Tentacles with a difference

 

Ernest Guillen aka Anubis 1000 - 'Creature'

I often complain about tentacle artists producing cliched images with disembodied arms manipulating passive, open-legged men but this is a quite different, highly original take on the subject. It has the added bonus of not relying on a fantasy creature, instead employing essentially an octopus, albeit one with phallic shaped tips to it's tentacles. It seems to be this last feature that has attracted the attention of the diver because he is climbing out of his swimming trunks, already sporting an erection, as though about to join an orgy. Indeed, the octopus seems to beckoning to him seductively. 

The attractions of a multi-limbed embrace seem to have blinded the diver to the Octopus' beak which we can clearly see, half open, at the centre of the curling arms. It may be that the diver is acquainted with the image known as 'The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (below).

 

In that picture, the beak of the Octopus brings sexual pleasure to the woman. Is this to be a similar encounter, or will nature take it's normal course? That course being dinner for the Octopus, of course. A glum-looking fish swimming by at a safe distance seems to indicate that the pleasure in this encounter will be one-sided.

~ 

I haven't seen much work by this artist but I like the subtle message in this picture, the semi-cartoon like depiction and classy colouring. He has a gallery at Deviant Art with a wide ranging selection of images

 

For other encounters with strange creatures, click on the label below

Specific Octopussy examples can be found within mitchmen articles about Ajay, Luxuris, Naomichi, Logan, Mister X, Priapus of Milet, With No Title and Yael

Rampaging Octopi

Breyette - Davy Jones Locker Room

 

Breyette isn't noted for his fetish content and I suppose you can see this as just letting a humorous pun develop in a fantastic direction. However the muscular tentacles he's depicted here taking their pick of some innocent sportsman enjoying a well-earned shower in the locker room are sexy too. The question is, what will it do with them now it has them? An almost believable take on the tentacles phenomenon.

Etienne - Octopus attacking a Frogman

This vintage gay art showing a nude frogman being attacked by an Octopus shows how old the fantasy is. Etienne does not shrink from the erotic aspects of the situation but the creature seems to be merely embracing it's victim and feeling his pecs. One wonders whether the frogman was enjoying a naked swim or lost his trunks to the predator, as they are nowhere to be seen. There was a vogue for images like this in the 50's in Men's Adventure magazines, sometimes featuring man on man combat based on the exploits of naval divers in the Second World War.

This example is even earlier, 1940, and despite the swimmer's modestly obscure lower regions it is arguably even more homoerotic, just inspect the relative positions of the combatants. It seems to have been common for divers to carry knives for the mundane purpose of avoiding entanglement in nets and ropes on the sea bed. You see them being used to open clams and giant oysters for their pearls in adventure movies. The machete design here and lack of underwater air equipment suggests this is a local fisherman so the brown groin covering is probably a capacious, Tarzan-style loincloth.

Caught by the Octopus

Another naked swimmer is subjected to ferocious assault by a sea creature which is largely unseen, very much in the modern tentacles tradition, but it's clearly octopus-like. It's clearly a sexual predator too, pinning the arms of it's prey in human fashion, encircling his dick and gripping his testicles. Coupled with the swimmer's muscular physique, it produces a memorable image. The mouth plug suggests an attempt to show reciprocity and is a standard feature in ordinary tentacle art,  but in this environment it's potentially deadly, elevating the intensity of the image.

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I don't know the artist who produced this modern take . 

More Octopus Art at mitchmen

Felix D'Eon (2 examples) swimmers abducted

Ernest Guillen - frogman trapped

Luxuris - Aquaman challenged

Ajay - The eaters become the meal

Yael - lurking predator

With No Title - Fisherman fished

Priapus - Sex on the Beach

Naomichi - classic erotica reworked

MisterX - in his speedos

Logan - Nudist attacked

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Art - Naomichi

Naomichi - Octopus

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This is the only work I have by this artist but it's an oustanding one. There is a fairly well known Japanese print which depicts a woman being 'devoured' (in a sexual sense) by an octopus or squid. It's often cited as a classic expression of female desire. This picture develops the dream-like subject in a homoerotic vein but is less inward looking. We cannot see the man's face but the pose suggests acceptance rather passion, his body is covered with weals left by the tentacles in the struggle to avoid this fate and it seems the artist is more interested in his conquest than the sensuality of the embrace.
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At an erotic level, the man's smooth, muscular physique, dark cropped hair and opened legs excite interest while the octopus is suitably knarled and lascivious in appearance. The bulbous body of the sea creature which visually narrows down towards the head in a sort of teardrop shape creates the sense of a frighteningly large invasion but the facial expression appears to be contemplative and benign. The artistic treatment is no less interesting. The compact composition and delicate colours lift this image into the realms of art regardless of content.

There was a page of Naomichi's work at Rainbow Arts
but it has disappeared now
(Many thanks to the reader who provided this link)

For other articles in this series click on the 'A-Z' label below

Priapus of Milet - 3

7

Decamerone 10

Statues and classical and mythological interests all coincide in this image, which is based on the famous sculpture of Laocoon and his sons being consumed by sea serpents. Personally I think the exclusion of the sons (unconvincingly muscular in the original) is an improvement. The live victim imprisoned by stone recasts the equally mythological story of the 'statue coming to life' in a highly original way (see also my A-Z entry on Sean Platter). I think it's fair to say that Priapus' melding of photography and art is not always totally successful at a technical level but there's a creative spark about these images that more than makes up for it.

8

Force of Nature 01

The snake, sensuously entwined around the human body is a classical forerunner of the modern tentacle 'genre', but the famous Japanese print of a woman being ravished by an octopus, The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife (1814) is even more pertinent and often reckoned to be a milestone in erotic art. Priapus provides us with a homo-erotic version of this idea in Force of Nature 01, draping the model with the real thing. I find the idea of the warm male body being enveloped by the grey, cold, clammy octopus quite thrilling.
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Priapus draws out the erotic essence of tentacles, which is not their supposed penis-like quality, but their ability to express the overwhelming ecstasy of being touched, embraced - and indeed 'captured' - by another. The tentacles gently exploring the submissive body offered up to them seem purposeful and believable. Priapus is equally true to the anatomy of the creature by not showing it's mouth, which is located underneath the body, so we can't see what it is up to, we can only infer it from Blake's expression. I imagine that a greater familiarity with octopus anatomy increases the initial erotic impact of this image no end, but it doesn't really matter, because what we lose in explicitness is made up for by an overpowering erotic sensuality.

9

Close Encounter 09

Close Encounter 09 has a more 'conventional' approach to erotic tentacles, assigning them to a technologically advanced, alien life form seemingly able to morph it's limbs into crusty-looking dildos or penis-eating long-cocks at will. But instead of employing the usual approach of bodice ripping and forcible restraint followed by ruthless forensic probing, this tentacle creature gently cradles and seduces his human subject, who shows no fear or anger but merely the normal degree of concern one would expect on encountering such a novel experience. There's no evidence of coercion, no shredded remains of clothes (or spacesuit) which lends an air of mutual exploration to this particular close encounter.

10

Close Encounter 10

Close Encounter 10 takes this idea to it's logical conclusion with a truly fearsome, dragon-like alien creature descending with fire and brimstone to arouse and take his lounging man who acquiesces to this assault with calmness and even affection. Would that all men were this obliging! These images show confident insights into the nature of sexual adventure and submissive sex.

Part 4

The Art of Uruonurun - 2

 Read Part 1 of this post

Uruonurun - Ninja 02

Uruonurun's 'Ninja' series depicts the capture of a young warrior by two determined-looking men. Ninjas are men to be feared but they strip him of the ceremonial clothing that defines his calling and hides his identity. He's revealed as a man like any other man, dressed only in a curious shirt of net-like material and a scanty loincloth, his 'Fundoshi'. Then, as if to mock him, they tie him up, shibari-style. with one leg raised and doubled back, the other stretched out behind, suspending him in that, uncomfortable, position. In Western eyes this pose suggests a mythical hero (or his modern day, 'super' equivalent) about to take flight. This man is going nowhere. His tight loincloth gleams as though it is wet and the outline revealed betrays feelings that do not entirely chime with the embarrassed, angry look on the humbled Ninja's face.  

The characterisation of the two 'villains' here is contrasting. One is portrayed like a malevolent, uncouth torturer - overweight, masked and scantily dressed - the latter a device to intimidate the captive but also to protect his clothing from any mess as he goes about his unpleasant task. His pleasure as he tightens the ropes on the protesting captive is evident in his face and even more so further down. 

By contrast, the other captor appears cultured and well dressed, a person of some standing - he might even be the Ninja's mentor, training him to be more resilient. However, what we can see of his face suggests dark intentions indeed. The only clue to his inner feelings is his hand, resting on top of the captive's tensed thigh, emphasising his control and maybe something more. 

Uruonurun - Ninja 06

If this is simply about training, it's going to be tough indeed for the young acolyte. The rope man has revised his restraint to incorporate the highly decorative, repeating diamond pattern (hishi), running from the neck down to the crotch. But it's not just decorative, when tightened up, it's compressive, restricting the captive's breathing. 

Red wax drips from candles, ceremoniously suspended above and around the Ninja, it stings his skin with an intensity determined by the melting point of the wax (red has a wicked reputation) and the distance it has to fall. It solidifies on contact, cooling into blobs that remain attached to his skin and mar his beauty after the pain has passed. 

The captive has also been seated astride a wooden 'wedge' or horse, which mocks his pretensions to the status of a Samurai. It will increasingly torment his groin with the passage of time, especially if his feet have been weighted down. (Don't try it at home!)

In the face of all these challenges, the Ninja's torso cascades with perspiration 

his pouch is translucent with spilling desire.

A number of posts at mitchmen blog feature the 'wedge', 

click on the label 'Riding The Wedge' at the foot of this post to view them

Uruonurun - Bandana Ryoushi 08

Uruonurun reaches back into Japanese artistic tradition for this group of images showing a fisherman menaced by a giant octopus that he has unwittingly caught in his net. Although he's still clinging onto the net ropes here, it's obvious the octopus must have climbed aboard under it's own steam. One of it's tentacles is draped over Ryoushi's* knee (compare with the top image). The remains of the net encircling the creature seem to have assumed the shape of a bikini pouch, as though attributing human characteristics to it (in that particular department anyway).

Notice the artful, traditional styling of the water, now calm. 

Ryoushi is a well-known anime character, bandana is as in English 

Uruonurun - Bandana Ryoushi 09

The creature's tentacles turn out to be surprisingly dextrous. It's able to undo the fisherman's trouser flies which part to reveal a interesting shape in his underwear. Another tentacle slides inside his tank-top vest. The fisherman, we can see is exceptionally well-muscled underneath. Perhaps he did haul the octopus aboard after all! He responds to the creature's groping with red-faced surprise, embarrassment and a certain amount of trepidation.

Uruonurun - Bandana Ryoushi 12

In the images that follow, all of Ryoushi clothes (except his bandana, gloves and boots) are removed by the creature. At any rate they all disappear. It's tentacles become increasingly intimate.

This sexual intimacy parallels the famous artwork of 'The Dream of The Fisherman's Wife', but the narrative of Uruonurun's picture is almost the exact opposite, this is not a subconscious fantasy but a real assault that appears to be entirely unwelcome. It's not a dream, it's a nightmare.

Uruonurun - Bandana Ryoushi 16

The nightmare deepens as the creature completely entwines the naked fisherman with it's tentacles, lifting him up but still holding on to his dick (now spent). This raises the terrible possibility that it intends to return to the sea (as eventually it must) but taking the terrified Ryoushi with it. In the final image of the series however the creature seems to dissolve away as though it really has been just a dream. There's a similar conclusion to the 'Hero's End' in Part 1 of this post.

There are many other posts at mitchmen that depict Octopi capturing men, it's a branch of the tentacle genre, but usually carries more menacing overtones because of the well known strength of the creature and the risk of drowning for those that cavort with them.

Uruonurun - Omawari-San 02

This cheery fellow is an Uniformed Officer of some sort, possibly a policeman. The imagery that follows suggests this is the case, but the happy, relaxed pose here does not conjure up the law enforcement aspect of that role. 

Uruonurun - Omawari-San 03

The artist shows the cop to us in various states of undress. This is one of the most interesting, conjuring up the sense of a very physical man, despite the wide eyes which seem to belong to someone much younger - and more naïve.

Uruonurun - Omawari-San 10

This image shows him with an erotic awareness and confidence that is endearing. 

The dissolving table is (I think) an augury of the nightmare that is about to descend

 on this inoffensive young man.

Uruonurun - Omawari-San 22

In the sequence that follows the Officer is taken prisoner by two hooded criminals. He is beaten and given a full lesson in dark desires. The dramatic picture above showing him suspended in shibari ropework is the culmination of the incident and best image in the set. The others are to graphic for this blog but you should have no problem finding them via the links below.

Uruonurun - Shoubou-san (Fireman) 02

All the series mentioned previously in this post consist of 4 or so images which are subjected to variations to create a storyline in which the main character is confronted with challenges from a variety of other beings. The Fireman, has a simpler storyline - a single character subjected to bondage and clothes removal by an unseen captor. This image shows him in full rescue regalia, hard at work, strapped up and training with ropes. He's a picture of manliness, grit and determination. Confidence bordering on arrogance.

Uruonurun - Shoubou-san (Fireman) 03

The artist re-imagines this hero without his trousers on. His projection of manliness is undiminished, rather, his shorts bulge with excitement. The seams of his underpants seem to simulate his loins being trapped in complex, shibari ropework. This strip sequence continues to nudity.

 

Uruonurun - Shoubou-san (Fireman) 09

 In the second sequence we see him gagged and and tape-bound, hot from an incendiary incident with all his rescue kit on - overalls, boots and harness. His cocky confidence seems to have drained away, replaced by puzzlement as he sees the array of strange items around him. Equipment that is foreign to him, more suited to starting fires rather than extinguishing them.

Uruonurun - Shoubou-san (Fireman) 10

The Fireman is a modern day successor to the Sailor and Cowboy of yesteryear in the pantheon of homoerotic iconography and the tight-fitting, blue T-shirt, showing off his musculature and usually sporting a professional badge is perhaps the most indispensable element of his signature outfit. Our captive's manly frame seems to be well up to the task of filling it.

Uruonurun - Shoubou-san (Fireman) 11

His clothes melt away demonstrating that the muscularity beneath them is genuine.

Classic white underwear is all that remains. It projects through the strapping of his harness.

It's as if the wearer is dimly aware of what those strange items represent.

Uruonurun - Shoubou-san (Fireman) 13

His captor eliminates his underpants and demonstrates the kit to him.

Plastic discs cup his muscular pecs, his nipples begin to tingle.

Seven blue balls (coloured to match his shirt) are squeezed inside him, 

one after another, they accumulate inside, packing his ass.

By then his hose is ready, nay eager, to slide into the lubricated sleeve.

He gives himself up to heavy breathing and ecstasy.

Uruonurun - Shoubou-san (Fireman) 17

When next we see him he is completely naked.

All the clothing and gear that represented his proud profession are gone.

The restraining tapes have also disappeared, no longer needed.

He's a different animal now, focussed on the fiery pleasures of the flesh.

~

 Read Part 1 of this post

Artist Links: Uruonurun on 'X'

Uronururun at My Reading Manga

A-Z of Fetish Artists - WithNoTitle

Another Japanese artist who practises the national, spiky style of drawing but with more softness than most of his compatriots. The fetish content is fairly mild for the most part but visits some interesting by-ways which I have sampled here.

 I admit to knowing next to nothing about the game characters who populate this artist's images, but Chris Redfield is known to me, his ample physical charms and interesting clingy outfits speak for themselves anyway. This image (like most of WithNoTitle's work) exists in other, more naked variants but I like the groaning underwear in this one. Chris has evolved a long way from his chunky look in the original game here.

 A more overt fetishism here, sadly impaired by the pixilation of the most important 'part'.

The agonised facial expression helps to make a distinctive image. There's a certain kinship here with the time-honoured tentacle pose but this picture is much simpler, with just one line of attack on the victim. If you look closely and screen off the far leg you can see the underlying image here is of a man seated on a ledge not the floor. I think retaining this pose might have made an even better picture, it brings out the way the captive is bracing himself.

Talking of tentacles, this is one of the better examples of the genre. It helps that the creature is given a vaguely recognisable, octopus-like form and the artist has brought out the daunting strength of the creature in those massive flailing limbs. It's a worthy challenge for a muscular hero and having to fight in the alien environment of the sea (which is surprisingly calm today!) poses another danger to him. 

The efforts of the creature to open out his legs represents a subtle sexual threat, but having suggested the vulnerability, the artist has resisted the temptation to show another tentacle directly attacking that area. I chose the clothed version of this picture because I like the body-enhancing effect of the loincloth (fundoshi) and it adds greatly to the simmering, erotic brew here. The garment has a ancient, primitive character that strips away any trappings of modernity, reducing the wearer to his animal essence. Yum!

I have introduced a new label for my posts, 'encounters-with-creatures' which links images where recognisable creatures are involved, not just disembodied tentacles (see foot of post for labels).

There's a suggestion of bondage in the arms-behind-the-back pose of the right-hand man here but I really selected this picture because it underlines the artist's skill in depicting tense, muscular interactions. It has a nice voyeuristic feel. He has used a more naturalistic style with the faces and bodies so it's intensity makes an immediate connection with our normal viewing receptors (whereas we have to process and translate comic/fantasy images like those above into our normal viewing 'language'). I'd love to see the octopus image done this way.

I haven't been able to find any recent images from this artist or a website
(your information is welcome via comments)

For more articles in this series click on the A-Z label below or search for specific artists using the index page or search boxes (top right)

BDSM and Fetish Art by Deon

Felix Deon - Japanese Bondage

This picture is based on one of the most familiar of vintage, bondage photos (see Hal Paul in bondage). Deon has sprinkled the elixir of youth and added shoulder tattoos but otherwise has left it unchanged. When you know the original you get the eerie sense here that the captive has been tied up for the very purpose of inking his body. A Westerner being subjected to the arcane arts of the ancient East.

The other striking feature of the image is, of course, the styling, derived from the traditional pen and ink drawings of Japan. The parchment-like surface adds authenticity and he's even included Japanese script, a poem perhaps?

Felix Deon - Bullfighter

You'd hardly credit that Deon drew this image. The academic, pastel style seems quite unlike his more familiar images, but he has a drawn many pictures in this style. The subject too is more dramatic than you expect from him and although he hasn't quite caught the sense of strength and struggle, the concept is a marvellous expression of masculinity. Of course, wrestling naked with the bull is precisely what bullfighters don't do. They exhibit a similar level of bravery but instead of engaging directly, prefer to strut in elaborately decorated clothes, frustrating the beast and despatching it from a distance. 

Felix Deon - Japanese Bondage 2

This example from the Japanese Bondage series features a chunky man who looks like the Japanese youths of Okawa and his contemporaries. He is not totally naked, having been allowed to retain his head band and fundoshi (loincloth) both of which have a deep cultural significance in that country, related to manliness and growth. 

 He's surrounded by the creatures of the sea, including an octopus or squid between his knees which may be an allusion to the famous erotic picture of 'The Dream of The Fisherman's Wife' (see Octopuses at mitchmen blog). The parchment colour gives the impression of a sandy beach but the creatures are drawn in a way that gives the sense that he's actually lying on the seabed, like a character being tested in an ancient legend. The simple, loosely secured hogtie does allow him scope to escape, like a latter day Houdini.

Felix Deon - An Unfortunate Encounter

Escape seems less easy for this swimming party in the open sea, ambushed by two octopuses who seem have more on their minds that just dinner, stripping the unfortunate young men and sexually assaulting them. One is being dragged off for some other nefarious purpose in private. The seaweed seems to be aiding and abetting the abduction, reaching up from the depths. Or perhaps the immobile seaweed has bribed the octopus to bring the young man to it, who knows?

Deon has depicted the swimmers in 1930's bathing suits, loose fitting and modest (but easy meat for a multi-armed predator). He's employed a matching, contemporary style of painting like that once used for boy's adventure comics which lends a perverse sense of nostalgia to the scene (see also the Art of Sherer). There's a nod to Japanese art in the styling of the wave crests on the surface and the tiny signature scroll, top left.

Felix Deon - Saint Sebastian

If you looked at the Sherer link above you'll see the connection to this image which is European in origin but was enthusiastically (and morbidly) embraced by the famed poet and writer, Yukio Mishima and it later found it's way into the erotic works of other Japanese artists like Hasegawa.

Deon stays within the European tradition here deploying an arty, elaborate cartouche (frame) and saintly upward gaze, which silently rebukes the Lord for his part in this fine mess. The fleshy build of the martyr seems to reference females in Renaissance art but the styling of the cameo inside the frame is mid-20th Century. The simple, loose sheet serving as Sebastian's loin-cloth has somehow become snagged on the tree as though it's participating in the torment, like the seaweed in the swimming disaster image above.

 

Felix Deon - Japanese Bondage 3

This third variation on the Japanese Bondage theme tweaks the hog-tie in an unconventional arrangement whereby the captive's arms are pinned to his sides by a simple harness looped around his backside. The captive himself is given the thirties, Leyendecker treatment with bouffant hair and suspiciously pink lips. The traces of tattoo we can see are different to the dense, samurai-inspired shoulder ink in the previous examples, here it seems lightly decorative rather than block-like bulk and comparatively feminine 

Felix Deon - Happy Servants

The sense of pre-war WW2 decadence pervades the styling of this image too with the subject matter itself reaching back to the Edwardian Belle Epoque. For an artist normally associated with the cute and witty this take on service is surprisingly S&M. It's pleasing to see the stereotypical role of camp dominatrix given an all-male treatment. 

There's an unusual double edge to the term 'servant' here exploring beyond the modern world of consensual leather servitude with a Downton Abbey, Upstairs-Downstairs twist that sees the footman and the groom vying for the attention of their kinky, aristocratic paymaster. Unfortunately, thanks to the sensationalism of the current era it's a scenario that doesn't have the power to surprise like it once did.

Felix Deon - Tattooed Submissive

Strangely enough this undramatic variation on the theme of domination is more unexpected. Or to be precise, the sight of a young westerner totally engulfed in oriental tattoos is unexpected. They simultaneously seem to disguise and yet in a strange way accentuate his nudity and vulnerability. It's hard to imagine why he would do this to himself and in this image he's not so much being submissive (as the title implies) but being dominated by the neatly dressed, leather master.

Felix Deon - Spanked

Another pastel drawing, directly inspired by an image which is well-known to me but which I can't quite place. It's a slightly awkward spanking  position but I can't fault the authenticity of the spankee's pain-filled face which Deon has beautifully captured. 

Felix Deon - Bird In Hand

I don't even know where to begin with this one. As one comes to expect with Deon, it draws on popular art of the past with distinctly Art Deco trees and turn of the century iconography in the peacock seducing the young (inevitably) gardener of some stately home. The naïve depiction of the formal garden in the background goes even further back to the 1700's. I suppose it must have roots in the legends of Asia as well, since Westerners are usually more reticent about relationships with the animal kingdom.

Mitchell's A-Z of Fetish Artists - Michael and Mister X

Todays post covers a couple of more controversial artists. 

Michael based his work heavily on the drawings of Tom Of Finland, quite often copying complete compositions and making modifications to clothing and faces to add his own mark. Regardless of the propriety of this, the results are sometimes quite interesting and not totally lacking in originality. There are fetish elements in some of his pictures but, in every case I have seen, the fetish ingredient had been copied directly from Tom's work (see below)
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Michael - from 'Brotherhood' 
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Tom - from 'The Rope'

Although I might give Michael more credit in a general art survey, 
it seems absurd to include him here except as a curiousity.

*****
 

MisterX's output is heavily populated with boyish youths and those strange child-animal creatures
 that the Japanese like so much. His work is quite imaginative, but for me, placing childlike beings
 in erotic S&M situations is a no no. 
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Mister X - The bulge in his speedo's 

However I did find this image of an octopus or squid installing itself in a young man's swimming trunks which I think is extraordinarily original and sexy and it has an almost classic simplicity
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To see earlier posts in this series click A-Z in the label list

A-Z of Fetish Artists - Ajay (Part 2)

Read this article from Part 1

Tentacle capture from 'That Man from AUNTIE' *

The methods used by the bad guys to foil Harry and his companions are often inventive but few are as unexpected as this scene where Harry and Mickey are captured by their lunch at a beach-side, seafood restaurant. Despite it's absurdity there's something quite erotic about this situation with the overwhelming tentacle restraint spiced up by the double-capture 'buddy effect'. The men's matching, swimming trunks highlight their nudity in the octopus's intimate embrace. There's a mouth down there, I believe!

The image has connections to the famous Japanese watercolour of 'The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife' and I would also mention the beautiful homoerotic reworking of this theme by Priapus of Milet in 'Force of Nature' plus a more recent tentacle animation of unknown origin. These pictures concentrate on the seduction and sensuality of the imagined encounter. Ajay, however, has transformed it into a tight bondage capture. This is surprisingly absent from most renderings of tentacles which generally depict spread-eagle restraint as a facilitator for penetration (click on the 'tentacle' label below for examples).

Buddy torture capture from 'That Man from AUNTIE' *

A few frames later Harry and Mickey (minus swimming trunks) are lined up for a sort of 'Pit and the Pendulum' experience in the baddies dungeon. The coup-de-grace, however, turns out to be something quite different to what you expect, the continuation is shown below. Ajay's Ying and Yang style of buddy restraint is most original, if a little confusing visually. In this close-up we can see that the anatomical detailing of the men is pretty comprehensive and only held back from being full-blown sensual erotica by the caricaturing style. 

("Gee!" is Muscle Mickey's regular catchphrase, part of his 'dumb jock' persona).

from 'That Man from AUNTIE' * (click to enlarge)

Ajay's talent for inventing complex erotic tortures and dispatches is well illustrated by the villain's environmental management system (top right) and in the final frame where a 'simple' telescopic lance is chillingly augmented by curved, spiked side pieces, presumably designed to 'embrace' the victim on impact. Ouch! As we can see, the heroes are just as inventive in finding ways of escaping.

In this example of a full page you can see how dense Ajay's Comic style is, with compacted pictures and a good deal of funny (and sometimes mis-spelt) text crammed in as well. This means that they are not exactly a quick read. The style is designed for and probably best suited to the magazine format in which they first appeared. That way they are able to be read at leisure, undistracted by the myriad other thrills which always seem to be just round the corner on the web. Printed pages also seem to allow 'zooming in' by the brain which doesn't quite work on a computer screen for some reason, but even in this medium they richly repay patient reading if you set aside the time and get in close.

The Drums of Bang Kock Wong

Ajay recreates another classic B-movie scene in this excerpt, the old 'trap door and hidden pit' trick. The phallic eels infesting the waters below seem to have the transmitting powers of modern zappers but I don't think Bound God's ever tried this scenario. Even in comic form the sight of 3 naked men struggling to avoid the plunge out-does the average Hollywood 'dangling hero' cliche by a considerable margin.

from 'Daredevil', the abduction of B.O. aka Amyl Arm Pits

While the comic images are not exactly sensual in themselves, there are exceptionally sexy glimpses on occasions and the fetishistic captivity scenes provide fertile ground for erotic fantasies which are not quite fully realised on the printed page (not altogether surprisingly given the date and the mainstream publication medium used). The hunky captive's little cry of dismay here in response to an ambiguous threat from his captor, is a wickedly well-judged elaboration.

With images like this it's tempting for admirers to separate out the most erotic elements, view this example. If you compare these two images you can see more clearly the painful tethering technique used on 'B.O.' but something else gets lost in the simplification. The richness of the original image largely disappears as does the sense of panoramic flow from frame to frame. In fact you can see now that the character with his back to us is actually participating in both scenes and it's a satisfying and sophisticated integration device.

The overlapping of B.O.'s tackle with his captor's trunks (and presence of a hand nearby) are suggestive of intimacy in a general way but I can't see any specific 'hidden eroticism' in the juxtaposition. The tantalising little star (which is baffling in the cut down version) may be be the answer (is it referencing electricity or anatomical clenching?). It's possible Ajay was deliberately obscuring risky detail here or simply teasing his readers, but there's not a lot of evidence of such caution or coyness elsewhere in these works.

from Bang Kock Wong

Ajay does not idealise his team of heroes into handsome hunks nor the villains they face of course, but occasionally a good guy happens by who is allowed to look 'interesting'. This Marine, Lieutenant Rimmer, arrives with his men just in time to cart off the dejected villains and immediately attracts the universal, wistful admiration of the crew.

from Daredevil Doll

This equally rugged looking character is one of the FUGG* support team,

It's James Bond's techie 'Q' reimagined as big 'F' for gay consumption (so to speak)

That bull neck and jutting jaw is reminiscent of former English rugby player Lawrence Dellaglio

*There's a good round-up of acronyms and characters in the wiki article on Harry Chess


It's easy to dismiss Ajay's contribution to gay culture and liberation through his Harry Chess comics, but his assertion of all things gay, both sexual and social, serious and camp back in the mid-sixties, represented a rare (if not unprecedented) public expression of a completely formed and genuine, gay, cultural identity which was contemporary and not glorified by classical precedents. All gay men could potentially see and recognise themselves in the references, gags and political barbs, something that had never happened before in such an open way. As such he deserves to stand proudly alongside Armistead Maupin whose 'Tales of the City' stories set out on their similar (if less pornographic) path much later, in 1978.


In Part 3 of this article I will look at Ajay's more convential erotic images
which give a more rounded view of his artistic capabilities.

Go to Part3

Note: Part 1 of this article was originally published in 2008 
but entirely re-written in 2018 and Parts 2 and 3 added