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BDSM Dictionary : Michael Manning: history
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This entry is part of the BDSM Dictionary hosted by Informed Consent.
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Michael Manning is a fetish artist based in Los Angeles, having moved there from San Francisco in late 2005. NBM has published several collections of his work, including "Cathexis" and "Lumenagerie", and a series of graphic novels, "The Spider Garden" series, which consists of, in order: "The Spider Garden", "Hydrophidian", "In a Metal Web", and "In a Metal Web II". French, German, and Italian language editions of "The Spider Garden" have been published by BD *rogéne and Phoenix Erotica. He also worked on "The Tranceptor Series" with Patrick Conlon.
Born in Queens, New York and raised on Massachusetts*€™ North Shore, Manning went on to study film and animation at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He began self-publishing his black & white erotic comix in 1987 while working as an animator and director of short films, commercials, and music videos. Early exposure to Japanese animation, fairy tale book illustration, American and European comix, and mythology of many cultures has contributed to the formation of Manning*€™s style.
He also created illustrations for the web site of Fetish Diva Midori.
Manning's work draws heavily on Japanese influences, being somewhat stylised and almost exclusively black-and-white. His themes are notable, even amongst fetish artists, for depicting potentially taboo subjects such as zoophilia. Many of his images include beings which are mythological (such as centaurs) or at least biologically improbable, such as hermaphrodites.
This strand of his work is best developed in the "Spider Garden" series. This is set in a futuristic, matriarchal world of warring clans, ruled by the 'Scarlet Empress'. The action centres on the eponymous Spider Garden, a palace-fortress ruled by the 'Sacred Androgyne' Shaalis, who has male and female genitals. Shaalis is referred to by the pronouns 'hir' and 's/he' (pronounced as "her" and "she" respectively) to denote hir polysexual status. The story follows the political intrigues between Shaalis and the two 'Sisters Serpentine', Squamata and Lichurna, amphibian humans who command a rival clan based in the Manse Hydrophidian. Also appearing in the story are the Tengu, a race of semi-human creatures roughly resembling bipedal horses. These creatures appear to be inspired by, but not identical to, the Tengu of Japanese legend.
Manning's work with Patrick Conlon on 'Tranceptor' is an interesting melding of the two artists' styles, set in a future wasteland inhabited by genetically modified humans. Although billed as 'Tranceptor Volume 1: The Way Station', no other volumes have been published as of September 2005; Manning has, however, revealed that the title of the second volume will be 'Iron Gauge'.
In 2005, Last Gasp published a hardback collection of Manning's erotic art, entitled "Inamorata".See also
(This entry in the BDSM Dictionary incorporates text from the Michael Manning article in Wipipedia.)
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