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!

Things Have Been Hectic: The Wonderful Illustrations of Polly Guo

Illustrator/artist/animator Polly Guo has stolen my heart. Her artwork often captures the most intimate moments in LGBT life in a whimsical yet romantic way. Well...at least the life gay geeks like me dream about having. These are the types images that drew me into Polly's rich and diverse world. But, in truth, Polly Guo's illustrations have no such boundaries. She is just as adept at drawing western themed graphic novels as she is at modern super heroes and cartoons.

Currently, Polly Guo makes her home in the LA area where she works on the beloved cartoon Adventure Time. In the past, she has done work for StoryCorps animated shorts and FoxADHD, including the This Week In History GIF series. She has also done comics and  graphic novels for Archaia, Image, and BOOM! Studios.

Her list of titles includes Houdini & Holmes, a graphic novel series in which Houdini is accused of murder and seeks out Sherlock Holmes help in clearing his name, The Hair-Raising Tale of Gabriel Birdsong, Adel's Hammer, Morningstar, and the yet to be published Strongman and Pianist.  Via email,  Polly also added, "I'm doing a comic for Pam Buchanam's Divinity Reimagined anthology based on the Ba She legend. It's about a snake that's so big it eats elephants. It takes 10 years for the elephants to pass through its body. I've also boarded a Digital Graybles short for Adventure Time that's currently in production. It's about Death. Most recently I've done an erotic comic about a girl who gets taken to a sexy spa by her best male friend called Ben's Day Spa."

Polly studied animation at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Though prior to that, she was mostly self-taught. Via our email conversation, she explains, "My first tablet was a small 4 inch Chinese writing tool that we originally bought for my Grandma to write Chinese characters on the computer. I'd steal art supplies from my public high school's art dept and paint still lives at home alone. Some times I'd go to figure drawing classes on weekend hosted by the local community college."

When asked how to pronounce her last name, "I’ve heard it pronounced several different ways, so it doesn’t matter too much to me. My two preferred ways are “G’whoa” and “Go." I think I am going with G'whoa! It just seems fitting based on her talent.

If you would like to explore Polly Guo on your own, I suggest you start with her website Pollums.com, Tumblr, and Behance. Also, check out this great interview from Graphic Policy.

Polly Guo - Co-director w/ Mariel Cartwright!

Polly Guo - lead character designer

"Gaming Mouse" Winner Announcement!

Last week we posted an interview with incredible cartoonist Jake Rohdy!As part of the story, he drew this hilarious "Gaming Mouse" panel and allowed us to do a drawing and give it away to one lucky winner! So...without further ado, the winner is:

Jason E. of North Carolina

We have notified Jason via email and he will receive the art in the mail directly from Jake Rohdy soon!
Be sure to keep checking back for new contests! We have another giveaway starting up on September 30th!

Drawing Random Monsters: An Interview w/ Illustrator Jake Rohdy + Free Original Art Drawing!

With the flick of a wrist, self-taught artist/illustrator Jake Rohdy can turn anyone or anything into the most impossibly charming version of themselves. People, plants, cats, dogs, rodents, pachyderms, crustaceans, cephalopods...all turn into adorable, lovable creations when Jake sets his sights on them. Aside from his own comics, Jake has performed this service for indie rock bands, websites, blogs, and even an HVAC industry magazine!

Currently, Jake Rohdy manages four (yes, four!) cartoon series. Chuck Charles is for fantasy adventure lovers. It features a hapless band of warriors and wizards meandering about the countryside bungling their way through misguided adventures. Tilly and Todd tells the tale of a frustrated house cat and her mortal enemy/closest confidant, a wise cracking house plant. The Random Comic series is a look into Jake's home life and inability to give up geekyness in exchange for domestic bliss. Comfort Zone is inspired by Jake's work as an HVAC tech. Basically, it's his hilarious way of venting about horrible clients and their unfair expectations. Finally, there is From The Vault. When pressed for time, Jake will sometimes post a drawing or unfinished piece of work from the past.

Despite sharing so much of himself through cartoons, Jake doesn't care to give much bio info. Here's the extent of his online bio:

"About Jake
He may or may not draw comics that people may or may not read.
His art background is nearly non-existent
grammar and spelling is laughable
but he’s glad that you care enough to learn about him
go ahead and pat yourself on your back. Thank you."

When I asked for a bit more detailed info, this was his reply, "I don't know if that is good enough, but I try to keep things modest around these parts! If you need good information, or perhaps factual information: Jake Rohdy, small town in Michigan, wife, cat, houseplant." Honestly Jake, that is good enough for me.

Thankfully, he was a bit more talkative when it came to answering the questions for the interview! Don't forget to visit him online at JakeRohdy.com or his Facebook page! Also, see below for info on how to win an original piece of artwork from Jake Rohdy!

Q: How do you find time to juggle four strips plus post sketches in From the Vault? Are you drawing all the time?
Jake: It seems like it. But it's less time I have to spend with my wife, so I'll continue to suffer! Luckily, I don't draw every different strip all the time. My main focus is on the Random Comics and Chuck Charles, the other comic strips I do on a whim. And when I can't come up with any good comics, and find myself staring at a blank piece of paper, I have the From the Vault series to fall back on. I drew all of those while sitting in class at college. So, I post those when I can't come up with a comic on time.

Q: A lot of your Random Comic series deals with band mates arguing. Are you drawing on your own failed band experiences?
Jake: Oh God I wish I was in a band! I've always wanted to be in a band, especially a bad one! I just really love music, so any chance I get to talk about it is great! My wife no longer cares about my opinion on music or what I consider good music. So those strips give me a good outlet for my music fandom.

Q: Also, every band you draw has a totally different, hilariously terrible name. Do you ever run out of bad band name ideas?
Jake: I haven't yet! I come up with funny ones all the time, of course there are some I can't use in the comic strips! If I had to choose an all time favorite name that I came up so far is The Kami Cosbys. Every time I think about that name I chuckle... Anyways you would be surprised on how many names I think I come up with that are already band names! So I always Google the names before I write them! Believe it or not, there are some really creative people on the internet...

Q: What’s with all the sea creatures hanging out in bars?
Jake: To be honest I just love drawing random animals and monsters, It gives me a chance to draw something other than talking heads. And who doesn't want to see a crab trying to pick up chicks at a bar... You know he's pinching some girl's butt when he's three deep!

Q: Your protagonist in the comic series Comfort Zone is a wise cracking air conditioning repair man. My HVAC system has been acting up a bit this Summer. Would you mind taking a look?
Jake: Hell yeah! As long as you pay for the plane ticket and give me a place to stay! We'll make a weekend of it! Unless there's no beer, then you're shit out of luck. But seriously, what's it doing? Low on charge? Bad capacitor?

Q: Just out of curiosity, what kind of house plant is Todd?
Jake: Todd is .... that is a good question! I'm not sure... a green one? The funny thing is Todd is a real plant! That whole strip is based off my real house plant and cat. Pretty much everything that happens in that strip has happened in my household. Tilly and Todd is the only comic that I make that if you Google image search it comes up as one of the first pictures, along with Tilly and Todd no nits! A children's book about lice.... at least I think! Is it wrong that I Google search my own comics? Probably...for sure...

Q: So, in Chuck Charles, you claim The Lady of the Lake has the following counterparts: The Lad of the Lagoon, The Belle of the Bight, Cousin of the Cove, The Boy of the Bay, Person of the Pond, Chap of the Canal, Husband of the Harbor, Gal of the Gulf, Runt of the Rapid, Pal of the Puddle, The Senorita of the Sound, and The Woman of the Wash. How many more did you come up with but had to leave out?
Jake: I STRUGGLED to get all of those! For like an hour.... But that may have been because I had been drinking... Is it okay that I'm drinking right now? Because I'm not stopping, I just wanted to see you were comfortable with it...

Q: What is your favorite bad joke?
Jake: Besides the ones I write? Ummmm... I can't say I have a favorite, but I have heard some really awful ones! I do work in the construction field after all.

Q: What artists/illustrators are you currently following?
Jake: I don't really tend to follow anyone, I'm not really a computer/internet savvy person to say the least, (I still use Microsoft paint to edit my comics). But I had a friend send me a link to an awesome French cartoonist who seriously draws some awesome and in depth comics. His name is Boulet, and you can check him out at english.bouletcorp.com. Besides that I always tell people to read Bill Waterson's Calvin and Hobbes, because that is the gold standard of comics. And I will literally fight anyone who says otherwise, seriously....sssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiioooooouuuuussssllllly.

Q: Would you draw us your rendition of a “gaming mouse?”
Jake: I have no idea exactly what you wanted by "gaming mouse", So instead of asking I just drew this. Mario Paint anyone?

 If you like 

**Click any pic to enlarge!

Gay Comic Geek Reviews "Stripped - A Story of Gay Comics"

We are infatuated with Gay Comic Geek! In this episode of his YouTube series, gives us a pretty in depth look at Stripped - A Story of Gay Comics by Markus Pfalzgraf. If you want to see a 30 page excerpt from the book, go here! If you want to order a copy, you can order from overseas, but thankfully Amazon US has copies in stock!