Joe Johnson | |
---|---|
Born | Joe Johnson |
Nationality | American |
Area(s) | Cartoonist |
Notable works | "Miss Thing", "Big Dick" |
Joe Johnson was [1] an American gay cartoonist, whose Miss Thing and Big Dick were among the first ongoing gay comics characters, appearing in the late 1960s and early 1970s. [2] The characters were featured in single-panel humor cartoons originally published in The Advocate.
Miss Thing is an unflappable, stereotypically effeminate, gay "queen"; [3] the name was a popular expression in gay male subculture for such a person. He has a willowy physique and a pompadour hairstyle, and wears floral prints, bell-bottoms, and flamboyant blouses. [2] Big Dick is an outgoing, stereotypically macho gay man. He has a highly muscular physique, and wears tight jeans which emphasize his large penis, a baseball cap, and a leather jacket and boots, in the mold of a Tom of Finland character. [2] [4] Both characters are sexually adventurous, and the cartoons are blatantly sexual with frequent nudity, but not sexually explicit. [4] The characters usually appear separately in cartoons under their respective names, but sometimes meet.
Johnson published a collection of Miss Thing and Big Dick cartoons through Funny Bone Press in 1973 as: ...and so, this is YOUR life, Miss Thing (the title being a reference to the then-recent popular television program This Is Your Life), with an introduction by Larry Townsend. [5] Some of Johnson's cartoons were also reprinted in volumes of Meatmen in the 1980s, as well as in historical overviews such as No Straight Lines published by Fantagraphics in 2012. [2] Johnson also produced explicit erotic illustrations for sale. [6]
Cartoonist Donelan was inspired by Johnson's work to begin his series "It's a Gay Life", which appeared in The Advocate after "Miss Thing" and "Big Dick" ended. [7] Howard Cruse cited Johnson's "brazenly gay" cartooning as an inspiration. [8]