As we move into the early 20th century, Volume 1 charts the rise of the "Girlie" magazines. Unlike the purely anatomical drawings of the 1800s, the 1920s and 30s saw the birth of the "good girl art" (GGA) aesthetic—cheesecake illustrations of semi-clothed damsels in distress.
Key artists like Bill Ward and Earl Moran are examined. While their Esquire pinups were considered "art," the same drawings in a comic context were deemed "smut." The authors skillfully dissect this hypocrisy. They show how the war effort (WWII) briefly sanitized the pin-up (the "Varga Girl" as morale booster) only for it to revert to a transgressive medium post-war.
In the popular imagination, the intersection of "comics" and "erotica" often begins and ends with the cheap, stapled pamphlets of the 1950s or the exaggerated anatomy of modern hentai. But as Tim Pilcher and Gene Kannenberg, Jr. argue in their seminal work, Erotic Comics: A Graphic History, Vol. 1: From the 19th Century to the 1950s, the relationship between sequential art and human desire is as old as the printing press itself. Erotic Comics- A Graphic History- Vol 1 by Tim ...
Published by Ilex Press, this lush, 224-page hardcover is not merely a coffee table book of salacious imagery; it is a meticulously researched anthropological and artistic survey. For collectors, scholars, and curious readers, this volume serves as the definitive guide to the underground roots of adult-oriented graphic storytelling.
While America was governed by the draconian Comics Code Authority (1954) that forbade "lustful scenes," Europe operated in a grey area. One of the book’s strongest sections focuses on Milo Manara, Guido Crepax, and Jean-Claude Forest (creator of Barbarella). As we move into the early 20th century,
Pilcher argues that European erotic comics were rarely just about the act of sex; they were about psychology. Crepax’s Valentina, for example, is not a passive nude model. She is a photographer, a woman of intellect, whose erotic adventures are tangled in film noir and surrealism. The reproductions of Manara’s flowing, organic lines (specifically from Click!) are stunning, demonstrating how the pen can mimic the tension of skin.
The book opens with a revelation: erotic comics did not begin with Playboy. In the 19th century, as literacy rates rose and printing technology (lithography) became cheaper, "curious" books began to circulate. While their Esquire pinups were considered "art," the
Pilcher and Kannenberg highlight the French and British "album" culture. They dedicate significant space to Édouard-Henri Avril (pseudonym "Paul Avril"), who illustrated erotic versions of classics like De figuris Veneris. However, the true star of this section is the anonymous German artist who illustrated Jugend magazine’s competitors.
Most fascinating is the inclusion of Tijuana Bibles—the dirty, eight-page pamphlets produced during the Great Depression. These crude, underground comics featured "Famous Funnies" stars like Mickey Mouse, Popeye, and Blondie engaging in explicit acts. The authors contextualize these not as mere pornography, but as anti-authoritarian satire. By corrupting wholesome icons, marginalized artists struck back at the establishment.