Gay Hearthrobs. Vol. 1., No. 1
San Francisco: Fulhorne Productions, 1976. 1st Edition. Slim quarto, publisher’s stapled illustrated paper wraps.
First issue of pioneering gay underground comic anthology Gay Hearthrobs, edited by Larry Fuller and published in collaboration with cartoonist Raye Horne in San Francisco in 1976. Among the earliest comic books devoted exclusively to gay male sexuality, Gay Hearthrobs gathers work by an eclectic group of underground artists, including independent animator Bill Plympton and Marvel and DC Comics artist Danilo Bulanadi, alongside Fuller and Horne, who illustrated the cover. Appropriating conventions of mainstream romance, Western, and adventure comics, this issue’s contributors use explicit eroticism, camp humor, and irreverent satire to both articulate gay desire and subvert heterosexual fantasies. Published amid San Francisco’s burgeoning gay liberation movement, the anthology preceded the influential Gay Comix series by four years. Illustrated in black-and-white. Moderate rubbing and creasing to wraps. Very good. Item #13670
$50.00