Exclusive Sneak Peak: Class Comics' "The Bromance" + Interview w/ Writer Robert Fraser

Well, my favorite writer at Class Comics is at it again! Robert Fraser, creator of the incredible gay erotic post apocalyptic zombie comic Beautiful Dead, has a new book out today - The Bromance. This time, Fraser brings us six different tales, each wonderfully brought to life by a different artist, all centered around protagonist Paul and his pals...and Paul's very vivid imagination.

Here's the official description:

Paul has an overactive imagination and an active libido and as we meet him and each one of his friends, we’re treated to some of Paul’s hottest… and horniest… fantasies involving his hunky pals. Each fantasy is raunchily penned by ROBERT FRASER and brought to life by a different artist and will leave you gasping for more, wondering just where does fantasy end… and reality start? 

We’ve all had waking wet dreams about some of the straight hunks in our lives, so we can all relate to Paul who may or may not end up with a serious case of blue balls unless some of his closest buds throw him a boner… ERR… BONE! 

Paul gets pretty easily aroused playing video games, helping a buddy build a mancave in his home, taking the metro from work, going to the supermarket and even doing the simplest thing like using the restroom at the office. His sexual fantasies know virtually no limits.

For the art in The Bromance, Fraser collaborated with some of the best illustrators in the business: Jacob Mott, Leon De Leon, David Cantero, Patrick Fillion, Cray and Martin Chan. The cover art was done by Adam Graphite.

Though exceptionally busy with all the exciting new stuff going on at Class Comics, Robert Fraser was kind enough to answer some questions about The Bromance. He was even kinder to give us some exclusive character images that cannot be seen anywhere else! Oh, and if the PG pics below aren't enough and you'd like to preview some of the more explicit action, just click HERE! 

After reading below, we suggest picking up a copy of The Bromance directly from Class Comics. And while you are over there, check out their insanely hot Secret Dossier #1 – Deimos. They also have given a new digital home to Dale Lazarov's Sticky Graphic Novels! Oh, and don't forget their Free monthly comic Stripshow!

Q: In Bromance, you do a great job tackling the world of fantasy sex. Do you think some situations are better off remaining a fantasy?
Fraser: Getting worked up for sex is a trip in itself. Thinking about it. Imagining it. Waiting for it. DOING IT! The anticipation and the build up sometimes lasts so much longer than the actual fun, no matter how much fun you have! So in many ways I think that all sex is a fantasy because the explosion happens both in your head and down below as well. Yeah, I think that all sex should be something you fantasize about even as you’re having it.

Q: How many straight boy crushes did you suffer through growing up? Did you ever accidentally ruin a friendship by revealing feelings or making a move?
Fraser: Oh… many! I worked at a summer camp for a decade during my formative years. Each summer there were so many co-counselors that I dreamed I was destined to share my life with. SWOON! (I think I just found a story for The Bromance #2.) As for ruining a friendship… it’s happened, but more importantly, the reverse happened! A real Bromance formed out of a situation much like in the comic. One that led to me meeting Patrick!

Q: Bromance is full of fun video game references and scenarios. What games are you currently playing?
Fraser: First of all: Xbox and Android. With that out of the way, Dying Light, Zombi, Marvel Puzzle Quest, Dishonored, Hearthstone, Left 4 Dead, Zombies Run!, and Gateway Gangsters.

Q:  Any advice for the truly pee shy?
Fraser: piss piss piss piss piss PISS PISS PISS PISS PISS PISS! (Or “a ; s l d k f j a ; s l d k f j a ; s l d k f j”)

Q:  Can you give me directions to Fraz’s Meat House? I can’t seem to find it on Google Maps.
Fraser: Names had to be changed to protect the innocent and it’s not generally open to the public, but since you asked: https://goo.gl/IVMZJS

Q:  In each of the stories in Bromance, you work with a different artist. How difficult was it to wrangle six different projects at once?
Fraser: Working with six different artists was a complete dream! I’m so grateful to ALL of them for working with me on this comic. It also took two years and two weeks almost exactly from conception to completion. :)

Q: Your writing always perfectly captures the playful yet antagonistic banter between best friends. How long does it take you to get the dialog right?
Fraser: One and a half years. I’ve actually had all the art for over a year already. Just kidding. I have a terrible time confidently writing dialog. So often I find myself describing what’s in the panel or making my characters get too excited. But I tend to write with a lot of exclamation marks in everyday life. It’s something that I’m working on! Damn, I did it again! ;)

Seriously, I write my stories with minimal dialog, then write the final dialog pulling from the emotion and cues that the artists provide. It’s a flawed method as adding the text becomes daunting.

Q: Just out of curiosity, do you get a lot of Mormon missionaries in Canada?
Fraser: Not enough… SEND MOAR MORMONS IN TIGHT WHITE SHIRTS!

Q: Will there be a Bromance 2?
Fraser: See question #2. It’s already in development actually! I have a few stories in mind, and some artists as well. Some who wanted to be part of #1, but couldn’t due to their current workloads. You can expect The Bromance #2 in early August 2017!

Matt Kaufenberg's "Little Heroes"

Illustrator Matt Kaufenberg's ongoing Little Heroes series is irresistible to me. Sure, lots of people draw Marvel fan-art, but none quite this adorable. Or with this much dedication to a series. He keeps adding new work long after most illustrators would have given up. This is in addition to the tons and tons of other work he produces on a freelance basis. It's prolific. And it's all amazing. I would love to own practically everything I see on his various websites and social media.

Matt Kaufenberg has worked with high profile clients such as Facebook, Target, Nickelodeon, American Greetings, and more. He is influenced by artists from the 60's and 70's, especially children's book illustrators.He also teaches occasional classes for Alexandria Technical College's Communication Art and Design program.In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their three kids. He also has a great series of online illustration tutorials on Skillshare.

If you like what you see, be sure to check out Matt's Dribble, Twitter, Facebook, Blog, and Tumblr! This will keep you up to date on all of his current creations!

HeroesCon 2014 Wrap Up & Full LGBT Characters in the Comics Panel Video!

If you live on the East Coast and have not been to HeroesCon, you owe it to yourself to go. It is one of the nation's oldest and largest events. And, frankly, it's pretty great. The Charlotte Convention Center is an ideal venue, one of the few large enough where there can be 30 people in line waiting to talk to Matt Fraction and still allow the flow of traffic between the aisles to move freely. Also, it's fairly well ventilated, so none of the comic-con funk that you are forced to endure at smaller cons. The folks at Heroes Aren't Hard to Find make sure HeroesCon is  always exceptionally well run, everything starts on time, everyone on staff is friendly, and the admission price is actually affordable. You can't really beat this con.

While I love that there were so many well known creators, inkers, and colorists in attendance, my favorite part is always walking through the indie section and getting to meet the up and coming illustrators. It's always fun to see what hilarious creations people are having artists do on commission. I couldn't help but to giggle as I watched Brockton McKinney from Lost Story Studios draw Shawn of the Dead fighting zombie Jesus! Also, I got an unbelievable print for $3 from Logan Faerber! We will certainly try to interview him in the coming weeks.

This year, HeroesCon also had their very first gay themed panel discussion: LGBT Characters in the Comics. Hosted by Bryan Pittard from the The Nerdy Show's Flame On podcast, the panel featured Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez of Love & Rockets, Terry Moore of Strangers in Paradise, and Kate Leth of Kate or Die! We went to a grand total of 8 panels this weekend, and hands down, this was our favorite, though the Afterlife With Archie Panel and Kevin Eastman of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panels were pretty entertaining, too. Fortunately, we were able to film the entire LGBT panel! If you have 40 minutes, you should watch. It's well worth your time.

My pal Steve M. has been going to HeroesCon quite some time. He is a huge comics buff. He has more comics and boxes of comics and closets of comics than anyone I know. This time around he said one of his favorite panels was Using Digital Tools to Make Comics.

"They were a great panel because they were so excited about talking up the programs they used and how they would flow between digital and traditional sketch-on-paper work for everything they do. Brandon Peterson is a long time photo shop user and expert, and he was talking about a particular tool within the app that cuts merging scans together seamlessly automatically. The other two artists David Marquez and Juan Doe went nuts because they spend hours merging scans by hand for their larger pages. The best thing overall about that panel was how enthusiastic the artists were about sharing with each other and with the audience." Steve's husband Jason adds, "I love watching established artist still getting excited about their work."

So, we already posted our Drink and Draw photos from the Friday night charity event raising money for Parkinsons research. Here's our favorite pics from the rest of the weekend. We purposely left out cosplay pics (except for one), as we are certain there will be a million of those floating around the interwebs.

Click on any pic to enlarge!