For Play - June 18

The first time is the deepest

Time was, Heavy Metal was about the sexiest comic art you could find outside of the pen-and-ink cartoons of Playboy’s golden era. Not so today, when the high-brow eroticism of Alan Moore’s Lost Girls shares shelf space in comic book stores with the likes of First Time (NBM, 107 pages, $19.95), the latest in the Eurotica graphic novel series. Hardcover and hardcore, First Time features 10 different stories written by French writer Sibylline as illustrated by 10 different European artists (including Dave McKean of Cages, Arkham Asylum and Sandman fame).

More than just the obvious (although that’s in here too), Sibylline has penned a remarkably engaging series of “first time” tales (eg: first spanking/lesbian/group/toy/anal/role play experience), written from the perspective of both men and women. Absolutely explicit, totally uncompromising and, at times, definitely arousing, it’s easy to see the collectively strong yet surprisingly different art direction as being responsible for much of the success of this volume (notably Virginie Augustin’s lesbian rejection “1+1”, Vince’s trio tale “2+1” and Oliver Vatine’s group scene “Club”), but this is one collection where the words truly are worth reading as well.

True, some kind of author intro would have been helpful, if only to explain the project’s concept and execution, but First Time remains a titillating title for anyone leaning to the straight/bi/lesbian side of the sexual spectrum. (Sorry, man-on-man fans, not much here for you.) And any couples looking for a little mood-setter could do a whole lot worse than this book and a bottle of lube.

Pastie Alert

If you’re looking for a little slap and tickle this weekend, local exhibitionist faves the Cheesecake Burlesque Revue will be twirling their tassels to raise funds for their cheekily named “San Fran or Busts” tour, which will soon see pavement beneath their collectively stylish latex heels as they head out on the highway for San Francisco’s famed pride parade. Anything can (and often does) happen at the M-alicious Cheesecake nights, so dress your best—open to interpretation, of course—this Saturday at Lucky. The show starts at 8:30 sharp, tickets are $15 at the door ($12 advance at Lyle’s) and Tickle is the one with the pink feather duster . . . just keep your eye on Slap’s black leather glove.

Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down

Speaking of the city with the golden gate, local kinksters Sagacity are bringing noted SF sex educator, famed Japanese rope artist and bestselling author Midori to town come July 24-25 for a special weekend of workshops and the requisite play party. Midori, who has penned a pair of kink classics—The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage and Wild Side Sex—will be offering a number of workshops, including “Hands-on Rope Bondage” (handy for camping), “Beyond Twisted: Kink Outside the Box” (I’ll leave that to your own imagination), “Mapping Your D/S Archetype” (BYO GPS) and the chipper-sounding “Improve Your Flogging Skills!”

Tickets run $65-$75, plus more if you’re interested in the private VIP catered dinner ($45), play party ($25/$20). But if you really can’t wait until then, this weekend is also Sagacity’s “Lazy, Hazy, Crazy, Down & Dirty Play Party.” (Don’t be coy; what’s it really going to be like?) Visit sagacitygroup.net for full details.