The Art of Robby Cop

Robby Cop - Locked Up*

 I'm always extolling the virtue of visual simplicity in methods of bondage, Robby Cop applies that virtue in his art, hovering deceptively in the middle ground between pure comic cartoonery and stark realism. His striking images explore the world of those who like to submit to a masterful man. It's not portrayed as a pastime for wimps, however. This man is muscular, his cropped hair and blue beard are suggestive of inner hardness, his piercings and ironmongery an expression of confidence. Yet here he is, stripped and kneeling submissively, caged in a cell and encased in a chastity device, the captive of another man. 

We don't know if this is the moment of incarceration or of liberation. His expression seems thoughtful, uncertain, as though this wasn't what he intended when he started that conversation in a seedy bar.  He grips and tests his chastity belt as though he can't believe it's real. 

A dangling key symbolises his entrapment.

 N.B. The picture titles with asterisks in this post are mine not the artist's

Robber Copper - Splattered*

 This captive's world seems much darker. It's as if the initial excitement, the novelty of captivity has palled. He's just given pleasure to his captor, but his own reward seems pretty paltry and it's cold comfort as the door closes, leaving him alone in the darkness. This man looks less experienced and maybe this is his first time of being locked up. Maybe the reality of being totally dependent on another man for his basic needs, let alone any pleasures, is just dawning on him. As the hours go by, he wonders about his freedom too, doubts begin to niggle.

 

Robby Cop - The Pick Up*

Was this how it all began? The excitement of visiting his first leather bar, the daredevil fun of stripping off to mingle. The heady smells, the music, the lights.....

And then the men - mysterious, strong, reeking of masculinity, supremely confident. Surrounding him with admiring looks and words. Touching him, taking hold of him, pressing close with their warm skin. The men of his erotic day-dreams are here, but they are intimidating and some downright strange in the flesh. 

It's disconcerting until he spots 'The One'. He looks the part and talks the talk, but he's warmer and his bristles tickle. He seems real. The young man feels safe in his embrace. His talk of rope and chains rekindles the excitement....

 

Robby Cop - The Kiss*

For many a young man the possibility of kissing someone older, someone who is big, hairy and overpoweringly masculine, well, it's prize they never have imagined they might win. When that man wants to be dominated as well, it's likely to be enough to bring out the devil in him. The cool flesh tones and sharply defined features here suggest exactly that. 

The hairy sub here is a very nice image of hairiness and tenderness, a man that many would like to ensnare. 

 

Robby Cop - Who's A Good Boy?

It's also the hairiness of the subject that makes this image attractive for me, the contrast between his manly physical traits (albeit of a youthful nature) and his uncharacteristic, submissive behaviour. I don't really 'get' the doggie role play thing, but the collar and lead certainly work and that is one sexy jock. The visible evidence of an anal plug is sexy, the rear equivalent of a chastity cage, but it doesn't have to be a tail and it certainly doesn't have to wag - and please, no dog masks!

Robby clearly doesn't share my view, he has done a number of doggie-themed images like this.

 

Robby Cop - Biting The Bullet*

Indulging in Foot Fetish is an acquired taste, but the imagery has a wider appeal simply as a statement of submissiveness. It allows the vicarious pleasure of being able to imagine intoxicating, manly odours and intimate, tickling sensations without having to run the risk of encountering a less pleasant reality.

That reality is what seems to be what is going on here. Those boots look ominously like stink factories and the sub's expression as he chews off the socks looks like a man having second thoughts and wishing he was somewhere else - like the dance floor of the club where he met this guy. I suppose the risk of encountering over-pungency is a thrill in itself for some and sheer choking, repulsiveness a delicacy for true specialists. You get the impression that this chap is a man of some experience, someone who knows what's what, but perhaps has discovered that he's not that much of an enthusiast.

Of course his anguished look may have more to do with the chunky, rubber tread that's grinding into his crotch, another facet of the rainbow world of feet, but not necessarily conducive to a bumper climax.

Robby Cop - Toe Time*

This simple image with it's hints of an inter-generational pairing seems to show a more gentle initiation into the practice. There's even a hint of affection in those hair-fondling toes, even though the pressure of the foot is itself coercive. This is a less austere introduction to subbing than the cold cages at the top of this post. 

I like the idea of a toe with an erection, I don't think many could achieve the degree of toe-dexterity illustrated here. A rare and sought-after skill I imagine.

Robby Cop - Waste Specialist*

 If you're put off by the taste of sweaty socks......

This fantasy pops up fairly regularly in fetish art, I've done a 'mitchmen' version of it myself somewhere. The idea poses a challenge for the artist in sorting out the mechanics of the flow and the demands of gravity which necessitate different levels and usually visual separation of the participants. In some versions the plumbing seems to take precedence over the erotic interest. Robby has made a decent effort here but you can see the problem of achieving a satisfying integration. 

I like his idea of the tank-like enclosure for the sub and giving him the option of drinking the stuff or just being soaked by it. Judging by the dry floor (which has no waste outlet), he's either just come on duty or else he's got a raging thirst for the amber nectar. One can only imagine the scene in an hour's time.

Robby's drawing of the man providing the waste has a nice feeling of casual swagger and attractive maleness. Quite an achievement considering the economy of line. We can't see his face, he could be any man off the street, a regular guy. For that matter, the urinal might be situated in any office block, a gym, the possibilities are endless. The anonymity of this sort of arrangement is part of the thrill, the inability to pick and choose who the donor is, instead the sub can only imagine.

 

 

Robby Cop - Milking*

In this image, the sub himself is the donor, engaged in a much more pleasant duty (for most of us). 

This doesn't look like a milking factory at first sight but the bar code on his chest suggests there are many other milkers in the barn and that their produce is subject to sophisticated quality control and tracing techniques. Having a dedicated collection vessel might indicate that each man's output is sold separately, packaged like a luxury delicacy. However, the size of the vessel suggests that demand is high, I don't envy this man the task of filling it. Fortunately this farmer seems to be kind to his stock, relying on the pulsing sleeve to extract product, with no sign of the customary fetish 'stimulants'.

Robby Cop - Don't Move, it'll be over in a second

Robby's disarmingly light style disguises some serious subjects so don't try this at home! 

This is clearly not meant to be torture, but a fanciful musing on the far reaches of the chastity fetish where a mere lock and key is not deemed to provide sufficient security for a partner's prized organs. As always, getting into restraint is easier than getting out of it! Now the frustrated sub faces Hobson's choice and a supreme test of his trust in his partner skills with a welding torch. 

The trouble is, you can see how the application of a (modest) amount of heat to his metal sleeve might create an erotic sensation. It might seem a tempting game to the daring. The sub's face suggests he might be making just that sort of calculation, but as my mother used to say, "there's a difference between scratching your ass and tearing it to pieces".

Robby Cop - Night Raid*

There's an element of underlying menace in this image too although it's clearly a recollection of a youthful fantasy about a bedroom invader. The tattooed cop has the appearance of a night club stripper, a man of experience, but it's hard to read his face - is he a benign or a malign 'night visitor'? It certainly looks as if he expects the naive captive in his night attire to deliver more than these tentative pec kisses. The tantalising convergence of their respective bulges seems to be another indication of tentative sexual awakening which is quite nice. However, the rubber truncheon the cop's got in his hand is a fearsome thing (however you imagine he might use it). I fear his patience may run out soon. I'm sure you've been there.

Robby Cop - Cell Mating*

If you thought Robby's S&M cages looked like fun you might take a different view of this situation. The sexual exploitation of prisoners by alpha male inmates is an urban legend not entirely without foundation. This is a pretty uncompromising take on the subject. The black eye and tally markers on his chest tell us that this man has not been seduced by the manly charm of his cell-mate, although the beast looks perfectly capable of it. It's clearly a long running affair but you can decide for yourselves whether he was 'that way inclined' before he was sent down. 

There's more jail art at mitchmen blog in "You're Going Down!"

~

 Robby Cop goes by a number of similar names - Robber Copper, CopperRobert,
he posts regularly as RobbyCop @Twitter

* denotes my titles, not Robby's

The Mighty Foo 2 - The Ancients

 Read this mitchmen series about The Mighty Foo from Part 1

 This image channels Foo's spendidly lithe muscularity into the persona of a Warrior of the ancient world. He's staked out in a variant of the X-spread usually employed in hot climes by those who wish to leave the despatch of their enemies to the forces of nature. Something about the style of these images suggests an icier location me though, brrrr!

 

In this image he's drained of the essence of his manhood by another, ritualistically-dressed warrior, fresh from a fiercely fought battle. The implication is that this is a trophy captive who was not involved in the fight, but now must pay the price of defeat. The over-sized boots are a splendid detail but the it's the tensed, naked body, slightly lifted and twisted away from his tormentor that makes this picture so striking. It's actually a variant of the top image seen from a different angle, but it looks completely different with the interfering 'stag' providing impetus. 

A moment of capture is marvellously depicted here with a powerful, confident victor savouring the terrified spoils of battle with great satisfaction. Foo has an interest in facial expressions that adds much depth to his work, allowing us to glimpse the emotions of his characters as well as their actions. The captor here has the look of the native inhabitants of the Americas, which chimes with the spreadeagle punishment seen above - in the stereotypes of pulp fiction at least.  

 

 

 Here, Foo allocates the role of victor's prize to the character of 'Blondie' who we saw suffering the ultimate price of capture in 'The End Of The Patrol' (in Part 1 of this mitchmen series). I imagine that his distinctively European, pale appearance might seem weirdly exotic to these Warriors, who are cast in a very different mould. 

 

Blondie is induced to perform something of a party trick here, but it's Foo's portrayal of the intensity of their shared feelings at the moment of ecstasy that makes this image for me. Cool, manly determination and dominance induces a grudging, physical acknowledgement of his prowess from the defeated, and now submissive, captive.
 

That painful intensity of attraction and emotion bridging between a young captor and his spread-eagled captive is equally apparent in this scene of youthful experimentation, which harks back to the modern military scenarios of Part 1. 

(From the mini-series 'Jake and Blondie')

Visit Part 1 for a link to Foo's Gallery but be warned, some of his work is challenging.

Tips For Your Holiday - No 6

 Remember that gay beaches and other haunts are often in places that are difficult to access. 

Plan your route well and wear sensible clothes.

It's a good idea to pack local tide tables in your luggage.

(above) Shot from the movie "Wild" (Braven)

For more 'mitchmen' Holiday Tips click on the label below 

The Mighty Foo 1 - Military Capture

 

This handsome devil defiantly, nay, provocatively, facing the firing squad is modelled on a comic book hero called 'The Mighty Foo', who bravely flirted with death in the cause of 'right'. This artist was inspired by the character and adopted the name as his own 'nom de guerre'. His homoerotic, military images gel nicely with my on-going 'War Comics' series.

 

 

Foo furnishes his own 'hero in trouble' with sensuous muscularity and erotic appeal. 

Clothing is often the bête noire of render artists, but that doesn't matter when it is used as imaginatively as this. The baggy fit actually highlights the sexy, torso 'window' drawing attention to the captive's nudity beneath his uniform.

Little surprise then that his captors are not content to simply detain him......

...... but also feel empowered to use and energetically abuse him.

 

.
Even a hero knows fear in such extremity and it's skilfully depicted here.

Fear and it's consolation in sex is the key to understanding Foo's Art. 

The Mighty Foo - A Hero's Fate

The penetration shown a couple of pictures back is actually a relatively unusual scene in Foo's art. He favours the torment of prisoners by hand and mouth. Like Amalaric, Foo makes much use of the X-restraint but his men are totally suspended not left standing on the ground.

Securing the captive in this frame, one limb at a time, would be an interesting process and the resulting 'flying pose' makes for an extraordinarily sexy coupling. It seems like we can see the captive's mounting, sexual tension in his squirming surrender to the seducer's tongue. At the same time he must be wondering why they are doing this to him. 

This is a more recent picture and the hero's muscularity is leaner and more deeply etched than the handsome devil we started with. His shorts seem thick but loose-fitting, allowing easy access.

 

The Handsome Devil is tied to a post for his dose of the treatment. He's totally naked and blindfolded, utterly defenceless but astonishingly masculine as he's drawn in a intimate and inappropriate act. His flagpole response to being handled is probably more a measure of his humiliating capitulation than his enthusiasm for the process. The glimpse a uniform tells us he's in the grip of a powerful, insensitive organisation but the soldier's youthful appearance gives the impression that this is part of their military training, learning how to handle and degrade once-proud captives.

Foo explores many variations of this sexy, forced milking scenario in his imagery.

 

This version features a sensitive-looking, bespectacled soldier with a youthful, willowy and deliciously muscular torso. Lacking a blindfold, his eyes are able to engage with those of his tormentor creating a moment of searching intimacy, but you sense his confusion and doubt about all this. Dismayingly, the soldier stares back at him with determined, smug purpose. His expression is utterly devoid of affection or even desire. He has a job to do and his gratification will come from finishing it successfully. For the victim there's little option to resist, he can only endure it and wonder what comes next

Foo identifies this bespectacled character as an avatar of himself and that casts an interesting light on this image. He imagines himself as the captive of an impersonal force, manipulated and abused by it's obedient minions and facing the threat of a terrible, ultimate fate. 

Strangely enough, there's little sense of 'different sides' or enemies confronting each other in these images. The victims and perpetrators wear different combinations of military clothing but it's hard to tell if their uniforms are actually different. In fact Foo sometimes specifies that these men are colleagues in the same unit and that is the case in the next picture.

 

This image shows the punishment of an army Captain and his lover (presumably a man from the lower ranks). Not everyone would see this as a punishment, I suppose, but the humiliation of a public milking by your own colleagues is certainly intended as such. Any buddy punishment scenario conjures up an extra sense of helplessness for the captives, as they are both deprived of a primary avenue of rescue. Their youth and muscularity makes for a masculine beauty that tugs at our heart-strings - and other bits. 

Taken out of context, this image makes a damning statement about oppressive attitudes to homosexuality in the military, with more than a hint of the attendant hypocrisy, illustrated by task masters performing their role with bare chests. Just keeping their uniforms clear of flying fluid of course (yeah right)! 

The debris strewn around the captives feet in many of these images creates an atmosphere of chaos and insecurity, like a war zone. The damaged wall behind them suggests anything might happen next. Such is the world of the oppressed. 

 

In this variant of the 'gay lovers' idea, the junior man is being scapegoated, it seems. The 'target' disc hanging on his chest implies he's been condemned to the ultimate punishment, but since he's blindfolded it's possible he doesn't know it yet. It makes a mockery of the Captain's comforting tenderness at their parting.  

 

 To be fair to Foo, I'm putting my own twist on the scene. In his story the two lovers are actually undergoing this ritual punishment together to atone for the failings of their comrades in the unit. The Captain uses his position to comfort his lover before joining him in the punishment frames. 

'Parabatai' below also explores this scenario.

Foo's is a strange world in which men accept or even welcome death as the ultimate heroic sacrifice, whether for love, guilt, duty or patriotic reasons. An image like this is normally the stuff of atrocities, but Foo inverts it to become an expression of fate, of karma.

Foo's avatar is again playing out that fantasy of heroic self-sacrifice, or at least the threat of it. He puts himself at the mercy of a muscular and manly superior. The highly structured and precisely-ordered, all-male world of military service surrounds and imprisons them, invisible but inescapable. 

In images like this the victim's words don't simply represent him offering himself up for punishment, he's also urging the Officer to do his duty and giving him permission to do so. Thus, in a way he's equally in control and forges a bond of humanity (and dare I say love?) with his nemesis.

 This idea of karma is developed into a formal military code in the story of 'Parabatai'. Urban Dictionary defines Parabatai as warriors who fight together and have a special, unbreakable bond of love that strengthens them in battle. In Foo's story, the Parabatai serves the entire unit as a comforting, sexual slave and a surrogate for any punishments they earn as a group. Like a regimental mascot he is treasured by them, but it's a role which ultimately extends to ritual sacrifice as the Officer explains.....

Foo adopts the Greasetank approach here, casting an improbably handsome man as the vehicle for (what seems like) senseless and horrifying violence. There is a comic book tradition that differentiates between 'good' violence and 'bad' violence, but this man is 'just obeying orders' so how do you classify that? The victim is also dutifully fulfilling his designated role. He embraces his fate with quasi-religious, stoic calmness and dignity. Both of these men are trapped in a cruel, cultural tradition that is easier to follow than to break. 

 

It's not clear from the language whether the Parabatai is a real man or an artificial substitute whose demise might seem less shocking. The Officer talks about 'making' and 'training' a new one, but whatever the case, he still behaves just like a man and can die like one. He too bears a physical resemblance to Foo's avatar, but I think this is a different character.

 

 

 

We've seen that there's a disturbing, homoerotic intimacy in many of these chilling images, but 'The End Of The Patrol' has a coldness all it's own. It echoes the horror of arbitrary POW executions and civilian massacres that we tend to associate with WW2, but they are as old as time and still occur regularly today in every conflict.

These three are regular Foo characters, they all appear (to suffer and be reborn) in other works by him and he even gives them names - Dogface* (left), Blondie (centre) and his own bespectacled avatar whose presence (to my mind) gives the group and their plight an ambiguous association with being gay. 

Regardless of that, there's something deeply unsettling in seeing them all assembled together as a group destined for ruthless despatch, the agents of which they can see before them. Strung up and helpless they await their fate and it's as though something in the very soul of their creator is in danger of being extinguished too.

*dogface is also a slang term for a US Infantryman from WW2

You have probably realised by now, that I have held back from showing the rather important endings of these stories. We've seen captives restrained, stripped and interfered with and this one seems pretty nonchalant about all that, enjoying a cigarette with his afterglow. It's as though he doesn't understand its true significance. Being blindfolded, he can be forgiven for not realising there's a target-like disc on his chest and of course he can't see what we can see bottom left, but he ought to have heard the rattle of those rifles. This is either blissful ignorance or truly epic heroism.

 

 ~ 

The Mighty Foo has been around quite a while and like a Scarlet Pimpernel of extreme, fetish art he pops up in different places from time to time, then disappears again leaving hardy any traces behind him except admirers seeking him everywhere. The reason for this wandering is to be found in his subject matter - a preoccupation with depicting death and in particular the idea that violent demise triggers an involuntary sexual response in the victim.

His early photo manipulation images contain many workings of this last idea, they are typically characterised by victims with wild staring eyes spurting in their final throes. Not for the faint hearted. The relatively early GIF above (feat. 'Handsome Devil') is a bloodless template (I guess he just fainted).

 Spilling blood is not really my cup of tea but Foo's images of his heroes meeting their demise are memorable and almost tasteful. Some are astonishing and spectacular. Not a comfortable view but morbidly fascinating. They are certainly no worse than the bloody killings that gratuitously punctuate many Hollywood films and his of course use imaginary renders, not real people. Unfortunately they are still too graphic and provocative for me to include in this blog. You can seek them out, if you wish, at the link given below.

In more recent imagery shown here the sexual undercurrent is usually sign-posted by the ritual of (partially) undressing the victims and sometimes their direct stimulation by guards. In some of those storylines, surrendering to ejaculation is the signal for their execution to take place as though it were confirmation of their guilt or weakness - or is the draining cruelly denying them consolation in their final moments? It's easy to dismiss this simply as crude sadism but plainly there are complex motivations going on. The element of self-identification suggests there's much more to this obsession. More than I can unravel.

'Experiment 13' extends the auto-ejaculation fantasy into the world of science fiction. It envisages captured Prisoners of War being systematically harvested in front of a firing squad in the belief that their milk acquires special qualities in these circumstances. The complex milking equipment seen here puts most of my 'Milking Factories' in the shade. You couldn't ask for a more graphic example of perverted science and ruthless zealots abusing and exploiting innocent men.

 

 

Despite all the darkness of Foo's imaginings, there's a true sense of heroic bravery here. Surprisingly perhaps we also see comradeship and even romance in this image of the Captain and his lover sharing their final moments together, not doubt hoping for better beyond. The execution squad are seen for once, but only indistinctly, in the distance. Ultimately they are insignificant pawns themselves. 

~

In 'respectable' circles, violence is OK, sex is OK, but linking them - even in fantasy - is taboo. Consequently artists like Foo, Bondageskin and Greasetank are forced into the margins. Unfortunately their less provocative images tend to go with them. You may not like the violent and morbid extremes of Foo's work but I hope I've shown here that there's plenty of other marvellous 'hero in danger' imagery to enjoy.

Continued in Part 2

You can also see his work in TheMightyFoo at Fetlife
(it's a social media site for sharing fetishes and you have to join but it's free) 

He provides a useful commentary for some of the entries

Notice (for search purposes) that he spells his name as one word.

Bizarre Punishments No 7 - The Sequel

 

When I find an image I particularly like in my War Comics meanderings, it usually makes me wonder - what happened next? These images are quite racy in their own way but were constrained by the young target audience and publishing controls, so bare tops are about as daring as it ever gets. I like to imagine scenes going further. 

This image was featured in Bizarre Punishments No 7 in the original black and white form and my starting point for 'improvement' was to apply some colour. This brings out the captive's impressive muscular frame and closely cropped hair, that neck is so sexy! I've also used colour to shape his bottom and hint at what else he may have suffered in this captivity.

Stripping off those tattered trousers reveals a very cute pair of buns. No wonder his captor looks so smug and attentive! I can't help thinking either that the guard's strategically-positioned gun might be code for another weapon inside his pants, but then, I'm just a pervert.

 Uncovering the captive's leg joints and colouring the machinery also exposed some very odd perspectives. The distortions help to condense the image in the original and the crazy angles help the drama too but they make it difficult to develop a more fetishistic view of the scene. I've started on a more realistic re-creation of it. Watch this space for that! 

The companion picture is probably better as a composition but not quite as sexy in the detail. You can imagine the crafty Officer contemplating what delights await him when de-bagging time arrives. The torturer is a rather good cameo in both images, exuding muscular strength and limited imagination.

 In the naked variant I decided to go for realism in the cock department. You can tell the Officer is teased by his victim's still-hidden potential and the torturer seems to think more pain will help. 

 

The limbs were easier to work with in this variant but the ropes and the arms don't stand up to close examination. I'm working on a Desert Rats variant to go on my mitchmen gallery at Deviant Art gallery, with skimpy rolled-up shorts providing the sexy modesty required there.

It's the basis of a further sequel 'The Desert Rats Story'

Milking Factories 11

Derart - Milking Factory

 Two more milking factories, both with a flavour of the laboratory about them.

Derart's contribution seems very clinical indeed. He uses as similar body-arching restraint to  ObiCumKenobi (No 7) and the memorable image of CupCakes666 (No 3). There's a communal collection facility implying these men are regarded as a herd rather than individuals. There's not a great deal of detail though and the distant viewpoint inhibits the impact somewhat, you might miss the interesting expressions - see detail below. 

 

This machinery seems to use a variety of stimulation techniques, mechanical tweaking (far left), classic 'sleeve' friction and for the third figure (far right) what looks like an injection of a chemical substance. I like the characterful grown-up faces. One of the men has facial hair but is shaved down below, whereas his neighbour has the reverse arrangement - discuss!

KW - Collection Facility

Have you noticed how everything these days has a vague, bland name? We don't have cupboards or shelves any more we have 'units'. People are not old or disabled or ill any more, they are 'vulnerable'. Companies and organisations don't have customers, subcontractors or specialists, they have 'partners'. We're not even gay or lesbian or transexual either, we're all 'LBGTQ' (although by the time you read this there may be more letters added to a meaningless grouping of utterly different individuals).

Be that as it may, KW has designated this set-up as a 'facility' but there's a nice sense of the factory about it (or milking parlour to be even more old-fashioned) thanks to the neatly-arranged and lengthy row of 'contributors' (or partners if you prefer, although that word seems to imply a willingness to participate which I suspect is totally absent here). The milk collection jars are shared by two men which I suppose might give them a greater interest in the outcum. There's even a suggestion of rivalry between the two on the far wall, shared shame for an unimpressive yield perhaps - or is it love down on the farm? Partnership in the offing.

KW (aka damnd1) also headed the very first milking Milking Factory post in this mitchmen series

 

Go to Milking Factories 12 

For other milking factories, read this mitchmen series from Part 1 

or click the 'milking' label below for broader examples of the practice

mitchmen at war - 23 Going Down?

My twisted humour aside, the muscular embrace of these two men is both moving and distinctly homoerotic. Now they are alone, adrift together in the open sea until rescue comes.

 

Interestingly, the artist who painted this 1960 war comic cover seems to have been guilty of wishful thinking. This incident doesn't occur in the story. The hero does see his ship go down, but he is cast adrift all alone in the expanse of the South Atlantic.

This splendidly dramatic image documents the last moments of his ship, under attack from a commerce raider. It's very much in the vein of Victorian magazine illustrations which used to accompany accounts of heroic deeds and stoic manliness in adversity. 'The Boy Stood On The Burning Deck' and all that. 

 

Our hero, Dave (far right) seems less than heroic here, given the circumstances. You might be tempted to think he's caught a splinter as a result of kneeling on the deck while up to no good with a member of the crew - like the cute seaman with torn vest, left foreground. However I think it's probably a flying shell splinter from the bombardment that's hit him and rather more serious.

Sadly, Dave is the only survivor of this disaster, but fortunately he doesn't have to cling to an oildrum like the two men in the cover illustration, since a ship's lifeboat is floating nearby. This artist may be different from the cover artist, but he has a flair for drawing attractive men. The ripped shirt detail and chin stubble hints at the homoerotic.

In this image (from earlier in the story) there's a gratuitous but not unwelcome detail in the shape of a youthful steersman in the background . He seems distinctly stylish and very reminiscent of Leyendecker's illustrations. Sadly this bright young man is fated to go down with the ship. The Captain's words are grimly prophetic

Dave is eventually saved when another cute and very sharp-eyed Sailor spots him signalling his distress by using the boy scout trick of reflecting the sun's rays. Any self-respecting lifeboat should have been equipped with flares, but it gives Dave the chance to be romantic and resourceful. I love the square neckline of these Royal Navy shirts which are flimsier in real life than this drawing suggests.

 

~

This comic is a decent adventure yarn but despite the cavalcade of promising men, my mitchmen sniffer cannot find any hint of buddying up in this story. There's no captivity sequence, nor does any properly exposed flesh develop from the rips and tears. It must have been a great disappointment to those who were seduced by the cover art!

 This is No 23 of the 'mitchmen at war' series,

to see the rest click on the 'War Comics' label below.

Be Careful What You Wish For - 5

1

 

 

 

2

3

 

(Below) This fabulous image of Trey Turner by Greg Lindeblom
is going into my 'Beautifully Bound' Collection.

The 'hands in front' bondage position also featured in my last post about Ron9, simple but effective

and I love the idea of a bouncy rostrum to keep the slave boys on their toes! 

for earlier posts in this series click on the 'wishes' label below