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Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground
Tracing the rise of commercial fetish art from its shadowy beginnings in the 1940s to its acceptance in the 1970s, this illustrated biography explores the unconventional life and art of Eric Stanton, a pioneering sexual fantasist who helped shape the movement. With more than 400 rare images and interviews with Stanton's family and closest associates, this biography chronicles the infamous circle of patrons, publishers, and cult icons populating his subterranean world, including Irving Klaw, John Willie, Bettie Page, Steve Ditko, and Gene Bilbrew. It is the untold, secret history of a misunderstood culture, the abuses of government authority, social intolerance, and gangsters. But above all, it is a tale about survival against all odds and an artist who had the courage to stay true to himself.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2018
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997 people want to read
About the author
Richard Pérez Seves
10 books44 followersRichard Pérez Seves is the author of
JOHN WILLIE: The Story of John Alexander Scott Coutts, GENE BILBREW REVEALED: The Unsung Legacy of a Fetish Art Pioneer, CHARLES GUYETTE: Godfather of American Fetish Art , Jackie Miller Recollection: A Tribute in Photos, and the hardcover illustrated biography, Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground.
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JOHN WILLIE: The Story of John Alexander Scott Coutts, GENE BILBREW REVEALED: The Unsung Legacy of a Fetish Art Pioneer, CHARLES GUYETTE: Godfather of American Fetish Art , Jackie Miller Recollection: A Tribute in Photos, and the hardcover illustrated biography, Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 31, 2018
This is a terrific insight into the world of fetish art through the early comic strips to the more acceptable sexual fantasy and erotic comic art.
Eric Stanton has been called "the Rembrandt of Pulp-Culture. From the danger of police seizures and forced closure of any publication promoting and exhibiting this risqué subject matter in the early 40's. Stanton is focus and the hero of this artform, "I draw better than most of your artists," Eric Stanton is supposed to have told Irving Klaw.
It has been said that 'His imaginative, detailed full-colour comic strip narratives picture buxom, leggy femme fatales having their way with tied-up, handcuffed, or simply awestruck men.' and
'Stanton's imagery is either an empowerment of female sexuality or a gross caricature of female-domination fantasy.'
This is what makes this illustrated biography so fascinating; Stanton is not a conventional character but he stayed true to his vision and expression of art. It shows what makes the difference when pushing social norms, corruption in such industries and often unchecked government power, it requires vision, a pioneering vision, self-belief and raw talent. Stanton was the man who through his association with Irving Klaw, the enterprising businessman, famous for his photographs of Betty Page.
It is a brave book as it no longer sits comfortably with pictures on American warplanes, suggestive beer pumps, page three models and Miss World. But with over 400 illustrations, many rare images and through access to interviews with people who knew, worked with and loved Stanton, a fleshed-out person is shown of the man. A normal bloke with an extraordinary gift that places him above all his contemporaries, and with John Willie as one of the very best and skilled exponents of erotic and comic art.
I was interested to read that between 1958 and 1966 he shared a studio and common ideas with Steve Ditko, the creator of Spider Man. Stanton at times did the drawings in ink and Ditko coloured them in. Other artists work was also revisited and perhaps rehashed in colour for commercial need but destroying original works of art and showing the lack of copyright.
Eric Stanton re-invented himself, used various names to sign his creations and was always fighting to secure recognition for his worth and fair pay. it was a difficult journey and an interesting account, it isn't a top shelf magazine to get cheap thrills from but an educated review of social history and sexual expression. In a sense, this movement was at the vanguard of addressing strict censorship and heralding the advances in freedom in the arts. Interesting, the very liberation it helped bring about means that a new appraisal of this genre and comic pulp culture.
A book that makes one review one's own life against the background of a revolution that perhaps has influenced you more than you can imagine. It isn't the internet, and all the freedoms that brings but that is the point. Here is the struggle, the determination and sacrifice of people who had a vision and an innate belief that their art was more than an instant gratification but a process of true expression.
Eric Stanton has been called "the Rembrandt of Pulp-Culture. From the danger of police seizures and forced closure of any publication promoting and exhibiting this risqué subject matter in the early 40's. Stanton is focus and the hero of this artform, "I draw better than most of your artists," Eric Stanton is supposed to have told Irving Klaw.
It has been said that 'His imaginative, detailed full-colour comic strip narratives picture buxom, leggy femme fatales having their way with tied-up, handcuffed, or simply awestruck men.' and
'Stanton's imagery is either an empowerment of female sexuality or a gross caricature of female-domination fantasy.'
This is what makes this illustrated biography so fascinating; Stanton is not a conventional character but he stayed true to his vision and expression of art. It shows what makes the difference when pushing social norms, corruption in such industries and often unchecked government power, it requires vision, a pioneering vision, self-belief and raw talent. Stanton was the man who through his association with Irving Klaw, the enterprising businessman, famous for his photographs of Betty Page.
It is a brave book as it no longer sits comfortably with pictures on American warplanes, suggestive beer pumps, page three models and Miss World. But with over 400 illustrations, many rare images and through access to interviews with people who knew, worked with and loved Stanton, a fleshed-out person is shown of the man. A normal bloke with an extraordinary gift that places him above all his contemporaries, and with John Willie as one of the very best and skilled exponents of erotic and comic art.
I was interested to read that between 1958 and 1966 he shared a studio and common ideas with Steve Ditko, the creator of Spider Man. Stanton at times did the drawings in ink and Ditko coloured them in. Other artists work was also revisited and perhaps rehashed in colour for commercial need but destroying original works of art and showing the lack of copyright.
Eric Stanton re-invented himself, used various names to sign his creations and was always fighting to secure recognition for his worth and fair pay. it was a difficult journey and an interesting account, it isn't a top shelf magazine to get cheap thrills from but an educated review of social history and sexual expression. In a sense, this movement was at the vanguard of addressing strict censorship and heralding the advances in freedom in the arts. Interesting, the very liberation it helped bring about means that a new appraisal of this genre and comic pulp culture.
A book that makes one review one's own life against the background of a revolution that perhaps has influenced you more than you can imagine. It isn't the internet, and all the freedoms that brings but that is the point. Here is the struggle, the determination and sacrifice of people who had a vision and an innate belief that their art was more than an instant gratification but a process of true expression.
January 21, 2019
Fascinating! Well worth adding to your collection; Eric Stanton is a beautiful coffee table book and a well researched biography and history of twentieth century fetish art. I am not an experienced fetish art fan, however I loved this book! Eric Stanton had a fascinating life and it is interesting to discover his relationship with Bettie Page and the creator of Spiderman. Who would have known?!? A nice heavy duty hardcover; this impressive tome contains illustrations, drawings, and photographs on every page, all high quality prints and reproductions. Though it doesn't contain Stanton's later more explicit art, it contains most of his work through the seventies; comics, book covers, serials, and drawings. Well written, beautiful laid out, and meticulously researched; this is a must buy for art aficionados, fetish collectors, and early comic fans.
December 5, 2018
A definitive, profusely illustrated chronicle of Eric Stanton's ascent to the top of the girlie illustration mountain. Answered every question I had about the man, his early career and how the genius of Stanton's work was given birth and evolved. Working against all odds, including threat of jail by an overzealous United States government, Stanton and other key artists profiled in this book toiled on to give us the art we treasure today. A required edition for every Stanton collector and aficionados of the 50's/60's underground fetish art scene, which is explored richly and thoroughly.
November 7, 2018
One part biography, one part social history, one part art book, this book has exposed me to a subculture I knew very little about. Eric Stanton, Steve Ditko, Bettie Page, Irving Klaw and so many others ... the world of the "bizarre underground" or fetish art underground. I found this book highly entertaining. And the artwork is beautiful and interesting as well. Some serious research went into this book. Even the collector's guide in the back is beautiful -- for all the art. Recommended!
July 13, 2018
Coming to this as a fan of graphic novels and sequential art, it was clearly a very well compiled and thorough biography of someone in an offshoot of the industry who I had never heard of, and whose output I really couldn't care a great deal for – buxom beauties in impossible high heels tying each other up or beating each other up, basically. If you come to this as a fan of the man or his oeuvre of low-level kink, then you'll find this priceless. Family interviews; a strong breadth that ranges from his health to the health of the industry, police raids and Codes and all – everything you could want is here. There're certainly too much minutiae and forensic business reporting for the passingly curious, such as I – but you also get a great thinking aloud section regarding the creation of a friend and colleague's world-famous character. I hope the captioning, lowered speech marks (in the opposite fashion to the Spanish) and more is cleared up from my netgalley, and what I'd finally wish for was the last few decades of his life to not be so cursorily mentioned in a very abrupt ending. Four stars on the whole then, but some small bit of that is down to the fact that pretty much all the art raised no emotion at all.
September 4, 2018
I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I went into this book blindly - having had no previous knowledge of Eric Stanton or the bizarre underground, but the author did a great job not only by providing me with the knowledge and history of the fetish and underground comic world, but also to interest me to read further and further.
Even though the book focuses majorly on Eric Stanton, the reader gets a full picture of the context, the time and everything else going on into the world Stanton was working in - and for the comic enthusiast I am, there is also a lot of intertwining of the bizarre world of pinup and fetish comics with the superhero comics at the time and you can clearly get an idea of the influences going around.
This book is great for any Stanton fan, but it's also catchy and easy to read for someone completely new to this artist and genre. One of the best biographies I've read about someone I did not know nor had any previous interest in!
I went into this book blindly - having had no previous knowledge of Eric Stanton or the bizarre underground, but the author did a great job not only by providing me with the knowledge and history of the fetish and underground comic world, but also to interest me to read further and further.
Even though the book focuses majorly on Eric Stanton, the reader gets a full picture of the context, the time and everything else going on into the world Stanton was working in - and for the comic enthusiast I am, there is also a lot of intertwining of the bizarre world of pinup and fetish comics with the superhero comics at the time and you can clearly get an idea of the influences going around.
This book is great for any Stanton fan, but it's also catchy and easy to read for someone completely new to this artist and genre. One of the best biographies I've read about someone I did not know nor had any previous interest in!
June 3, 2018
I enjoy finding out about new artists, and here’s one I had no idea existed.
Right off I can say there’s lots of bondage drawings and comic strips amongst biographic text. Bettie Page shows up, as kinda expected. Exactly halfway through Spiderman gets makes an appearance.
To be honest, it feels like this artist is being celebrated more for longevity than any special artistry. This book is kinda fringe, good for the people interested in the subject. I wasn’t as much as I thought I would be, so I didn’t find it that entertaining in the end.
2.5 pushed up to 3/5
Right off I can say there’s lots of bondage drawings and comic strips amongst biographic text. Bettie Page shows up, as kinda expected. Exactly halfway through Spiderman gets makes an appearance.
To be honest, it feels like this artist is being celebrated more for longevity than any special artistry. This book is kinda fringe, good for the people interested in the subject. I wasn’t as much as I thought I would be, so I didn’t find it that entertaining in the end.
2.5 pushed up to 3/5
June 18, 2018
I expected this book to be an art book (i.e. a quick-ish read with more pictures than words); it turned out to be a biography of Eric Stanton and a history of early fetish publishing. I got many of the people mentioned in the book confused, possibly because I'm not familiar with the major players (Bettie Page was the only name I recognized) , but it was an interesting and enlightening read nonetheless. I would recommend it to those interested in either Eric Stanton or mid-century fetish publishers but not to the casual reader.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
April 19, 2021
Seves should be applauded for researching so thoroughly an artform which has, out of necessity, been relegated to the undocumented underground for so long. However, those wishing for more of Stanton's life and less of his life will be disappointed.
December 30, 2018
Was not what I expected. I'm donating it to a library.
April 15, 2020
This book was my first exposure to artist Eric Stanton and the underground, fetish art world of the 1950's/60's. It was a fascinating read, but I couldn't help but find it a bit incomplete, both as a biography of a man and as a historical account of a movement. The author tells us that Stanton remained an active artist through his death in 1999, but the book really only covers his career up to the 1970's.
This was clearly a labor of love for Perez Seves, who seems to be a passionate fetish art collector and some sort of Stanton superfan, but this lack of distance from the material often means that Perez Seves is unable to present the story objectively, and he often betrays bias and occasionally sinks into pure conjecture as to how events might have played out--the chapter on how Stanton may have "co-created" Spider-man with Steve Ditko slips into a particularly ridiculous bit of fantasy and blatant conjecture (Otherwise, the chapters on Stanton and Ditko's working relationship are a highlight of the book).
The author is always firmly on Stanton's side, and the limited scope of the research and outside sources used (he seems to rely only on Stanton's family and friends for historical accounts) can make the writing feel one-sided and judgemental, as if he's more interested in defending his hero than presenting an accurate, researched and objective account of the facts. The book's depiction of Stanton's first wife Grace in particular made me uncomfortable. The book could have been better served by bringing in the work of other scholars and fetish art historians to bulk up its historical narrative.
Still, the accounts of the seedy underground fetish scene in New York are fascinating and well written--the various tales of court cases, scandals and police corruption are captivating and offer glimpes of other major figures such as Irving Klaw, Betty Page, Stanley Malkin and Edward Mishkin, all of which seem to be compelling, complicated figures equally deserving of their own biographies.
The book also does a great job of packaging Stanton's art with the writing, and the images are all reproductions of the highest quality. I personally could have done with less artwork and more conventional biography, but Perez Seves seems to grasp that many people will be picking the book up specifically to see the art, and he delivers it by the truckload.
Whether you're interested in the history of underground comics art, the burgeoning fetish art scene, literary censorship in America, or if you're just curious to see Stanton's work, this book is a quick, quirky read and a solid introduction, even if it raises more questions than it answers.
This was clearly a labor of love for Perez Seves, who seems to be a passionate fetish art collector and some sort of Stanton superfan, but this lack of distance from the material often means that Perez Seves is unable to present the story objectively, and he often betrays bias and occasionally sinks into pure conjecture as to how events might have played out--the chapter on how Stanton may have "co-created" Spider-man with Steve Ditko slips into a particularly ridiculous bit of fantasy and blatant conjecture (Otherwise, the chapters on Stanton and Ditko's working relationship are a highlight of the book).
The author is always firmly on Stanton's side, and the limited scope of the research and outside sources used (he seems to rely only on Stanton's family and friends for historical accounts) can make the writing feel one-sided and judgemental, as if he's more interested in defending his hero than presenting an accurate, researched and objective account of the facts. The book's depiction of Stanton's first wife Grace in particular made me uncomfortable. The book could have been better served by bringing in the work of other scholars and fetish art historians to bulk up its historical narrative.
Still, the accounts of the seedy underground fetish scene in New York are fascinating and well written--the various tales of court cases, scandals and police corruption are captivating and offer glimpes of other major figures such as Irving Klaw, Betty Page, Stanley Malkin and Edward Mishkin, all of which seem to be compelling, complicated figures equally deserving of their own biographies.
The book also does a great job of packaging Stanton's art with the writing, and the images are all reproductions of the highest quality. I personally could have done with less artwork and more conventional biography, but Perez Seves seems to grasp that many people will be picking the book up specifically to see the art, and he delivers it by the truckload.
Whether you're interested in the history of underground comics art, the burgeoning fetish art scene, literary censorship in America, or if you're just curious to see Stanton's work, this book is a quick, quirky read and a solid introduction, even if it raises more questions than it answers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews