So, the idea was raised in the last guest strip comment thread (thanks to MJ), and I’m wondering… would you buy a “Playbarian” book (comic book format, 22-32 pages) full of pin-ups by guest artists of your favorite LoB ladies? And, how tasteful (or not), should it be? Discuss!
Are you kidding? I’d give my left testicle to see the girls in various racy poses. Also “tasteful” is for wusses.
I used to be an avid follower of Frank Cho’s Liberty Meadows. Well-drawn, witty, interesting characters, it was great. I don’t follow Cho so much anymore because of the focus on scantily clad women. Nice to look at, but ultimately shallow.
I don’t mind a bit of fan service now and then, but too much of a good thing can be bad. So I’d pass on that particular book.
I enjoy good comic art, but as far as the tittilation factor, I invest my desire into a real woman, rather than lusting after a cartoon character. There may be a lot of people that think differently, but that’s my take.
Maybe a calendar?
I’ll bring the jello, one of y’all bring the kiddie pool, and we’ll have a PPV wrassling match betwixt the girls.
What?
WOW! Seriously? Shot down in flames of glory. Ha,ha,ha! Needless to say I still think it would be a great little portfolio of the L.O.B. women. It’s not like it has never been done before, and I always recall these types of issues are usually sought after. C’mon Lady Death (Steven Hughes), Dawn (Joseph Michael Linsner), etc. All done very tastefully, and all amazing issues.
On a side note I would never purchase a calendar after a year you have no reason for it’s use, but I always pull out comics from my collection and read them.
Huh; honestly my first thought was “wow that sounds really cool” – but maybe that makes me low class ha ha ha.
Still to me it sounds interesting; either as a download or even print product.
Me? Absolutely I’d love to see a comic book celebrating pretty girl artwork. Couldn’t care less about any tittilation factor – I just think pretty girls are a joy to see. I don’t want graphic Hustler style art, but simple nudity by itself would be fine (nudity minus lust equals appreciation). Just because it’s not for kids doesn’t mean it has to be for perverts.
Exactly! That’s what I’m talking about. Who wouldn’t want to see something like that Dark Queen above finished in full color! How awesome would that be.
I think it would be a great showcase of your characters, I would buy one.
I WILL BUY TWO
NO NO MAKE IT HALF A DOZEN
WHO AM I KIDDING.
ITS A DOZEN OR NOTHING
OR MAYBE I WILL BUY A GROSS IF IT GROSSES ME
TEE HEE
Notwithstanding the above comments, nor my personal opinions or the matter, I feel quite sure you would have no trouble whatsoever getting rid of copies of Playbarian if you were to offer it for sale. My recommendation would be to go more towards the tasteful angle – the internet already abounds with un-tasteful nudes one can get for free (or so I’ve heard)
“Real” women for titillation are already everywhere. “Cartoon” women for titillation are also already everywhere. Does that mean either camp has run out of fans? NO! One has to be silly to even suggest that. So you have my approval for going ahead with this project.
Now, the question of whether this should be done exclusively in print or in digital form. Personally, I suggest both. I would pay (a certain reasonable amount) to have this portfolio available in desktop wallpapers of nice, clean (vector-mapped?) 1920×1080 or higher.
I can’t imagine suggesting that the market for titillating pictures of any type of attractive women might run out of fans, but the willingness of people to PAY for something declines rapidly when it is available in multitude for free. That is not to say, of course, that nobody will pay, certainly there is a HUGE profitable industry surrounding such pictures, but it helps a lot if your content is unique in some way. Like any other market, you need to differentiate from your competitors, particularly so if your competitors are free!
Addendum to my first comment – integrate if desired
As for how racy, I would be perfectly fine with super-skimpy rather than fully nude (i.e. no nipples or genitals). I don’t know what to call this phenomenon, but it’s been pointed out that sometimes a little bit of concealment even improves the excitement effect.
Uhhh Ok…Speaking as a girl, I would love to see a lil tastefully done book with the girls looking sexy. Maybe the whole facing away looking over the shoulder, bare back with the sheet wrapped around the tushy. Nakies but tasteful. Nothing too Hustler-ish. And I would love to see a campy beef cakey book of the boys too. Ya know…Frank on a bear skin rub and stuff like that.
NO GIRLS INCLUDED
no naked men
no tasteful Sports Illustrated swimsuit or Katy Keene
we want gratuitous eye candy like Hustler and Penthouse
like any HE MAN i want my gratuitous eye candy
whatever you do === PLEASE DO NOT MAKE BATHING SUITS === save that Sports Illustrate and G-Rate comics.
Billverse is not for wimps, wet blankets, or wusses
BILLVERSE IS FOR BARBARIANS ONLY
Charlie,
Tend to disagree with you there. I’ve viewed my share of pictures of the female form, and the ones where they’re barely covered, or are strategically posed, or are covered by their arms/hands, I find far more alluring. Keeps them mysterious and leaves a bit more to the imagination. Just like the one panel where Gina (in Vasheeva’s body) is changing and she remarks that the Dark Queen’s wardrobe consists of clothing that is slightly more than dental floss.
It really has nothing to do with nude or not nude. Strategically posed, etc. It is art plain and simple. It’s not about being graphically explicit. Artists create art in whatever form it is. I will have to agree with Don’s view as he is also looking at it from an artform view. Bottomline though it’s ART!
On a side note, my thoughts were not the graphically explicit. But a very high quality, tasteful representation of the characters.
Could be fun. I would prefer tasteful unless of course we were to preview gypsy’s interpretive dance from a way back. Then I think it might be a must have.
Folks, it won’t be gratuitous, lol. It’d be tasteful, in their costumes, likely no nudity, or if there were, very very little or tasteful. Loving the comments. Keep ‘em clean, though!
It seems this is of interest either way… hm… See what you started, MJ? HAHA
I thought it would be an excellent addition to the L.O.B. portfolio! I am with you on the same page of presentation.
Make them all nudes, but since this is a silly cartoon, make them silly. Things like accidents in battle where a top flies off when it’s caught on a standard or wizard messes up a spell and turns a frog into a woman… Nutty stuff in keeping with the comic nature.
Sorry, I suppose this shows how sick my imagination is, but I have this vision of a battle scene where Genna or Vasheeva’s top is ripped off by some accident, the battle stops and every man there is staring at the ground with a sheepish look and turns red…
I trust your tastefulness filter … all the gals deserve basic dignity. I’m comfortable with full nudity, if there is a real reason for the set & setting. Some of the girls are more bold than others, so to each personality it should fit.
Examples: Shirley comes form a culture where naturism & nudist au natural fashion is quite normal … well, at least in all the fairy societies in “our world” mythologies. Billverse might well be different, but (like Bakshi’s Wizards), each individual chooses their own level of comfort and all accept it.
Then, the young maiden Vasheeva would be a very blushing, modest Venus in her marble bath, while the Dark Queen is a faaaaaarr more uninhibited and go-for-it type of soul.
In the end, a girl should have at least her lower dental floss in place, or skillfully draped towel. But, I confess to a desire to see each and every one of them topless. Again, the scene & situation should set the reason. The Dark Queen in her Lair of Ravishment is appropriate, whereas Sarah or Gina in an all-out catfight & missing articles of armor accordingly is a different “appropriate.”
Etc.
One day when I grow up (bites tongue and spits over left shoulder) and have bills paid & income again, I would first wish to purchase desktop wallpapers & also then wish to collect printables. However, having lost my entire print library of nearly 40 years last year, I am not entirely in the mood these days to rebuild it in any hurry .. managing, storing and keeping it is a drain on my life and resources that I may never go back to.
I do use the plural “printables” for a reason … if you go forward with this project, this should be Issue #1, with the intention of assembling several issues over the upcoming years. Perhaps once very four or six months ..? Just keep soliciting your readers & other artists in your circle & see what harvest comes forth. Not every item has to be a wallpaper … mini-strips & side-arcs could well be on the table, limited only by the imagination of the artists. Even if in wallpaper format, I urge that the offerings still tell some sort of story, and that it should be canon for the Billverse.
For instance … did Sarah get her start as a dancer ..? Exactly what interpretive dance did Gypsy use to communicate with Bill & Frank when they first met ..?
ah, ziegfeld of billverse.
Publish it if you will, give us Gina, Vasheeva, Gypsy, Sarah, and more, but please, please, I beg of you, no Large Marge!
Amen!!!
Ha,ha,ha! Now that’s some funny stuff!
The title is already sufficiently revealing as to make this unnecessary. Any more flesh, and it’ll be “Yenny” in chainmail!
Wow, that would be awesome! I’d certainly buy a copy..
As one of the spokesmen for “no extremes either way”, let me state for the record that I am voting for some nudity. If this book were to have none, it wouldn’t be all that different from just viewing the website. I’m certainly willing to pay directly if I knew I’d be getting something more than I could get for free here normally. As I said earlier, the joy for me is seeing pretty girls, and while there are plenty of those here, the home-version of Bill should have a bit more cheesecake ‘bang’ for the buck.
Very astute point of view for the merchandisng side of supply. I’m sure David is really having a difficult decision on the possibility of the proposed project. As I stated before though I believe this would be a great addition to the printed line-up of Legend of Bill merchandise. Give it some singled out characters from artists like Lar Desouza, Jason Williams, Kevin Vassey, Aidan Casserly, Peter Bradley, (Naturally myself, David already has my Pin-Ups) sprinkled with other fine artists, along with David Reddick’s awesomeness. POOF! Instant Playbarian Perfection Pièce De Résistance!
How much trouble would it be to release both a PG-13 and and R-rated version of the same work, since there seems to be a market for both?
The NC-17 rated version goes to print & available for purchase. Take the most of the very same images from the print version and discreetly cover up enough to bring it into an R-rated realm, even lean slightly toward PG-13 … make those images available on the website at (webgraphics quality, but “reasonable” resolutions). People will know what they’re missing and have the opportunity to buy into MOAR, if they so wish. Use Zona by JED as an example; he has an “adult” section available for some pieces, and (in my opinion) he draws an excellent line at sexy enough while still remaining tasteful and respectful of his characters. In fact, maybe solicit JED for a guest LoB piece …
Another thought: no reason to choose between beefcake & cheesecake. Make the print version a dual ‘zine, where one cover is Playbarian and you turn it to the other side and it’s another front cover for Playwench. Either there’s no back cover, or you sandwich the back covers toward the middle of the publication (maybe for utilitarian purposes, such as publication info, artist credits, etc.). You produce a single, comprehensive publication and there’s everything for the boys, the gals, and everyone in between. You might have more material for one (probably more gals, right?) … so you get ~30 pages of gals from one side and 15 or 20 pages of beefcake from the other. Win-win-win.
If you sell out, then begin gathering items for Issue #2 …
I didn’t mention either of these ideas to David (Thought of them though) The two different versions, I think that’s just trying to milk it. The flipbook version wouldn’t really work because that would cut out a centerfold. Just my thoughts. Would like to hear David’s thoughts, besides what we’ve been e-mailing back and forth.
Just trying to milk it?! Yeah? And? So? Of course that’s milking it, that’s exactly the idea! Publishing Playbarian at all is milking the strip, that’s what it’s there for, so if you’re going to milk it, milk it all the way!
If by “two versions” you mean an NC-17 and a PG-13+ version (PG-16??), then keep inmind that my suggestion is to use most of the material from the NC-17 and make it more family friendly with minimal editorial obfuscation. It would be digital-only, not print, and the digital “Cliff’s Notes” version would go up on-line as an advertisement … even trickle it out piece by piece over a couple months to reel folks in.
As far as the flip-book, a little creative vision and there is no call to sacrifice “the” centerfold. If it’s asymmetrical, like 30 pages gals and 30 pages guys … “the” centerfold would be one of (or several of ..??) the gals right in the center where it should be. The beefcake side could/would sacrifice a ‘traditional’ centerfold format.
As I thought about it, I really wouldn’t mind seeing a bit of beefcake. I mean, my personal leanings are definitely for the girls, but it would be cool to see some of the guys being all manly men. We’ve got enough of them in the Billverse to support the effort … Bill, Vorik/Warrix, Fostig, bouncers & pirates, Dirk, Gnomes (c’mon … who wouldn’t want to see Gnome beefcake ?!). Seriously, it gives some of the female webcomic artists a reason to contribute, for the ones that don’t wanna do cheesecake (only).
Imagine a horde of Billbarians going forth unto t3h Interwebz and
abductingvoting for their favorite artists to consider participating. I already named one, could easily name ten more …duh, tyo0ps … was supposed to be “asymmetrical” as in 30 pages gals/ 20 pages guys, or somesuch depending on participation and material submitted. Doesn;t have to be only other established artists … there’d be room for some (of the better)
slash ficfan art.I’d buy it! Provided you let me do one of the pinups, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal!
But… I thought barbarians got Playbarian for the ARTICLES!
*hahaha*
I got a kick out of seeing an ad for Playbarian in the one strip, and I thought it would be cool to see one. <:)
I am big fan of pinups, not the bordering on porn (or pretty much porn) ones, but the cute, funny, and cheesecake ones. Think Elvgreen, Vargas..etc.