Tom of Finland: The Comic Collection Edited by Dian Hanson Published by Taschen Price:                £19.99

Here’s something really tasty for all you comic art lovers – a collection of 5 volumes in a slipcase featuring the incredible talents of the artist Touko Laaksonen, the Finnish boy who became Tom of Finland, the pseudonym he adopted to avoid persecution so prevalent to artists appearing in explicitly gay publications in the 50s.  Each of the five 192-page volumes are packed full of the most exquisite comic art and feature eight or more complete stories.  They include all twenty-six episodes of Tom’s infamous leatherman Kake.  This collection is the definitive guide to this incredibly talented artist, the chronologically arranged stories take us right through the life of this man who said:  “If I don’t have an erection when I’m drawing, I know it’s no good.”  If I’ve wetted your appetite with this review go and have a look at the publisher’s website at www.taschen.com for more information on the life and works of this highly influential artist.