Tuesday Titillation: Rapid Shooters by Sean

Tuesday Titillation: 

Rapid Shooters by Sean

Today, we take a titillating gander at the distinctive pen and ink stylings of gay illustrator Sean. 

This slice of gay history is brought to you by Wikipedia!

'Sean' and 'Shawn' were the pen-names of John Klamik, an American artist specializing in gay male erotica and comics. His homosexual-themed cartoons were among the first to appear in US publications, including a regular feature in the early years of The Advocate. He worked under two pen names: Shawn for more mainstream gay publications such as In Touch, and Sean for fetish publications such as Drummer and Bound & Gagged.

Klamik was born on July 22, 1935, in Chicago, and studied at the Art Institute. He moved to West Hollywood, California in the mid-1960s, where he worked in an art factory producing paintings for hotel rooms, and as the Display Director for the Akron stores, a Southern California–based imported goods and home decorating department store retail chain.

His first erotic artwork was created in 1963, by taking photographs of the illustrations and making prints in home darkrooms. In 1965, he began doing editorial and gag comics for The Advocate, and in the late-1960s did a half-page series under the title Gayer Than Strange.

In the 1970s, he did both softcore and hardcore illustrations for erotic novels and collections of short stories published by Larry Townsend, and his Leatherman’s Handbook. In the mid 1970s he created the stand-alone, wordless hardcore comics Biff and Biff Bound for San Francisco publisher Le Salon, which featured centerfolds with 10 and 15 men having sex, respectively. During this time he produced eighteen 10-page comics stories for hardcore photo-story magazines published by Nova Studios, which were reprinted in Meatmen. In the 1980s, he did art direction for some of Nova's porn films and videos. In the late-1980s, he produced Up the Block, a humor comic strip set in a gay neighborhood, for Frontiers. He produced 27 installments of Jake, a 4-page series for Jock magazine; over 20 episodes of Dick Darling, Hollywood Cover Boy, a 2- or 4-page strip for a twink-themed porn magazine; and 7 episodes of Johnny Guitar for another magazine.

At the end of the 1980s, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, and continued to work with various California publishers through the mail.

In 1965, Klamik began a relationship with Jim Newberry. They remained companions until Klamik's death from lung cancer on January 5, 2005.

And now, Rapid Shooters by Sean!

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