Harry Chess

Harry Chessis the central character of the first gay-themed ongoing comic strip, first appearing in the mid 1960s.He was created byAl Shapirounder the pseudonym "A. Jay".He is a parody of thesecret agenttrope popularized in the 1960s, as exemplified byThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.and theJames Bondfranchise. Rather than the heterosexual romantic themes common to the source material, the adventures of Harry Chess were openly homosexual, intended to appeal to gay male readers.

Harry Chess
Harry Chess: That Man from A.U.N.T.I.E.character
First appearance	November 1964 (Franky Hill: Memoirs of a Boy of Pleasure) March 1965 (That Man from A.U.N.T.I.E. series)
Created by	Al Shapiro (as "A. Jay" )
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Secret agent
Family	Mickey Muscle (adopted brother)

Harry Chess is a former trapeze artist;his name is a pun referring to his hairy chest. He has a long thin face with a prominentlycleft chin.Hissidekickis his adopted brother Mickey Muscle,an inarticulate teenage body builder."A.U.N.T.I.E." stands for "Agents' Undercover Network to Investigate Evil", parodying the "U.N.C.L.E." of the TV series using the affectionate gay slang for an older gay man.Harry and Mickey would later become members of F.U.G.G ( "Federal Undercover Gay Goodguys" ). The strip also featured contemporary political satire, parodying the families of Republican figures such asSpiro Agnew,Richard Nixon,andRonald Reagan.

The comics villains were similar to threats gay men faced at the time and the character Harry Chess asserted a humorous and positive approach to gay sex and life. The illustrations of the comic were frequently of muscular, hairy, men wearing tight and revealing clothes if wearing any clothes. For example, in one issue Harry Chess and Mickey Muscle foil a plot to mix ground glass into tanks at the “Cay-Why” factory, a reference toK-Y Jelly,a sexual lubricant. The text of the comic was filled with gay slang, homoerotic innuendo, and double entendres that were at risk of being labeled obscene by theUnited States Postal Service.

History

Harry Chess was created by Allen J. Shapiro (1932–1987)under the pseudonym "A. Jay". The character appeared in a one-off cartoon in November 1964 inDrummagazine, ahomophilepublication featuring news and erotica. He then became the protagonist of Al Shapiro'sHarry Chess: That Man from A.U.N.T.I.E.,which began running inDrumin March 1965 and ended in 1966.These early strips, edited byDrumpublisherClark Polak,were reprinted in a collection entitledThe Uncensored Adventures of Harry Chess 0068 7/8: That Man from A.U.N.T.I.E.(1966).

AfterDrumceased publication, the character's strips were picked up byQueen's Quarterly.In 1977, the series began appearing inDrummermagazine, where Shapiro served as art director.His role at Drummer brought him into contact with other pioneering gay comic artists includingBill Ward.Strips were reprinted in various volumes ofLeyland Publications'Meatmenseries in the 1980s.

Significance

Harry Chess was an important part of the gay liberation movement.Drum'spublisher Clark Polak wanted "to put the ‘sex’ back into ‘homosexual'"and he used the Harry Chess comic strip to do just that.

Harry Chess “served as an emblem of political transgression as well.”The comic was known for its political barb, ridiculous puns, Jewish jokes, and bad spelling.