Mandate (October 1976)

The October 1976 issue of Mandate is filled with artistic showcases, from the poster art of Richard Bernstein and the songwriting of Rick Kinscherg to the dancing of Don Crawford and the rising stage career of Robert Nuzum. Two major points of interest are the second half of an article on cinema’s portrayal of homosexuality and a photo spread of Marco Mann, who also appeared in the August 1980 issue of Playguy. Additionally, this issue presents advertisements for Falcon and Man's Image along with a photographic celebration of construction workers.

Honcho (October 1993), Part Two

Founded in 1978 by Modernismo Publications, Ltd., the same publishers as Mandate and Playguy, Honcho, akin to its peers, began with a wide selection of articles, interviews, and showcases which strove to establish and perpetuate a gay identity as the liberation movement continued throughout the decade; however, as time progressed, many of these elements, like those in similar publications, were reduced to grant more space to photo spreads. The October 1993 issue of Honcho, broken into two parts, exemplifies this factor. Although the magazine still possessed advice columns and erotic fiction, the majority of its pages were devoted to homoerotic imagery. In the second half (see the first half here), an article on the scientific research into the prevalence of homosexuality and the short story “Back Alley Love” (about a beefy bouncer’s chance encounter with a teenager in a London alleyway) are accompanied by the photo spreads titled “Bursting at the Seams with Desire,” “Free to Be,” “Out on the Lonesome Trail,” and “U.S.M. Top Secret Weapon.”

Honcho (October 1993), Part One

Founded in 1978 by Modernismo Publications, Ltd., the same publishers as Mandate and Playguy, Honcho, akin to its peers, began with a wide selection of articles, interviews, and showcases which strove to establish and perpetuate a gay identity as the liberation movement continued throughout the decade; however, as time progressed, many of these elements, like those in similar publications, were reduced to grant more space to photo spreads. The October 1993 issue of Honcho, broken into two parts, exemplifies this factor. Although the magazine still possessed advice columns and erotic fiction, the majority of its pages were devoted to homoerotic imagery. In the first half, the sexual advice of Larry Townsend and two short stories – “The Barman” (a tale of submission and spanking in a local tavern) and “Bedknobs and Bondage” (about a man’s encounter with sadomasochism in the French Quarter of New Orleans) – are accompanied by the photo spreads titled “Bear Cub in Training,” “Ranch Hand Seeks Ranch Man,” and “Workin’ Up a Sweat.”