American author Tina Anderson has emerged as one of the most prolific writers of erotic graphic novels and short comics, with titles published America, Germany, Poland, and Canada. She recently took a break from comics to release her debut novel, the critically acclaimed gay-historical horror Gadarene, but fear not—she’s back in the manga-writing saddle again with two new gay romance titles debuting in 2009 for fans in Germany. You can keep up with Tina Anderson at her blog: Guns, Guys, and Yaoi.
Though no longer creating works as a team, Anderson’s former partner and Diplomatic Immunity artist Caroline Monaco is still creating bold and erotic fan comics at her y!Gallery page, Roonz.
Don MacLean was born in 1963 in a small town in Ontario, Canada. He grew up a sensitive, bookish lad, who preferred to spend his time with a book (and, occasionally, a hand) in his lap.
In his twenties he started writing book reviews for local gay newspapers in Ottawa and caught the eye of the powers-that-be at Toronto’s Pink Triangle Press (PTP) who were planning to start up Canada’s first national adult magazine for gay men. He applied for the editor job and, alas, came in second. Happily, PTP’s first choice had a mysterious change-of-heart and they were forced to approach their runner-up for the job. Don solemnly swore to do everything he could to turn the publication into a rousing (and arousing) success. With witty wordplay like that, it’s hard to believe the magazine ceased publishing less than two short years later.
One of the few bright spots for Don in those two years was receiving a fax of Patrick Fillion’s work. Don knew immediately that he had found a first-rate illustrator for his second-rate publication. And, after many lengthy, laugh-filled, long-distance phone conversations (on PTP’s dime), he also realized he had met a kindred spirit.
Don and Patrick kept in touch after Canadian Male magazine went tits up. (Yes, that’s what Canada’s first national adult gay men’s magazine ended up being called. Again, hard to believe that Don’s powerhouse imagination couldn’t keep it going!) A year later Don moved to the west coast.
At that point Patrick was still doing Class Comics part-time and, one fateful day, he mentioned to Don that he had written a new script for his latest creation, Naked Justice. Don was curious to read it and offered to do a quick edit on the script for spelling and grammar. He ended up doing two edits, the first one being the basic edit he had originally promised, and the second one, a comedic re-write. Don saw a lot of potential for Naked Justice as a more light-hearted hero. After reading his second effort, Patrick agreed, and the rest, as they say, is history.
These days Don lives a contented life on Canada’s west coast (when he isn’t lapsing into a coma during the extraordinarily long periods between Naked Justice books.)
The only writing he does (or plans to do) is for Class Comics.
Fraser created Class Comics 6 years ago with his partner, Patrick Fillion. Together, they have created some of today’s hottest Gay Male Erotic titles, and continue to work with a variety of other talented gay comic artists and writers, such as Logan, HvH and Max’, to name just a few.
While Patrick busies himself with creating new artwork for Class Comics, Fraser or “Fraz” as his friends call him, handles the vast responsibilities of running the office and making sure the roof does not collapse on their heads. He also looks after communications with other artist.
When he is not swamped taking care of business-related things, Fraser is hard at work developing his own books for Class Comics. His first title called The Initiation is all about college life and campus shenanigans. Fraser wrote the Initiation with “real guys” in mind, feeling that the superhero genre was well covered by Patrick already. “The Initiation” was written by Fraz, and illustrated by Class Comics newcomer, Joseph Hawk. Together, Fraz and Joseph have produced what Patrick calls “one of Class’ hottest books yet”! The Initiation is now available for purchase. Meanwhile, Fraz continues to be involved in all Class Comics projects and their directions, and is already hard at work on another title which features a “James Bondian” character whose exploits are nothing short of sex-drenched. But as is the case with all of Class Comic’s books, this title will also offer up a compelling and exciting story for the readers to sink their teeth into.
Come September 2008, Class Comics will release the first issue of renowned French artist Benoit Prévot’s exquisite series, Angelface.
Angelface is set in the 1920s and is lavishly painted and written by Prévot to be as authentic to the time period as possible. The men are sophisticated and gorgeous, but most of them are deeply flawed characters. They are always horny and in true Class Comics tradition, this tends to land them in some serious trouble.
Alan (also called Angelface because of his incredibly handsome features) is a small time thief living in London. He and Red, his copper-haired partner in crime, pull a heist that could see them living like Kings for the rest of their lives. To celebrate their success, the two men fuck each other silly through the night, but come morning, Red wakes up alone. Angelface has taken off with their entire loot. Red vows to catch up to Angelface and get back what is rightfully his.
What follows is a wild adventure filled with compelling characters and plot twists, drenched with hot sex and debauchery!
The Angelface mini site is now live and you can get a wicked 6-page sneak peek at the first issue, meet the main characters, learn more about Benoit Prévot and his accomplishments, and much more!
Look for Angelface #1 at your favorite comic and book shops in September.
Patrick Fillion treats us to his latest vision with a brand new character and series called Zahn.
Zahn himself is like no other character Patrick has ever created before. Like most of his creations, Zahn is sexy, masculine and very handsome, and he has a voracious appetite for sex. But Zahn is different in that he is the first of Patrick’s creations to be rooted in the genre of sword and sorcery.
Set in Zahn’s homeland, the world of Varda is a place where powerful beasts, ancient magic and barbarians rule the land. The first issue of this new series is a veritable feast for the eyes and the libido. But it is also a title that Patrick spent months developing, so you can expect an in-depth and well planned story filled with adventure and twists.
“I wanted to create a character that embodied many of the heroic aspects I admired growing up. Zahn is my homage to my love of Masters of the Universe and Conan the Barbarian, but he’s also much more than that. With Zahn I plan to show that a barbarian can be bold and powerful, but that he can also have an emotional center and a depth of character that will surprise a lot of people.”
We invite you to join our hot man-loving barbarian on his epic quest! In issue #1, Zahn’s memory has been stolen by dark magic while an evil force is ravaging the great land of Varda. Our hero must find his way, and quickly, because he may be the only hope to save his homeland.
But regaining his memory isn’t the only problem he faces. He remembers only fragments from his past, but now new memories are surfacing. These recollections seem to indicate that he holds within him a tremendous power which could annihilate him if he doesn’t learn how to control it.
Our sexy hero must stop the evil destroying Varda, make some new allies, and discover his own destiny… or lose everything!
Zahn #1 is now on sale at classcomics.com, and available at your favorite local comic and book shops. As for it by name!
To learn more about Zahn, visit the official Zahn mini site.
There’s a new stud in town, and his name is Tug Harder… or at least, that’s what his fellow farm hands call him!
Written and illustrated by Butch McLogic, Tug Harder follows the adventures of an undercover photographer, Doug Arder who works for a Gay Magazine. Doug, nicknamed Tug, gets a job at a pig farm where he hopes to snap a ton of candid shots of the farm hands so he can sell to his magazine. Thing is, his plan may not go off without a hitch.
Tug Harder #1 is chock full of scorching hot sex scenes laced with a good measure of humor. The art and story will undoubtedly appeal to fans of HvH’s In the Blink of an Eye, and satisfy those looking for a “real guy” flavor to their illustrated men.
Beautifully drawn and wonderfully written, the first issue of this new Class Comics series hits the stands in July 2008.
For more on this new series, you can check out the officialTug harder Mini Site. The site offers character bios, a series overview and a sweet 6-page sneak peek at the first issue.
Real Name: Jeanne Darque Occupation: Heiress, former telemarketer, former primary wielder of the Cube, former leader of the Guardians of the Cube, now member of the Guardians of the Cube, adventurer. Base of Operations: Gateway City, Darque Manor Place of Birth: Tokyo, Japan Known Relatives: Dr. Jeremiah Darque (father, deceased), Haruka Darque (mother, deceased) Group Affiliation: Guardians of the Cube Gender: Female Sexual Orientation: Lesbian Height: 5’11” Weight: inapplicable Eyes: silver Hair: black First Appearance: Cube #1, volume 1 (1995) Current Appearances: Guardians of the Cube #1, Guardians of the Cube #2, Guardians of the Cube #3, Guardians of the Cube #4, Guardians of the Cube #5, Naked Justice #1, Naked Justice #2, Rapture #3
History: The daughter of rich and powerful psychiatrist, Dr. Jeremiah Darque, Jeanne spent her childhood in a strict and formal environment. A quiet child, Jeanne was under tremendous pressure to be top in her classes, and to follow in her authoritarian father’s footsteps to become a psychiatrist. But the repressed often rebel against their oppressors; Jeanne all but spit in her father’s face, shunning her family and heritage.
She fled to the city to pursue her life, where she was able to come out of her shell and discover herself for who she truly was, and not what she had been told she had to be. She realized that she was attracted to women. While working as a telemarketer, she met a young woman named Naomi, who shared similar interests, and they fell in love.
A call from her ailing father’s physician brought Jeanne racing back to the family manor. Her father was dying of cancer, and Jeanne longed to make amends before it was too late. On her way to Darque Manor, Jeanne’s car was stopped in its tracks by an extraterrestrial vessel. Using a device called the Cube, the aliens called M’Waor transformed Jeanne into a super-powered being. They charged her with the guardianship of the Cube, telling her that this device would someday save the Earth from complete destruction. Reluctantly, Darque accepted, eventually seeking out and transforming Cube-chosen humans into the Guardians she leads today.
Unfortunately, Darque’s father died while she was en route to see him. Despite their differences, her father bequeathed his entire fortune to his only daughter.
For several years, Darque led the guardians without a hint of humor, always with her mind of the ultimate goal. Eventually the pressures of leadership and the burden of her immense responsibilities as primary wielder of the Cube began to take their toll.
In a desperate attempt to add levity to her life, Darque underwent a change of looks, and tried not to take leadership so seriously. But this would prove a temporary remedy at best, and not at all sufficient to alleviate her considerable worries and fears.
The knowledge that the M’Waor had entrusted her with the Cube because she was the only human they could find in the vicinity of their vessel – not because she was remarkable in any way – became too much for her to handle. This coupled with the apparent death of Ghostboy, a fellow Guardian that she loved like she would love a son, was more than she could deal with. She decided to relinquish control of the Cube over to Numa, a fellow Guardian she felt was truly worthy of the responsibility.
Darque continues to serve as a Guardian of the Cube, more than content to no longer lead the outfit. Since turning the Cube over to Numa, Darque has felt an immense pressure lifted from her shoulders. She has a renewed joie de vivre that was denied her for far too long.
Powers and Paraphernalia: Jeanne Darque’s body is a gateway to an uncharted dark dimension. Hence, Darque can absorb light and matter into her body, depositing it into the dimension on the other side. She possesses complete control over darkness and the energies that exist within it. She can use darkness to create projectiles, force beams and even wings for flight.
She can travel via shadows, essentially using them as “doorways” through which she seems able to teleport.
Darque is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and has recently begun to further develop her skills as such.
