H Bomb is Smart Smut

Words: De Kwok

Vassar College has “Squirm,” now two Harvard students have produced a smutty magazine called “H Bomb.” After some terse emails with lawyers from the prestigious university, the editors of “H Bomb” finally managed to put out a publication that tackles sex with an intellectual flair. If the thought of Ivy League nerds putting out a sex rag seems...well, nerdy, “H Bomb” tries valiantly to upset the notion that brainiacs are not hot. The first issue is full of arty images of nearly naked co-eds of both genders, black and white pictures that recall a photography assignment. While they are fun to look at, one would not call them pornographic by any means.

The articles cater to their student demographics, with interviews with professors and associates dealing with sexuality in a positive light. The most interesting articles are the ones that give readers a glimpse into sex on an elite college campus. Dane C. Lovewell tells of an “(un)erotic” encounter with a hook-up she met on Craigslist.org. Citing post-modern terminology and theorists in her introduction, Lovewell meets another English lit major and proceeds to have a clumsy sex date. It’s funny and sad at the same time. “H Bomb” would do well to avoid pedantic interviews with professors and concentrate on producing more works like Lovewell's. Still, for a premier issue, it’s an entertaining read that tries to stimulate the mind and the sex organs. Now, if they’d only print photos of the Polo team soaping each other up in the showers in future editions, we would declare “H Bomb” a success.

"H Bomb" is $5, available at Seattle’s Steve’s Broadway News or at h-bomb.org.