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January 28, 2008

The Kinky Cartoon Network


We secretly enjoy reading the comics in the paper, and it’s not such a secret that the voyeur in us loves thumbing through the local alt-weekly to check out the raunchy personal ads. Now Ellen Forney has combined the two and — it turns out — they’re two great tastes that taste great together!

Forney has taken real classifieds from Seattle’s The Stranger, added clever illustrations, and the resulting combos have been compiled in the book Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads from Seattle's The Stranger, out January 31. Though the collection is “dedicated to perverts everywhere,” Forney’s sketches are more playful than porno. An ad for a “trashy” male looking for a “redneck with months-old B.O.” is depicted on Oscar the Grouch’s garbage can. For a gentleman seeking a partner to watch each other pleasure themselves, Forney draws a box of “HandBugger Helper.” Flavors: Muffin’ Buffin’ and Chicken Chokin’. (Somewhere, Betty Crocker is blushing.)

Forney also segues from cartoonist to journalist, asking probing questions of people who have placed ads. In one exchange, “Laila” cops to a kinky experience: Penetrating her boyfriend with a sex toy while chatting on the phone. (“He told me later that that was the most awesome experience.”) If that’s your idea of a good time, experience Forney’s Lust — and steer clear of eHarmony.com.

Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads from Seattle's The Stranger is available January 31 from Fantagraphics Books.


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