Exclusive Sneak Peek: "The Adventures of Link" by HvH + A Talk With Class Comics Founder Patrick Fillion

Today, Class Comics releases the terrific forty-four page comic anthology The Adventures of Link. No, not that Link. Leave Zelda out of this. Rather, the endearing, playful erotic superhero comic strip from illustrator HvH which graced the pages of the now defunct Freshmen magazine from July 2007 to May of 2009. This is the first time all twenty-three stories appear together to complete the larger story arc.

Here's part of the official description:

Link’s adventures are out of this world! An Intergalactic Alien Orgy Invitation! Anatomically correct fifty-foot robots! Secret Origins Revealed! Sex with an Ex – Who’s not even alive! A sexual vacation through a Portal to a planet of men who need men! Buff bank robbers who rob banks in the buff! Evil clones with voracious sexual appetites! Heroically Hung Aliens! World domination and destruction! A trip to heaven! A prehistoric pervert un-iced! The huge secret that ties all these events together! A monumental battle to save the entire earth!

According to HvH, The Adventures of Link started when the Art Director from Freshmen needed something to fill in an end page. "I was ecstatic! Not only was this a great chance to show my work on a regular basis, but it was also something I actually loved doing: a cartoon series."

HvH kept it kind of clean at first, but all that changed. He explains:

Since I had no idea how long this series was meant to last and I was doing it for a monthly magazine, I thought this concept allowed me to do self contained stories supported by a very easy and clean 'structure'...the editor only got to intervene on the second episode. He wanted the cartoon to be sexier and requested not only more eroticism, but also that Link's red crotch piece disappear.

This isn't the first time Class Comics has rescued a comic title from potentially being forgotten. Owners Patrick Fillion and Robert Fraser are firm believers in preserving our gay erotic history. I asked Patrick to explain the importance of not allowing our past to fade away into obscurity. This was his astonishingly eloquent answer:

This is greatly important because comics like Kent’s “Freshmen Tales” and HvH’s “the Adventures of Link” are a part of Gay Erotic Comics history. They’re an essential part of the foundation of this art form. To just let “Link” fade into obscurity would be like forgetting about “Action Comics” #1, or “Fantastic Four” #1. It’s that absurd! “Link” is a building block of what Gay Erotic Comics are today. It’s still hugely relevant and holds up beautifully. 

Today there’s so much Gay Erotic Art, and numerous forms of Gay Erotic Comics readily available on the internet that I think people tend to forget that before services like Tumblr, before the internet was what it is today, Gay Comics were not easy to find. Not at all. There are those in the field who served as pioneers of the genre, and we feel it’s vital not to forget that.

Also, so much work, love and effort goes into making a comic book. When you look at HvH’s beautiful work, you’re struck by how hot it is, of course, but you can’t help and also admire the dedication to his craft and the sheer beauty of it. Freshmen Magazine knew there was something special about it -- about Gay Erotic Comics in general. I think that’s part of why they always placed so much emphasis on Gay Erotic illustrated Art in their magazines to begin with. It’s a huge honor and pleasure to collect every episode of “The Adventures of Link” and present them in one easily accessible volume for it’s original fans, and new fans to enjoy.

The Adventures of Link also comes with an awesome bonus gallery with pencils, roughs, early designs and unfinished pages! There's also a page of 2010 character redesigns that never saw the light of day. It's pretty great. You can check it out and also see a few uncensored pages HERE!