in a feeble attempt to stay aloft; the other, trying to
blast the first with some sort of "blasting" spell, seems to be confused because
all that's coming out of his hands is smoke and a "fizzling"
sound.
page 139: If you look closely, you can see the topless
female Zenith Moon Warper's nipple. Woo-hoo!
page 142: Perez works
his signature into the forearm tattoo of a Techno-Wizard in the lower left-hand
corner of the two-page illo.
World Book 13: Lone Star
This is one of the best Rifts books published in recent memory, not only in
artwork (even the inimical Wayne Breaux shines through in this manuscript) but
in the writing, the descriptions, and the characterization. Perez is
dynamic!
page 21: Not really subliminal, but cute. On the right
arm of the escaping monstrosity is a computerized manacle displaying an "ERROR"
message.
page 57: The lead biker's hovercycle has the name
"Screamin' Mimi" scribbled on the side.
page 65: Each of the
mutant animals in the chain gang has a bar code tattooed on its
forehead.
page 99: Lots here! This illustration is of the "Psi-X
Aliens" created by Desmond Bradford's illegal genetic experimentation, and which
he named after one teenager's rantings that he had been turned into a "bug-eyed
Roswell Alien." In the background are three movie posters: Plan 9 From Outer
Space, Mars Attacks!, and one of the Star Wars movies (I can't
tell which). In the lower left-hand corner is a newpaper with a partial headline
visible: "Roswell..."
page 133: The second vampire must have been
in a fight recently--he has a cross-shaped burn on his forehead.
page
137: Nothing subliminal or hidden here. Just wanted to mention how much I
love this illustration of a gun-toting female mutant porcupine (with smiley-face
panties!). The best character I ever ran in a Palladium game (for a
Nightbane/TMNT cross-over I played in) was based on this drawing.
page
152: There are a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror of the
Big Boss ATV depicted here.
World Book 14: New West
I loved cowboys as a kid (didn't every kid?) so I had to love this book. The
work on Silvereno, a prototypical Western town, is in-depth and detailed; the
artwork is classy; even my personal nemesis, Wayne Breaux, does well for himself
in this book (but I still can't stand his cover illustration for the next book,
Spirit West). The book is chock-full of cool new rules, ideas, classes,
monsters, and plenty of other stuff--including the subliminal messages of Ramon
Perez.
page 59: The wanted poster on the left (which you can get
an oblique view of) reads: "J.S. Driftwood, wanted dead or alive, for crimes
Shakespearean."
page 66: There's a sign above the merchandise in
this picture which says: "Get your photo taken with an authentic reproduction of
Kevin Siembieda." In the bin below the sign is the Robot from "Lost in Space"
(which, incidentally, is virtually identical to Robbie the Robot from
Forbidden Planet).
page 84: A partially obscured wanted
poster in this picture reads: "Wanted, the Tyrannical Siembieda, for the crime
of Slavery (no photo available)." It is the popular belief on the Palladium
Mailing List that this poster refers not to Kevin, but to his wife (and fellow
Palladium big-wig), Maryann, of whom no photos have ever been taken (at least to
the knowledge of the PML; she doesn't even show up on Palladium Books' Official
Web Page!).
World Book 15: Spirit West
Plenty of Perez, but no subliminal messages. The illo of the Thunderbird on
the first page of the book is great, though.
World Book 16: Federation of Magic
page 50: There are two
books with visible titles in this picture: "Kith and Kin" and "The Book of
Enoch."
page 58: Whoo! Where to begin? The blueprints in the lower
left-hand corner of the picture contain a sketch of a Medieval "angel's seal" (a
circle with various angelic symbols within it, as well as the names of angels
and prophets). Written on the blueprints are the following: a recipe for chicken
soup; the phrase "This image was laboriously drawn by Ramon Perez"; and a bit of
train-of-thought poetry about meatloaf. Carved into the desk is a heart with an
arrow through it; inside it is written "Jeremy & Michelle." Laying on the
desk are a volume of Poe's works and a copy of "The Lesser Key of Solomon."
Finally the designer is working on the plans for the TW Battle Skimmer (which
appears later in the book).
page 81: Check out the titles of the
books in this mage's library: Mike Ignola's "Hellboy," "101 Uses for Earmuffs"
by Maryann Siembieda (another PML private joke), "The Modern Prometheus" (which,
if I recall properly, is the other title for Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"),
Erin Tarn's works "Wormwood" and "Traversing Our Modern World," "Talking in the
Third Person" by Demi Pleasance (I know there's an obscure joke here, but for
the life of me I can't remember what it is), "The Golden Dawn," "The Lesser Key
of Solomon," "Odelalli" (what?), the "Necronomicon," and finally, a book
entitled "Huh?"
page 126: I'm sure there's a hidden meaning here,
but I can't read those damned runes! Besides which, this guy is using a chakram,
and that's just plain cool (for reasons which are readily apparent to anyone
that knows me even moderately well).
World Book 17: Warlords of Russia
Oh, yeah! This book is far better than I first thought it would be (me:
"Russia? Isn't that where my last girlfriend is from? Damn those painful
memories!"), and it manages to capture the feel of both modern and ancient
Russia, while lending it the flavor of Rifts Earth. The only thing I really have
a problem with is the reprinting of the skill lists.
page 2: This
is one of the better "big battle" scenes I've seen depicted in a Rifts book,
especially considering how chaotic and gruesome it is. Especially noteworthy is
the fact that the guy in the middle seems very surprised that he's been shot
several times in the chest, despite the fact that his gun just shot some other
guy in the head; the other guy's eye is actually flying out of his face!
Interesting: one of the berserkers in the background has a happy face tattooed
on his chest.
page 42: I just think this "portrait" of Warlord
Kolodenko really shows the heroic style and attitude he's supposed to have. He's
standing on a hill, looking up at the sky with dark eyes, his cape whipping in
the breeze, and the vibro-blade on his gauntlet extended. All in all, very
patriotic and brave.
page 61: The Ectohunter in this picture is
reading Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" and standing next to a headstone that reads
"Here lies Ramon Perez, he who drew himself to death". The cross in the
foreground reads (as near as I can tell--it's dark) "In Morte"--"In
Death".
page 74: I just really like this depiction of a cybernetic
Cossack smoking a stogie.
page 97: Except for the addition of a
rail-guard, these flying wings are virtual rip-offs of the flying wing (Mehve)
from Hayao Miyazaki's fantastic anime production, Nausicäa of the Valley of
the Wind (released in America in the mid-80's with a horrible dub and
hideous edit as Warriors of the Wind). Naughty, naughty, Ramon! Also, the
'Wing in the background is trailing somebody behind it on a length of rope--and
from their posture, I'd guess the extra passenger isn't too happy about
it.
page 127: Smurfin' A! Warlord Orloff's Holocaust Shocktrooper
is one of the more horrible, frightening, and damn cool 'mechs or cyborgs I've
ever seen. Above and beyond the fact that it's more heavily armed than an Abrams
tank, more evil looking than Pinhead, and runs on treads, it's holding a knife,
indicating that it actually intends to go toe-to-toe with a human opponent
rather than just disintegrating him. Yikes!
pages 130, 133, and
137: Orloff's Aftermath, Romanov's Avenging Angel, and The Mantis--all of
them are just as cool and menacing as the Holocaust (though the Angel looks
uplifting at the same time). That's all I have to say about that.
World Book 18: Mystic Russia
This is the companion volume to Warlords of Russia, and it kicks just as
much ass! (In a mystical sense, of course.) Though I really like the new stuff
for the Gypsies (I thought the Gypsies were the best thing in Triax and the
NGR), I don't think they should have reprinted all of the old material; the
Russian gods were a much more pressing concern, and now they're only going to
appear in The Rifter (not that that's a bad thing...).
page 108:
The Born Mystic in this picture is wearing some damn cool clothes, and one of
the hanging skulls has the Roman numeral for 1998 on it, but nothing really
subliminal.
page 110: This pic of a Fire Sorceror killing a demon
just kicks so much ass it's scary! The aforementioned demon is in a world of
hurt, with mystical fire consuming him, with bones flayed of their skin, his
internal organs (now external) rupturing, and lightning arcing between his
teeth. Ouch! Someone get the bactine...
page 137: Oh, yeah,
another cool non-subliminal picture... what the hell is wrong with Perez?! (Note
to Palladium: I think the term "The Slayer" is copyrighted...)
page
140: A beautiful full-page illo of a group of Gypsies dancing in the
moonlight next to a fire. And you can see the center dancer's nipples!
Whoo-hoo!
page 144: Finally, something vaguely subliminal! The
hottie Gypsy Thief has a bicycle horn sticking out of her backpack and is
standing in front of a wall with several posters on it. The first is a smiley
face with "[?] Komrad" below it. The next is too faded to make out properly, but
the third is a torn logo for Calavera Studios. The last is the movie poster for
"Macbeth".
page 156: The rough looking Gypsy Enforcer in this pic
is wielding a very large firearm and toting a runed sword. Q: What do the runes
say? A: "A Magic Sword."
World Book 19: Australia
When this one came out, I bought it that very day and I wasn't disappointed.
It's an extraordinary effort from Palladium Books (even if they are keeping us
waiting for the Aborigines until Australia 2). Chock full of info on Australian
culture, present and post-Rifts, as well as just the right mix of background and
new OCCs, with just a touch (all right, a heavy touch) of Mad Max, Rifts
Australia is well worth the cover price.
page 48 and 78: The pic
on 48 is a cut-off version of the full-page illo on 78. It depicts a really
rough-looking Road Sentinel standing over the corpse of a Roadganger; whether
the car crash killed the guy is in doubt, because I have no doubt that the Road
Sentinel in this picture is quite capable of ramming an exhaust pipe through
somebody's chest, though the fact that the dead guy's arm is torn off makes the
car crash seem more likely. The Sentinel is wearing a mojo bag on a string
around his neck and holding a gas can with a half-size version of Perez's logo
on it. The tattoo that snakes up his right arm, across his chest, and down his
left arm is very intricate and seems to depict traditional Australian imagery of
a type often called "X-Ray Painting" by outsiders. Also, the car in the
background is so Mad Max that it's downright scary.
page
62: The Aborigine Guide on this page is noteworthy less for his appearance
than for the accessories he's wearing on his sash: a series of buttons that have
on them, "Say No to Drugs", the peace symbol, Perez's symbol, the Calavera
Studios icon, a miniature American flag with one of the stars replaced by a
maple leaf (it says something below the flag, but I can't tell what), a smiley
face, and the radiation warning sign.
page 64: The Jackaroo in
this full-page picture is leaning on a corral fence lined with skulls, her rifle
and backpack slung at her feet. She's wearing a T-shirt with the Foster's logo
on it; if you don't remember, Foster's is the company whose slogan is "Foster's:
Australian for beer". Her backpack is decorated with the anarchy symbol, a
smiley-face button, the Calavera Studios "jester cap and skull" icon, Perez's
logo, and a patch that reads "Trust No One".
page 71: The Outback
Runabout herein has an open can of something called "Yummy Nums" at his feet.
Whether it's for him or the dog is questionable...
page 82: This
Songjuicer seems to be levitating the remnants of his evening meal. Don't play
with your food!
page 133: Something we all knew would appear in
Rifts Australia: koala people. But these ain't your typical "cute-and-cuddly"
types. Nope, these creatures--the Kwarla--are downright fierce looking! So who
better to depict their savage ferocity than Perez!
page 136: Is it
just me, or does this Kwarla Mystic look sort of like a furry Yoda? It's
probably just me...
Rifts Sourcebook Four: The Coalition Navy
This sourcebook is great for its practicality: it finally tells how trade
and credits work on the North American continent. And they give the stats for
full-sized nukes too!
page 122: More of those blasted runes (on a
dwarf's axe)! Plus there's something freaky on the upper deck that looks sort of
like a baby Kreeghor.
Nightbane World Book Two: Nightlands
Some of Perez's best work is included herein (though it's kept almost
exclusively in the second half of the book) as well as this being some of the
best work Palladium has done to date. Unfortunately, instead of focusing
entirely on the Nightlands (as they should have) they indulge in far too much
speculation and get bogged down on stats and new NPCs.
page 113:
The Shadow Warlock in this picture is wearing a seal from the "Necronomicon"
which is supposed to protect against demons. Lining the top of his hood are the
signs of the zodiac, and dangling from the hood are various charms (as in charm
bracelet).
page 139: This Dream Seller demon has a very
interesting tattoo on his upper right arm: it's the cover illustration for the
"Necronomicon"!
Nightbane World Book Three: Through the Glass Darkly
I didn't like this book at first glance, but I changed my mind on a more
thorough reading, and now it's one of my favorites!
page 12: The
Mystic depicted on this page (a young girl, apparently no older than fifteen or
sixteen) has on her backpack: a smiley-face button and a patch reading "Trust No
One." She's also listening to a discman and wearing a pendant with the
Freemason's Pyramid (a pyramid with an eye in its center) on a chain. As a final
note, her familiar is a raven.
page 13: The Acolyte in this
picture is wearing a pentacle on a chain and looking at a Solomon's Seal. Laying
on his chest is a copy of "The Magus" and he has an edition of the
"Necronomicon" on his filing cabinet. Dangling from the filing cabinet is a toy
TIE-Fighter from Star Wars.
page 15: The Channeller in this
picture (who has a mohawk, a goatee, and is being invaded by an extradimensional
being) is wearing a shirt that says "This Is Not Reality."
pages 18
and 20: A Cybermage and a Fleshsculptor, respectively. Nothing subliminal
here; I just wanted to say "Ewww! Nasty!"
page 108: More runes,
this time contained in the flames of a burning sword, wielded by a nasty-looking
bad guy.
page 117: The skull in this picture has a protection
circle inscribed on it (which apparently didn't help the guy it's written on),
and its eyes have been replaced with jewels. To its right is a seal which is
depicted in the infamous "Necronomicon" as being protective from demons. In
front of it are a trio of Viking runestones, which are used to divine the
future.
page 133: Shown in the background are movie posters for
"Wormwood," something called "Twelve Tribes" and a misspelled version of "A
Palladium Pictures Production." There are likely more, but I can't read most of
the logos. In addition, there is a concert poster featuring The Headstones and
The Tragically Hip, a pair of cool Canadian bands that are virtually unheard of
in the United States (a bit of knowledge from my fellow 'lister Steven "Conan"
Trustrum).
page 140: Again, nothing subliminal, I just love this
full-page illo. It depicts a battle between a group of four Nightbane, a Shadow
Warlock, and an Arcane Detective against a whole butt-load of Hounds and
Hunters.
The Rifter, Number One
Woo-hoo! I love "The Rifter." It's high time that Palladium started
publishing its own magazine. The fact that it's quarterly instead of monthly
(like the two unnameable sister volumes from T$R) just means that they can work
on quality pieces.
page 103: The ghost in this picture seems sort
of surprised that Jericho Cornelius isn't afraid of its "scary face" (which it
makes by bugging out its eyes, hooking its fingers into the corners of its
mouth, and sticking out its tongue).
page 112: The chick in this
illo (who looks sort of like Lori Petty as Tank Girl, which is cool) is
seriously antisocial: her head is partially shaved, her bowler hat has horns on
it, she's wearing an inverted ankh, her cut-off T-shirt says "Kiss My Fanny,"
and she's a smoker to boot! Not to mention the fact that some sort of evil
spirit is inhabiting her body...
page 116: For some reason I think
this pic is just sort of cute... not "cute-ooh" but "cute-huh?"
The Rifter, Number Two
Yes! More cool stuff!
page 91: The Techno-Wizard in this
picture seems way too proud of the design on his aviator's jacket: a half-naked
cowgirl riding a bomb with a shark-tooth grin painted on it. Just thought I'd
mention it...
The Rifter, Number Three
Most of the Perez work in this book is reprinted from other sources, and
there's no subliminal stuff at all. Who's slacking? Palladium, or
Perez?
The Rifter, Number Four
Perez never actually gets any work in this issue... Damn it all to
hell!
The Rifter, Number Five
Another issue with no art from Perez. I'd be going into withdrawal if it
weren't for Rifts Australia.
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