Classic Homoerotic Images - 1

 It's hard to believe that this image of Kent Strom by the photographer Stan of Sweden is over 50 years old. For me it reeks of the erotic and yet it's perfectly decent, not even a suggestive lump in his trunks. 

The model has a striking face and a beautifully muscled body but his underlying 'heroic' pose here is relatively mundane, beefcake stuff. However the photographer has artfully enhanced the classic tapered torso effect using a slight twist in the body and clever shadowing of the upper buttock. It creates a forward thrusting body line which is neatly finished by the shape of the model's trunks disappearing between his legs.

The same skill in lighting draws attention to the model's plentiful, blond, body hair which was (and is still) usually shaved off for photos. It does appear to have been trimmed around the lower abdomen and to some extent it's washed out by glare, but the faint, stubble-like traces that remain visible are actually sexier than a bush would be. Similarly, that front thigh hair is oh, so sexy and the photographer has somehow contrived to make it disappear at the very edges of the trunks so that the modest pouch appears to glow from within from it's hidden delights.  

The trunks themselves also enhance the model's torso shape, they are relatively skimpy for the era with a plunging waistline and arched leg openings that skirt across the top of the buttocks (tactfully shaded at the rear). The laced up sides are possibly the most overtly suggestive element of all but appear to be tightly knotted for the sake of decency. The shaping of the front of the pouch is similarly restrained and hidden by the dark colour but a solitary break in the outline gives enough idea of substance within which would fit neatly into a cupped hand.

A final, scarcely noticeable stroke of genius on the part of the photographer is the inclusion of lighter coloured triangles at the bottom corners of the picture. These accentuate the tapering of the body and draw the eye downwards. It's almost as through the model is trapped within a vase-like shape, a faintly mitchmen-esque association.

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It's a measure of the homoerotic impact of this image that it was used as the basis of a much more explicit image by the great, gay artist, 'Rex'.

Rex - Harness

Rex stripped the model naked and gave him a more striking 'crest' of head hair. He also equipped him with nipple rings and a leather harness. The usual ring at the meeting point of the straps was replaced by an emphatic gay triangle which gives a clue to the dating of the image in the early days of 'gay liberation'. 

Sanitised versions of the image were widely used in gay print advertisements 

See more Rex at mitchmen blog

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There are many images by Stan of Sweden on the net but they are usually not labelled well enough to find easily and many are ignored anyway by search engines because they are too old. Homobilia has a small collection of images by Stan with other interesting examples of his photographic skill and subtle sense of the erotic.

Swimmers Suspended and Synchronised

Swimmers with lean, rangy bodies in skimpy, competition Speedo's have an irresistable homoerotic appeal. In recent years synchronised diving competitions have provided double helpings of these hunks in erotically interesting poses, albeit fleetingly. This suspension image seems to freeze one of those diving moments as a captive swimmer in authentic trunks awaits his fate. Notice the drainage hole beneath his feet. There will be wetness!

 

 

This image which seems to be an adaption from the same source envisages a darker outcome for a different abductee in a darker, danker dungeon.  Somehow the addition of ankle shackles seems to demonstrate a more serious intent on the part of the abductor and that's reflected in sweaty highlights and streaks of grime on the athlete's body. The black and white treatment disguises the alterations and casts a veil over the dubious nature of some of those marks but produces a very nice shape in the poor man's trunks!

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I've no idea where these images originated from, I don't recognise the studio setting or the style.

The Look of Dawning Reality - Tommy loses at poker

 The evening had all started so amicably.....

...... the guys he met in the hotel bar seemed ever so nice.

Or so it seemed on the surface ......

They suggested carrying on drinking in their room after the bar had closed

...with a nice game of cards for amusement.

Unfortunately Tommy hadn't played poker before.....

 

The alcohol inside him didn't make it any easier.

Tommy was soon losing everything.......

And then suddenly the other guys weren't quite so friendly any more......

 

And so the evening took an unexpected turn........

 

Well it did as far as Tommy was concerned anyway.

I suspect the other two guys had expected something of this sort.

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This No 26 in 'The Look' series at mitchmen blog,
click on the label at the foot of this post to view the others
or use the mitchmen search function (top right in sidebar) 

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Tommy played by Tryp Bates (also see him Beautifully Bound)

Images and clip courtesy of Kink.com, clip edit by mitchmenblog

See the full Tryp Bates video and images at Kink.com, shoot 38497

Art by XenoForge - Venom

XenoForge - Venom

 This is the first Art I've seen by XenoForge and it's truly worthy of the term. 

 It depicts the strange love story between Venom and Eddie Brock, the human who is, for a time, the host of the strange alien 'symbiote' (essentially a parasite that merges with it's host being). It's a tastefully erotic image but does not evade the physical intimacy of their love. The tentacle-like embrace expresses Eddie's capture by overwhelming feelings, but the more subtle, more deliberate sensuality of their touching palms seems to reflect a cautious bridging of the vast biological difference between them. 

The drawing of Eddie is amazingly economical, but it's a compelling and convincing depiction of an ordinary but attractive man. The blotchy background, reminiscent of Hasegawa, invokes a strange, unfamiliar, floaty medium vaguely suggestive of bubbles in water and stars in the firmament, but it's the colour of passion, pounding blood and there's just a hint of danger. 

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XenoForge has a twitter account @XenoForge 

The main focus of his work seems to be the 'fur affinity' genre which is not part of the mitchmen remit so I have not explored it in any depth.

Strip Poker 4 - Welcome to the Slave Transit Camp

click to enlarge

Late at night, a driver had knocked at his door with tickets for a surprise weekend away with his girlfriend. He had 15 minutes to throw some underwear and swimming trunks into a case. "I'll meet you when you arrive" the message said. But she wasn't at the airport when he landed, just another driver holding up his name on a piece of paper. A long drive had brought him to this remote camp which wasn't at all the luxury hotel he had expected, he needn't have worn his posh suit after all. 

He was so relieved to see her there, waiting for him and looking as gorgeous as ever. They kissed long and passionately and then she took him a hut, which he thought would be their quarters. But there was a guard on the door, and when it was unlocked he saw the hut inside was full of bunks and little else .....except for a lot of other men. 

They greeted him warmly when he was pushed inside, inviting him to join them in a game of cards, but they all looked tough, very rough and ready, not at all like the city types he normally mixed with. While he was wrestling with this confusing situation, he heard the door close behind him and the sunlight that had streamed in through the door was extinguished leaving only the light of a bare bulb. The guard and his girlfriend had gone. A key rattled in the lock. 

He turned to his new room mates. They were looking him up and down, very strangely. He realised that his reunion with his girlfriend had turned him on considerably (big time, his new friends were thinking). He'd been planning to jump into bed with her as soon as they were alone together and it probably showed through the thin fabric of his expensive trousers. Their stares made him uncomfortable. It was starting to feel very hot in the hut.

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Original illustration for 'Star' magazine by Mort Kunstler

Text and caption by mitchmen

'Cop Duty' by xth13teenx

xth13teenx - Cop Duty 1 - You Are Under Arrest (detail)

I occasionally feature Chis Redfield, the games character from 'Resident Evil' here at mitchmen. I'm not a gamer but I like his character of a very attractive, 'moody butch' man in his original 'official' images (although he changed in later releases). There's a lot of fan art around for him but much of it reinvents his appearance (e.g. Ariel XY, WithNoTitle). This artist, however is very true to the original.

 

xth13teenx - Cop Duty 1 - You Are Under Arrest

The other interesting thing about Redfield was his involvement with 'biohazards' which created imaginative foes for him in the gameplay and fan art. This image is clearly not about one of those encounters although this androgenous 'cop' is not quite normal. Rest assured it is a man though, seemingly the sort of wierdly camp villain Hollywood likes to pitch against superheroes and secret agents from time to time. As a sterotype of menace it's a double-edged sword for gay men*, but it still manages to create a sense of sinister uncertainty for Chris. He looks great here, bare topped and handcuffed as he submits to a groping search up against the wall before being hauled off to the slammer. It looks like we've just missed his shirt being ripped off leaving only the tie round his neck.

* I should perhaps explain that this artist's output is not homophobic, in fact most of it depicts Chris Redfield's intense, gay relationship with a BSAA colleague Piers Nivan. Their intimate moments as a couple are explored with great sensitivity and mirror idealised heterosual lives.

  

xth13teenx - Cop Duty 2 - Quid Pro Quo

 

In this interrogation image, it becomes very obvious that Chris' opponent is not a cop at all, which makes the situation seem all the more confusing and threatening as he places his foot on the chair between Redfield's thighs, something that one couldn't imagine real cop doing - even a bent one. The chair bolted to the ground and futuristic, sound-proofed surroundings imply what you might call 'greater forces' are behind all this. In the face of it all Chris manages to preserve his manly poise in a most attractive manner. The slightly mystifying title becomes clearer in the images that follow. Sadly I only have fragments of them but they still succeed in stimulating interest.

xth13teenx - Cop Duty 3 - Going Down

 

Chris is forced to give service (I told you it's a man!) and his still-cuffed hands create a nice sense of submission even in this severely cropped image.

xth13teenx - Cop Duty 4 - Favour Returned

 

It's something of a surprise when the cop returns the favour. At this point he is revealed to be Chris's lover Piers and the whole charade an elaborate love-making roleplay. Chris makes another great, chest-out pose as Piers gets to work between his legs.

 

xth13teenx - Cop Duty - 5 Top to Bottom

The give and take continues on an even more intimate level. Even though these images are severely censored the sight of muscular hero Chris being stuffed still excites.

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 There's a big gallery for xth13teenx at Deviant Art but the Patreon site referenced on the last picture is empty and appears to have been abandoned. The more explicit images signposted there don't seem to be available on the internet right now, not even for ready money.

More Strip Poker Art

Etienne - Strip Poker

This early Etienne picture depicts a more daring undress moment than Krabat did a few posts back. This poker stud seems to be wearing no underwear beneath his jeans- or is that a glimpse of the skimpiest of briefs? Or a tuft of hair even? The other players watch with great interest - and they are all showing subtle signs of arousal if you look closely. The man on the right seems to be anticipating the invention of the mobile phone, or perhaps he's holding out his 'hand' of cards with the intention of stuffing them inside. In fact all three on-lookers have their hands in typical jerk-off or stroking 'poses' with their cards substituted for cocks. In the case of the one seated on the ground, the juxtaposition of the fan of cards relative to his groin is a rather elegant example of 'hidden eroticism'. The interlinked feet suggest that he may be the first intended beneficiary of what's about to be revealed.

More Etienne art at mitchmen

Art Bob - We're Waiting......

In that (necessarily) closeted era, straights were often used as cover for homo-erotic ideas. It's very obvious that there's only one man interested in the woman here. The other sits back waiting for something different and it looks as if it might be well worth waiting for. You sense he's quietly confident of success too, a prospect that is fuelled by the obvious discomfort of the woman in this trio. 

This portrayal of a gay man, confident of being able to outwit a woman and manouveur a straight man into his arms, plays to the establishment paranoia of the time. It was a reassuring fantasy for gay men, empowering in a way, but many gay hearts were broken by unrequited love for a straight friend.

A very early Etienne version of this scenario shows the three ending up in bed, where the gay man helps himself to what he wants while the straight man is otherwise engaged and eventually the woman is side-lined.

There are two more pieces by Art Bob in the mitchmen post 'In Praise of Sailors - 12' .
(see image Nos 46 and 47) One of them features a similar triangle.

 

Palanca - Poker Losers

 Palanca's brand of sexy, Latin masculinity infuses this marvellous scene of casual domination and grovelling submission and service. The two toughs have been tied up to ensure they pay their forfeit in full for losing at cards, allowing the victor to relax and enjoy their naked humiliation.

More Palanca at mitchmen

 

 

Mike - Stud Poker

 Mike is an unjustly neglected artist, this is a great, sexy image with the central figure dazzling his companion with his shining cock but looking round as if wanting us to join in. I presume he is the winner in this game but notice that it involved an extra Ace of Spades. Is he showing us where it was concealed? The loser doesn't seem too concerned about the result anyway!

 

Perkins - Strip Poker

Virtually every picture I've ever seen by Darold Perkins suffers from lack of resolution in the copy but this one has an interesting undertone that is worth attention. 

 

It shows a cowboy poker loser about to remove his jeans, but the other three players seem to be supremely disinterested in what he is doing. One in a cowboy hat looks like the archetypal poker pro, smoking, focussed on the game and giving nothing away. The two in the foreground seem more interested in displaying to each other with legs wide open and one has his foot resting on the rung of his companion's chair which is unmistakeably intimate. 

 

Meanwhile, heaps of clothes are piled on the floor and three more men, all stark naked, stand in the background. These seem to have been eliminated from the game already and now waiting to see who the winner will be and how they must pay their debt to him. Or them, because it may be winners, since this elimination switches the balance, there are now more losers than winners, a suitable time to conclude the play and move on to the apres-poker?

The man standing with his back to us has some intriguing detail in the nether regions.

Art of Jaguar - Darius

I've adapted this scene by Jaguar Art, it was originally from a story about hetero cuckolding with the cuckoo in the nest being fairly obvious! I just like the image so I've made it a gay man and his female friend dabbling in things they don't understand. The next image is a sequel after Thomas wins.

 

Art of Jaguar - Darius

Although this is taken from a heterosexual comic there is a great deal of ambiguity about what Darius is actually doing to Thomas here which is not explained away by the words. I imagined Thomas winning the poker game and taking one for the team, only to find that the sight of him being plundered has persuaded his friend to try it for herself. You can make up your own minds.

more at Art of Jaguar

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More strip poker to come (link pending)