The Leather-Clad Ladies, Sketchy Sketches, And Assorted Asses Of Michael Manning

If you like comics about BDSM rituals involving powerful dominatrixes and their willing concubines, then you're in luck. If you don't enjoy that stuff, then you're about to have your mind changed by some of Michael Manning's marvelous work. Also: he takes pictures of butts for inspiration.

His realm (and the name of his most popular series) is "The Spider Garden," and within you'll find Shaalis the Sacred Androgyne and the Metal Spider Clan! We haven't read the graphic novels, but while the details go over our head, the artwork is plainly fucking awesome.

His style is rich and detailed without being overly ornate, and everything—from the swish of a horse tail to the trail of sweat on vinyl—touches you viscerally. Manning's art speaks to the sadomasochist in all of us, and even if you're not normally keen on whips, masks, and the occasional giant lady-penis, you'll still love it from a purely aesthetic standpoint (for now).

Again, we don't know much about the plots and characters of his comics, but we know that the universe is fleshed-out in the truest sense of the term. Here's a small encyclopedic entry about Concubines that we found on his LiveJournal:

"Concubines are almost as numerous as the Garden's slaves and are sometimes drafted to perform similar duties (chandelices, taborettes, etc.). They are also the most formally dressed and restrictively accessorized. They wear the closest thing to a standard uniform though one rarely sees the exact same costume design twice - unless it's used for the purpose of group aesthetics. Selected primarily for their callipygian and mammarian attributes, the concubine's basic outfit with its backless pencil skirt and open breast puts those parts of the wearer's body that are usually the least likely to be revealed on prominent display. It is also intended to advertise their availability for casual sex - primarily anal and oral - with all the Garden's inhabitants including free-roaming pets and constructs and guests."

And did we mention that he takes pictures of butts for inspiration?

· See more of Michael Manning's work at The Spider Garden (thespidergarden.net)