Gallery of Geek: Patrick Fillion

Patrick Fillion is an out Canada-based artist and writer who, along with his husband, creates a line of popular erotic comics that both titillate and entertain. His work mixes his love of superheroes with his youthful obsession of the iconic artwork created by Tom of Finland.

The Advocate sat down for a chat with this talented artist about his inspirations and his love of both the X-Men's Storm and the male physique.

The Advocate: What inspires you to create?
Patrick Fillion: My characters definitely inspire me to create. I love drawing them and I love writing them and their stories. As a kid, I wanted to one day have my own universe of characters, each with their own personalities and abilities, and to be able to share them with as many people as possible. I've achieved that and it constantly motivates me to continue growing that universe.

On another note, completely unrelated to what I create for Class Comics, I've been reading comics all my life. I'm a self-described Marvel kid, and as a result a lot of my childhood heroes still inspire me today. So once in a while, I like to indulge in drawing some of my favorite characters, such as Storm, the Scarlet Witch, or even characters from pop culture that I love today.

Does being queer influence your artwork?
Absolutely. I love to pay homage to the beauty of the male physique in my work. I love emphasizing it. I love the notion that men can be every bit as sensual as women, and every bit as desirable. Being a gay man I obviously understand that personally, but it's something I love to put out into the world through my work. If it can help break down a few taboos or preconceived notions in the process, I'm quite pleased about that.

What was your gateway art drug into the world of geek culture?
There are a few, but primarily I'd have to say it was discovering Tom of Finland's art for the first time when I was 19. I grew up in a small and very conservative community, so it's safe to say I was pretty sheltered, even isolated, and it wasn't until I moved to Vancouver that I was finally exposed to Tom's beautiful work. It spoke to the side of me that really wanted to share my own erotic art with people. I think it made me realize that it was OK to create erotic art and that it was really and truly a valid and beautiful art form.

What geeky things are you currently obsessed with?
I'm a huge Storm fan, so when Marvel announced that they'd be releasing an ongoing Storm title I was in immediate heaven. I'm really enjoying it so far and it's great to see my favorite comic book character out there kicking serious ass!

I'm also really loving DC Comics' current New 52 Swamp Thing series, and Image Comics' Revival series is creepy awesomeness. Throw in the new Sam Wilson as the new Captain America and Clive Barker's Nightbreed comics, and I'm in geek paradise!

Do you have any upcoming projects?
This year's been a big year for Class Comics, and we've put out a ton of titles in print, and digitally as well, but I'm really looking forward to releasing Sons of the Night #1, which I wrote and was illustrated by the wonderful David Cantero.

I'm super stoked about the amazing Jacob Mott's The Adventures of Lawsuit and T-Boy #1, which will be out later this year. Jacob wrote and illustrated this book, and he's done a superb job of it at that.

My partner, Robert Fraser, has written an awesome new comic book title called The Bromance, and he's called on a number of artist to illustrate it, including David Cantero, Leon de Leon, Jacob Mott, and myself to name just a few.

For more on Patrick and Class Comics:
www.classcomics.com
www.patrickfillion.com

He-Man

Storm

Stephane

ZAHN the Son of Winter

Locus, Fun in the Sun

Seven of Nine

Shaak Ti, Jedi Beauty