| Title | : | Sex Criminals: Volume One: One Weird Trick |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1607069466 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781607069461 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published April 16, 2014 |
| Awards | : | Hugo Award Best Graphic Story (2015), Harvey Awards Best New Series & Most Promising New Talent (for Chip Zdarsky) (2014), Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best New Series AND nominated for Best Continuing Series, Best Writer (for Matt Fraction) (2014), Goodreads Choice Award Graphic Novels & Comics (2014) |
Collecting: Sex Criminals 1-5
Sex Criminals: Volume One: One Weird Trick Reviews
-
This was...different.
It starts out like this coming-of-age story about the first time Suzie cleaned her fur coat.
But.
Unlike the rest of us, she didn't just twitch and sigh.
Time stopped.
Of course, she assumes that's what happens to everyone when they rub one out, and spends a good portion of her adolescence trying to figure out how to delicately ask someone else how the whole clam digging/time stopping thing works.
Awkward.
By the time little Suzie grows up, she's finally figured out that this isn't what normally happens when you scrape the cheese off the taco. So, she's just sort of floating along...living life, flicking her bean, stopping time, and working in a library.
And then she meets Jon.
OMG! When Jon unclogs the drain, he has the same power as Suzie!
Which, obviously, leads to a deep and meaningful relationship. I mean, that is a pretty special talent those two crazy kids have, and it's not like they can share their feelings and experiences with most of the people they run into, right?
So, what do you do when you're young, in love, and have the ability to stop the world every time you polish your wedding ring?
Rob a bank! Duh.
And how well does that turn out for them, you ask?
Not as well as you might think, since there are apparently a group of people who police this sort of behavior among their kind. I know! Whodathunkit?!
Anyway, they call themselves...The Sex Police.
There are puns a-plenty in this sucker.
But there's more to Suzie & Jon's story than just a little B&E.
Now, I'm not going to spill the whole story, but I'll give you a taste...
*crickets chirping*
Anyhoo. If you'd like to learn more about why Jon is taking a dump in his boss' office plant, then you should definitely pick this one up.
Get this review and more at:
-
Yeah. That title got my attention too.
I picked this up because Matt Fraction wrote it, and he's impressed me so far with most everything he's done. Plus the book came highly recommended.
Bizzare concept: Imagine if you could stop time when you had an orgasm.
That's it. Run with it. It's like a porno version of a classic twilight zone episode.
The comic is more than just clever though. It's good in pretty much every respect.
The only downside? It's hard to read this one in public without looking like a pervert. Even so, it's probably no worse than reading a Catwoman TPB where she's jumping around with her tits half out.
Highly recommended for anyone who isn't freaked out about reading a comic where people have sex. -
Come… and read it!
This TPB edition collects the comic book “Sex Criminals” #1-5, along with extra section of “behind-the-scenes” stuff including a cover gallery.
Creative Team:
Writer: Matt Fraction
Illustrator: Chip Zdarsky
GETTIN’ DOWN TO IT
There were others after Craig, I’m not a nun.
I noticed that this comic book Sex Criminals was quite popular and good rated, so while I haven’t a clue about what was about, since I found it in my local comic book store, I thought giving it a chance to the first TPB.
Certainly wasn’t what I expected, even with a title like “Sex Criminals”, well, I guess I didn’t expect to be so…
…literal in its choice of title, but defintely a really good book.
Suzanne (Suzie) Dickson (yes, I know what you’re thinking) is a librarian with a special gift. When she reached puberty and found her “personal release”, she noticed that when she does it, everything freezes in time…
…literally.
It’s brilliantly developed since while you have the adult Suzie as narrator and main character, you can see how the teenager Suzie was clueless about the whole situation, since the majority of humanity since the dawn of time, found about this on their own, and since the “freezing-time” was part of the ritual, she initially believed that was something normal to everybody else.
No wonder so many dumb kids get knocked up. Nobody knows anything, and if they do, they’re legally bound from telling you.
Soon enough, Suzie found out that “freezing-time” was NOT something normal after “personal releases” and/or having sex with other people.
While the effect lasted, she is in the middle of a dimension where everybody doesn’t move while streaks of ondulating colors and lights are in the air.
She called this dimension “The Quiet”.
But she wasn’t the only one with this power…
ENTER JON
The porn very quickly wasn’t enough.
Suzie meets Jon. (Yes, again I know what you’re thinking).
Jon possess the same power than Suzie.
Of course, he didn’t name the freezing-time dimension as “The Quite”, he named it “Cumworld”. (Well, he’s a guy, what did you expect?)
Jon is an actor, well in the process of being one. And also he has some mental issues, like thinking that crapping (Yes, literally, everything here is quite literal!) in his boss’ plant pot (Yes, this is an actual pot with a plant on it, trust me, of course, that doesn’t make it less weird or gross).
Due their unusual connection to the freezing-time dimension, Suzie and Jon become a couple (having a lot of sex, obviously).
Suzie’s Library will be auctioned by a bank, and she is trying to save at least the books on it, doing raising-funds parties.
However, when a couple has the power to freeze time while having sex (specially when at least one of them has mental issues) what they woud do?
Just think about it.
I’ll give you some time.
Too-too-roo. Mmm-mmm-mmm.
I can give you more time if you like, no biggie.
(Dang! I have to charge my phone)
Okay, that’s enough…
…They will rob a bank, you sillies!!! Duh!!!
But even when you have such special power, you can’t predict complications and robbing a bank is an assured chaos-scenario. -
Reread: August 2016
I reread this because I got volume 2 and wanted a refresher on what happens in this one, and it was still hilarious and entertaining! I love how this book isn't afraid to break the fourth wall, and the sex positivity in this was super refreshing and at times, hilarious.
July 2015
4.5 stars
This was hilarious in the most interesting way. Very different, very weird, very uncomfortable at times, but very well done. -
Hey guys, so let's talk about sex for a minute. And that's not just me wanting to talk about sex, that's me saying, "hey let's talk about this book, which conveniently grants me a license to be slightly inappropriate in this review." Not that I need a license or anything, but I try to keep it toned to a respectable level since I'm about 70% sure my mom reads my reviews. I digress.
Every once in a while, I read something so far removed from what I usually read— like total extreme— and it's always fascinating to watch myself reacting. Especially since I mostly read YA with a splash of Adult thrown in. Well, I thought after reading
T-Rex Troubles that I'd read everything. And I'm glad to see the universe continues to prove me wrong and keep me on my toes.
I mean, it kind of came at a perfect time: This book essentially answers one of life's burning questions: what if you had a magical vagina or glowing penis? What a concept! That sounds awesome! Vag powers activate! If only I could freeze time with an orgasm, whoa, that's some serious next level super hero shit. Also, endless opportunities to nickname your partner's penis and interesting variations of Star Wars cosplay. I'm thinking Light Bright or Glow Worm. Oh! Better yet, it'd be the perfect time to use some Lady GaGa lyrics.
So that's where we meet our heroes, Suzie and Jon. Just enjoying their bodies, freezing time and robbing banks, as one does. That last point might seem like a huge leap, but in their minds, they were using their powers for good by trying to keep the neighborhood's local library up and running with the stolen funds. So, sure, let's save the library with sexy times. I approve of this selfless yet noble cause. The only thing is that now the sex police are involved and man does that complicate this plan a bit.
If you're thinking this book is too good to be true, saddle up. It's addictive and hilarious in an awkward NSFW sort of way. A few examples:
- When Jon first discovers his powers, he decides to dick around in a porn shop and vandalize it on a regular basis for shits and giggles
- The sex police wield weapons shaped as dildos (and fuck yeah they'll slap you with it) and BDSM hand cuffs
- And omg the leader of the sex police is code name: Kegelface, because why not?
The dialogue is witty, sharp and will have you constantly asking it WTF, the artwork vivid and engaging. I also enjoyed how the story flipped between past and present, though, at times it wasn't as smooth as a transition. Still, Suzie is an awesome narrator who demands your attention on every page.
There's just a lot of hidden gems here, folks, and I'm recommending this book with a straight face, surprisingly.
Also, WTF is up with my library's priorities? How does it have a billion copies of Fifty Shade and not volume 2 of Sex Criminials. Also, no kindle edition of it on Amazon! How am I supposed to read this in public and snicker softly to myself now?! Gah! -
I think it's the best comic book of the year, and one of the best comic stories I've ever read.
-
:))))
چی بگم خب
اگه کاور و عنوانش رو دیدین و قیافهتون این شکلی شد
خب این برای شما نیست. از همین راهی که اومدین برگردین
از بغل هم برین
رسیدین هم تک بزنین
ولی
اگه قیافهتون این شکلی شد
و کمی "دِرتی مایند" هستین و این چیزا میتونه براتون خندهدار باشه، حتما پیشنهاد میکنم والیوم اولشو بخونید
ایدهی داستانش فوقالعادس :))
قضیه اینه که
دختره شخصیت اصلیش وقتی اولین بار خودارضایی میکنه میفهمه یه توانایی خ��ص داره
اونم اینه که موقع ارگاسمش، زمان متوقف میشه
حالا دختره با این توانایی چیکار میکنه رو خودتون کشف کنید :)))) -
INT. JOE'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
A man in his mid-40s (let's call him "Joe") stands over the stoveputting out a firecooking dinnerfrom a recipe for chicken afritada he learned an hour ago. He glances over at a guest in the living room. A female in her late 30s (let's call her "Rosario Dawson") hasn't taken her flats off. She circles the apartment and studies it as if seeing everything for the first time. Her gaze falls onto the bookshelf that takes up an entire wall.
ROSARIO: Have you actually read all of these books or they just here to impress girls?
JOE: Pick a book and I'll tell you.
Rosario squints. She bends over. She grabs a slim graphic novel off the bookshelf.
ROSARIO: Sex Criminals, Volume One: One Weird Trick? What's this? A kissing book?
JOE: Oh. That. That's just ...
Rosario starts flipping through the 2014 graphic novel written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Chip Zdarsky.
ROSARIO: Hmmm! Looks dirty!
He enters the living room and tries to grab the book from her. She plays Keep Away with it.
JOE: That shit was planted on me. Never seen it.
ROSARIO: Lots of nakedness. I like the way its drawn. Is it any good?
JOE: Didn't you notice all the others books? John Steinbeck? Flannery O'Connor ...
ROSARIO: Hey! I've heard of this! It's about some chick who can stop time whenever she has an orgasm, right? Then I guess she sleeps with a guy who has the same power. Naturally they rob a bank ...
JOE: Sounds like your sort of book. Write a review and let me know what you think.
ROSARIO: Sex Criminals. You're full of surprises. Half the book seems like it's set in a porn bookstore called Cum World. Heh.
JOE: Is it? The burglar who left that on my bookshelf was a real pervert.
ROSARIO: But you didn't throw it in the rubbish bin.
JOE: I've never thrown a perfectly good book in the rubbish bin. Te artwork is fantastic. Look. The heroine, Suzie. She's a librarian. Kind of looks like Lois Lane too.
ROSARIO: Yeah. If Lois Lane had a sex life before Superman.
JOE: You just have to ignore the toilet humor coming out of her mouth. Then the book is almost readable.
ROSARIO: I thought you hadn't read this.
JOE: That was a lie. I forgot to hide it before you came over.
ROSARIO: Why? Afraid I'll run screaming into the night?
JOE: It's not that it's toilet humor and it was obviously written by a guy--not a man, a guy--but it's poorly structured toilet humor. We meet Suzie and her time stopping boyfriend Jon banging in a restroom. Then there's a panel about her banker father being thrown to his death when Suzie was in fourth grade; it's never mentioned again. Then Suzie's talking about discovering her wild talent, which she calls The Quiet.
ROSARIO: The Quiet? Sounds far out.
JOE: It reminds me of that episode of the 1980s The Twilight Zone with Melinda Dillon where she plays the housewife who finds a stopwatch that can stop time ...
ROSARIO: ... and then she stops time when nuclear war breaks out and there's a missile hanging right over the skyline? That creeped me the hell out when I was a kid!
JOE: "A Little Peace and Quiet." Great episode. I love that episode. But this. This is just. Ugh. Jon is hung up on this adult video store called Cum World he was obsessed with as a teenager. He ends up taking Suzie there to play with dildos and sex toys.
ROSARIO: That's it?
JOE: Later on, they decide to save Suzie's library from foreclosure by robbing the bank Jon works at. There are these Sex Police who also have the power to enter The Quiet when they have an orgasm trying to stop them, or something. Dumb.
ROSARIO: It's just a comic. Isn't it supposed to be sort of silly and juvenile?
JOE: No. I don't like jokes. No matter how fantastic the concept--whether it's a couple who stop time when they have sex--it's got to be based on some sort of reality. Matt Fraction apparently loves MAD Magazine. Or joke books. Me, not so much.
ROSARIO: It looks kind of cool to me. What's this?
JOE: Chip Zdarsky, yeah. That's a musical number in a pool hall set to Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls," except the authors couldn't get a musical clearance so there are snarky Post-It notes where the Queen lyrics should be. This is probably the best joke in the book.
ROSARIO: Not your cup of joe, huh?
JOE: Rod Serling, Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler. Look at all these good books I've got on my shelf! I can't believe the one that got your attention was Sex Criminals. Ugh. Give me that. I'm throwing it away.
ROSARIO: You said you'd never throw a perfectly good book in the trash.
JOE: I know. I changed my mind ...
ROSARIO: Hey! I'm putting this back on your shelf for some other unsuspecting female to discover. If you want to worry about something, I think our dinner's on fire.
-
So the premise made me laugh, the art is totally gorgeous, I like the fast-paced dialogue and how the characters interact, but if you think it's sex-positive then you're doing sex-positive wrong.
The scene that made me dislike this book is when Suzie is looking up Jon's favourite porn star, Jazmine St. Cocaine, on the internet. She says, "It doesn't say which of her uncles touched her.", implying that all sex workers must get into the job because they've been abused in the past, which is such a tired and judgmental stereotype that frankly surprised me given that Suzie seemed to me like a relatively sex-positive character so far. After her comment, in a fourth-wall-breaking moment, the photo of the porn star on the internet starts to call Suzie out on her comment, saying that she's a real person who doesn't deserve to be shamed or insulted. So at this point I'm thinking, oh, okay, Matt Fraction is aware of the negative issues surrounding sex workers and is making a point! BUT NO. Suzie closes the laptop, interrupting the woman defending herself against her ignorant BS, and says, "Jesus, god, you called yourself 'Jazmine St. Cocaine.' Taking a little shit was inevitable--". Yes, that's right, it's the sex worker's fault that Suzie feels so okay about assuming abuse. If only she'd picked a more respectable porn star name, maybe people would stop shaming and abusing her! Plus the line about child abuse was so flippant - like it's less horrible if someone was a abused as a child because she grew up to become a sex worker.
It was such an incredibly negative moment in this book. Fraction even shows that he understands some of the issues facing sex workers and the stigma attached to their jobs because of slut-shaming and the assumptions we make about people who choose sex work, and then says THEY DON'T MATTER BECAUSE WHAT A STUPID PORN NAME AMIRITE? There was almost some self-awareness and fighting of stigma and societal barriers against the freedom to choose whatever we want for our bodies, which would have fit in so nicely with the rest of this book, but instead it just went along with treating sex workers like dirt because it's the status quo and played off as a joke.
The rest of the book includes some positive moments as well as some more subtle sex-negativity. I wanted to like it, but I can't like anything that shows female sexuality in a positive light while turning around and perpetuating ignorant and dangerous stereotypes about women who use that sexuality in a different way. Suzie is an independent woman with ownership over her body, who has sex frequently with different partners and that is portrayed as a good thing. The instant a woman chooses to get paid for it though, nope. She's a slut and deserves ridicule.
No thank you. -
خوندن این ریویو به کسایی که فکر میکنن کاندوم بادکنک بسته بندی شدهست، پیشنهاد نمیشه!
_Is this bitch fucking serious?
+I can hear you. I'm not joking dumbass.
اول باید یه اعترافی بکنم. در واقع تو گودریدز خیلی از چیزهایی که میخونم نیستن! کسی زحمت اد کردنشون رو نکشیده و خودم هم سعی نکردم به کسی بسپارم تا انجامش بده. دوست داشتم اون نیمهی تاریک وجودم پنهون باشه. همونطور که از نظر تموم آدمها مخفی هست.
ولی خب با وجود تموم اینها، گاهی به سرم میزنه که افکار پوسیدهای که سالها به خورد ذهن بینوام دادن رو پس بزنم و به کسایی که مسبب این ریدمان بودن بگم با همون انگشتی که به سمتم گرفتی و قضاوتم میکنی، خودت رو به فاک بده! و فکر نکن با این حرف بهت تعرض کردم. بعدا بخاطر اون لذتی که بهت دست داد ازم تشکر میکنی. البته اگه قدردان باشی! ولی میدونم تو خلوتت کم از این کارا نکردی اما سعی میکنی آدم متشخصی به نظر برسی و حال بقیه رو با ذهن زیبات به هم بزنی. خوب میدونم تو هم مثل منی. کثیف و تاریک. همونطور که ذاتمون باهاش عجین شده. همونطور که بخاطر همین چیزا پامون به این دنیا باز شده. اگه بخوای نادیدهش بگیری و با هیس هیست من رو به خودسانسوری سوق بدی، در نهایت باعث میشی یه روزی حرف از تمام این چیزها هم زده نشه. و من دیگه نمیخوام اون آدم مودب متین باحجب و حیا باشم. میخوام افسار پاره کنم و ازشون حرف بزنم. پس اگه حرفام اذیتت میکنه میتونی با نخوندنش مستفیضم کنی :)
حالا سر اصل مطلب میرم. موضوع این کمیک به اندازهی اسمش شاید سکسی نباشه و اگه با این دید سمتش بری که قرار هست بهت کلی حال بده و بساط اهم اوهومت رو فراهم کنه، ناامید شی. پس ای جوان ایرانیای که نیازهای جنسیش سرکوب شده، بیخودی با دیدن اسم کتاب فکر و خیال به سرت نزنه چون شاید چیز دندون گیری نصیبت نشه!
سوزان یه دختر از همه جا بیخبری هست که هیچ ایدهای راجع به مسائل خاکبرسری نداره. نه خونواده نه جامعه بهش آموزشی در این باره ندادن و این بچه حتی متوجه این هم نیست که چرا با به ارگاسم رسیدنش زمان متوقف میشه. چون فکر میکرد این طبیعی هست و برای بقیه هم همین طوره! تا اینکه بعد از گذشت زمان پی میبره تنها اون هست که این ویژگی عجیب رو داره. یه جورایی میتونه براش سوپرپاور محسوب بشه. البته اگه بدونه چطور ازش بیشترین بهره رو ببره!
تا اینکه تو پارتیای با جان آشنا میشه. و میخواد باهاش رابطهی یه شبه برقرار کنه. به این خیال که زمان متوقف میشه تو تخت میره و بعد از انجام عملیات فرح بخش متوجه میشه جان مثل مجسمه ثابت نمونده. حرکت میکنه و زمان برای اون متوقف نشده. و اینجاست که میفهمه جان هم مثل خودشه. و حالا که از راز همدیگه خبردار شدن چه جنایاتی میتونه از ذهن کثیفشون سر بزنه؟
این کمیک جزئیات خنده داری داره که میتونه لبخند رو به لب خوانندهی اهل دل بنشونه. همچنین به نظرم ایدهی خفنی هم داره که ناب و سرگرم کنندهست.
از زیباییهاش میتونم به رفرنسش به لولیتا اشاره کنم که همون اول کاری من رو ذوق مرگ کرد. یا پوستری که به دیوار کلاسش چسبوندن و طرح قورباغه کتابخونی رو داره که با نوشتهش دلم رو حسابی برد:
Reading is sexy.
حتی اون پوزیشنهای سمی سکسیای که ریچل به سوزان یاد داد یا کاموردی که با دیدن ریزجزئیاتش میشه قه قه زد. مثلا نوشتهی این پوسترش:
Remember
You cannot purchase 20 dildos or more without health insurance.
یا حتی اصطلاحات بامزهش که پیشنهاد میکنم تو دیکشنری Urban به دنبال معانیشون بگردی.
و حتما حتما رو تک تک نقاشیها زوم کن. رو اسباببازیهای جنسی، نوشتههای پوسترا و هر چیز بی اهمیتی که قصد داری سرسری ازشون بگذری. چون همونا هستن که باعث میشن نیشخند بزنی و شاید زیر لب بگی یکی از من منحرفتر هم وجود داره!
خلاصه که تجربهی جالبی بود. پیش به سوی بقیه جلدها.. -
I go into this review giving fair warning and I share this without opinion or agenda. It is just facts to help the reader know what they are getting into. As you can see, the title is Sex Criminals. The book contains lots of sex and nudity. Some might say it is even borderline pornograpic at times. If that is not for you, there is no reason to give this a try.
I am digging this Queen Bohemian Rhapsody variant cover!
I have seen this as a top title on Hoopla for a while, but wasn't sure I would check it out. But, one of my Goodreads groups selected it for this month so I figured I would give it a shot.
I always like to include photos in my reviews of graphic novels, but I was a bit worried I would be able to find anything un-risque enough to share. Despite being adult in nature, the illustrations remind me of the Archie Comics. But, of course, Archie and Veronica couldn't stop time by having sex (or, maybe they could and I missed that story arc - I need to ask my wife about Riverdale).
Now, it seems like most of this volume is exposition - and the exposition and backstory tell how the main characters got their powers. As the story was coming to a close, it seemed to settle into a storyline that would take the reader into the next volume. So, maybe less sex, but I doubt it!
There was some humor and the concept was interesting as so I give it a solid 3 stars. I am interested to see how it pans out so I am sure I will give the next volume a try.
-
Suzie is trying to raise money to save the library she works at when she meets Jon; they share something, a secret power, that can only be unleashed by - orgasm! No, that's not a typo, I meant that point of pleasure, the human orgasm! Explicit art, explicit themes and explicit language, and still an innovative and thought provoking work, which you have no idea where it's heading even after completing the first volume!
The building of the relationship between Suze and Jon is crafted really well, as are their back stories. Easily one of Fraction's best works. A storming, throbbing, pumping 8 out of 12, Four star read.
2019 and 2016 reads -
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
Ugh. The dreaded meh review.
So. We all know why I read this right?
Anna said "Suze and Jon can freeze time when they're having sex" and I said "my reputation is ruined anyway, I might as well add this."
You'll have to agree that this is a great premise. I mean, even if you're not into the whole sex with a purpose thing (if you don't know what that is, just ask
Liz, she'll be more than happy to enlighten you), you'll have to admit it's a pretty original idea.
The problem is, as original as the premise is, Sex Criminals is a bit disappointing.
♦ I didn't connect with the characters. It's not that they weren't interesting but they just felt terribly flat. Suze & Jon's relationship is just, I don't know, there. They have sex, they freeze time. I never felt any real connection between them. And NO I am not saying I wanted more romance here. Are you people crazy?! *shakes head*
♦ The storyline is pretty much paper thin: have sex/freeze time/rob a bank while time is frozen/use stolen money to save Suze's library from financial disaster. Meh. Worse, the authors sometimes stretch the story as much as they can: 4 pages of Suze not singing a Queen song in a bar? Does that add anything to the plot? No. It's just boring. A great premise but the story falls kind of flat.
♦ The story keeps going and back and forth in time and although I liked that multi-layered aspect of the plot I think it was poorly handled. The story was all over the place and suffered from the lack of continuity.
BUT it's not all bad. I did like some of the things I saw here.
♦ Great concept: the whole having sex = freezing time idea is one of the most original ones I've come across in a long time. I like the idea of the sex police too. It's all pretty cool.
♦ Great graphics: I love the art here, especially the way time freezing is rendered. And the colouring is simply fantastic. I'm a sucker for strong, vibrant colours and Zdarsky did an amazing job here. The graphics pop right out of the pages.
And look at this:
♦ Great humour: lots of sarcasm here, which I obviously couldn't resist. Oh, and if you're looking for cutesy humour, this isn't the right comic for you. Stay away from it. There is a whole page page of crazy sex positions that is absolutely hilarious. I wouldn't want GR to kick me out just yet so I resorted to black squares to hide the supposedly offending bits and pieces *sighs*
So this was a bit of a hit and miss for me. Still, I think it might benefit from a reread. Especially since I love the concept so much. Will I read the second volume? Believe it or not there's a good chance I will. I think some of the weaknesses of One Weird Tricks come from the fact that it is the first volume in this series. I see lots of potential here so I'm willing to give the authors the benefit of the doubt. And I want to know more about the sex police. That pretty much clinches it. -
Long before the middle of the book I was - and you will be too - deeply in love with Suzie and Jon (the titular Sex Criminals) and their story, but it was the middle of the book when Suzie jumped up on the pool table to belt out Fat-Bottomed Girls by Queen that I realised I was reading a completely new kind of comic I’d never read before. As soon as Suzie opens her mouth, the lyrics are blocked out by captions from Matt Fraction explaining why they couldn’t reprint the Queen lyrics because certain things hadn’t gone through the legal department in time. It’s an absolutely perfect moment.
Sex Criminals was the most original comic of 2013, in a year filled with terrific and original comics, and if you’ve never heard of it, I’m here to tell you this is a book everyone (provided they’re over 18) should read. Suzie and Jon can temporarily freeze time when they orgasm and they can walk about in the frozen world. Jon works as a personal assistant in a bank which is foreclosing on Suzie’s library and, after the two meet at a party and discover their mutual ability, they decide to rob the bank to keep the library’s doors open. But Suzie and Jon aren’t the only ones with special powers and they’re about to find out what happens to sex criminals when the sex police show up!
The premise is excellent and completely unique but what really makes the comic so good are the characters. The first chapter introduces our heroine, Suzie, as she narrates her life story directly to the reader, taking in her tragic home life - father committed suicide, mother became an alcoholic - which is an unexpected tack to take in a book that’s marketed as a comedy, to finding out about sex and her powers. Jon’s story follows with its own bumps along the way (what’s a story without conflict, eh?) which questions the overly medicated youth of America in a funny way and explains why he chooses a creative location for his daily poops.
Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky pull off an amazing balancing act of telling an original, exciting story with well-rounded, believable characters, with tons of great jokes that are perfectly suited to the comics medium. I already mentioned my favourite scene with Suzie singing Queen, but there are loads of great moments like when Suzie’s in high school and learning about sex. I dare you to keep a straight face when the older girl doodles on the bathroom stall, describing the various sex positions (my favourites - and by that I mean the ones that made me laugh the most, not because I do them myself - are shrimping, brimping and the Dutch microwave. Read the book to find out what they look like!).
Zdarsky deserves a lot of credit for his work on his book. I think any other artist on this simply wouldn’t have had the same effect as he has had - his art is absolutely first class and perfect on every single page, but his imaginative layouts takes Fraction’s script and makes it something else. The scene where Suzie meets Jon for the first time and they walk about the party while Jon quotes Nabokov’s Lolita was stunning, especially when Suzie’s feet lift off the ground, the background falls away, and the two, sat on the sofa, lift off the page into white nothingness.
Even the background stuff - especially the background stuff - is amazing. When the two visit Cumworld, a sleazy sexshop from Jon’s youth, there are too many background gags to mention that are so much fun to discover for yourself but I’ll mention one of the pornos: Hard-On Fink starring Johnny Spurturro and directed by Joel and Ethan Boen. But the best background gag is Sexual Gary - I won’t say any more than that except that Sexual Gary is the best background gag in comics ever.
As you’d expect in a book called Sex Criminals, there’s a lot of sex and nudity but it’s done in a very matter-of-fact and realistic way so that it’s never exploitative or sleazy but comes off instead as surprisingly charming. And because Suzie and Jon are in love with each other, those scenes do feel romantic and sweet, like you’re really seeing two people falling for one another as two people would in real life.
There’s not a single thing I can critique in Sex Criminals - it is a flawless comic. It’s art and writing is both smart and funny, entertaining and clever, where the tone is pitch perfect and possesses an intoxicating mix of contemporary drama, sci-fi and comedy, as well as featuring two of the most realised characters you’re like to meet in Suzie and Jon. It’s an utterly beautiful comic too with some of the best art you’ll see all year. One Weird Trick is a startlingly original book that is quite simply a masterpiece. Fraction and Zdarsky are doing something special with this series and I can see Sex Criminals easily becoming one of the major high points in 21st century comics.
These guys… if you haven’t already, get in on this one immediately and see two incredible artists producing the greatest work of their career. It'll also probably be the only time in your life you utter the phrase "I love Sex Criminals"! -
WAS EXPECTING MORE:)
Still a great one!
Full review to come! -
This book gives you the sex education your school system failed to do, including not to slut shame and rape. This is an important book.
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★ 2016 AtY Reading Challenge ★: A book you're embarrassed to read in public(not really but it's the only one I have with "sex" in the title).
*3.5 stars*
I've been wanting to read Sex Criminal since forever, I really can't say specifically why.
Maybe it's because I have sex on my mind quite a lot lol -
This was hilarious. I have a crush on Jon and Suzie is so snarky and sassy, she's one of my favorite female characters now. I can't wait to get the second volume.
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To be honest, I was shocked my library had this. I decided to read it based on the title alone. I was not disappointed. The story wasn't what I expected. It was part comedy, part sci-fi. Of course it had a lot of sex in it but that was how it worked. I just wish it wouldn't have jumped around so much chronologically. I don't mind a flashback here and there but the narrator was all over the place. They start telling the story but they keep remembering important things so it's a little disjointed. It was enjoyable regardless and the art was amazing. I'm definitely looking forward to more volumes.
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RATING:
This was a real fucked up graphic novel. I don't think I've read anything like it. I thought Saga was weird, but this is even more weird.
But this book was so much fun to read.
The characters were hilarious. The instances that they have gone through were just too funny. I loved it.
For those of you that had sex, does time stop when you orgasm?
For Suzie and Jon, this was the case. Time stops when they get to that big O. And for a time, it was fun. They did things they think no one would ever find out.
But they were wrong.
Someone was looking.
They were watching.
The whole concept of the book I really liked. It's unique and just hilarious. Sex as sort of a super power? How funny and cool is that? Sex, most of the time, is treated as something bad. A lot of people shake their heads when it comes to this topic. If there are books about sex, it's usually shed in a negative light like its something bad or shameful, which it isn't. I liked how this graphic novel steered away from that and I really how it turned out. It wasn't encouraging people to have sex. No. This book wasn't about that. This is slightly similar to a coming of age story, only in a more mature way. It's about how one person come to realize the things like sexuality.
The characters were really well drawn out. You got to know both the characters very well. You get to know the struggles that they encountered because of this ability that they have. They were also written in a very realistic way
The flow of the story itself was pretty good.
There were flash back sequences in this book where the current character was telling the story while she/he is beside the past his/her past self. It was like the present character came back to the past to watch his/her past self do the stuff they did in the past. I couldn't explain it, but its just a unique way to tell the story.
The illustrations were so good looking. I loved it. It was so easy to the eyes. There were bright colors everywhere then ever they were in that frozen time which I thought it was brilliant.
This was hilarious. The situations that Suzie and Jon got themselves into were so funny.
There's a part, I forgot which issue, where Suzie is singing a song… That's all I have to say. Haha. You just have to check it out.
It would make you question your own values. I liked that there is something about this that would make you think. It's not just about the humor. It's not just about the images.
I don't think it was ever explained why they have the ability that they do. Suzie tried to find out if what she was experiencing was the same as what others were experiencing when she was younger. It turned out that she was the only one (at least at the time). But even after she met Jon, I felt that question hasn't been answered yet. Or probably it was intentional that they left those details out in these volumes. But I seriously wanted some answers. Even a tiny bit of foreshadowing might be good. But I didn't get that, at least on this volume.
I found it completely unrealistic how they met. I don't think it should be that easy to find someone who share exactly the same ability as you. I mean, yeah she did sleep with quite a few guys, but the chances of her finding someone who had the same ability to stop time is really, really, really slim.
I just hated those bad guys. Stupid Sex Police. Haha.
The pacing is a bit slow for my taste. I understand that the author wanted to allow us to get to know the characters more but I was too much for my taste. There are 5 issues in volume 1 and I still did not know why they have the abilities they have. So that's really disappointing.
I did not buy the romance at all. I thought it was a bit too hurried. There was a connection, but felt a bit forced at times. I liked them together, but the fact that they developed feeling for each other because they share something similar was something I do not agree with. I get why they were comfortable with each other, but I still don't buy that the romance.
I really enjoyed reading this. I actually finished this in one day whereas in Saga, even when I enjoyed it, I still have not finished the first volume (yeah… sorry).
Also a bit of a disclaimer to my younger readers that I do not recommend this book to readers under 18. It has too many vulgar and inappropriate stuff in it that are not for younger people. But if you're older than 18, then go ahead and give this a go.
I wish that on the next volume we get some clarification on how they come to get the ability that they have because I am really curious. Why? Because who wouldn't want to stop time? Right? Haha
Have you read this? What did you think about it? :) -
▶ Suze and Jon can freeze time when they're having sex.
Quite a cool trick right?
♦ First of all, I can't deny that some parts just didn't work for me - not because there's too much sex, I mean, hey, the book's named Sex criminals so I had some clues that it would contain sex scenes. While I'm talking about it, I feel the urge to point that yes, there are a lot of sex in it and that's not for everyone. But that's not porn - sex criminals , remember?
♦ The problem is that I often found myself not fully invested in the story and I struggled to care somehow. Actually I could have drop my read without really missing it. And that sucks.
♦ Moreover - and pinky swear I'm done with the cons after that - I'm not sure how I feel about the way Suze's best friend, Rache, and the sex workers are portrayed here. I want to believe that it's sarcastic and not to be taken seriously - I'm pretty sure that's how we have to read it but I can't deny that it made me uncomfortable at some point.
▶ Why am I rating this 3 stars then?
1) Because I really appreciated the multi-layered storylines.
2) Because the humor was irreverent and sarcastic and some scenes made me laugh out loud.
3) Because I found the concept really original and I'm curious to see where it will go. What? Robbing banks of course, duh.
4) The art was really good - for me, anyway.
45) Because glowing dick. Don't judge me.
Edit because apparently, I don't know how to count. Yikes.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
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LOVED this.
A world where the sex police exist and you can stop time with an orgasm.
Very different, very well done -
I was really surprised by how much I liked this, since it had so many factors working against it. First, it's pretty weird to carry around a book that says "Sex Criminals" on the front, especially when your main reading time is on public transportation. (I ended up with a sticky note "accidentally" over the title.) Secondly, there's no way around it - though I really don't believe this is more explicit than any other graphic novel I've read recently (I'm looking at you,
Saga, Volume 4), sex is still a key plot point. And finally, my dad gets my reviews in an email digest every day. HI DAD!
But Sex Criminals managed to charm me, regardless of all of the reasons to dislike it. The premise is "simple": Jon and Suzie can individually stop time when they have sex, and have never found anyone else who has the same skill. When they find out that they can both move into "The Quiet" (Suzie's word for the time freeze that she can move in), they start robbing banks.
What I really loved about this was the development of Jon and Suzie's relationship: one of my favorite pages shows Jon and Suzie going about their respective days, texting each other from work. They fall really hard for each other, and this does a great job of depicting the heady first few weeks of a new romance. Both of them are full-fledged characters, and I liked having a female protagonist. In fact, this might be my favorite writing of any graphic novel series I've read so far. What if I read Matt Fraction's
Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon and really like it?? AM I GOING TO BE INTO HAWKEYE? HELP -
Well, who knew sex could be so hilarious?
Sex Criminals is one of the most bizarre and brilliant graphic novels I have ever read! The plot centres around two individuals, Suzie and Jon, who find that their orgasms give them the ability to stop time. Yes. You read that right. They have sex and STOP FRIGGIN' TIME! I told you it was bizarre.
And yet brilliant, too!
Despite the eccentricities of the plot, it had quite a straight forward storyline. What made it more alluring was the non-linear narrative: segments from the characters' past mingled with their present with no prior notice given to the reader. This gave a cohesive and well-rounded story in an exciting and constantly shifting format.
I found the style of writing just as distinctive. The protagonist directly related the story to the reader, making this feel personal and conversational. She often broke character and paused the story's trajectory to inform the reader of a fact or to relay her feelings. The segments located in the past often featured the protagonist in her present state. You see her dually as she was and as she is right now, as she acts as narrator to her own life's history.
The sequential artwork was just as alluring as the text. I loved how fresh the format consistently felt due to the alternating image sizes and text quantity: each page had something new to offer. The segments featuring frozen time displayed a stunning vibrancy of colour and an almost tangible feel to the tone that was of exceptional beauty.
I find little to fault with this unique and unconventional first installment and I can not wait to continue with the series and see where the plot will take us next. -
This is the kind of book that's pretty mandatory to read in a physical form, if only to read it in a public place and have the decent people of the world give you weird glances after they look twice at the title.
The book's concept leaves room for so many possibilities and loads of entertainment. Jon and Suzie are a young, everyday couple, but they both share one special gift: they have time-stopping orgasms. No really, they literally stop time during the cum-down after sex. So once they hook up, they do what anyone with that gift would do, they decide to rob some banks! Let the games begin!
There are a couple of things in this series that elevates the concept above being merely juvenile and made it something distinctive. The first are the characters, who are relatable and charming if not fully likable, both endearing and multi-faceted enough to make me want to read much more about them. The second is Chip Zdarsky's artwork, which is colorful and witty, working perfectly in tandem with Matt Fraction's writing and a great fit for this fun romantic comedy. I also really love the light-streak effects that visually cue the time-frozen Cum World/Quiet. The lovely art is sometimes a character in itself, through it's attention to detail and it's subtle in-jokes that make you truly study the art on each page.
The whole thing is a great premise for a romantic comedy and it's a fun way of looking at a new couple exploring sex and relationships and all their complexities. -
This is a weird one. Our two main characters meet one another and discover they have the ability to stop time when they orgasm. Craziness ensues. This was not the end all, be all for me that others have raved over.
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Read this one the subway.
Awwwwwwwwwkward. -
Here is a test to see if you will like this book or not: Imagine someone getting slapped in the face with a big rubber dildo.
If you smiled or laughed: read this book.
If you rolled your eyes or cringed: read something else. -
افتادم تو دام دیگه انقدر همه رو دیدم میخونن
چی بگم...
خدا نصیب کنه -
For some reason I didn't expect it to be QUITE that graphic. I probably should have guessed given the title and all... LOVED IT though! So funny, great artwork and totally unlike anything I've ever read. Time stops when they, uh, climax so they decide to rob a bank. Obvs.
The only teensy problem I have with it is that I'm not really feeling the main characters, but hopefully that'll change as I work through the series.
