We gay men are known for two things; short attention spans and assplay (I’m sure there are some other things we’re known for, but I lost interest before I was able to compile a proper list) and Davis Trell is no exception. His work, consisting mostly of comic book covers parodying the superhero and romance genres exist as self-contained works that exude wit and clever wordplay. To put it in comic book terms, just imagine an alternate dimension where every book on the shelf of your local comic shop features some sexual mis-adventure of your favorite neighborhood superhero or a romantic scenario with its subjects in various positions of compromise.
An artist and fiction writer from the UK, Trell’s inspirations lie within the pages of MAD Magazine and in the splashes of vintage issues of Love comics, which explains his satirical application which appeals to smart gay audiences and works against the sexual mores that are in some ways the result of the pieces of work that he parodies.
Check out the above images of "Gay Bachelor", a comic invention which Trell describes as a "Hugh Hefner type" that wouldn't necessarily make a good comic book because it does not have a "built-in formula" that can be repeated, but makes a wonderful subject for a cover. He claims that his short attention span prohibits him from creating an entire book to accompany his covers, and while I think his fiction writer skills would probably produce better results than he believes, I support this creative decision because I think it's great to tease your audience. If you give them what they want, eventually, they won't want it anymore. This way, they will always want more, because the humor is all based on the anticipation of the action that is supposed to follow. But instead, the concept is broken down to a simple, pure form and embodied in one tableau and a series of well thought out phrases and captions.Below, you can see a selection of boys comics covers, check out the great titles and subtitles Trell has penned, they read with the flair of vintage serials and drip with irony (CLICK TO ENLARGE). You can practically hear the dramatic organ music playing behind each read of the line. (Hmmm, organ music...how appropriate)
Trell has done some comic pages, like the two sets of playful panels I've posted below...
Trell is a fan of brit illustrators like Frank Hampson, Don Lawrence and Ron Embleton as well as Silver-Age American pencilers like Gil Kane and Mike Sekowsky. He claims to have a prudish nature and to shy away from "dark subjects". I posted more images than usual here because there is no website devoted entirely to his works, but you can read his fiction here and here.
And that boys, is the end.
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