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Are Comic Art Porn Commissions A Big Thing?
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92 posts in this topic

I saw this response from artist Mike Choi on Instagram about how this is supposedly a known secret.  With this in mind, I don't see a lot of porn commissions from established comic artists on CAF or floating around at conventions.  So I was wondering if this is a known thing or something that there is a lot of floating around in secret?  

Ten years ago Mike Choi's covers were only going for a few thousand at the most, so for him to be offered $50,000 for two illustrations would be crazy money.

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I know a number of professional comic book artists who have received requests like that and turned them down cold. Many artists who have worked on famous characters by big companies know they should treat those characters with respect in terms of how they portray them in commissions. Reputation is a strong commodity, they want to continue to do business with many of the comic book companies and their properties.

Its the amateur who will take on such commissions, thinking its another step in getting noticed and becoming professional comic book artists. A lesson they failed to learn.

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Brian is 100% correct about respect shown to characters, and the folks that own those characters.

That said, the world has also changed a bit, and things now aren’t quite what they were 20, 30, 40 years ago. 

Also depends on what we are talking about with “porn”. 

If we are talking about famous artists who drew explicit (or implicit) sex images, well that goes back to cave paintings. If we want to push that forward to comic art, there’s plenty of that around. Much of it was personal consumption (like Frazetta’s many many pieces that have been seen in later years, including the most questionable ones) but they weren’t commissions. They were for his own enjoyment.

Then there have been folks like Wally Wood, who had a long and storied career with superhero’s, and drew some fairly titillating work for sale. Both in portfoliosfor sale and stories for publication. If wouldn’t exactly call it porn, but it was pretty strong stuff for someone tied so close to “kid’s books.”

Dave McKean has done more than one “erotic” stories as part of his career as an auteur. Alan Moore has done the same with his writing. Their careers are fine. But they aren’t doing fanboy material.

Sex has been used to sell comics to boys for ages. Starfire’s costume isn’t exactly practical as far as I’m aware. And any explanation of outfits like that are cover for the simple fact that some grown man somewhere figured he’d get a kick out of drawing it, and the little boys round the corner would buy it up.

But sure, I’ve heard stories of porn requests at cons. But I largely stopped going to cons by the end of the 90s. My fellow commissioners and I would swop stories, as they could be absolutely hilarious/nuts to us and the artists we were waiting around to chat with. 

Folks’ requests were often VERY specific. And as with anything in the commissioning subculture of comic OA (an already pretty small demographic), especially back then, word got around. To everyone.

I can’t and won’t name names, because some were stories told to me by other collectors about artists I don’t know. And others I witnessed between a commissioner I didn’t know and artists who were less than receptive. But I do know of some big name artists (today) that admitted to doing some of these pieces (batgirl & supergirl double teaming Superman type nonsense) to pay their rent on a temporary career lull. Hey, it’s hard to be a self-supporting artist, covering living expenses, your own health care, etc. day in day out, and year in, year out. The big books don’t last forever, but those responsibilities do.

That all said, some of the stories were hilarious. I’m sure I mentioned the guy who seriously wanted a nude piece drawn of Aunt May coming out of the shower. This was not Marissa-era Aunt May, if you know what I’m saying?

There were plenty stories of folks wanting some form of Superhero erotica or straight up penetration stuff. But those were boring. It was the specific kinks that were more fascinating, and often the ones that were either passed on, or done super hush hush.

There was the guy who tried getting everyone to draw superheroines knocked out or passed out. Clothed or partially unclothed was fine but they had to be unconscious.

There was a guy who old wanted drawings of Julie Newmar Catwoman (again kind out out of her time) stripping down.

There was the guy who wanted super heroines in diving suits, getting it on under water.

Superheroes .

Batman & short shorts Robin, with the tip of his Greyson hanging out

Just all kinds of requests. I think in the era of everything at your fingertips for porn, etc. this stuff is largely passe. 

I mean, it was around, and anyone commissioning at the time was hearing these same kinds of stories. We would mention the best of them to each other, and the artists would mention them to us. But by today’s standards of outrageousness, much of it seems “tame” if not a bit unsettling at times. 

The offers for payment of these pieces were ALWAYS higher than normal market value. The folks commissioning this work knew it was out of bounds or off-color for the artists and they had to entice them into doing the drawings.

And most artists laughed it off. Some took the work. Some names took the work. At the time, it just seemed like a gentleman’s agreement. I’ll do this for money, but you can never show this to anyone. 

But the artists were mostly young men then. No inkling of the posterity of art. Or the emergence of the internet. 

So who knows. Some day some pieces may come to light from one of your favorite artists when they are at old age, or have passed. With work that you might be surprised to see.

Just remember, they may have only done it to put food on the table for their children. Or to keep from ending up homeless. Or because it was funny, and they were Tim Vigil. :applause:

 

Edited by ESeffinga
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2 hours ago, ESeffinga said:

Batman & short shorts Robin, with the tip of his Greyson hanging out

This of course verging into kiddie porn territory depending on the likely age of Senor Grayson and his Richard.

There is definitely a homosexual minority of commissioners out there too, desiring the same types of image but appealing to males that prefer males. I made a "vein" comment a week or two ago, anybody think the specifically un-draped area in that drawing was an accident on either the part of the artist or the buyer? Drapery...there are some folks with very quite impressive inking technique that lends itself to fitted but clothed super-girth out there too; feathering...indeed!

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You Absolutely Don't Want to Click On This eBay Link. No, Really, You, Really, Really Shouldn't. Don't Do It. I'm Serious. Stop Right Now. :eek: 

(And before you ask, a friend stumbled on this and sent the link to me...I certainly didn't seek it out!!)

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1 hour ago, delekkerste said:

You Absolutely Don't Want to Click On This eBay Link. No, Really, You, Really, Really Shouldn't. Don't Do It. I'm Serious. Stop Right Now. :eek: 

(And before you ask, a friend stumbled on this and sent the link to me...I certainly didn't seek it out!!)

I'm actually good to go on this except for the price/shipping. Not exactly my thing (do like burgers) but it's accomplished and will always be attractive in a certain way for resale.

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5 hours ago, vodou said:

I made a "vein" comment a week or two ago, anybody think the specifically un-draped area in that drawing was an accident on either the part of the artist or the buyer? 

It was artists’ choice, but the artist did ask. Dr Manhattan is always an interpretation. 😜

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5 hours ago, delekkerste said:

You Absolutely Don't Want to Click On This eBay Link. No, Really, You, Really, Really Shouldn't. Don't Do It. I'm Serious. Stop Right Now. :eek: 

(And before you ask, a friend stumbled on this and sent the link to me...I certainly didn't seek it out!!)

I forwarded that link to around 10 people, because well, it’s funny haha

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:banana:

6 hours ago, alxjhnsn said:

Someone has some odd search terms.

Like I told Gene, my search terms were Grimace and Bear, so what's your problem?

Edited by glendgold
The dancing banana spoke to me.
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