So I agreed to review a porn parody comic filled with very stupid, amateurish, strips from Big Blue creator Mase Corgan. But unlike… wait that’s just going to sound redundant. I mean this was the 70s to 80s, everybody’s gotta start somewhere. In fact, it’s like going through a behind the scenes commentary while a movie’s playing. One that goes into changing tastes at that.
What’s This Even Called?
Rejected Porn Comics… Wow that actually opens some realizations. One, adult entertainment is not just a commodity despite how easy some people make it out to be. It’s not enough to have characters with bodies that fit people’s general fetishes have sex, there’s gotta be some presentation and execution to it. Even parodies have standards.
That’s what this series is all about, porn parodies. Before I confuse anybody, I should probably open up definitions. This is not about parodies of porn, but porn-based parodies of situations in everyday life and pop culture. Which is easy to confuse because roleplaying in sex parodies real life. Not to mention the parodies of more fantastic scenarios like Universal Horror. I mean who hasn’t fantasized sharing a bed with the empathetic monsters of those movies?
How does that scenario get rejected anyway? Some parts creative differences, other parts constructive criticism, and in this case suspicion of selling out to competitors.
This is a younger, rawer, Mase Corgan. Some of the strips on here can come across as… insensitive. I don’t wanna specify what; I’ll just say that people need thick skin, a dry sense of humor, and either not have a Twitter account or have enough mental strength not to make memes out of this content.
Meat Rack For Roasting
Meat Rack Magazine… and I thought mainstream comics were junk food. Jokes aside I gotta emphasize that this is not the homoerotic men’s magazine still in production. This is one of many… several?… porno comic mags that were sold underground.
If the comic Minimum Wage (not by Corgan) is any indication, a number of freelance creatives can’t afford to be too picky to get into the comic industry pre-internet. Corgan and his collaborator Alvin Blacksmith shows that was still the case in the 70s. Man, just thinking about needing to build a portfolio in a place like that sounds exhausting. But at least we get a look into how Corgan started out and how it leads to Big Blue.
Although, I would’ve liked to see Corgan and Blacksmith’s “ribald and raunchy renderings that helped boost sales during the dark days”. Because what I liked best about Rejected Porn Comics were the notes exchanged between everybody. Most of the pages that don’t have them are kind of dull with dialogue ranging from cheesy to just plain cringey.
Otto (Blink)man Empire
The ones with the notes from the editor Otto Blinkman are indeed the best…. But there’s only two of them! One was that horror parody, the other is um… I’m not sure what to say. In fact Blinkman is arguably the best character in these stories. He comes across as that overbearing boss, trying to stay afloat or greedily trying to hoard his resources. The reason he rejected that horror comic parody was because he suspected Corgan of trying to apply to the Creepy or Eerie magazines by practicing at Meat Rack. Pretty sure that’s not what Corgan thought. What with the cheesy dialogue and the presentation-like foreplay on who’s the predator or prey. Then again the heroine’s porcelain skin as shown by Blacksmith does that better.
Then that shower comic featuring two lady friends foreplaying each other in the shower. But then came the obligatory twist which was weird at first. Although with time I came to appreciate it. Honestly I don’t know much about homo or bisexuality (for obvious reasons), but according to real people on the queer spectrums, the characters actions and reactions are pretty accurate on people who haven’t really come out to themselves… I think. It’s comparable to what I saw on South Park between Craig and Tweek anyway. Only Blinkman didn’t see it that way. And this is a step up to the one that came before.
Blacksmith’s Fees
The interactions between Corgan and Blacksmith in these notes are just as good. Blacksmith serves as a good straight man to Corgan’s funny man slip-ups. But in all seriousness, Blacksmith tried to hammer out Corgan’s structure. The first case of lesbianism for example ended because Blacksmith noticed how disjointed it was. Well that and the issue for it was cancelled. Thankfully, Blacksmith helped make sure these strips never crossed too many barriers. Like when Corgan accidentally named one character after the first female astronaut before the rocket launched. Makes me wonder how funny it would’ve be if the character was named Roxy Rocket, might’ve given Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s character of the same name a little more notoriety.
But Corgan also seemed to be a slow learner in certain contexts. One comic features what appears to be an abstract transition. Or in Corgan’s view, a nervous breakdown. Corgan did try to apologize, but he didn’t communicate the core issue surrounding these problems. At least not before it seemed to blow up in his face with a poor attempt at political commentary.
Again, no shame on Corgan for being young and impulsive. I don’t exactly have much room to complain, I’ve had that kind of history myself. At least by the time Big Blue rolled around, he had a better grasp on sensitivity.
This Was The Plot?
So yeah Rejected Porn Comics was less about dumb sexcapades and more enjoyable as a Mase Corgan time capsule. Okay gotta give credit to Alvin Blacksmith, his artwork is impressive and he is the reason we got these rejects out.
Makes me wonder if this really is an “Issue 1” or just following the comic sales trends. I swear Marvel should just change Daredevil’s name to #1 Man.
All in all, gotta give everybody involved credit for these weird, subversive fantasies. But it’s probably best for people who are already fans of Corgan. In summary for good art with some funny scenarios… among some not so great ones, and even better behind the scenes commentary, it’s worth checking out on this link to wherever it’s sold: http://www.cybermase.com/rejected-porn-comics.html