The Art of Ephorox

Ephorox's art is all about heroes, supremely muscular and astonishingly endowed (to the point where 'well-' no longer seems like an appropriate prefix). This character is dubbed 'Mr Gentleman' and Ephorox explores his persona in a series of images. His super-hero mask of anonymity is about as effective at hiding his identity as the matching one-piece outfit is at containing his equipment. Hence the 'slutty' tag, I suppose.

'Sticky-out ears' are a weakness of mine (sticky-out veins not so) but Ephorox has also given this character a handsome face to admire. There's a certain boyish coyness about the thoughtful pose that suggests a interesting personality rather less assertive than the muscularity and gloves might lead you to expect. 

 The 'Monkey Emperor' is another Ephorox character notable for his ears. Animal hybrids are not my thing but ME, as he is known, is human enough and cute enough to pass muster. That goes for Tyon here too, his massive bulk alone is sufficient to inject a sense of 'The Beast' into this sex play, qualities which ME seems to struggling to handle. This is supposedly his present to Tyon and the artist has used a more fuzzy, 'painterly' style for the image, a sort of soft focus which gives it a romantic overlay. 

Romance is explicitly signposted in this stylish image which seems to owe something to the Gilbert and George and Jean Paul Gaultier schools of Naval iconography. It's a nicely balanced, visually pleasing composition which catches a sense of masculine grappling, somewhat like rutting stags.

The organs here have less challenging proportions but there's still a suggestion that the recipient has room for more and is even yearning for it. Perhaps that's an invitation to the Peeping Tom in the background. His presence all set to record the passionate scene on video gives the picture a bit of an edge, hinting at anti-gay military regulations, blackmail and exposure.
Or is it simply the classic, closeted voyeur wishing it was he?

I previously featured a similar robust sexual encounter from this artist
in my prison series You're Going Down!

There's an edge of a different sort here with the big guy on the defensive having innocently exposed his wares and attracted an unwelcome interest. We all know the situation but can still relish the attractive, young hunk being put on the spot instead of being a honey pot for males. I presume the fluttering paper represents ticker-tape, suggesting a New Year's celebration or something similar, which would account for his indiscretion and the embarrassing behaviour of his admirer.

You may find your reaction to this picture is different to the preceding one, but it actually depicts a similar sort of sexual aggression. The Military Man's Uniform seems to be related to the that of the Civil Guard in Spain and similar forces whose overt sexuality sometimes seems to be part of their uniform. Hoever, but his face suggests a softer temperament than those real Policemen usually project. There's a Military Man sequel which shows his (somewhat predictable) reaction to this breach of his protective shell by an audacious admirer.

(The 'open shirt reveal' as an erotic device goes all the way back to Errol Flynn of course).

 There's a more sexual intimidation of men in this image featuring that indispensable character, 

the hapless burglar, where would we be without them? Two for the price of one in this scenario as befits a superhero (whose status I deduce from his characteristic boots, suggesting that he must wear them in bed). The placing of the figures and the dialogue spell out how intimidating and confident this muscular man is and how much in awe of him the criminals are. He actually wields his gay sexuality as a weapon against straight rogues, it is remarkably affirming. In this and other pictures Ephorox has a talent for making clear an idea that others only hint at.

There's also a version of this picture which has been finished in full colour by Louderland  to underline how spectacular the hidden appendage is, but I prefer this sketch which focuses on the burglar's embarrassment and sexual dilemma. See his version Hypnotizing in colour

The wit, warmth and domesticity of this sketch sets it apart from the fanciful, heroic fantasies and seems to give us a glimpse of the real Ephorox. This man's body development is still exaggerated but softer (in every department!) and less therefore intimidating. His words convey an equally mild and appealing personality. His skewed necktie is downright sexy. Nice.

You may be familiar with this image published by Ephorox under the name Noxypia. You can see his hand in the jutting jawline of the Warrior but the snowy landscape and more subtle treatment of the muscular torso reveals greater depths to his technical talent. This is classic fantasy art which in it's modern incarnation tends to bring exotic locations and mysterious forces to the fore, rather than the dragons of Boris Vallejo.

 If 'Warrior of the Mountains' reveals unsuspected representational skills, this astonishing picture puts Ephorox up amongst the best of cartoon dramatists. The depiction of this threatened superhero from the waist up would grace any comic, invoking his muscular struggle and fear most convincingly. The dramatic, angled viewpoint creates a genuine sense of him being drawn, cock first, into the gaping maw with it's ring of vicious teeth. If you think about the physics of real life here you can see that Ephorox has pulled off some clever visual trickery in making it look so convincing.

In a way this image gives a context to the whole of Ephorox's art, with it's colourful assertion of (gay) masculinity on the one hand and the complementary fear of being emasculated (repressed) on the other.

 To neutral eyes, the wildly exaggerated organs of this artist seem too outrageous to be considered as serious porn, but if you read comments by Ephorox on his sites (see list below) you will see he has encountered censorship issues on some platforms. This image documents his personal struggle to come to terms with that backlash. Mr Gentleman voices defiant, affirming sentiments, but ironically his cock is tucked  away, out of sight inside his one-piece. Emasculation indeed. Personally I find that bulge more erotic than wild nudity, but the picture is a reminder that our self expression is always liable to be threatened by the forces of conservatism.
Remember 'Charlie Hebdo'!

The creeping censorship of the web makes explicit artists harder and harder to track down, 

but you can presently see some of Ephorox's work at the following sites: