Dicks, Butts, Gay (?) Sex, & Queer Activism in “A Man’s Skin”

As part of Pride Month, we’re highlighting queer comic books and graphic novels throughout June and A Man’s Skin is one of my favorites.

The artwork is gorgeous, even when it took me a bit to get accustomed, but the story is the true beauty.

The official blurb:

In Renaissance Italy, Bianca, a young lady from a good family, is of marriage age. Her parents find her a fiancé to their liking: Giovanni, a rich merchant, young and pleasant. The wedding looks set to go smoothly even though Bianca can’t hide her disappointment at having to marry a man she knows nothing about.

But before the marriage, she learns the secret held andbequeathed by the women of her family for generations: a “man’s skin”! By donning it, Bianca becomes “Lorenzo” and enjoys all the attributes of a young man of stunning beauty. She can now visit the world of men incognito and get to know her fiancé in his natural environment. In her male skin, Bianca frees herself from the limits imposed on women and discovers love and sexuality.

The moral of the Renaissance then acts as a mirror to that ofour century and poses several questions: why should women have a different sexuality from that of men? Why should their pleasure and freedom be the object of contempt and coercion? Finally, how can morality be the instrument of both severe and unconscious domination?

Tackling universal themes such asgender, sexuality, LGBTQ+, compassion, religion, and morality through a captivating and subtle fable, Hubert and Zanzim brilliantly question our relationship to gender and sexuality… but not only that. By mixing religion and sex, morality and humor, nobility and outspokenness, A Man’s Skin invites us both to the liberation of morals and to the mad and noble quest for love.

Like Stefon likes to say, “This book has everything: a woman pretending to be a man, men pretending to be women, gay kiss, gay sex, straight pegging, Pride parade, feminism, criticism of religion, hypocrite priests and men of the cloth, punk, and just a beautiful tapestry of love stories.”

That’s it. No punchline.

Original title: Peau d’homme
Writer: Hubert
Artist: Zanzim
Colorist: E. Tranlé
Publisher: Glénat BD (2020/French version); Ablaze (2021/English translation)
Translator: Ivanka Hahnenberger
Lettering and text layout: Design Amorandi

Dollsexposed

Dollsexposed showcases queer erotica, kink, fetish, and activism through twelve-inch doll photography. Their adventures in the doll world began in 2011 before establishing a home on dollsexposed.com eleven years later.

Dollsexposed's works have been displayed at Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Los Angeles Kinky Art Show, and Los Angeles Leather Getaway.

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