iFanboy Upstarts: Lin R. Visel

Adam Hughes. Brandon Graham. Keith Giffen. Jason Pearon. Tomm Coker. What do they all have in common? Yes, they do comics — but they all share a past in doing pornographic comics. Whether it be working for Penthouse Comix, Fantagraphics’ Eros line or on their own, each of these artists — and many more — have worked on comics with an adult flair. For some it’s just a way of making a living, but for others it’s simply another avenue for telling a story. And this week’s iFanboy Upstart is someone who makes sex comics sexy and also fun.

California-based artist Lin R. Visel got her start in art at the early age of 10.  She was an early adoptee of Photoshop, picking up the program while only twelve and going on to later do most of her drawing digitally with a tablet. Her first published comic was a back-up in this summer’s Prophet #27, but she has been working for years doing her Effort Comics! webcomic series as well as strips for the adult comics site Slipshine. Effort Comics! is is about a cartoon bear and his slacker human roommate that was created years before the recent Seth McFarlane movie Ted, and is a mix of sex and comedy or the best sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. Over on Slipshine, Visel has worked for three years producing adult-oriented comics that are definitely NSFW, but shows more storyline that any porn flick you’ve seen.

Visel has an energetic cartooning style that is reminiscent of Amanda Conner and Dean Yeagle and storytelling like a reinvigorated Frank Thorne, but with the heavy skillset of someone very proficient in digital art. her back-up story in Prophet #27 is quite different in subject matter from her online work, and shows a cartoonist not stuck to one subject matter — her recent commissions of company-owned concepts like Adventure Time and DC Comics Harlequin shows she’s adept in a variety of places, so I’m anxious to see what she does next.