SEPTEMBER 2024 - VAL WISE!

September's artist is another one I've been obsessed with for a while, although I admit to not following her work as much in recent months (since I haven't had the funds to keep up with her patreon.) Val Wise is a comic artist and illustrator. Her comics include Delicatesse (2021), I am of Two Hearts (2022), AMPLE Chapter 1 (2023), and When Death Comes, I Will Follow (2023)

Wise also publishes erotica under the name Vesta Z. Both her erotic and non-erotic art depict the body with so much love and care, I always find myself captivated by the little details.

I first found Wise's work in 2021, after reading Delicatesse. It wasn't the first short comic I had read and been impressed by, but it stuck out to me in a way not many short comics did, both in terms of its art and its narrative. Something about it really struck a chord with me. The lush illustrations and detailed linework make every small action stand out. Wise uses every part of his imagery to express a feeling and tell a story. I think I was so impressed because I'm used to shorter comics not taking that time to linger. But Wise understands the importance of setting a tone, and giving the reader time to sit in a world. Even in his erotic work, there is always an element of place and story happening in the background. He seems to take a lot of joy in building a world and exploring the space.

You can keep up with Val Wise's work on his website, patreon, cohost, twitter, and instagram. You can view Vesta Z's erotic work on his patreon, website and also seperate 18+ accounts on twitter and cohost.

In recent months Wise has been doing a lot of visibility work for campaigns raising money to escape Gaza. She has a linktree here with all the verified campaigns she is currently working with, so please consider donating if you have the extra funds! If you live in the US she is also doing a print fundraiser, where if you donate $10 or more you can recieve two mystery prints in the mail!

AUGUST 2024 - LEO FOX!

Sorry for being a few days late on this, my girlfriend's birthday was yesterday and the beginning of the month snuck up on me! This month I'm showcasing possibly my current biggest source of inspiration (along with Val Wise who will be next month's featured artist,) Leo Fox!

Leo Fox is a London based artist and cartoonist, who has self-published several comics including A Really Big House in 2019 (currently unavailable from what I can find online), Car Boot Prayer in 2020 (out of print), Prokaryote Season in 2021 (later distributed by Silver Sprocket in 2023), Goodnight Starman also in 2021 (currently out of print/unavailable, I should've ordered it when I had the chance!!!), Lucille Quits Smoking in 2022 (the cover and first three pages are visible on his website but I can't find it anywhere else), and My Body Unspooling for the Shortbox Comics Fair in 2022 (then self-published in 2023, and published by Silver Sprocket in 2024.) His newest comic Boy Island was originally published on twitter/instagram, and is set to be published by Silver Sprocket on the 21st of this month! That's a lot of comics!

Much of Fox's work centers around trans experiences (especially trans masculine.) His depictions of love, desire, and anxiety are strikingly vulnerable and unique. His character's struggles are raw and all-consuming, taking charge of the narratives and pulling every aspect of the piece toward a cohesive idea, while the artwork explodes outward, creating an almost overwhelming encounter with the page. I first started following Fox's work in 2021, but didn't get to fully experience his comic work until the beginning of last year, when he began posting Boy Island online. I found myself checking back every day for new pages, I was so entertained by the writing, artwork, and story. Then later that year Prokaryote Season was released by Silver Sprocket, and I was hooked. It immediately became one of my favourite graphic novels, and a great inspiration. I found myself entranced by the delicately detailed panels and borders, creative character design, and writing style.

Leo Fox is still pretty new to the comics scene, only having been active publicly for the last 5 years. I'm extremely excited to see what he'll create in the years to come, and where his career in the arts will take him. The world is always in need of more weird gay comics for perverts, and Leo Fox is here to deliver. You can find his work at all the links above, or over on his Instagram..

JUNE/JULY 2024 - YUGO LIMBO!

Since this is being posted so late in June, our first Artist of the Month will be both the June and July featured artist! Happy pride ;)

Yugo Limbo is an artist, animator, cartoonist, and game dev perhaps best known for their 2019 adventure game Smile For Me made in collaboration with Day Lane under their game studio LIMBOLANE. They have also published two graphic novels, Be Kind, My Neighbor (18+) in 2022 and Viscera Objectica in 2024. They are currently working on an adventure puzzle game called Great God Grove, set to be released in fall of this year.

Their 60s/70s psychedelia influence and love of puppets gives all Yugo's work a super unique and colourful flavour, I just can't get enough of it!

I don't remember exactly when I first encountered Yugo's work. I thought it was sometime in high school but looking back the first animation I saw of theirs was in the PUSH IT 4000! collab in December 2016, when I was in my first semester of uni. I believe I actually started following them regularly in 2017 after seeing their animation SUMMER VIDEO 402.SALAD, which is super fun and has all the personality I came to adore in their art.

I started getting really into Yugo's work after Smile For Me came out, I'm a huge fan of that little game! Despite it being so small it really grabbed me with its colourful characters and unusual world. Then I read BKMN and I think it solidified me as a Yugo fan for life, it's one of my absolute favourite graphic novels (though do mind the content warnings!) In general I just feel super inspired by Yugo's ability to jump from project to project, working on so many things and always exploring new creative influences. They inspire me to work harder and try new things!

You can see more of Yugo Limbo on their portfolio site, tumblr, twitter, or instagram!