Hustler Cartoons: Grotesque, Absurd, and Uncensored
A defining (and divisive) part of Hustler's identity was its infamous cartoon section. These weren't just erotic—they were grotesque, violent, politically incorrect, and often disturbing. Flynt defended them as satire, but they routinely sparked outrage and even boycotts. Some readers loved their outrageous absurdity; others found them horrifying.
Unlike most editorial cartoons in mainstream media, Hustler's were totally unfiltered. They tackled race, gender, religion, and power with a scorched-earth humor that offended virtually everyone. Whether seen as tasteless or daring, they gave the magazine a punk-anarchist edge unmatched by any other adult publication.
The comics came to symbolize the magazine itself. They appeared sporadically throughout each issue, sometimes occupying several pages. They had no titles, captions, or credits, and never identified their subjects. Some featured recognizable figures like Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, or Donald Trump. Others were anonymous caricatures. The more outlandish ones could be hard to pin down, making it unclear whether they were real people at all.
Over the years, the cartoons went from gross to gleefully repellent, pushing boundaries further and further. One showed two women having sex in a bathtub while a third woman sat nearby, watching and commenting on their techniques. Another depicted Jesus Christ sodomizing Satan. Still another portrayed Hillary Clinton being raped by Bill Clinton, who was also raping another man. In 2015, after the mass shooting in Charleston, S.C., a cartoon depicted President Obama eating fried chicken with his head wrapped in aluminum foil.
Flynt's intention wasn't just to shock—it was to satirize. "The object of the Hustler cartoons is not to offend," he told The New York Times in 1983. "It's to make you think." He said that they weren't meant to "reflect my own views" but to represent a broader attitude toward power, wealth, and privilege. They were "a kind of social criticism," according to Flynt biographer James Neff.
But even Flynt acknowledged that they often went too far. After one 1976 issue featuring a man urinating on a woman, who then licks his penis, the magazine received some 14,0000 cancellations. After another, about an aborted fetus getting revenge, it lost more than $50 million in advertising revenue. A 1993 feature showing a black baby in a crib saying "I am the N-word" cost millions more when companies like Coca-Cola pulled their ads.
Some readers found the cartoons funny and subversive. Others saw them as racist, sexist, or misogynistic. They were certainly extreme and unconventional. And they helped establish Hustler's reputation for pushing boundaries. But whether seen as tasteless or daring, they gave the magazine a punk-anarchist edge unmatched by any other adult publication.
Hustler Cartoons: Grotesque, Absurd, and Uncensored, Unlike most editorial cartoons in mainstream media, Hustler's were totally unfiltered. They tackled race, gender, religion, and power with a scorched-earth humor that offended virtually everyone. Whether seen as tasteless or daring, they gave the magazine a punk-anarchist edge unmatched by any other adult publication.