Kake (comics)

Kake
Illustration of Kake by Tom of Finland (1988)
Publication information
Publisher	DFT (1968–1971) Revolt Press (1971–1980) Coq (1971–1980) Tom of Finland Company (1982–1986)
First appearance	Kake: The Intruder (1968)
Created by	Tom of Finland
Kake Publication information Schedule Irregular Format Ongoing series Genre Erotic Publication date 1968– 1986 No. of issues 26

Kake (/ˈkɑːkɛ/ KAH-keh; Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkɑke])^[1] is a fictional character created by Tom of Finland, the pseudonym of Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen. A gay leatherman distinguished by his hypermasculine physical characteristics and his frequent sexual encounters, Kake appears as the title character of a 26-issue erotic comic book series published by Laaksonen from 1968 to 1986.

An ongoing Kake comic was originally commissioned by the Danish pornography publishing house DFT in the late 1960s. It was Laaksonen's first comic to be sold as discrete comic books, his previous comics in the magazine Physique Pictorial having been published as partial excerpts with the full work sold separately by mail order as a set of five to fifteen printed panels. The publication of Kake transferred to Revolt Press in 1971, and to the Tom of Finland Company in 1982.

Laaksonen's illustrations of leathermen, as exemplified by Kake, significantly influenced the aesthetics of the gay leather subculture. Kake is among Laaksonen's most popular creations, having been alternately described as his "most iconic character" and as "the gay world's most familiar pin-up icon".