Best of Kalabro

 Kalabro is an artist I keep coming back to at this blog but the original mitchmen blog A-Z appreciation of this artist is over 10 years old now and didn't contain many examples of his work. Although I've added several more references since then (see foot of this post), I thought it a good time to do another, more comprehensive retrospective of his terrific work

Kalabro - Anak Slammed

This image from 'Anak and the Giant' reflects the essence of much of Kalabro's art, a muscular man captured and subject to extreme violence by a more powerful creature. The drama here is not dissimilar to what happens in professional wrestling rings, but in this less artificial setting it's clearly not just rough sport. Kalabro adds an erotic dimension which is not apparent at first sight, not just by making Anak totally naked, but by showing the Giant grasping his cock to execute the throw. You might say Anak's response is not entirely negative. Some boys really enjoy rough games.

 

Kalabro - Anak and the Statues of Doom (detail)

 Kalabro also draws on wrestling imagery for this picture showing Anak again being tormented by statue that has come to life. You may have watched real life wrestlers being subjected to back-breakers over the knee like this and enjoyed the tempting eroticism of their upward arching, unprotected groins. The top man usually has both hands occupied with holding his man down, but an iron-grip (literally) on Anak's throat and a steadying hand on his cock suffices for the statue to keep him under control and deliver another sexual humiliation. This is a detail of a larger image which shows the statue has two more upper limbs wrought into serious weaponry, which Anak also tastes in due course.

 

Kalabro - Adrift

The lengths to which some villains are prepared to go to, in order to rid themselves of nuisances never cease to amaze me! I don't know the identity of this victim, it might be Anak again or Conan or Tarzan, take your pick. The raging lightning storm seems to suggest that higher forces have an interest in his fate. Unfortunately it looks like he might be on the brink of going over a waterfall.  

 

Kalabro's adaptations of wrestling combat in the preceding pictures owe a lot to superhero comic imagery but this dramatic scene draws more obviously on the fantasy worlds of the excessively heterosexual Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo, a genre where near-naked heroes rescue and protect voluptuous, scantily clad maidens amongst the weird scenery of alien lands. This fully drawn, imaginative predicament isn't like the normal run of Kalabro's art, it is very much in the idiom of modern graphic comics, but his trademark, hourglass-shaped legs leave no doubt about it's authenticity*.

 

*see the original mitchmen A-Z article on Kalabro for comments about his artistic style.

 

 

Kalabro - Jake in Trouble (Strange)

 

Although Kalabro's heroes often meet up with fantastic creatures, he rarely shows much of the landscape of those worlds. This tree-like growth may well be a swamp creature in it's own right, it's clearly sentient enough to have entrapped poor Jake (round the neck again) and is now threatening to drag him down into the bubbling quagmire below. 

 

Jake is an attractive hero, with a smattering of chest hair proclaiming his virility but I haven't spotted him in any other images by Kalabro. He's been caught wearing swimming trunks but is spared from intimate interference at this point. He's not alone in Kalabro's genre in ending up suspended by his neck.

 

Kalabro - Apeman In The Well

Apeman is, I suppose, a relative of Tarzan (literature-wise). Although he has a rope around his neck, it's obviously been rigged so as not to strangle him and instead is being used to dip him in 'The Well', whose unpleasant waters are populated by leech-like, invasive eels with a very discerning taste for a particular type of man-flesh. Kalabro makes good use of scanty loin cloths to add erotic interest. The thick rope used to bind Apeman's hands acknowledges his strength.

 

 

Kalabro - Korak In The Lava Pit

 

Apeman is probably better off than Korak here who is suspended by his nether regions. This is another of Kalabro's signature torments and he adapts it freely for use on other captured heroes. Korak's attachment is probably more painful than Apeman's frightening noose and he is threatened with real mortal danger rather than nuisance parasites, since he's dangling above a bubbling lava pit, near enough to feel the intense heat of molten rock, as if he hadn't got enough to worry about! We don't know if this punishment has a purpose or is simply for the amusement of a sadistic captor but however extreme the threat, Kalabro's men seem to always survive to suffer again another day. 

I have taken the liberty of toning down Kalabro's original colouring here which is intensely red. Compare the original here

 

Kalabro - Milking A Bodybuilder

One of the most popular posts at mitchmen blog is based on a group of Kalabro's memorable Milking Factory drawings. The picture above seems to stem from the same inspiration with a similarly engineered, produce collection system in evidence. Although the bodybuilder is milking himself, he's chained to the bench, suggesting he's doing it under coercion. Thus the stress shown in the big man's face may not simply reflect the joyful agony of ejaculation, but the frustration and pain of being forced to do it over and over again.

Kalabro - Kraig Helpless

Pictures showing modern, technical torments form a distinct thread in Kalabro's work rather like Franco's famous machines - for example, see the Kalabro electro torment in the post-script of the mitchmen A-Z letter K. However in the image above the restraint of the 'patient' is decidedly non-technological, the technician has simply tied him to a chair. Tying his ankles to the back legs, so his feet are lifted off the ground and of no use to aid escape is a detail which makes this a great bondage image for me on it's own. 

It looks as if the medical technician has already been thoroughly coating the outside of Kraig's dick with a creamy lubricant, which he was probably enjoying until he discovered that he was merely being prepared for a sounding using 'Icy Hot' (which UK readers will know as 'Deep Heat' or 'Fiery Jack').   Kraig understandably breaks out in a cold sweat at the threat of mere thought of it. His 'regular guy' square-jawed look and panic-stricken pleas makes the improbability of this scenario all the more delicious. There's a probing sequel at Kalabro's blog.

Kalabro - Karson prepped for surgery

Karson is a welcome black participant in these celebrations and here is seen strapped down on a narrow bench at his neck and feet, while his arms are tied together underneath. His balls have been captured in a fiendish, pneumatic stretching device which alone is worth the admission fee.  As the surgeon gloves up in the background (unprofessionally flaunting his muscular torso), multiple robotic arms converge on Karson equipped with gripping claws, needles, probes and cutters - mainly targeting the nether regions. Karson's response is already apparent but it's only just begun!

Kalabro's coloured pictures are probably more popular than his sketches, but for me sketches like this often have an attractive softness and subtlety that is lost in the hard-edged final versions. The picture just below is a case in point, although it's one I like a lot.

 

 

Kalabro - Breaking Nick's Jaw

 

To round off this post I'm returning to the biff-bash imagery that is most associated with Kalabro. Nick here is surely his most handsome subject, an element that makes gives his rough treatment extra pathos. This 'just been slugged' image appears more than once in Kalabro's output, there's another example in the original mitchmen A-Z article. I can't say I blame him for reworking it! The subtle colour scheme he uses for this picture is particularly effective. I also like the glimpse of white underwear we are given, there's more in the sequel below. Can't say I like the blood though, spittle is enough emphasis for me.

 

 

Kalabro - Nick Gut-Punched

Not only is Nick being punched in the gut by a bigger 'man' here, his arms are being held back behind him by a confederate, so that he's unable to even defend himself. Kalabro is skilled in capturing the crumpling of the body which registers a major hit. Nick's skimpy white underwear barely covers his modesty from this direction but serves to point out his nudity and vulnerability to faceless beings who apparently don't need clothes but seem to have something of a protective shell or shield of invincibility.

Kalabro - Leyva and The Engineer 2

 

 

Finally, Leyva and the Engineer (In the Hands of Aliens) concerns a gymnast abducted by aliens who just beat him up for some reason.  He's been given a more youthful persona by the artist which makes him seem more vulnerable than craggy Nick above. The gymnast's lean muscularity looks authentic but inadequate against the Behemoth who confronts him. He is lifted by just one hand grasping his neck, a humiliation for him and stunning illustration of their mismatch. In my head the jockstrap primarily belongs on big men who can stretch it and this picture seems to justify that thought. But it enables Leyva to draw on additional sympathy.

 

Kalabro - Leyva and The Engineer 5

 

 

This image more than does justice to a gymnast's body and this picture is my current favourite by Kalabro. Nick above is more handsome but the shading of Leyva's slender torso here is so sensuous, creating an attractive sheen, that I can't resist it. Notice that it uses the same colour template. The jockstrap comes good here, a great feature enhancing his nudity while the diving line of the narrow waistband helps to accentuate the backwards arch of his body as he recoils from the alien's strike. Great art!

See this series of 5 images at Kalabro's blog (Leyva)

 

~

 

Kalabro hasn't updated his blog for two years now. 

His Twitter and Patreon accounts show activity but do not feature any drawings. 

The picture in my previous post is dated 2020 but I've no idea where it was posted.

Other articles featuring Kalabro at mitchmen:

mitchmen A-Z of Fetish Artists (Kalabro)

 

post-script of the mitchmen A-Z, letter K

 

You're Goin' Down! - 4  

The Milking Factory

 

Snakes and Chains - 1 

 

Kalabro Slave Gang

Kalabro Slave Gang

Kalabro - Slave Gang

 Dirk still could not quite believe what was happening to him and his team mates. Yesterday they had been celebrating winning the Football Championship in front of their adoring fans. He could remember how their excitement had continued in the dressing room afterwards, as they stripped for the showers. Unusually, the steam had filled the whole room and then Joel, the striker, had suddenly collapsed. As they went to help him someone shouted that the door had been locked. He remembered feeling drowsy himself and that was it.

When he awoke he found the entire team was locked in a dungeon-like cell with bare stone walls. They were all stark naked (even those who had fallen wearing their jockstraps and kit). They had been deposited here and a thin layer of scratchy straw was all that separated their bodies from the cold, hard floor. They soon realised that while they had been unconscious, they had all been fitted with tight metal rings around their cocks and all the rings were linked together by a heavy chain. As they all gradually cleared their heads there was plenty of discussion, speculation and confused anger but no-one could remember much of what had happened, let alone knowing why. Time passed and in the humid confines of the cell, the millionaire superstars were soon reduced to the sweaty men they really were.

Eventually someone came for them. They were led out, walking sullenly in file, one behind the other with the chains that joined them looping between their legs. They were taken down a long tunnel, led by their captain who had been assigned the first ring. The chains swung from side to side as they walked, brushing their muscular thighs as they negotiated corners and tightening up between their ass cheeks as they negotiated steps or when the man behind failed to keep up. 

When they emerged from the tunnel, they somehow hoped it would be into the stadium they were so familar with, but it was a vast arena, as bare as their cells, surrounded not by raked stands full of cheering fans, but a tall wall, and beyond that, bleak, snow-capped mountains. It was not cold, there was a watery sun, but many of them shivered, realising that there was no-one here to help them and escape would be a formidable challenge. There they were arranged in a line in military fashion and waited, gleaming with perspiration and watched from a respectful distance by the guards.

It was Jimmy who saw him coming for them. A big man, bare chested, hairy and muscular - and he was flourishing a whip. Jimmy felt fear spreading through his loins. One of the guards noticed. "Don't worry" he called out, "his whip is worse than his bark, but he'll soon lick you cover boys into shape".

story text by Mitchell for mitchmen

~

mitchmen has always been a great fan of Kalabro's work but it's usually the drama of struggle and mortal danger that provides the kick in his images. This is very different, a study of bewilderment and impending menace. These men are better groomed than his usual heroes, hence my comparison with modern soccer studs, but the bleak, alien landscape they are stranded in, conjured up with a wash of red, is a typical setting, normally home to primitive muscle men contending with giant predators who can't decide whether to eat them or dangle them by the balls.

This image seems to have its origins in the work below. I can't identify it but it seems to originate from the same render kit used by Homoeros. (Update: thanks to a reader has supplied the correct attribution in the comment below, Achillias) There's no shame in adapting another artist's work and Kalbro's cock chain is an inspired embellishment. In fact, simply by reworking the scene in pencil he transforms it and gives the men character and emotions.

Read the mitchmen review of Kalabro's Art from the A-Z of Fetish Artists 

I have added an extension to this article with lots more pictures 
plus an update on where you can find his art in Best of Kalabro

Ehrlik - The Blacksmith Of Zambe

Much of Ehrlik's work concerns the enslavement and manipulation of beautiful, blond men by those from other tribes* (erotically speaking). In this primitive world, clothing is sparse and brute strength and ruthlessness prevail over everything else. Thus this blacksmith is able to make a living out of forging the irons for an endless stream of young men chosen for eternal slavery. 

 My last Ehrlik post (Booty of the Ivory Isles) seemed to show another such man (or maybe it was this same one) en route to his appointment with the blacksmith, having fallen into the clutches of  hunter (or opportunist) out in the bush.

 

*As the caption indicates, women feature in much of this artist's work, 

and even this dominant male has a slightly androgenous look. 

 

Ehrlik - Slave Herd

This imaginative image illustrates the scale of this trade and the proliferation of muscular blonds available for trapping in this region. This might almost be a herd of human ponies running wild and ripe for the round-up, but they already bear the bonds of captivity and if you look closely you can just glimpse the drivers behind them wearing scary, tribal masks and urging them on. With their hands tied behind their backs, negotiating this rocky passage is an ordeal in itself, let alone what awaits them at their destination which I suspect is more likely to be a grimy, slave auction than a pleasant pasture. Even so it's in their own interests to arrive in prime condition and attract the richest buyer.

Ehrlik - Affixing The Collar

This laid back, arching pose is much favoured by Ehrlik - see the Lab-Rat and Test Subject posts. It's easy to see why, it puts a good selection of manly attributes on display and fetish fans can also appreciate the underlying stress of this position which will become more and more uncomfortable if prolonged and eventually pure torture, inescapable if imposed by restraints. 

Arranging the captive's head so it rests on the anvil for the procedure is a devilish, black twist on the part of the smith. If this is necessary for the collar to be affixed then it obviously won't be easily removed. The terrified captive can only pray that the smith has the skill to land his hammer on the metal round his neck, (he must do - mustn't he?) When he was free to roam he will have heard the stories of ritual sacrifice practised by these people (see A Hero Dragged to his Fate). He has no way of knowing if this is how it will end for him.

 

Ehrlik - The Caress of the Blacksmith

In this position, the openness of the captive's body invites inspection, which is not likely to be resisted. Ehrlik seems to capture our thoughts, allowing the blacksmith to lay down his hammer, pause and enjoy the succulent contours of this man's flesh.  Perhaps he's calming him, gently dousing his last, futile pleas for freedom now that the collar has irrevocably sealed his fate.

 The blacksmith may simply abusing his position of power here, deliberately forcing the captive into a provocative and vulnerable position for his own sexual gratification. But it's probably more complex than that. He can feel the tremours in his subject's body and savour them, able to distinguish whether this man is simply relieved that the worst is over or one who feels a perverse excitement at the reality of captivity and the caress of his tormentor. More commonly, he will be able to detect the distress signals of failing muscles and the manifestation of a deep, dark fear for the future.

 

 

Ehrlik - Branding The Slave

 

Any fear would be well-founded for it's not over yet. The blacksmith spreads the naked man on the bare soil and pauses to view him, spread at his feet, as he prepares finally to apply the white-hot brand that will forever condemn him to the status of a slave. He's thoughtfully provided the wretch with a gag that will avert self harm in the agonising wake of this sizzling coup-de-grace (and also minimise the disturbance for sensitive, nearby residents). The gag is the ultimate silencing of the captive's protests. The gaping, serpent-like head that houses the blazing, hot coals seems to crow in triumph and adds a sinister, paganistic presence to the cruel ritual. 

Perhaps having touched and enjoyed this young man's flesh, the blacksmith is reluctant to sully and scar it, but the position and angling the brand as he stands between his open legs suggest baser thoughts may be tempting him. However, the slenderness of the stem he holds seems to equally symbolise impotence, perhaps because it is forbidden by his own masters, rather than any physical limitation. 

~

 

I finally tracked down a site for Ehrlik - Blades of Zambe on Deviant Art,

 it's the same artist but using a different name.

News of new pictures by Brick

Brick - Back To School

 After a long absence from homoerotic art, Brick has returned with two great new pictures at Metalbond. It's not the one above, I won't steal his thunder, the link below will take you there. There are now two posts with 5 pictures and others in the pipeline.

Brick - Slave Academy 2022

Metalbond is a great source of fetish inspiration and entertainment (with a dash of education). You can use his labels to find other Brick imagery there, but if you are looking, don't miss the Brick collection at mitchmen (link at bottom of post).

~

In the older image by Brick shown above, the writing on the door seems to mean 'milking cubicle for men' but I had difficulty translating 'satna' it so I guess it's rude or colloquial, probably both! The picture is a good example of Brick's light touch and economical way of invoking darkly erotic themes. 

The transportation of captives on bare metal trolleys has a clinical and controlling air and the hunky looking man lying on it is greeted by a great atmosphere of threat and menace as he is wheeled in. The tight, rubber garments which the captives have to wear as their uniforms cover nothing, but compress and restrict their limbs, simultaneously exposing and emphasising the erotic zones of their bodies. These particular garments have obvious feminine connections for this very purpose, which may seed additional confusion in the minds of the wearers, who are both unmistakeably masculine. 

By contrast their tormentors are clothed in anonymous military gear but with bare torsos and terrorist masks which confirm that any resemblance to a place of healing is entirely misleading. The blindfold, upside-down suspension arrangement and dangling chains make that clearer still.

If you like Brick's style be sure to read the mitchmen review of Brick's art  

101 Uses For A Belt - No 6, Upper Arm Restraint

 Belts come in handy here for improvising a dodge-ball training target

This mitchmen team have a very efficient way of testing the resilience of new recruits.

Its' no good going in for contact sports if you can't take the knocks!

~

I love this picture, the simple arm and wrist restraint is so effective both visually and practically and the sense of unexpected combination of helplessness and bizarre threat in a gym of all places is superb. It's hard to credit that it's from Kink.com.

~

Image of Adam Knox,  from Bound In Public, Arrogant Gym Rat punished (incl video clip)

Royale Studio 3c - Navy Gash (part 2)

continued from NAGA Part 1

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 09

Tom lifts Percy's shirt and begins to scrub his bare torso with a stiff brush. Percy understandably grits his teeth. Meanwhile Ned is fumbling with Percy's top button as though determined that the rest of his water will get inside his trousers and not end up on his own bell-bottoms and the floor.

There's an interesting conjunction between Ned's thumb and Tom's balls in the background which have obviously been blurred, presumably because their shape was just too risqué. Lower down, Ned's jug, like the coal hod he used in Navy Romeo 2, has a spout with phallic qualities and just happens to be positioned opposite the apex of Percy's crotch, as if it might be inserted between his legs to cup his tackle or catch whatever might come out......

 

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 10

 

Percy is forced to turn and bend over submissively, with his head between Tom's legs, so that Tom can get going on scrubbing his back. The domination and submission implicit in this interaction is erotic enough, but the humble scrubbing brush is also called up here to become Tom's phallic symbol, gripped in his hand and strategically positioned directly in front of his crotch.

Meanwhile Ned's own phallic substitute, the jug, is also positioned level with Percy's groin and angled towards it - and his ass, which shows through his saturated trousers leaving a something to the imagination, but not much. Ned's free hand reaches underneath Percy, but it's only to grip his arm this time.

 

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 11

The first thing you notice in this picture is Tom's amazing ass in the foreground and then Ned's equally well-upholstered crotch. They both seem engaged in a determined, truly manly struggle. The sexual chemistry that these two men and the photographer manage to create between them is still amazing 60 years on from the shoot. Percy, the immediate focus of their attentions fades away in comparison, pushed aside almost, even though he's just had his bell bottoms pulled down and bare ass exposed. 

Tom is really getting into it now and has jumped down from his position standing on the bath, intent on attacking Percy's exposed nether regions with the same gusto he applied to his torso. He reaches towards Percy almost as though he's preparing to mount him. Ned is reduced to hanging on to Percy's shirt so he can't escape, but his open, thrusting pose adds an extra dimension of struggle and sexual excitement that's also reflected in the water swilling on the floor.

 Percy's bare cheeks, glimpsed through a carefully constructed gap between Tom's arm and body, are discreetly shadowed but are far from being hidden. Tom's brush is poised close by, but strangely reversed as though he no longer intends to use it for scrubbing, but for some other torment. Tom's curling hand encircles Percy's cheeks and he has a curious, three-fingered grip on the handle of the brush which I can't quite explain, but looks sexy. 

This scene has a sense of sexual menace which is far greater than anything that happens to Ted in Navy Romeo 2. Royale draws a veil over what happens next, but the next image seems to indicate that it wasn't much fun for Percy.

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 12

There's a feast of backsides here as Percy is dragged back to his berth. His lower body is twisted so his ass is turned away slightly awkwardly, as if he's suffering discomfort down there. It leaves us just a slight glimpse of cleft, but there may have been a deliberate decision by Royale to avoid showing the 'full on' rear view, although that would have completed the image rather neatly. 

Ned's S-shape pose creates a great shot of his shoulders and back - and a startling ass dimple which would have probably looked far less sexy if it wasn't for those clinging trousers he is wearing. Once again he manages to inject his own sexual dimension into the shot by thrusting his lower body into Percy's armpit. Tom pose by contrast seems almost sympathetic to Percy, he simply displays static bulk, but with cheeks nicely separated by the tight centre seam of his (water stained) trousers. 

Visually, Percy's sadly sagging body and bare ass can't compete with all this testosterone.

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 13

Percy's plight now takes a more sinister turn as his tormentors tie him, spread-eagled X-fashion, to the clothes stand on which their street clothes are hung. If you can take your eyes off Tom's bottom you'll see that Percy's unbuttoned pants are not only sagging, flap down, but to such an extent that his pubic hair can just be seen and the lines of his groin are clearly visible diving down towards his crotch (which is at exactly the same height as Tom's head - of course!). 

Ted was tied to a tree in Navy Romeo 2 and his trousers peeled down to reveal his ass too but this frontal tease is much more daring, a very sexy display for it's time. It's bookended to one side by Ned's shapely figure. He's out of the main picture for once but still pushes himself slightly forward as if he's itching for more. The image is marred only by a slightly untidy composition and background, which gives a sense that this moment has been improvised rather than carefully thought out and posed. 

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 13 (detail)

However, this cropped detail perhaps give a greater sense of the simmering sexuality.

The King Bees circle the honey pot preparing to extract the juice.

In the background you can see more clearly the picture on the wall which might be one of Royale's own booted Horse Guards studio images, although the undulating ground at the bottom suggests this is not a studio picture.

Also behind, hanging on the washing line is a RN shirt, made in cut down form as a bib which can be worn under the standard jersey top to give the same square-cut neck effect as a full shirt. I don't know if these were ever used by real sailors or if they are just a Royale prop. A bib like this also features in another well-known Royale picture (below)

 

Royale Studio - Sailor in shorts and bib shirt

This picture shows a sailor wearing a similar bib with waist ties, seen from behind. Attached to it is the famous navy square collar (conspicuously unironed, tut,tut). It's possibly the same one as that seen on the left in NAGA picture 03.

This man has a more muscular physique than the NAGA/NARO crew and is therefore able to carry off shorts which are a much looser fit than the Royale Studio's norm. They give a nice sight of shapely legs and particularly the upper thighs, being actually shorter than they look. They are pulled up tight between the crotch but there's little or no stretching across the buttocks otherwise. Intriguingly, they appear to be split open down the back seam – or is that wishful thinking on my part?

I don't have any other pictures from this 'bib' series, I suspect the model might be Brian Melloy who featured in one of the 'Rigging' finds but I'm still working on that.

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 14

 

With Percy now helplessly spread-eagled and anxiously looking down at his sagging bell-bottoms, Ned takes a grip on his arm and looks set to resume scrubbing in this very sensitive area. His brush is pointed directly towards Percy's crotch which is suggestive in itself, but the bristles are angled upwards slightly as if he's aiming to go down under, between his legs. That brush looks new too, so the bristles must still be very stiff. No wonder Percy is pulling away! Tom stands back, idly watching and showing us his succulent backside.

Notice the scissors lying on the floor. Perhaps they were used to cut the cord for Percy's ties, since they don't appear to have been used on his clothes which were either a real uniform or, more probably, part Royale's precious, hand-made, wardrobe stock (hence the lousy fit).

 

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 15

We don't get to see how this scene develops because the next picture jumps to showing Percy no longer spread-eagled but standing with his back to us with his hands are tied together at the back of his neck. The bullies have scrawled 'Navy Gash' on the back of his shirt and put his dress cap on his head to make him look ridiculous. He's now lost his trousers altogether and this has revealed a  cute bubble butt to the boys.

The transformation of Percy in these last two images from untidy scruff to lean athleticism is a true revelation. At the equivalent point in 'Navy Romeo', the two mischief makers stand back laughing at their victim, but with Percy they stop and study the sight of his backside rather thoughtfully, perhaps wondering if they've misjudged all this. Even naughty Ned seems in awe. I suspect their own trousers might have just got a bit tighter and there's some surreptitious adjustment going on!

The massive leap in the action from 14 to 15 suggests that there were a lot more images planned for the original set. With Percy bare-assed at this point, it's not hard to imagine that they would have been completely unpublishable at that time and would have certainly been destroyed by the Police if they laid hands on them.

 

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 16

The final image is of the cast posing. I posted this previously in NAGA 3a which introduced this series. It's not actually numbered as 16, so it's conceivable there is another picture which completes the story. The final image in Navy Romeo shows the boys walking off and leaving bare-assed Ted on public display, but if such an image exists for Navy Gash, I don't have it.

~

Despite the riches of sexy male form displayed in Navy Gash, the subject matter leaves me feeling slightly uncomfortable. Domination is at the centre of Royale's work* (and the motto of this blog too!). In a fictional context it can can be intensely erotic. But to me Percy seems so weedy and emaciated and so ill-equipped to defend himself that it becomes rather unattractive and goes too far. I don't feel the same about muscular 'Ted' in NARO, who looks hunky and strong throughout his ordeal and gets off more lightly. His vanity seems to somehow justify his ill-treatment anyway. 

Percy's emergence as a sexually desirable man in the closing images might have changed that view given more of a chance to develop. I'd like to think that the boys relent at the end, set him free and try to make amends. I dare say something like that did happen after the shoot..........

*The next article in this series is actually called Royale Studio 4 - Bullies (pending)

Read the new series of Royale Studio articles at mitchmen from the start:-
Royale 1 - Sailors Flogged in the Rigging

~

The General Upgrading of Royale Studio Posts at mitchmen

The original mitchmen Royale series (published in 2010) is currently being extensively revised and extended.
This completely new article replaces the original Royale post No 3 which covered Navy Romeo and Navy Gash.

To see which articles have been revised to date, please check the 'Come and Get It!' post. I occasionally revisit the articles listed there with further, minor upgrades which are logged there by dates.

You can access all the old and the new and revised articles
simply by clicking on the 'GIU/Royale' label at the foot of this post

 

'mitchmen' Royale Studio Open Archive

 
As an adjunct to the on-going article upgrade I am gradually creating an archive housing my entire collection of Royale images. I have now added Navy Gash to the mitchmen Royale Studio Open Archive and it includes all my original images as well as the enhanced ones I used for this post, also some material on the Royal Tournament. If you follow the link below you will find there's also a new zip file there which includes them all for easy downloading. 

The Royale Studio Open Archive at mitchmen blog

  Please tell me via my profile link if you have any difficulty downloading, Google has recently changed the file sharing system so links in older articles may have stopped working 

~

If you have any other Royale Studio images from this or previously published groups and would like to contribute them to the mitchmen Open Archive please contact me via my profile page link. 

Royale Studio 3b - Navy Gash (part 1)

 NAGA is a rare example of a Royale set where I have a decent copy of every one of the 16 pictures advertised in their listing. They are nearly all numbered, suggesting they have been taken from a thumbnail sheet produced as a catalogue for ordering prints by mail. Despite this however, the reproduction quality is actually quite good, if slightly over-exposed. 

 All the originals in my possession have splinters of white border which have been partially cropped off.  I have tried to (unobtrusively) enhance the clarity of all these images for this post by tidying these awkward borders, straightening where it helps and by sharpening the focus, but those flawed originals will also be included when I post the NAGA set to the mitchmen Royale Studio Open Archive.

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 01

Ned and Tom look down on new recruit, Percy, who is asleep on a trestle table, possibly skiving off from his work, although according to the Royale summary for NAGA it's his scruffy habits that irk his colleagues most. Ned (left) has come armed (inconspicuously) with a scrubbing brush and flannel. 

They loom over him in intimidating fashion, the image making the most of their torsos and bulk. Tom's great ass and Ned's more subtle, frontal lumpiness are highlighted by Royale Studio's trademark, wrung-out, wet trousers which are very prominent in this series.

 The improvised set seems to represent his Percy's berth with the jumble of clothes hanging on a line behind him exemplifying his lack of military tidiness and pride in his appearance. There's a delightfully ambiguous selection of pin-ups on the wall, seeming to feature a cowboy body-builder on a beach, a glamorous woman in a cat suit and (far right) what might be a typical Royale image of a model posing as a footballer or guardsman.

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 02

Tom wakes Percy up by grabbing his hair. He almost seems to be trying to live up to his 'Hardman' moniker here but considerately supports Percy's head with his other hand.  Ned grabs Percy's shirt with a more determined, clenched fist to shake him awake. He was also the more aggressive of these two men in the Navy Romeo saga. Notice that the boots of both of them are immaculately polished in true military fashion, in striking contrast to Percy's scruffy plimsolls sitting on the floor between them.

 

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 03

Percy resists his attackers, 'handing off' Ned by putting his palm over his face. It's not the obvious way of him defending himself and you get a good impression that it's taken Ned by surprise. Percy's other hand can be seen in the vicinity of Ned's ass but it's limp.

The jeans hanging on a peg behind them (right) were presumably worn by one of them when they arrived. By including the model's own clothes in these images the photographer plays on the dressing and undressing theme that is a prominent feature of many of the Royale Studio storylines. It obviously starts with the models arriving on set, getting out of their street clothes and donning Royale's, tight, deliberately revealing costumes. The models' story creates a sexy sub-plot beneath the surface narrative.

 

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 04

The boys roll Percy over and lever his arms backwards in a classic fight hold that epitomises being overpowered and compelled to submit*. Ned is limited to one hand by the cleaning gear he's holding and Tom's pose is rather flat-footed, so it results in a rather static and unconvincing tableau, but it's still a good vehicle for the erotic display of both attacker's nether regions.

 This image isn't actually numbered but it's pretty obvious where it sits.

(*The painful potential of Percy's position is graphically illustrated by Jeff Golden's punishment in Part 4 of the mitchmen review of 'Bound To Please 1' )

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 05

Percy is dragged from his 'bed' and hauled away in a shot that equates to Ted's treatment in the opening scene of Navy Romeo Part 2. The leverage on both his arms forces him to bow his head and stumble. Ned enforces the hold even more severely by applying a 'bar' across his upper arm (thus re-asserting a natural talent for sadism which we glimpsed in Navy Romeo 2). Tom seems to be using his free hand to offer Percy support, but it's also 'doubling up' on the leverage in reality. 

There's a good shot of Percy's crotch here with a clear hint of cock, seemingly unaugmented by padding. A typically contrived, Royale perspective shows Percy's face angled towards Ned's very nicely highlighted crotch, in fact he almost seems to be rubbing shoulders with it, but the white-out makes that harder to see. These suggestive juxtapositions might seem accidental at first, but they recur with great precision throughout this and other pieces.

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 06

It turns out the boys are taking Percy to the bathroom (an innuendo in itself). He is forced to stand in the bath with his hands behind his head. Tom's arm encircles his waist, pulling it close so that Percy's body is forced to arch backwards and his lower abdomen is actually in contact with Tom's bare torso. It looks rather like a flamboyant dance hold but there's a genuine sense of struggle.

Ned stands poised behind them with an evil grin, holding a jug of water which looks likes a scaled-down version of the coal hod he uses to drench Ted in Navy Romeo 2. Both aggressors are sporting excited bulges and Ned's balls actually appear to be brushing Tom's ass which looks impressively fulsome. We also get the first hint here that Percy's backside might be worth attention too. The models will have been conscious of their damp clinging costumes throughout the shoot and you get a sense of how sexy it must have felt to be creating these deliberately suggestive scenes in such revealing clothes.

The scene has moved into this bath area with a slickness that creates the impression at first that it's part of the original set, but it's actually a typical, domestic bathroom of the time and the floor covering is quite different to the earlier pictures. Maybe it's Clavering's own 'smallest room' but it seems unexpectedly modest for the mansion and garden he seemed to own (and which we will see in later Royale sets).

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 07

Tom has climbed onto the bath to restrain Percy's arms from behind, while Ned proceeds to pour cold (presumably) water down the inside of his shirt. It's not simulated either, you can see the wet patches. Tom gets the treat of seeing down inside Percy's shirt. I can remember experimenting with water and clothing like this as an adolescent, so this imagery has a special erotic undercurrent for me.

Ned gives us the most impressive display yet of his tight-fitting, bulging trousers and of what used to be called a packet and his certainly fits that description. The bulge may be augmented but there's still visible just the faintest hint of the contours of his actual equipment and you can also see the curve of Percy's semi, modestly outlined.

Royale Studio - Navy Gash 08

Ned ups the ante by dropping his aim and prising open the waistband of Percy's trousers so he can pour water down the inside. It's similar to the treatment handed out to Ted in Navy Romeo 2, but Ned makes it much more invasive (and sexy) here by tipping the water inside Percy's clothes. Tom gleefully tightens his grip in excitement at this development. 

Unfortunately Ned is too eager to bother with undoing Percy's tight, buttoned-up waistband and much of the water cascades out the front onto the floor. It actually looks rather like a stream of urine and some of it is falling onto Ned's own, highly polished boots. I don't know whether that was an intentional ambiguity or not, but Ned's awkward pose, putting his boot in the firing line, suggests it might have been. Percy's expression, a combination of surprise and pleasure also fits such a plot line (rather than simply being an inadvertent lapse from what ought to be a down-beaten, outraged character). Like Ted's attempted escape in Navy Romeo, it gives a pretext (even if it is only water) for the already-aggressive Ned to escalate his efforts to humiliate Percy.

~

We will see what actually happens in NAGA Part 3c.