Well...if you insist! This too was one of my first exposures to bdsm comics, but my affinity for the Black Van is not simply because of its timing, but rather because of its quality. I know you downplayed the artistry of the comic, as it was one of your earliest, but I think you started off with a bang---a "BIG BANG" (ha)! If you can bear with me, I will expound upon two reasons as to why I feel the Black Van has so resonated with your readers.
First of all, I know that you said this was your "simplest idea", but I think there is a beauty in its simplicity. For instance, while the scenario is pretty straightforward---kidnap two girls, get them in the van, take them back to the workshop, show them a good time, and then sell them off---it's the variety of depraved things that occurs within the context of the simplified scenario that makes the comic such a pleasurable product! Sometimes a story line that is overly elaborate can actually detract from the erotic experience because a complex story line needs a lot of panels dedicated to moving the plot along and developing the story, and that means less actual sex. I think, and I don't know if you also share this theory, that what has resonated so greatly with admirers of this comic is that it is pretty much sex, sex, sex throughout, without getting too bogged down in story/character development. Now, that is not to say that you don't get character development; rather it is developed
through the sex and the depravity of their ideas/words as they are engaged in their nefarious acts (ie- "So now I can strangle this bitch while I cum in her ass?"). Furthermore, because the story line isn't overly elaborate, the focus is on the girls, who are pretty much in almost every frame, thus the reader becomes extremely invested in these characters, and in that sense, the story is quite intimate (in many respects, you take a similar approach in your Sisters comic---yet another classic!).
Secondly, each page of the comic is such a cinematic experience; it feels like a well-shot film in its presentation of the sex---much more variety in "shots" than, say, a traditional porno film that holds a solitary steady shot from one angle for extended periods of time. For example, take the scene where the brunette gets double-teamed; it shows her experience just prior to the second penetration from a wide shot that establishes the composition of the scene. Then you zoom into an inset panel that is an extreme close-up of the "minty member". This is followed up by another inset panel in which we view her from above, lending the reader a great view of her terror. Next we switch to a medium shot from the side that is level with all three characters, thus affording the reader a perfect view of the second man entering her (this image is quite masterful). After that we have an aerial view of her and her partners, which then transitions into the multi-paneled montage where you portray the "motion" of the brunette's double-penetration in hyper-realistic detail, first from afar, and then closer up (that was truly inspired, btw!). Finally, the scene culminates in the dual climax, which is presented from a completely different angle than all the others in the sequence. This change in perspective serves to further heighten the moment (as if that was even possible!) because it presents a unique view of where her body is positioned, sandwiched in between her two captors' bodies, trapped in a moment of pleasure and pain. I hope that in presenting this scene in a cinematic way, I can highlight the true artistry and innovation that has so inspired me, not only in this comic, but in all of your work.
Well, I could go on and on, but I will give others a chance to chime in. Anyways, I have to get back to work on my dissertation on the Black Van comic. Once I get my doctorate, I think I may teach a course on it. God knows they've droned on and on about dead authors like Shakespeare and Milton---I think, in this enlightened age, that Harvard is ready for a 500-level Gary Roberts course.
