'Wuvabla Oaf' personifies San Francisco artist
“Wuvable Oaf” is the new, San Francisco-inspired comic that many will relate to according to its creator Ed Luce.
By Estela FuentesThe Guardsman
“Wuvable Oaf” is the new, San Francisco-inspired comic that many will relate to according to its creator Ed Luce.“Bear dudes like to see someone of their body type being represented,” Luce said. “Straight guys might dig the gross-out humor and metal references. I think every woman has an oaf in her life, be it her best friend, boyfriend or brother. And everyone is attracted to the the cute little kitties.”Oaf was initially created for a paper doll themed art exhibit, just as he appears in the comic. He was a big hit and everyone wanted to know his story. Luce decided to put out a comic to let people into the Oaf’s world.Oaf is a big scary-looking guy with a heart of gold and a passion for everything cat-related. The comic’s storyline revolves around his search for love.With a love of heavy metal, Morrissey, and the 1980’s as a whole, Luce’s personal experiences made the Oaf everything he is.“Oaf’s tastes and behaviors are all me, but I'm 5 feet, 5 inches and hover between 160 to 170 pounds,” he said. “He’s over 6 feet tall and almost 300 pounds, so in a way he’s how I imagine myself as a real big guy.”The comic is usually broken down to a few short, fast-paced stories full of ‘80s references that will make you laugh.All of the characters in the comic are inspired by people Luce has met throughout his life and the strong connections he has to these people who inspired his characters make the repetitive drawing a comic necessitates continue to be interesting.“I like trying to capture on the page that certain something that makes someone sexy to me,” Luce said.Last year Luce was invited to participate in a panel called Gays in Comics at Comic Con 2009 that discussed the use of gay characters in comics. Until recent years gay characters were invisible in mainstream comics, Luce said.This year he served on a panel for recipients of the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant where he discussed the application process and deadlines of the grant.The Oaf has transformed from a comic book character to a gay icon spawning fan-ware such as T-shirts and mugs and has garnered international recognition through social networking sites and conventions. Orders for Oaf products have come from Europe, Canada, Australia and Dubai, Luce said.Luce is currently hard at work on issue three of “Wuvable Oaf,” which will debut at the Alternative Press Expo in October. Luce is also working on a fifth shirt design to be released around the same time.For more info on the Oaf and his creator visit WuvableOaf.com
