John Blackburn (September 10, 1939 – April 7, 2006)
was an American erotic artist and cartoonist, specializing in bisexual
erotic comics
Erotic comics are adult comics which focus substantially on nudity and sexual activity, either for their own sake or as a major story element. As such they are usually not permitted to be sold to legal minors. Like other genres of comics, they c ...
during the 1990s. His comics were noted for "their straightforward explorations of psychological elements behind the physical connections" and "focused on unbridled sexual ecstasy and gay sex as a joyous activity".
Career
John Blackburn was born in
Statesboro, Georgia
Statesboro is the most populous city in and the county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the state, its population was 33,438 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city ...
in 1939. He attended art school in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. After graduation from college he settled in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. In the 1960s he relocated to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
Blackburn drew illustrations for ''
Physique Pictorial
''Physique Pictorial'' is an American magazine, one of the leading beefcake magazines of the mid-20th century. During its run from 1951 to 1990 as a quarterly publication, it exemplified the use of bodybuilding culture and classical art figure p ...
'', ''Physique Art Quarterly'', ''
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
'', ''In Touch'', ''FirstHand, ManTalk, Manscape'', and ''Guys'' magazines.
He self-published four books starring his signature character Coley from 1989 to 1991: ''Coley on Voodoo Island'', ''Wild in the Street'', ''Breathless'', and ''Return to Voodoo Island.''
Coley Cochran was a muscular, blonde-maned 19-year-old who is kidnapped and undergoes a rite which makes him an un-ageing "voodoo sex god", narcissistic and able to seduce anyone around him, male or female.
Eros Comix
Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed several awards for ...
reprinted ''Return to Voodoo Island'' and published several subsequent limited series, followed by four large-format volumes in their Graphic Albums series, under the title ''Coley Running Wild'':
# ''The Blade and the Whip'' – collecting ''Return to Voodoo Island'' and ''Idol of Flesh''
# ''Caged Heat'' – collecting ''Web of Evil'' and ''The Deathsnake''
# ''Hard Throb'' – collecting ''Hard Throb'' and ''Dagger of Blood''
# ''Destiny Coast'' – original full-length story
Additional short stories about Coley (and another character Jonny Shadow) were featured in volumes 15 through 25 of ''
Meatmen''.
Death
Blackburn died unexpectedly on April 7, 2006 "following a brief illness".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackburn, John
1939 births
2006 deaths
American erotic artists
American magazine illustrators
Bisexual male artists
LGBTQ comics creators
American bisexual men
American bisexual artists
Gay male pornographic comics
20th-century American LGBTQ people