You can start reading from Part 1 of this mitchmen series
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| Gilgamesh - Broken on the Wheel |
In some of Gilgamesh's early work he shows horned devils administering torture to their unfortunate captives. This one employs the classic back-breaking torture wheel, a spectacular device with a medieval ancestry, although what it actually does remains somewhat obscure. In some accounts it is incidental to the punishment. Gilgamesh seems to see it as a type of rack for stretching victims.
It's noticeable how he shows the two protagonists looking towards each other. The prisoner is not simply enduring his torment stoically, as is often the case in pictures like this, but showing emotion at his predicament. He might be pleading for mercy, expressing defiance or simply watching for the next turn of the wheel with dread, but his feelings are part a significant element of the image. The Devil seems unmoved and determined to continue.
Erotic undertones are supplied by the relatively inconspicuous cock binding and we might imagine the Devil is just returning to the lever having cruelly induced his prisoner's arousal, exposing his perverse pleasure in suffering such agony.
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| Gilgamesh - Torture Frame |
The interaction between the Devil and his captive approaches intimacy in this image. An ingenious frame with an adjustable back bar forces the prisoner into an arching position, similar to that on the wheel above. This allows his Devil to sexually tease and intimidate him at close quarters with his own cock straining to escape from a holster-like, G-string. The Devil is wearing an executioners mask but it's not clear if his horns are real or merely a scary decoration incorporated into the mask.
The background is dominated by an incongruous electronic device reminiscent of 1950's Sci Fi fantasies and Frankenstein laboratories. It stands against the wall glowing ominously. In the dim shadows we can see a more traditional dungeon accessory - an antique iron cage. A more mundane, cut-throat razor sits on the table, possibly there to shave off the prisoner's body hair that defines his manhood. However, it's super sharp blade, still open, represents another threat.
The Devil's torment is even more complex here with the prisoner forced to squat on two posts and impale himself on a dildo stake while the Devil plays with his manhood (the stake is hidden here but visible in other images). He is steadied in this perilous position by a collar and chain which will suspend him by the neck if he falls. In fact in this series the Devil ultimately uses it to lower him onto the dildo stake, an example of the darker thoughts that occasionally surface in this artist's work (see Part 3).
This is a complex torment worthy of of the Devil's reputation in the Christian religion and given the artist's Latin American background, it's tempting to make that connection with these pictures. The Christian cross is actually shown on the wall in one of his ''Heroes in Peril' images, as though referencing the tortures of The Inquisition. However that is an isolated example as far as I know and it's not obvious that these religious references have any deep meaning for the artist or are anything other than cultural.
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| Gilgamesh - Demon Hunter Training |
In his more recent work Gilgamesh substitutes other unearthly beings for the Devil and draws on more 'modern' fantasy and game play scenarios. Thus this picture is based on the concept of a 'demon hunter'. This one is better at finding them than eliminating them apparently. Gilgamesh describes him (the captive!) as a stud and he's certainly impressive with a particularly well-moulded, smooth body which contrasts dramatically with the wizened and wrinkled face of his captor.
I suppose demon physiology is not necessarily the same as humans but this wrinkled face does not conjure up old age so much as a very long experience of debauchery. So it's not surprising that having taken possession (as it were) of this interesting human foe the Demon is anxious to show him what he's been missing.
Once again here we can see the captive's reaction. It looks like he's gritting his teeth as he deals with the initial restraint and pain. I imagine there's going to be a lot worse to come. He's perhaps less conscious as yet of his sexually teasing display. Other artists might use tattered remnants of clothing to depict his wretched state, Gilgamesh gives him a cock-sleeve full of holes.
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| Gilgamesh - Sergei's Desert Adventure p0 |
Other beings appear in Sergei's Desert Adventure (that's a rather light-hearted term for what is about to befall him). Initially we see an extremely mature man, grizzled and exceptionally hairy, trekking across the desert. We know only that he is exploring, in search of adventure presumably, and perhaps loot. He looks like a powerful, capable man, but details like the heat haze in the distance and his sweaty brow indicate that this trek is taking it's toll.
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Gilgamesh - Sergei's Desert Adventure p13
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Eventually he finds an Oasis, a surprisingly luxuriant one.
He drinks some water, enjoys a refreshing swim and then falls asleep.
Gilgamesh invokes the power of rendering to create an idyllic scene,
notice the realistic reflections in the water
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Gilgamesh - Sergei's Desert Adventure p19
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But Sergei is not alone. Gilgamesh describes this horned creature as an 'imposing
imp'.
It appears that this oasis is one of his haunts, which may account for it's incongruous fertility.
He finds Sergei asleep, naked and defenceless, and likes what he sees.
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| Gilgamesh - Sergei's Desert Adventure p37 |
Arabia is not particularly well known for it's imps, but it is the land of enchantment.
Sergei awakes to find himself trapped in a magical web.
He tries to fight back but is eventually overwhelmed by the imp's spells.
In this sequence Gilgamesh uses imaginative imagery to convey a sense of glittering, magical manifestations gradually enveloping and overpowering Sergei.
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| Gilgamesh - Sergei's Desert Adventure p52 |
The imp is not only able to entrap Sergei with his magic,
he is able to materialise metal fetters and chains to permanently secure him.
He leads his captive out into the desert.
Using Magic to capture men, like drugging them, seems a bit of a cheat, but the end result seen here is a splendid image - showing a powerful man suddenly enslaved and dragged off like a chattel - and for no apparent reason. He joins other forlorn captives at mitchmen blog, forced to cross the desert to an unpleasant fate in images by Etienne and PlanetGay, Chirenon, Bowen, Modus Vivendi, Amalaric and an unknown photo-shopper,
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| Gilgamesh - Sergei's Desert Adventure 2 - p39 |
I won't reveal the entire storyline of Sergei's little epic (which appears unfinished at the time of writing but already runs to 143 panels). However I will mention a particularly nice moment in Part 2 which sees Sergei taken into an underground lair. His arrival causes enough of a disturbance to distract a second imp who has been amusing himself with another 'Adventurer' (seen above).
This captive is a very impressive man at first sight, younger and more clean-cut than Sergei. But despite his many attractions he's still less desirable to the imps than the older man, apparently. Or perhaps they share the weakness of gay men for fresh meat. In this intriguing insight into the artist's thoughts, instead of welcoming the unexpected relief from impish torments, the captive seems to resent his sudden abandonment.
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Other supernatural beings entrap a would-be plunderer in 'Igor's Adventure'
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| Igor's Adventure - Part 1 p5 |
Igor's story is another epic (currently 94 frames at the time of writing) and it reads like a classic labyrinth game. He is seen running through a maze of vaulted, stone corridors. There he encounters a strange creature (Gil describes it as goblin-like). It is clad in fetching olive green briefs (leather? rubber?) and kneels respectfully before him. Igor advances intending to kill it (just to be on the safe side presumably, in true gaming style). However the wily creature shoots drugged darts at him and brings him down.
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| Igor's Adventure - Part 2 p4 |
While Igor is unconscious, the creature decides to make him his slave.
He strips him of his weapons and all his clothes and starts to restrain him in 'enchanted' shackles.
Placing a captive in a seated position to tie him up is not an simple task, but it makes a more interesting picture than the more conventional approach of tying him up, lying on the floor where he has fallen.
Igor's Adventure - Part 2 p13
Igor regains consciousness just as the creature is strapping a hard, metal ball-gag in his mouth. Realising what is happening, he leaps to his feet. He towers above his malevolent captor, but with his wrists and ankles now clamped in iron fetters, he discovers there isn't a lot he can do to him. The creature grins back at him.
This is a rather splendid imagining of the paradox of a giant rendered helpless by a smaller foe.
The giant, metal collar seems to chillingly embody the irreversibility of his captivity and the enormity of his humiliation.
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| Igor's Adventure - Part 2 p20 |
Igor panics and does succeed in kneeing the creature out of the way so he can make a run for it.
Restricted by heavy shackles it's an act of pure desperation and a measure of his fear.
But the creature easily catches up with him and leaps onto his back.
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| Igor's Adventure - Part 3 p5 |
With the creature sitting on his shoulders, Igor finds he is forced to obey it's commands.
It directs him to descend into the dungeons.
This imagery seems to draw on very ancient roots and symbolism. It visualises the idea of 'the devil on my shoulder'. The theme has popped up before in this blog where I link it to Japanese mythology. I can't think of a western, literary example though it feels like there ought to be one in the Arabian Nights, Lord of the rings (Gollum?) or John Bunyan even.
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| Igor's Adventure - Part 4 p41 |
At the foot of the stairs a dungeon awaits (you guessed!).
A second creature helps to release Igor's wrist fetters but chains him to the wall with them.
His balls are clamped in a metal stretcher and chained to a lug set into the floor of the cell.
His captor stays on to play with him, drains him and then leaves.
The skull on the floor suggests that if his captors have anything to do with it, Igor's adventure will end here. That sense of isolation and abandonment haunts much of Gilgamesh's work. But Igor will have more duties to perform first, for as the creature leaves, he is already planning to return and 'adorn' his captive's body with more devices.
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Part 1 of this mitchmen series
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