Tom of Finland

Kake 1 [set of 2]

ca. 1970. Two issues with no publication information. 8 1/2 x 11 inches. 5 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches. Both are staple bound with multiple signs of aging such as stains and marks on the front and back covers. The edge of larger copy slightly ripped. Interior pages are both in very good condition. Item #4939

Touko Valio Laaksonen, otherwise known as Tom of Finland, is a major figure in twentieth century gay culture. The legacy of his homoerotic and fetish image-making began in the 1950’s and manifests on a variety of platforms from comics to slides in magazines and underground publications. In the late sixties he developed the character “Kake,” defying the stereotypical, feminized interpretation of homosexual men at the time. There are a total of twenty-six adventures that Kake’s motorbike brings him on. These are very rare versions of the first issue that sees the “leather hero” visiting a stud in in his bedroom and then making a run for it. It has been printed in a variety of formats, languages and colors strengthening the hypothesis that these publications were reproduced and circulated in a clandestine manner. The larger copy may even be a draft of the original due to its size and the single-sided printing of the images.

Price: $1,000.00