XXXenophile

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

XXXenophile is an American comic book series, published by Palliard Press and later Studio Foglio between 1989 and 1995. The comic is structured as an anthology of whimsical (it's so funny that many would agree it's worth buying for the laughs alone) erotic fantasy and science fiction stories written and pencilled by gentleman pornographer Phil Foglio (later known for Girl Genius); each story is inked by a different artist, including among many others Matt Howarth, William Messner-Loebs, Frank Kelly Freas, Kevin Eastman, and Bob Eggleton.

The comic was originally published in ten comic books, at which time the contents were collected into five graphic novel compilations. Each graphic novel also added a new story (generally a second look at characters from an earlier story such as the superhero Orgasm Lass and her four-armed male sidekick Fourplay). These new stories were compiled separately in a final, eleventh issue of the comic book; since then, a sixth graphic novel (with an all-new story) has been published. In 2004 Studio Foglio released XXXenophile Quick and Dirty, a 20-page booklet of previously unreleased material, as a stop-gap fundraiser.

The comic series was highly acclaimed for both its artwork and story that, while employing sexually explicit content, maintained an artistic quality that many comic book critics felt was superior to the more standard fare of this genre. In the stories of the anthology, Foglio satirizes numerous plot elements of fantasy and science fiction, such as time travel, cloning, robots, deals with the devil, Love Potions and geasa[1].

Although there are numerous sexual practices portrayed in the series, including "oral sex, anal sex, group sex, masturbation, voyeurism, double penetration, inter-racial (literally), bestiality (although generally with an animal possessing intelligence), mild sado-masochism, homosexuality (usually female), exhibitionism, sex with any number of devices, necrophilia (or sex with a ghost, anyway; ectophilia, perhaps?), prostitution, and every single position and combination imaginable, including some that were only possible in micro-gravity", Foglio's general emphasis throughout is on the enjoyment of sexuality as healthy and natural, the sick bastard.

As for darker directions, Foglio expressed no interest in writing stories involving: "Rape. Mind Control. Pedophilia. Classical necrophilia. Anything involving excretion. Snuff Porn. Branding. Piercing. Heavy S & M. or Spanking. Because it's not my cup of tea. If somebody wants to produce a happy sex positive story about pedophilic rapists who are into water sports and branding, THEN KEEP THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"

The series is on an unofficial hiatus while their kids are underage, but some of the older stories have been collected on Slipshine.

XXXenophile provides examples (mostly parodies and subversions) of:
  • Accidental Truth: In "Time Piece," Franz claimed to recognize the cat as "A Rigellian! Greetings, space brother! Relax, your secret is safe!" This was just made up as part of his role-playing as a time traveler ... but the cat is shown thinking, "He knows!"
  • All Guys Want Cheerleaders: One story included priestess Otaz revealing that the half-orc villain was also the daughter of the priestess's god, Orum.

Feljikk (Drow warrior): Orum mated with an orc?!
Otaz: She was wearing a cheerleader outfit.
Feljikk: That makes a difference?
Otaz: Orum really likes cheerleaders, okay?

"In the Third of the Darkening Years of the reign of Lestrel the Babyslapper, all of the Known World was in turmoil. The Matriarchs of the Corporate States had renounced the ancient 'Treaty of the Blind Carp'; the Mountain Tribes were overcoming their fear of being at ground level; the Master of the Gutta-Percha Throne had begun his mad jihad against the color Orange; and the Warriors of the White Deserts were tracking sand all over everything."

Trixie: Sometimes all a girl needs is a change. To clear the palate as it were.
Sydney: But I'm not... I've never even thought of...
Xynotreen: Oh? What about Cindy, in college?
Sydney: How did you?
Trixie: Minor deities, yes. Incompetent deities, no.

  • Expressive Accessory
  • Fluffy Tamer: In "Rescue 911 A.D.", the unnamed hero goes goes into the dragon's lair not to kill it or take its treasure but to "ease its loneliness." May not count because he's half-dragon.
  • For Science!: Two of the Gender Swapped scientists in "Doppelgang-Bang" pretend — not very hard — that this is their reason for Screw Yourself. The female says it'll be a fascinating experiment, but when her male self jokes, "You'll excuse me if I lose my scientific detachment," she replies, "You'd better!"
  • Funetik Aksent: Martian ladies in "My Favorite Oitling" have one that seems to be a precursor to Jaeger-speak.
  • Gag Penis: The Hidden Salami
  • Gender Bender: "Vici, Vidi, Veni"
  • Girl-On-Girl Is Hot: This exchange from "Heart of Stone"; Mowbri and Sooja are sixty-nining, while Otaz watches them and plays with herself:

Feljikk: I see we missed the party.
Otaz: Not your kind of party.
Feljikk, Avery, Hinks: (in unison) Sez you!

  • A Glitch in the Matrix: Orgasm Lass realises she is trapped in a virtual reality because the AI only has enough processing power to animate one person at a time. Whenever she is 'interacting' with one of the two villains in the scene, the other is frozen.
  • Horny Devils: "Demonstration of Affection", "Bequeath the Sheets"
  • Hot Amazon: Blue Opal
  • Hot Scientist: Vandy, in "Hold That Thought" — a Meganekko who keeps the glasses on in the shower! — and the gender-reversed couples in "Doppelgang-Bang".
    • Vandy gets extra-heated by a "semi-virus" which links her sex drive to her intellect — when she thinks about mathematics, she gets horny, and when she masturbates, her ability to solve math problems is enhanced.
  • An Ice Person: The Ice Queen
  • Incompatible Orientation: Played straight (so to speak) in "Just Another Working Class Stiff", in which the vibrator repairman ignores invitations from female customers (not that they end up minding) and just does his job, but offers more "personal" service to a male customer.
    • Averted in several other stories — a woman propositioned by another woman might profess heterosexuality at first, but it never takes more than a few panels to talk her out of her clothes and into a lesbian embrace.
  • Interspecies Romance
  • Just for Pun: many titles of the short stories
  • Lady Land: the Martians in "My Favorite Oitling".
  • Literal Genie: "Demonstration of Affection" (although she is mostly just doing it to screw with him).
  • Living Statue: "Now Museum, Now You Don't"
  • Lotus Eater Machine: A villain trapping Orgasm Lass in a Wet Dreamtime Generator, bouncing her between fantasy lovers. She escapes by overloading the device ... come on, this is Xxxenophile, you know how she did it.
  • Love Potion: "Overly Familiar"
  • Male-to-Female Universal Adaptor: When not dealing with Exotic Equipment.
  • Mad Scientist
  • Magitek: Invoked in "Wish Fulfillment" when the djinn explains that the villain accidentally "allowed the lamp to grant you access to its user matrix" — a rather computerese-sounding turn of phrase.
  • Mars Needs Women: Inverted, as Mars has no humanoid males. Their males resemble 2-foot round balls of fur... with disproportionately large wangs.
    • And referenced in "Time Piece" when Franz claims that the future has no women because Mars stole them all and the Earth fought back. With nukes.
  • Mile-High Club: "Hoisters"
  • Non-Nude Bathing: The hero in "The Spirit is Willing" starts off showering in his shorts.
  • Noodle Incident: Many. A particularly literal case is found in volume 6, after the villainess' main henchman is found trussed up and suspended. ("Forgive me, Mistress. They had... macaroni.")
  • The Nudifier: In "Time Piece", Franz claims to be naked because only living matter can be sent through time.
  • Old Shame: Averted, even though it's porn. The Foglios are unashamed of this series. They're fairly proud of it.
  • Odd Name Out: "Now Museum, Now You Don't" features the four goddesses Okaraska, Boolatraaca, Xynotreen and Trixie.
  • Orphaned Punchline: "Hoisters"
  • Our Dragons Are Different: "Rescue 911 A.D."
  • Peek a Bogey Man: "The Monster Under the Bed"
  • Pillow Fight: "Doppelgang-Bang"
  • Pizza Boy Special Delivery: "Just Another Working Class Stiff"
  • Plot With Porn: The whole series.
  • The Red Sonja: "Blue Opal" is a double subversion.
  • Ridiculously-Human Robots: "Savin' All My Lovin' For You"
  • Robosexual: "I Swing the Body Electric", "R.U.R. or Are You Ain't My Baby?"
  • Robot Girl: "I Swing the Body Electric", "Savin' All My Lovin' For You"
  • Screw Yourself: "Doppelgang-Bang", "Self Indulgence", "Family Reunion", "Heart of Stone"
  • Shapeshifter Showdown: "Things That Go Bump in the Night"
  • Shout-Out: A character named "Avery" who dressed like a cowboy and dual-wielded pistols in "Heart of Stone".
    • And the title of "R.U.R. or Are You Ain't My Baby?" is a two-for-one.
  • Shower of Love: "The Spirit is Willing"
  • Sidekick: Foreplay
  • Smith Will Suffice: In Now Museum, the goddesses answer Sydney's "OmiGOD!"
  • Sorcerer's Apprentice Plot: "The Sorceress's Appendage"
  • Strip Poker: Strip chess actually, in "Fool's Mate".
  • Stocking Filler
  • Superhero: Orgasm Lass
  • Three-Way Sex
  • Twincest: "Family Reunion", assuming that clones count as twins.
  • Twin Threesome Fantasy: "Family Reunion"
  • Two-Person Pool Party: "Sweet Water"
  • Virginity Makes You Stupid: The demoness in "Bequeath the Sheets" appears at the protagonists' honeymoon, declaring her intention to inhibit the husband from siring another generation. She's genuinely shocked when they ask why she didn't show up when they first started having sex. And then they explain that they won't find her presence inhibiting at all... quite the contrary.
  • Virgin Sacrifice: Combined with Appease the Volcano God on the cover of #11.
  • Visual Pun: Foreplay in "Orgasm Lass" has four arms.
    • He also makes a pun to explain that he has precognitive powers.

Orgasm Lass: How did you know?
Foreplay: You know the saying "Forewarned is forearmed?" Well, it works the other way around too! (In other words, that "four armed...is forewarned!")

...and now you'll never look at Girl Genius or Buck Godot quite the same way again.

  1. The plural of geas, a magical compulsion.