In 1965, Tom of Finland began toying with the idea of creating a fixed character for his comic strips, the quintessential "Tom man." He tried a blond named Vicky — a common male name in Finland — and then came Jack, inspired by Tarzan. Later, in 1968, Tom focused on Kake, a dark-haired man with a mustache and leather clothing who often wore a tight white t-shirt that read "Fucker." Kake lived up to that motto and became a kind of hypermasculine big man post-Stonewall who traveled the world on his motorcycle to sow the seeds of liberated gay sex, as satisfying as it was ecstatically explicit. Tom lived many of his most personal fantasies through Kake, and international fans of Kake made him the model of what would come to be known as the quintessential gay look of the 1970s.
Between 1968 and 1986, Tom published 26 episodes of Kake’s adventures, mostly in the form of 20-page booklets. Now the 26 stories have been compiled into a book, Tom of Finland - The Complete Kake Comics. The reader can relive with Kake the days when men were men, sex was practiced carefreely, and everyone sported a thick, grand mustache.
About the artist
Touko Laaksonen, the boy who would become Tom of Finland (1920-1991), began drawing cartoons at the age of five. His favorite subjects were the rugged, virile men of his native Finland, as Touko knew from a tender age that men interested him more than women. His talent was honed by studying art in Helsinki. He succeeded in the Finnish advertising industry but continued secretly creating his increasingly erotic drawings of hypermasculine men. In 1957 he sent some to the American magazine Physique Pictorial, and the legend “Tom of Finland” was born. By the late 1960s, Tom’s “dirty drawings” had become the standard of gay art, and Tom’s men were models of a new homosexual masculinity. Tom’s art continues to play an important role in promoting self-confidence, a positive image, and an open mindset in the gay community.
About the editor and author
Dian Hanson produced various men’s magazines between 1976 and 2001, such as Juggs, Outlaw Biker, and Leg Show, before becoming editor of TASCHEN’s Sexy Books collection. Among her titles are the series dedicated to body parts, The Art of Pin-up, Masterpieces of Fantasy Art, and Ren Hang.
