Tom of Finland Comic Collection
Tom of Finland
Durk Dehner/ Dian Hanson
Taschen Books
Distributed in Australia by Tower Books
"I work very hard to make sure that the men I draw having sex are
proud men having happy sex."
Tom of Finland
"If I don't have an erection when I'm
doing a drawing, I know it's no good.”
Tom of Finland
The Comic Collection is the only compilation of Tom of Finland’s popular
panel stories. Each of five 192-page volumes features eight or more complete
stories, including all twenty-six episodes of Kake, Tom’s infamous ultimate
leatherman. The stories are arranged chronologically in books sized to fit
perfectly in one hand, with the whole set appropriately housed in a very
handsome display box. For boys who like boys who like art, this attractive
package is not to be missed.
The first thing you notice with this set is the high production values.
Each volume is bound in vinyl with a nice Tom of Finland image embossed in gold
print. The box itself has a nice “Tom” image and it looks a treat. Volume one
has an essay of Introduction by Dian Hanson, in both English and German. The
reproduction of the images is of the highest quality in both black and white
and colour.
Touko Laaksonen, the boy who would become Tom of Finland (1920-1991),
began drawing cartoons at age five. His favorite subjects were the rough manly
men of his native Finland,
as Touko knew from an early age that men interested him more than women. His
talents were further honed by art study in Helsinki. He found success in the Finnish
advertising industry but secretly continued creating his increasingly erotic
drawings of hyper-masculine men. In 1957 he submitted some drawings to the
American magazine Physique Pictorial and the "Tom of Finland” legend was
born. By the late sixties Tom's "dirty drawings" became the standard
for gay art, and Tom’s Men a template for a new gay masculinity. Tom’s art
continues to play an important role in promoting self-confidence, positive
self-image and openness in the gay community with a special reference to the
Leather communities. Much of his art is still considered controversial as
debate rages about the role of masculinity within the Gay community. For some
years the onslaught of political correctness made his images somewhat less than
popular but with a recent resurgence of the Androphile movement within Gay
culture they have once again taken pride of place in many Gay men’s homes.
Durk Dehner is Tom’s archivist and provided the original art for these
volumes. He was born in Alberta, Canada, where he studied art before moving to
the United States
in the mid-seventies. He modeled for photographers Bruce Weber and Ken Haak,
and began working with Tom of Finland in 1978 as his public relations liaison.
Dehner was instrumental in bringing Tom out of the underground and focusing
public attention on his work. The two co-founded the Tom of Finland Foundation
in 1984 as an archive for Tom's work and life history. He continues as head of
the Tom of Finland Foundation, headquartered in Los Angeles, California,
and has expanded it to provide a refuge for all forms of erotic art.