BOYTOONS MAGAZINE #126 – Hot Fictional Guys: The BLOG!

There are a few really cool Blogs out there that specialize in bringing us pics of our favorite mainstream heroes in various stages of undress. Shirtless Superheroes is one such example. Since being created, Shirtless Superheroes has excelled at posting sexy pics of the big-name North American comic book heroes we all love, wearing next to nothing – and in some cases, actually wearing nothing. These are not fan arts – no, no – they are actual scans from the actual, official comics!

Recently, I was happy to learn of a Blog called HOT FICTIONAL GUYS, owned and operated by Lagosta. Along the same lines as Shirtless Superheroes, HFG does differ in that it focuses on a lot of Yaoi and Manga characters, while also including North American comic characters for good measure.

I will admit I don’t know a lot about Yaoi or Manga. I’ve loved everything I’ve seen done by Gynocrat, and I am of course a big fan of Street Fighter and Devilman, but aside from these fine examples, I’m not all that well versed on these genres.

The really cool thing about HFG is that it not only brings you beautiful scans of the stuff, but it respects the origins of the scans (as does Shirtless Superheroes), and it also gives you some much appreciated background info on the characters it is featuring. I love that! You see, not being up on Yaoi and Manga doesn’t mean I don’t often enjoy what I see. A great source of frustration to me is stumbling upon a snippet from the genre and not having any other information to accompany the imagery. How am I to learn more? To see more?

Hot Fictional Guys makes sure you don’t have that problem. It happily promotes the source of its scans and on occasion even gives you in depth creator and series info. Again, very cool!

As a publisher of comics myself, should I object to people scanning illustrations from printed (or even web) comics and books and posting them on their Blogs or websites? It’s an interesting question, and I think I have an interesting answer! LOL!

I have always felt that there is a fine line to be observed here. If a Blogger or website owner goes to the trouble of identifying the source of his or her scans and actually giving creator/publisher credit, then I feel that it falls under the category of free publicity. That’s something most publishers appreciate. (Allow me to practice what I preach – this issue’s beautiful cover hunk is Kyosuke Iwaki, a character featured in Youka Nitta’s manga Haru o Daiteita. Thank you Lagosta for introducing me to this hottie!)

That being said, a certain amount of decorum must be observed. Posting the complete oeuvre is not something I approve of… Most publishers don’t. But samples and glimpses from a series that excites you are fun, and I think that most Bloggers out there get that.

After all, as fans of the stuff, we all want to get teased. We love to see previews… at the movies, previews are quite often a HUGE portion of the fun. I personally hate missing them! Again, it all boils down to respect – respect for the content and for the people who created it. In my opinion that is vital. This is my take on the subject. That doesn’t mean all publishers and artists subscribe to this way of thinking, and ultimately, that has to be respected.

So if you’re like me and would love a proper education in Yaoi and Manga, from a source that respects the genre and the men and women who create it, then I strongly urge you to check out Hot Fictional Guys. It’s a work-safe source of beautiful imagery and information that just may open you up to new stuff you never even knew was out there.

Hugz + Kisses,

Patrick XOXO

Kyosuke Iwaki © Copyright 2008 Youka Nitta. All rights reserved.

Ikki © Copyright 2008 Oh!Great. All rights reserved.

Final Fantasy characters Copyright © 2008 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Peter Parker © Copyright and TM 2008, Marvel Characters Inc. All rights reserved.