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So. Comic books. As a kid I always thought that comic books were nerdy (back in the day when nerdy made you uncool). That those weird manga kids were in their own little world with their Goku’s and their Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. That comics had always and would always consist of super heroes and weird anime characters that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. But you grow, and you age, along with the industry and you realize that the world of comics is much more vast than you could ever imagine. I’m a budding comic geek. I’ll admit it. Right here, right now. There’s nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide. That’s where Sex Criminals comes in for me.
Sex Criminals my first. The graphic novel that I lost my proverbial comic book cherry to. It’s raunchy comedic thread rom-com story line, and highly feminist vibe, roped me in. It has this uncanny ability to seem so real, even though the main characters can actually stop time just before they orgasm. Then they use that ability to rob banks.
Yes, you heard that right.
Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky published their first installment back in September of 2013 and haven’t looked back since. The artistry that Chip is able to create coincides with Matt’s writing damn near flawlessly. Just looking at the book is enough to get you hooked. But it’s the actual story and the concept of the plot that has kept me hungry for these novels since I first binged on Volume 1.
The love story, especially rom-coms have been over-saturated by the entertainment industry in countless ways. But that’s exactly what this story is and in the best way. The exceptional realness that Suzie and Jon have in Sex Criminals is what holds the course steady for the rest of the plot lines in this series. You don’t have much time to concern yourself with their meet cute or if they will-or won’t be together. These complex characters make it simple and do it with a smile.
Hilarity also ensues in these comics. I’m not talking slap stick “in your face” dick pics etc. (Even though there are lots of dicks in drawn up in those pics). I’m talking third wall breaking, laugh out loud innuendo. The shit that makes you think before you snicker. The characters are capable of quick banter that even seasoned television shows aren’t capable of.
It’s relate-able. Sex Criminals touches on topics like feminism and the struggle of the female orgasm in the media; (Enter Suzie and every other damn female character in these novels). Asexuality and the concept of the fluid sexuality scale, (An Asexual sex criminal? How revolutionary!) and relationships and how they aren’t perfect but they’re real and certainly valid. There’s heart and honesty in these volumes that is hard to find these days even in the real world, all the while still making the concept of sex and how we view it the comic’s forefront theme.
Sex Criminals is dirty, sexy, and astoundingly funny. But moreover, it actually brings up real shit. The good shit. Now, where is that after sex cigarette?
Get your copies of Sex Criminals here, or be a good geek, check out your local comic book shop and help support local businesses.
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