Space Cadet Gets CUT!

If you cut him out! I wanted to share these in a separate blog for a while now.  With Space Cadet Hook Up fast approaching, I thought it was about time I did. These snuck there way onto the Class Comics site back on the 7th.  Beautifully designed by David Cantero, Space Cadet has never had such  a full set of cut out doll designs before. I'm loving his big banana hiding speedos. XD  It's the perfect gear for the first big week of summer.  I hope you guys enjoy them.  Tomorrow I will have a very special piece of art featuring Vann to share.  Time for me to rest and dream of Space Cadet. :P Night.

Space Cadet 3 The Final Chapter SACRIFICE Review

Those that give their all for the greater good, are bound to gain in the end...or the front..or up their end....
And so begins my little review for Space Cadet #3, the final chapter of the Space Cadet Saga..... 

WARNING! This review will contain spoilers as it's hard NOT to talk about them.  I will mark them off though the main review by putting them in little print so that naughty curious eyes won't have an easy time spoiling things for things. :P  The final section after the main review below will be all spoilers and will not be shrunk down.

Last year the events of the new Space Cadet book were met with both loud praise a some degree of worry that the lovable cast from Ordovica might be left to a secondary fate.  Well, rest assured that the hero centaurs and fauns have found a very important place in book 3!  I would like to think we fans that raised out our cries on this blog and other places to keep the centaurs safe, helped ensure that these boys would find a permanent home within Cadets life and world.  These thoughts began to solidify by page two, where we are met with David Canteros masterpiece depicting victory over the vile Baron Von Phallus! What follows on the next page is something that was not, but a wet dream for 5 years for me.  Awesome, outstanding stuff. It could have filled the whole comic and I would have been very happy! :P hee hee,  But the show must go on and on it does so into a dark and often hilarious tale of drugs, cannibalism and action. (Hilarious and cannibalism..huh, never thought I would put those two in the same sentence.)

The story actually starts with Byrons father Emil, who's been working on something to heal up his currently handicapped wife Louisa.  The good doctor calls his wife and mom in to take a look.  During his explanation of the device, he can't help but pop a big old daddy bonner.  While holding his wife close, it springs lose right with grandma in the room.  Dang! You get a full reminder that the Durand family ain't the Huxtables. Can you imagine Cliff doing this while those grandparents were around?  One of those old stuff shirts would have had a heart attack on the set.  In this case though, the only ones in danger having a life threatening condition are Space Cadet and Golden Boy. As last we left them, they are still in the hands of the Animale employees of Mr. Chapelle! Chapelle himself is no where to be found, because that's what main bad guys do when they have their nemesis's captured. It's like guild rules, or something. ;D

 Doctor Frankenollie over here has got Cadet in a bad situation...(his name is actually Dr. Waldorf, I just couldn't resist calling him that.)  

 Golden Boy is in an even worse situation, about to be taken advantage and tortured by a rapist pigman.  Not a fun way for a hero to start an adventure. (Depending on who's asking of course.)

Patrick, Fraser and David handle this dark situation with with style.  During the heroes brief imprisonment, the writers take time and care to embed into the struggle, plot elements, sex, action and humor.  That helps ease the severity of what is actually going a bit in this demonic drug house on the reader.  There's a movie reference that comes up that made me laugh and cringe just a little.  The movie mentioned really bothered the fuck out of 15 year old me. :P LOL. Nice reminder, cause it illustrated how messed up these doctors are, despite their beautiful bodies.  (Their faces also tell what they really are as if their actions didn't already!)

 

It's during these pages that we meet the hero Bullet for the first time.  Bullet is like a cross between Viewtiful Joe and Tony Cox.  A sexy little daddy dwarf, who's diminutive in all sizes save for one. (As you might guess.)  David endows him with just as much sexiness and love has he does the larger sized boys, making him an instantly enjoyable addition to the cast.

Spoiler sorta:  He sports one of the most gloriously detailed circumcised cocks in class comics history. A big round of applause to David for that!

After meeting with Bullet, the heroes realize what must be done.  They set on a path to put down this organization and rescue the men who's lives are in grievous peril.  Their plans are put to an abrupt halt by anime hair Tyler and Cascabel, a snake man who can strike much faster then our heroes ever dreamed of moving.  Is this the end?  Coiled in Cascabels slithery grasp, will Cadet perish and be transported Pan's Labyrinth style to the land of mythological men?   You will have to read on to find out!

Cascabel has every reason to be angry all the time. Fuck, if I had poisonous snakes for my dick and nipples I would never crack a smile.  I can bet you those snakes are none too happy about it neither.

I was sent a copy of this book the night before I was set to go for various tests at the hospital.  My worry was totally overridden thanks to the adventure and excitement found in this comic! I owe a great deal of dept to the Class for helping ease my mind and making me feel a little like a bubbling teenager all over again. (Eagerly awaiting the twilight hours to enjoy the book in privacy.)  I got a little doki doki, as the Japanese say.  In fact it was all I could do to contain my brewing accolades and not stay up all night writing a review.  I was up half the night re-enjoying it anyway it seemed. ;P  

As with all the books featuring Cadet, I can't recommend this one enough.  It's such a fun and wonderful ride.  It's so good to not only see that Strider and and Vallan still have a place in Byrons life, but we are assured that, they always will. (Despite the haters, who ever they are!!!)  The series ends in a super special way, that I will talk more about that below in my spoilers section.  For now honestly, if you haven't picked it up already, go for it.  Davids art is wonderful. His men are gorgeous, his action perfectly laid out and his cartoony humor perfectly placed.  It's just a continuation of what the man does so very well really. And he continues to strive to make cut and uncut cocks look even hotter with each issue! Ha ha ha!

Space Cadet #3:  

More fun than getting fucked by a centaur!

You can get your copy here:

Space Cadet # 3 PRINT EDITION

******SPOILER SECTION!!!*********

This is basically where I will give a few critiques, cause every review should have some. As well, I will talk about the events of the books ending. So if you haven't read it yet, this is your last chance to turn back now! Don't worry, despite my desire to, I won't be posting any spoiler images.

*I gotta say, that while we know the Durand family certainly doesn't mind nudity, for cripes sake, could they not have given poor Byron a little dignity in the healing machine?  Throw a towel around him, or place a blocker over his privates.  There are old ladies and children present!! XD

*This is a light criticism, but I felt like instead of showing off all of Bullet the second he appeared, it would have been nice to have a little suspense and lead up to what he has between his legs.  It didn't hurt the character, or anything.  I just think a slower reveal later on, like we got with Golden Boy would have been really hot.  But that's not bullets style I guess. He wants it all out and ready for action right away. :P

*Davids skill in differentiating between cut and uncut dicks has come leaps and bounds over a very short time period. There are still instances where the details could be a bit clearer, but the strives he's made far override these few illustrations where it might not be fully clear.  Keep up the awesome work! 

* Space Cadet two boasted the slogan of going in a bold new direction. This was mostly aimed at the switch from fantasy to crime fighting as the series focus.  (Though so many Class books mix both so well, it's never felt to me like there had to be a focus on either, or.)  Anyway..this issue ends with ANOTHER bold choice. One that came right out of left field. Did NOT see coming, was both shocked, instantly hard and ejaculating over upon discovering.  Ejaculating more then once I might add!  That is, that Byron, while being healed, regains his foreskin. (Among other far less important body parts, like bones and appendix.)

In an incredible scene that follows Byron has his uncut cock bit, chewed, pulled and sucked on.  There's a lot of foreskin play and the few pages that followed could have been added to and added to for many more pages without a doubt.  I am sure the boys at Class had a hard time stopping ending this incredible moment in Space Cadet history.  Not only do we get to witness the enjoyment had by the first fully restored foreskin on an otherwise circumcised characters, we get the very FIRST docking scene ever done in Class Comics. It's one of the hottest moments for me in the publications history. Totally cum blowing fun.  It left me speechless. I hope and pray it won't be the last.

Now I don't want to sound too egotistical, or anything, but I gotta wonder if maybe, just maybe the Family Shower set of images the Rubensome and I did last year had anything to do with Byrons fully restored member?  I  also would like to think that maybe the docking as well, was inspired by the many images we have done here featuring Class and other characters in the act.  Yeah, I couldn't help but feel like it was a bit of giving back to the fans, because a lot of this book seems to focus on giving back to the fans that were not so negative to the series start.  Heck the last line from Cadet to Strider is, 'No matter what anyone says I'm glad you're in my life!" DAMN STRAIGHT!

*I would have loved to hear a little more narrative from Space Cadet on his thoughts and feelings of how different his cock felt now, but there is always time for that in future issues. (or a special edition in the future!)

*Speaking of negativity, one has to wonder if there will be backlash for Cadet becoming uncut?  I mean, Camili-Cats change was met with so much slack, that he only remained cut for one issue of his series. The adventure and quest of which to restore I thought deserved a longer period of time to flesh fully out.  (puns.) As much as many of us absolutely love foreskin, we all know guys out there that hate foreskin. I know artists that refused to draw it, guys that have had theirs removed and people that avoid it at all costs.  How many people I wonder, if any, will feel disconnect from Cadet now that his member doesn't match theirs, or their preconception that cut is the bests? 

 

The exact opposite of my reaction to Space Cadets new dick, but I would imagine sadly, there will be fans that will have this reaction. :(

*The way I see it, in regards to Cadet getting his foreskin back, it was like an incredible gift from the heavens.  An unexpected thank you for all his heroics and sacrifices. Saving an entire world and the lives of many innocent young men, should be rewarded in some way, wouldn't you agree?  While his father saved his life, the unexpected bonus, could be looked it in this light.

**Byron and Golden Boy enjoy some sex with his upgraded cock.  Honestly though Golden Boy needs to start living up to his name. Come on Class Comics!!! You know we want to see it happen!!! LOL!**Golden shower***

 What ever happens next in Space Cadets life, I just hope that sweet men of Class Comics will keep true to their personal vision of his future and not let negativity play the key role in shaping this my most beloved characters career. Yeah I said it. ;D

Space Cadet #2 Review....Cantero Does Cadet!

Well, the other week marked the end of a 4 year wait to see what lies next in the story of Space Cadet.  Space Cadet is a hero in the Class Comics universe, who was first featured with Naked Justice and Ghost Boy, before branching out into his own comic line in 2010.  The story presented to us in book 2, was not quite here the sequel to THE TEMPERING WAY you may have been waiting so long for.  Fans that caught some of the update posts have known that the story would go in a new direction for months now. This helped soften the blow, as we were told things would change, but no cast members were going to be given the axe. Those that didn't keep up are in for a bit of a shock. So what did happen to the old cast?  Where is this story going now?  Is this story a worthy 'sequel'?  How does it effect Byrons recent adventures along with Ghost Boy and Diablo? Here are my thoughts on the second installment of Space Cadet.


The story here starts with Byron having fever dreams about his adventures in Ordovica. We get a couple nice pages of back story.  We are reminded of the characters and plot introduced within the first book, before witnessing Byrons ultimate fate.  That is, it seems, the young man may have failed horribly.  I could be wrong, but this is something that gets reiterated by his guilty conscience bring up these visions with more and more furry as the story goes on. We see him captured and totured, calling out to his friends.  He snaps back awake.  Startled by such a terrible dream, he does what most people do after having drems of this kind: He blames the whole thing on watching too many fantasy TV shows and movies.   Too much Game of Porns, I'de wager.  Of course we the reader know the events are real and Byron is just not fully aware of that yet.  (He won't be for the remainder of the book.)  And so as Byron brushes that bad dream away, so do the writers.  We leave the world of Ordovica and begin a new adventure for Space Cadet.

 

Space Cadet is a Star Wars fan I see...Nice little Easter Egg! ;D

Byron is now living back at home with his parents, to help tend to his wounded mother. (A lady who looks like she could pass for being his sister.  And no I am not trying to get into her good graces, by saying that!) We are quickly introduced to his skinny, but way better hung brother Sheldon in yet another Class Comics scene which suggests a little incest may soon be coming our way.  I say better hung, but this could just have been an inconsistency in the drawing of his cock from panel to panel.  Sheldons cock looks longer and thinner then Byrons thick dick to me, especially as Sheldons cock is show flaccid besides Byrons full hard on. Hmmm a nerdy brother named called Sheldon, couldn't possibly be a nod to the Big Ban theory could it? :P  Hee hee!  Thankfully Sheldon is not anything like the famous TV character his name may be inspired by! (WHEW.)

 Brotherly Love?

Getting back to the story... Byrons fever dreams were pretty hot and heavy and he stuck with a major hard on.  This calls for an early morning jerk off, that is interrupted by his bother.  His brother Sheldon sees him going at it and decides to tackle him by jumping right on top of his big brother and his boner. Coming in full contact with his bros massive dick is pretty fucking hot. His own dick has a hard time NOT poking out of his long boxer shorts leg, he is so well hung.  In order to teach his brother a lesson about closing his door while doing such things, he even goes so far as to whack on Byrons cock with his palm a bit.  Cadet rips the shorts off his bother in the process of trying to get away from Sheldons onslaught. They are both stopped by their father, who scolds them.  (They have a six year old sister in the house.  She doesn't need to stumble across such things!)   It was great to see Byrons pops again, as we haven't seen him over half a decade.  He only had a short appearance in Strip Tease.  I wonder how hung he is? (Blushes.)

Byron then proceeds to have a shower and take care of his raging hormones.  Now, if you are thinking, this is where his brother and dad both join him in the shower, think again.  Nope, this is where we get a classic Cantero running gag inserted, which feels a bit like it was inspired by a certain Eddie Murphy movie about a certain professor. :P  It's really funny stuff.  The message in these first few pages seems clear to me.  The time has come to stop acting like the star of a never ending porn and more like a regular person there Byron.  You're living with loves ones now Mr. Cadet and you have forgotten about personal boundaries. You gotta lock your doors if you want to play with yourself!!! 

 Yes Space Cadet has gone from grand fantasy adventure to super hero sitcom.  And honestly I like it a  hell of a lot! There's lots of naughtiness and really hot secret sex that can happen in the home setting. Giving Byron obstacles to over come and characters that may tempt him beyond his regular sexual boundaries (ie incest) is all stuff that will grow his character.  Giving him a family enriches his world and his life.  Instead of a pin up, or just I guy out for an adventure, we get a chance at a better understanding of who he is, where he comes from and how he interacts with people who he doesn't actually just want to have sex with for once. It's a good thing. Let's face it, you know it's only a matter of time before fantasy, sci-fi and all that good stuff get's injected into the mix, so this setting won't dominate even if you are not a fan of it.  With Canteros fun and playful art style, I feel like I am reading a Disney Afternoon show in print form.  I'm all for more comical adventures featuring the Cadet family, even without Byron.

Having this home setting instead of a hall of heroes, or a secret layer, is far more relatable. (Dare I say more enjoyable?)  With a family in tow, you have potential for a much more diverse story then you could with just fuck buddies.  But let me not get too ahead of myself.  This is potential only for now.  Home was just the launching point.  As soon as breakfast is done, Byron is off to a new job and new adventures.  I really like that the story mentions the job he had in his introductory story.  Maybe the porn star he worked for as a bodyguard will return one day. For now it's off to the Horny Devil Underwear studios for a photo shoot.  This is interesting for a couple reasons.  #1, it has been stated the Cadet grew up with his family in NYC, but unless he is using his Jetpack to get to work, his family is clearly living in Gateway City. So for those of us that assumed we were in for some fun in the big apple, think again.  That's okay though. I like that all the Class Characters (even Zahn it seems) have ties to this city. It's like Classes Metropolis, or Duckburg. (Though, with far less fucking then there would be in a city consisting purely of ducks.) 

 

Anyway the second he gets there he's winds up super inspiring the best photographer in the company.  (I know that feeling with Cadet oh so well!)  This leads to some hot poses, but not actual sex with Diablo who is also working that day.  Looks like his job is pretty secure, even before what happens next.  During what happens after shoot, that the story once again references the plot of the first issue.  Byron starts to have visions of his past.  Friends start to take the shape of familiar faces and Byron is left with a lot of questions.  Questions we all have and are eagerly awaiting the answers to, as we have been for some time now.

 Those answers will have to wait as Byron upon leaving work, reunites with some old school friends. (Old in the case of 22 year old Cadet being people has hasn't seen in like 4 years.)   This is where things get exciting!  An old high school friend named Justin appears.  Justin looks like he has some anime inspiration behind his design. I couldn't help but think of Kingdom Hearts Sora when I first got a look at him!   Justin introduces Space Cadet to another hero named Golden Boy.  The two of them hit it off immensely immediately in one of the most passionate and powerful love making scenes to come out this year.  They hit off by not only being physically attracted by each other, but seduced by the mystery and allure of being with another person with a secret identity.  (Someone they can fully relate to.) It's already inspired animated fan art from Gene Lightfoot!  Their love making is cut short, when they are called to help a friend in need.  What follows is a wonderfully drawn battle by Cantero.  A huge battle along side Golden Boy with just as much power behind the panels as the love making segments.

Space Cadet and Golden Boy Boner bump, revealing they are interested in more then one mystery about each other then their super powers.

I love the fact that the boner bumping continues as they undress and talk more about their super hero status.  The two cocks are like dowsing rods, attracted more and more to each other with each piece of clothing that falls and piece of information that is passed between them!

Gene Lightfoots animated image that was inspired by the scene that followed.  (You will have to buy the book to see these hot pages yourself!!!) 

Some random thoughts:

-Either Byrons friend Justin has moved to Gateway City seeking his help, or the whole NYC upbringing has been dropped at this point. It was, as far as I can recall never mentioned in a comic anyway.  The only mention was in an online profile, so I can see this happening. I'm for making all the characters Canadian! LOL. Gateway is a Canadian city isn't it?  hmmmm more research needed. XD

-Okay, look Mr. Fillon and crew, I am getting freaking brotherly love blue balls from all the teasing of fathers and sons and now bothers, having these naughty situations and nothing happening!!!  With all the dick touching and bondage it's driving me crazy!!!  This is my first honest to goodness complaint about the book! LOL! It wouldn't be so bad if this wasn't the third time in less then a year that we have been presented a situation like this.  First was Peter and his father, then Cam and his father (which I will admit went pretty far.)  Now we have Sheldon and Byron naked wrestling! I'm gonna explode over here!!!
 Yes I know we have the twins in Mako Finn and the two Vargas Twin Books by Logan.  Those are both amazing examples.  The thing is, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, we want to see some main cast members doing something Taboo!   It's just getting a little frustrating!  JUST A LITTLE! LOL! ^__^  We want to catch that carrot dangling in front of our heads.   I always hold out hope for something in the future, but the future has come and we are still left with these wonderful teases!!!  Leave them wanting more and then when it does come, the pay off is so much better...I wonder if this is the plan?  

Oh don't give us that face Cadet!  We all know you have been thinking about Sheldon while playing with yourself in the shower! Admit it!!! XD

One thing about Class Comics, much like Marvel and DC, stories are often thrown out around various time lines, so anything can happen.  Someone might be at deaths door in a cliff hanger, but be fully fine in the next short story we are given, which takes place months, or years prior. (See the new Locus book for an example of that.)   Sadly what we were lacking over the last 4  years was Strider and Vallan, who haven't appeared in one Strip Show, or spin off!   (Though some of their co-stars have.)  So that being the case, the lack of them in this book made it all the more daunting .  :(

My second complaint is a real one.  It has something to do with the art.  It's something that I have been wanting to address since I first started reading Canteros work for Class Comics. It is simply that, despite how well he draws men, how beautiful they are, how amazingly he does faces, hair, facial expressions, poses, muscles, legs and chests, one feature often gets thrown to the side.  That is the foreskin.  I'm not talking about the actual dicks here.  David does some fantastic circumcised penises.  Some of the best of the business.  I am only addressing his foreskins. 

I think it first really bothered me when I was reading the scene where Incubus fucks Byron in Ghost Boy and Diablo #2.  This is because we were not dealing with his original characters, but one that had been well established as uncut.  So I was looking at Incubus with different eyes then I would his own OCs.  When I look at Byron and Eric, I shouldn't be drawing the conclusion that both are circumcised.  Now I am not saying he hasn't drawn some great foreskins.  He has and you will see them in Ghost Boy and Diablo #3, this book and many other places as well.  My gripe is that all too often they are forgotten.  They are not consistently drawn from panel to panel.  It's usually most apparent once the penis becomes fully hard.  Once erect, they have a tenancy to vanish.  As a foreskin fan I have a problem with that.  I have been a huge fan of Davids since the first moment I saw his art in a tiny thumbnail many years ago.  The ambitiousness of his characters cut and uncut status has always bugged me though.  You may even argue that the lines below the head of cut characters could be interpreted as foreskin as well. As they slide off to the side, much in the shape of a pulled back foreskin. As he is now doing so much for Class I feel I should speak my mind about it a bit.  
Just looking at the cover of this book, can you tell that Godlen Boy is uncut?  I cannot. When I see how exceptionally well he does all other aspects, I can't help but think that applying that talent to just a couple lines here can't be hard for such a skilled hand to do. (As mentioned he certainly has the power to given what is on display in other works.)

 A gorgeously drawn, thick leathery foreskin adorns Emmo in this panel from Ghost Boy and Diablo #3.  It's panels like this frustrated me when I see him ignore foreskins entirely.

I hate to say it, but some times they can feel and look like an after thought.   Like the skin was forced, reluctantly placed over an already drawn phallus. I don't know if he does this due to the size of the panels, if he hates foreskins, or that he doesn't feel they are important.  Maybe it is done to save a little time.  I really hope that this will changed in future works, because the times he does put the effort in, the foreskins can look absolutely fantastic.

You know, with all the side stories it probably will be confusing for some fans to try to figure out when this sequel is supposed to take place.  My best guess is that this book happens sometime before the events of Diablo and Ghost Boy #1.  Probably in between Boytoon Adventures and the 7 Days story featuring Diablo. (As Diablo is still working for the underwear company and his boss hasn't been revealed to be a total shit head yet.)  Though I could be wrong.  Maybe after the deaths of all the models on staff (or was it that they were just beaten unconscious by School Girl?) in GB & Diabloe 1 he had a change of heart? 
Peter finding out that Brunos boss Lavollay had inside information about who was holding Bruno captive marked him as horribly suspicious to me.  I couldn't see Diablo going back to work for this guy.
Maybe after all that happened, he made the Horny Devil Underwear Company survived by changing his ways?  Diablo stayed on bored, when Lavollay he had that change of character and became a kinder more loving boss.  I can see it happening.  Going from someone in a position of power, controlling men with no conscious, to almost losing everything, can certainly change a man!    For those that don't know, he was the kind of bastard where black mailing Peter suck his dick to give Peter information he should be giving freely, (information that could save someones life) was something he enjoyed doing.  What a douche...A hot douche...BUT a douche, nonetheless.  
Anyway I guess it is safe to say that even my best guess could be wrong and this whole thing might happen even after the current GB and D story arch.

-I wonder if this will lead to an adventure of Space Cadet set in space?  Why am I seeing the family living with alien neighbors in my mind and laughing at all the crazy shit that could happen, cause of that setting? XD

Conclusions:

Look to say I was not disappointed when I found out that the adventures set in Space Cadet #1 were not going to be been fully dealt with would be an understatement.  Waiting for 4 years while a plot sat in limbo would be frustrating for any fan. Had we gotten a second comic that didn't addresses the plot of the last book at all, I would have been pissed.  Had Strider and Vallen simply been written off that would have been pretty heartbreaking. Patrick and Fraser were smart to address the issues they had over the years on their sites, so we had a feeling things might not go as planned in book two.  That helped soften the blow.  Even when the drastic change from fantasy to super hero story was announced, they were kind enough to let us know that they were never giving up on the past story for good.  This was great, because I hate to think that all the negative people had such an effect that Patrick would throw away his vision.  I don't want Class Comics future dictated by a bunch of angry fan boys.  >___<

One thing that really helped make those years of waiting feel a lot shorter was the fact that Space Cadet has been given small roles and cameos in monthly Strip Show comics and the Diablo and Ghost Boy Series.  It's not like we had a lack of him, thankfully!  His constant presence reminded us that he wasn't going anywhere, even if his main adventure had been put on hold.

Patrick had mentioned wanting to draw the book himself.  Years ago, he spoke of the centaur kingdom and of course that got me excited.  I don't give up hope that we will see more of Vallan and Strider.  You can tell that there will be more of them in future issues and that's a great thing.  With David at the drawing table, you know you won't be waiting long for book three.  That man pumps out art old school fast.   I swear he could be doing these things on a monthly basis based on the what Patrick has told me about his speed!

I wouldn't mind seeing our mythological men in a Strip Show. ;D  Comics are much more flexible medium then animation.  We never know what to expect. Things can change very quickly.  For now though, I have to say that any disappointment I felt when I first got the news, was overshadowed greatly by the wonderful adventure and characters in this second issue.

 In this gorgeously drawn Strip Show comic by Jacob Mott and Patrick, we see Zahn interacting with Samm from Space Cadet #1.  Here's hoping Vallan and Strider get a Strip Show of this caliber sometime in the future!  Maybe they too will meet up with Zahn and friends!

I admit it, just as I had with the Ghost Boy& Diablo series, I got lost in the pages of Canteros wonderful art.  His snappy character designs (whether main, or background) are always such a great treat.  There is a lot of fun humor to the book, including some running gags that seem to carry from comic, to comic.  He does some wild fight scenes and even wilder sex scenes.  All the new cast members are fantastic. The digital copy has a large collection of his sketches, including a few showing the slight evolution of Byrons Family.  (You will notice some name changes among other things.) 

Golden Boy is a beautiful new hero with a lot of potential.  We don't know too much about him at the moment.  I am still waiting for 'Golden Boy' to live up to his name, if you know what I mean!  LOL!  David Cantero has helped create a funny, sexy, vibrant world for Byron to have fun in.  Byron looks super hot drawn by him, in case you were wondering.  To say he does justice to the character is an understatement.  He has a real talent and drawing various characters of different nationalities and here (as if he hasn't in the past) he shows his marvelous ability at drawing beautiful black men. From big beefy Byron, to his swimmers build brother, every panel featuring these guys is drool worthy.  If you want to see even more of his gorgeous Nubian nudes, you really owe it to yourself to start reading the Ghost Boy and Diablo series.

The few images we do get that feature Vallan and Strider are magnificent. There's a bit of an anime influence in the way he draws Vallan, much like Justin does.  He draws him super cute and a bit younger then he looks in previous comics.  I love it!  I really think fans will enjoy this comic immensely.

So what is my final score?  I would say that Space Cadet #2 continues the fine (albeit new) tradition on amazing comics written by Patrick Fillion and drawn masterfully by David Cantero.  Beside some of the above gripes I totally loved it several times now, if you catch my drift!!!
8/10.  

Boxing Julian Review

The other day I had the pleasure of reading Boxing Julian.  It's a graphic novel by David Cantero, that's is being distributed in English by Class Comics.  I found the book to be extremely moving,  I actually had to step away from the PC for a moment after finishing the PDF, I was so overwhelmed with emotion.  About a half an hour later, after soaking in a hot tub, I read it again.  Unlike David previous works, such as Keys, Dick 22 cm, or the video game Super Gay, Julian doesn't have any kind of jovial tone to it.  No, it's sombre all the way through.  It's one of the few (if not the only) erotic comics I have ever read that dared to paint the grim reality many of us have faced and continue to face as gay men in a serious manner.  Sadly for me, Julians story hit very close to home.

Julian is a pro boxer, who has had a very troubled childhood.  Through the constant verbal and physical abuse of his father, Julian has learned to repress his gay side. The scary part is, even though his father is long dead, Julian still relives his torments, to the point where he gets lost in his memories and fights back against the world around him.  This causes him to lash out at the ones he loves and become even more aggressive in the ring.  Julian knows what he is and although his pride won't allow anyone else to know, his hormones constantly betray him.  He jerks off to his own beauty, forces anal sex on his sweet as candy girlfriend and various other not so straight acts, until one day his repression leads him to commit an act so heinous, it robs him of someone that could very well have changed his life for the better forever.

The truth is the book didn't convince me that Julian is a bad guy.  If anything I felt an overwhelming amount of empathy for the character.  The fact that he is still fighting against his past makes think, he probably didn't commit the horrible (though justified) crime we see him committing in his flashbacks.  His ego will never let him be the man he wants to be.  He will never know true love...never really be happy.  He will continue to pretend to something he is not.  All I can see is a life of bitterness and abuse ahead for him.

How often is it that we see men like him?  I worked at a company where no less then 5 of the upper managers were if you will pardon the expression, flammers with families.  I saw them give each other looks and looks to the handsomer men at the company.  I've seen it at school, online, within my friends and even while dating.  Society and our families can sure play a number on us. We to often allow ourselves to be trapped in these lives, so we can integrate better with society.  We do so until the day when we finally give into our true nature and risk it all falling apart.  As a child of abuse myself, I can at least say that I buried the hatchet after the passing of the abuser.  Julian was not so lucky.  I know what it's like to hide what I am to protect what little I have in life.  To live in unnecessary fear.  I can sympathize with him.  Julians got too much going on in the public eye, (way more then your average closet case will ever have) for him to risk anything.   And you know this is all going to make his crash all the worse one day sooner, or later.

Boxing Julian is an amazing comic that serves as a warning not only to gay men, but to society as a whole.   It's one of the few gay pornographic titles I have recommended to even my straight friends, because it's erotic elements never take center stage away from it's story and message.  This is what you do to us and this  is what we do to ourselves and others in return. I give this title a 10/10.