looked better with the tattoo. not the ink-stained wretch, the model.

AND His Tighty White-ies gone... Pity.

that's not photoshop more than space restraints. we wanted the tighty-whities in, too, they looked so adorable. Oh God, every time I look at these pictures I get a Lady-Boner.

From a design perspective, photoshopping the tattoo was the right thing to do. If it had stayed, it would have created tention with the type treatment (especially with it being opaque).

Just sayin'

-- i wish i could remove some of my tattoos too (photoshop will work for this someday, won't it?). i should be photographed better too... i look terrible on dan's phone. thanx for the call-out. ugh.

; )

Fuck your stupid cover, and fuck you Dan and your flippant attitude about harming pigs.

laughing art director guy is hotter than petulant model.

If it makes you feel better, the pigs had already been harmed. We didn't have them slaughtered for their hearts. They had been slaughtered already, regardless, and we just bought some hearts that were already for sale.

Yes, wile we're on the subject of models, why must they always be freakishly skinny hairless twinks? When are we going to see some actual MEN on your cover??

Dan, did you hand pick this big-mouthed, shaggy-haired, slim/hairless/boyish/in briefs model? Did you draw him from scratch?

I like the model he's a keeper :)

Haha, I like that "Lady-Boner" is capitalized.

I agree that removing the tattoo was the right thing to do, considering where the text is. I like the original better than the cover, though. The tighty-whities and tattoo combo is a little more... compelling.

Three cheers for the heart wrangler!
"Hey Ari, what did you do last Friday?"
"Oh you know, I sewed some bloody pig hearts back together. You?"
"I, uh..."

I'm with Colin at comment 9. That boy is practically NAMBLA bait. With girl hair.

I like the model, but I will say that the art director is definitely hotter.

Can he be on a cover? WITH the ink this time? (And tighty-whities?)

Just for the record- Kristopher actually is not hairless. He was waxed for the photo. It hurt him, badly. He sent me an email (he can't comment because of the software at his work) asking me to clarify that.

Thanks for the support, Aislinn!

Kristopher also took offense with you, commenter #7- Not that he is less hot than Edge, that's a matter of taste. Why do you say he is petulant? Your word usage is suspicious. He doesn't look annoyed or insolent or ill-humored. He asks for clarification-- what the hell are you talking about?

He could be Andy Samberg's long lost twin! Those lips, those eyes...

That said, yes could we please have a model that looks over 19 (or 16, as the case may be)? I find 32 year-olds to be especially attractive ; )

Looks better without the tattoo. Would've been messy under the type. And it's kinda more gross thinking he's holding that heart nekkid instead of in manties.

Although, I do prefer the colors better in the untouched photo

P.S. I was bummed when I went to the library to pick up the new issue today and they still had last week's :( Did the delivery dude not make it to Bellevue today?

P.P.S. Anybody know when our "crush" will get email notification of the VD postings? Mine hasn't gotten his yet...

Yum! I'll keep him if you don't want him.

Yes, the tattoo had to go. From a graphic design standpoint, it would have competed with the text and been a big mess. I like the tat in the original photo, but not on the cover. Your design director is not inkphobic, he just knows what he's doing.

I often practice my sutures on cows hearts. The texture is nice. I've even invited a surgeon-to-be friend to do it together.

You don't think he looks insolent? I do. Anyway, he's very beautiful, but I only have carnal tingles for the inky one.

I know the Stranger wishes that its average reader was this young, but C'MON, MAN!!!

Maybe for once you could put someone on the cover who was sexy and over the age of 30? That washes? And eats? Has a little body hair? Maybe, non-white for a change?

The heroin chic/hipster/porno dude esthetic is so 2002....

If you wanna put a skinny whiteboy on the cover, why not Savage?

Please keep the hairless petulant twinky model boy. He is adorable. If I wanted to look at "real" men, well that's what re-runs of Married With Children is for.

Oh enough about young twink already...um...who's the babe and did she have any airbrushed flaws?

Please make sure you follow Spain and Italy's guidelines on models not having too low BMIs. Thanks.

Kristopher, I told you to lay off the heroin/porn. For fucks sake man, seriously.

That kid is thin, but thinking that kid is "herion skinny" makes you sound fat... and probably hairy.

Ari, brillant work sewing up the hearts. Are you sure you aren't in the right profession? The medical field always needs good surgeons with a deft
hand at sewing.

---Jensen

I have been called a closet lesbian for my love of men with delicate features, but good god that model is lovely by any standards. AND an AFI tattoo! Amazing. Does anyone know what the text says? Kristopher, I don't know you but I think I might love you.

Hey Jensen,
I'm good at lots of stuff, but I'm not sure I would ever WANT to do that again. I am definitely in the right profession if I work at a place that might randomly ask me to sew up pig hearts or get drunk during the state of the union address or say what I think about the most random shit and argue really hard about it. I love my job.

I like the model you chose. If I see another Gym Bunny representing what a "MAN" should look like I will puke.
The web is inundated with gym muscle creeps.

For the record, the tattoo did have to go because of the type. His hairless chest made it very easy to photoshop out, and gosh darn it I stand by my decision to do so. But I'm not that guy with the beard. I'm the other guy (not pictured). I do have some tattoos of my own, though.

I do not understand this post.The guy in in the pig photo is kind of cute. Why is everyone against him? he didn't do anything.

"that washes? And eats? Has a little body hair? Maybe, non-white for a change?"

about the body hair, im pretty sure they asked him to wax his chest for the photo.

just saying.

If any of you could see the way this kid puts away grilled cheese sandwiches OR the massive bag of gummi bears that I found living in his cupboards, then you would all surely stop fingerpointing his skinny frame and start praising his incredible metabolism.

Everyone here just needs to admit that they want to 1) be or 2) makeout with Kris and call it a day.

@34: Because fags and hipsters have to complain about something and many of them loathe other fags that don't fall within their particular group. It's like the bears hanging out at Manray, or twinks showing up on the first Saturday of every month at CC's. It ain't gonna happen. It isn't enough to leave the closet to be who you are. You then have to be put in your new category (twink, bear et al) or else you don't fit in gayworld world very well.

The skinny thing helps. I actually loved the pic until I learned his metabolism works that way. Now I hate him. I look at a cube of cheese and gain 2 lbs. Enjoy it while it lasts Kristopher.

@17: Andrew: 32 is perfect.

I have nothing against this PERSON, who I"m sure is a delightful young man who loves to eat and wash and calls his mom on mother's day, I'm just tired of the Stranger being so dull and body fascist when it comes to its models...and i'm sorry, the skinny hipster look is tired...

oh, and #28; yes, i am fat (ish) and hairy...why, did you want a date? or are you writing a book?

You comment doesn't make sense MS. Date? Writing a book? You're writing something about the Stranger being fascist for running a pic of someone that isn't the usual body type in advertising, but what I'm reading is "why can't you only print pictures that look more like me!".

it also appears that they made him pastier. hott.

I'm pretty pasty without photoshop as well...

"Oh God, every time I look at these pictures I get a Lady-Boner."

Seconded! I think the kid, his tat and his tighty-whities are just bitchin'.

Hey, Kris, you're hot. I could be your fangirl...

Don't be my fangirl, or don't even enjoy my picture. It's not safe! The Majestic Slog Commenters have spoken and they find me (and probably everyone I associate with?!?) to be petulant, freakishly skinny, hairless, a twink, big-mouthed, shaggy-haired, slim/hairless/boyish/in briefs, NAMBLA bait with girl hair, insolent, unwashed, unable to eat.....aaaaand pasty.

Nobody likes a giant carrot!

Kris is awesome.

"petulant, freakishly skinny, hairless, a twink, big-mouthed, shaggy-haired, slim/hairless/boyish/in briefs, NAMBLA bait with girl hair, insolent, unwashed, unable to eat.....aaaaand pasty."

Lovely, just my type. Congratulations: you're my new screen saver! Don't mind these fatty haters, you're not that thin. But there definetly should be more people of color on the cover. And I don't mean the occasional sexy Brazilian.

I always thought the idea of the cover was about no just being original but also being natural, neither of those seem to be on the photos; i would understand if the cover was for Vogue, which the models are perfect for, just see the girl's annoying face, i don't even gonna say anything about the guy.
I like better these taken of my friends two years ago:
http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=3327857&catID=&style=&rowNumber=1&memberID=122716