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.”