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Tom of Finland - The Complete Kake Comics
Mustaches and muscles
The ultimate "F**ker"!
In 1965, Tom of Finland began flirting with the idea of an ongoing character for his panel stories, the ultimate Tom's Man. He tried out a blond named Vicky—a common male name in Finland—followed by a Tarzan-inspired Jack. Then in 1968 Tom settled on Kake, a dark-haired, mustached leatherman who often wore a tight white t-shirt bearing the motto “Fucker.” Kake lived up to this moniker, a sort of post-Stonewall, hyper-masculine Johnny Appleseed traveling the world on his motorcycle to spread the seeds of liberated, mutually satisfying, ecstatically explicit gay sex. Tom lived out many of his most personal fantasies through Kake, and Kake’s international fans made him the template for what came to be known as the gay clone look of the 1970s.
Between 1968 and 1986, Tom published 26 episodes of Kake adventures, most as 20 page booklets. Now for the first time all 26 stories have been collected in one volume. Return with Kake to the days when men were men, sex was carefree, and everyone wore a big thick mustache.
About the artist:
Touko Laaksonen, the boy who would become Tom of Finland (1920-1991), began drawing cartoons at age five. His favorite subjects were the rough manly men of his native Finland, as Touko knew from an early age that men interested him more than women. His talents were further honed by art study in Helsinki. He found success in the Finnish advertising industry but secretly continued creating his increasingly erotic drawings of hyper-masculine men. In 1957 he submitted some drawings to the American magazine Physique Pictorial and the "Tom of Finland" legend was born. By the late '60s Tom's "dirty drawings" became the standard for gay art, and Tom`s Men a template for a new gay masculinity. Tom`s art continues to play an important role in promoting self-confidence, positive self-image and openness in the gay community.
About the editor and author:
Dian Hanson is TASCHEN’s sexy book editor. As a 25-year veteran of men’s magazine publishing, she edited titles including Puritan, Oui, Outlaw Biker, Juggs, and Leg Show. Her many books for TASCHEN include Vanessa del Rio: Fifty Years of Slightly Slutty Behavior and R. Crumb’s Sex Obsessions.
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Tom of Finland - The Complete Kake Comics
Hanson, Dian (ED)
Flexicover 5.3 x 7.7 in., 704 pages, $ 29.99 |
- Reviews (14 items)
"Précédé par une biographie qui insiste sur les signes avant-coureurs du talent de Touko Laaksonen, que l'on connaîtra très vite sous le pseudo "Tom of Finland", ce splendide ouvrage de plus de 700 pages est un recueil complet des aventures de Kake, son personnage favori qui s'adonne fièrement aux plaisirs du sexe. Libertinage assumé, sourire aux lèvres, les dessins de Tom expriment certes un plaisir immédiat, une fantasmagorie excessive, mais également un vent libertaire, qui déferlera sur le monde entier, dans le plus grand secret bien sûr. Aujourd'hui considéré comme un artiste exceptionnel, son attrait pour tous les uniformes jugé outrageant pour certains, extrêmement virils pour d'autres ne laisse personne indifférent. Véritablement pas tous publics, avec une certaine dose d'auto permissivité, il peut dévoiler un fantasme caché tout autant qu'une peur. C'est ce qui dérange dans son œuvre...et qui en fait son génie. Honneur à TASCHEN d'avoir à nouveau compilé dans un format intermédiaire ce trésor de dessins crayonnés. Comme toujours, c'est nickel et vraiment pas cher."
LinkXtra, Cannes, France
LinkXtra, Cannes, France
- Clippings (22 items)
Tom Of Finland THE COMPLETE KAKE COMICS
coupe.de, Germany, May 07, 2008
coupe.de, Germany, May 07, 2008
- See also (11 items)
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Robert Crumb's Sex Obsessions Crumb has selected his most intimately revealing comic strips and single page drawings to create a 258 page encyclopedic trip through his sexual psyche. Limited to 1,000 copies, each numbered and signed by the artist. |
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Saudek The theater of sensual dreams: romance and fantasy in the portrait art of Jan Saudek |
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Tom Poulton. The Secret Art of an English Gentleman The secret art of an English gentleman |