Bill Ward's Artwork

I've long been an admirer of the work of artist Bill Ward. So I'm really glad to see that there's finally a nicely done website, the Bill Ward Archives, devoted to putting his fine penwork online.
     I was first exposed to his illustrations in the original Drummer, I also got to see them in the unique a quirky 'zine known as BROS [the "mascot" as it were, shown on the left, drawn by Mr. Ward himself] a chapbook by and for long-haired men and those who fancied them.
     The simple single person sketches shown here don't really do his work justice. Ward's work was often complex, almost hallucinogenic when he depicted orgy scenes. But the pen lines were always crisp, high-contrast, easily discernible and [for the most part] his characters were visually believable.
     I don't believe the same can be said for more famous illustrators of male erotica such as Tom of Finland [with his cinched waists and impossibly skin-tight trousers] or Etienne/Stephen [his real name was Dom Orejudos]. While Etienne's characters appeared more realistic than Tom of Finland's, it wasn't until I'd seen Bill Ward's work that the images rang true... for me at least.
     Another thing I found I liked about Mr. Ward was his willingness, even generosity, at sharing his creative talents with less well known, even obscure, publications. One such publication was BROS [which, unfortunately no longer has it's own website but whose spirit remains at places like the BROS Yahoo Group, Tribe's Bros-online and Robin Walden's Gay Longhair bulletin board].
     Bill Ward's artwork also graced the pages of another 'zine [and sitll is] TRASH Magazine, which was [and still is] diligently compiled by J.D. [aka Mr. T]. Ward's generosity, and willingness to work with lesser known publishers with much more limited budgets, is all too rare in the swift competitive world that is/or was slick gay porn.
     Who was Bill Ward? He born in London, England and lived there almost all his life in the city except for a three year tour in the Army. He was the art editor of a children's weekly magazine, then left to go freelance. Always and admirer of comic art, his heroes in the field have been Burne Hogarth's Tarzan, Hal Foster's Prince Valiant, and Milton Caniff. He found time to paint landscapes in between children's picture books -- and heavier stuff for adult magazines. Ward was a motorcycle enthusiast and belonged to the M.S.C. London Leather and Denim Club. Bill Ward passed away on July 24, 1996.
     After Ward's work, the most interesting artists I've found include Michael Kirwan and Palanca. But neither of these two produce works in the style of Mr. Ward. I thank my lucky stars his stuff is still around. Pay a visit to the Bill Ward Archives. Tell then Jake sent you.

a visual clip from a photogapher I know, Ian Grey. That's Raoul Escobar on the left.

Speak English!

Somehow, I could care less what language this character would be talking in, as long as it's dirty! Maybe he could bunk down with Mark Foley

Soothing to the eyes

Some days it's clearly worth it to take a gander out the window before hitting the shower. Nothin happened that I'm going to tell you about.

Mark Foley: bugger the bugger

I cannot, for the life of me, figure this Mark Foley guy out. Why in hell would someone go out of his way by speaking out against kiddie porn and such, be mucking about instant messaging teen-aged boys to ask them what their wanking habits might be.
     Yeah, I am not the least bit surprised that he was intimately involved in protecting Georgie Bush's butt in the year 2000, when he worked along with that other Flordia scumbag Kathrine Harris to help Dubya get [what history will most likely discover later on] illegally elected as the Prez.
     And I'm not the least bit surprised that his Rethuglican cohorts not only knew about his antics but looked the other way and protected his sorry ass while he lurked outside the Congressional Page's dorm building at night.
     But I'm not entirely certain that this character Foley is a hard-core get-'em-afore-they's- full-growed lusting after pre-pubescent babies kind of pedophile. A sleazy slimey slug of a human being, perhaps, but from what I've seen of the evidence thus far, this guy was looking for the guys [admittedly only barely legal age in DeeCee] who were already bonafide horn dogs looking for some older Chicken Queen whom they, themselves could exploit and ...maybe even... blackmail.
     And what a plum he would be to go after. After all, Foley authored legislation [the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006] to change federal sex offender laws that was supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh, and a number of victims’ rights groups.
     But let's not fool ourselves into thinking that some kids are never less than honorable themselves. A street-wise smart kid could set himself up for quite a few years by agreeing to keep secret the sexual hi-jinks of a public figure like Foley. I recall myself, at such a tender age, determinedly stalking older guys, most of whom wanted nothing to do with me 'cuz I looked too young. Nevertheless, like the sultry seductor in artist Paul Cadmas's painting "Playground" or "Horseplay," I managed to score a few of those chicken queens well before I was legal age in my home town.
     Part of the hysteria around the kiddie porn thing [especially when talking about kids [16 year olds, for instance] who, in other states [Kentucky, Maine] are already considered to be of the age of consent] is truly hysteria. Part of it is about matings that folks find, well, unseemly [You know, when school teachers, or probation officers, or priests ~people in power, essentially, are the adults bedding the over 16 year old kids]. Most folks just find the whols subject ~ well, icky, and they just don't want to talk about it.
     I can't say I'll feel bad or sad or despondent about the possibility of Foley's going to prison for trying to diddle those lads. he did, remember, write and promoted into law what he thought should happen to miscreants such as his-self. I only wish we were also putting the likes of Tom Delay and his buddy Abramoff into the clink as long and with such severity. But... sometimes the punishment might fit the crime. Once Mark Foley's in the clink, and has that big, strapping room-mate named Rufus whispering sweet nothings in his ears, he'll have plenty of time to role play being the boy in the relationship. In the larger scheme of things, it won't be full-scale, clean the halls of Congress social justice, but on a small scale, some justice might be served.

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     Here's another definition of Chicken Queen a bit more clear in it's implications. And for what it's worth, the following states consider 16 to be the "age of consent": Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana [though that state does have something called the "felony child seduction" law if the adult is in a "supervisory position" with the yute], Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire [but in these last two you have to be 18 if it's homosexual sex], New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia] FROM: A Table of Age of Consent Laws around the world]