In the United States under the 2003 PROTECT act they are actually illegal but only if they are "obscene" as obscene speech is not protected by the first Amendment.
>Prohibits drawings, sculptures, and pictures of such drawings and sculptures depicting minors in actions or situations that meet the Miller test of being obscene, OR are engaged in sex acts that are deemed to meet the same obscene condition. The law does not explicitly state that images of fictional beings who appear to be under 18 engaged in sexual acts that are not deemed to be obscene are rendered illegal in and of their own condition (illustration of sex of fictional minors).
Maximum sentence of 5 years for possession, 10 years for distribution.
Interestingly the same act does make all computer generated child pornography which is "virtually indistinguishable from that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct" with no requirement that it be obscene, I don't think that has been tested in court yet.
>Prohibits drawings, sculptures, and pictures of such drawings and sculptures depicting minors in actions or situations that meet the Miller test of being obscene, OR are engaged in sex acts that are deemed to meet the same obscene condition. The law does not explicitly state that images of fictional beings who appear to be under 18 engaged in sexual acts that are not deemed to be obscene are rendered illegal in and of their own condition (illustration of sex of fictional minors). Maximum sentence of 5 years for possession, 10 years for distribution.
Interestingly the same act does make all computer generated child pornography which is "virtually indistinguishable from that of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct" with no requirement that it be obscene, I don't think that has been tested in court yet.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROTECT_Act_of_2003