| Title | : | Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1632151936 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781632151933 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published February 25, 2015 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Graphic Novels & Comics (2015) |
Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds, One Cop Reviews
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They have sex - they initiate their superpower! Outdoing the first volume
Matt Fraction and
Chip Zdarsky take no prisoners, with a mental disorder explained, Planned Parenthood lessons, close-up vagina and dick pics and a great curve ball in the story! Putting aside the great writing, the triggering explicit content, this overall great art etc. - a really good read has got to have a story and this has story aplenty with some seriously good sub plotting and throwback-in-time recollections. 9 out of 12, super firm Four Star read!
2019 read; 2016 read -
If you pick this up thinking it will be criminally sexy, think again. Criminally boring is what it is.
I knew I shouldn't have bought this. I mean, I thought
volume 1 was meh as hell. But I'm an idiot so I ordered this anyway. Why? Because I liked the concept. You have to admit that the idea of literally freezing time whenever you have sex is pretty cool, right? The idea might be cool but if you don't know what to do with it, it won't get you anywhere. And that's exactly what happened here. There is no plot whatsoever. It's all blah blah blah and little else.
Volume 1 was pretty underwhelming but at least there was some action: Jon and Suzie, the MCs, had sex to freeze time and robbed banks while time was standing still. They were chased by the Sex Police. There was a plot, the story seemed to be going somewhere and things were actually happening. In volume 2 nothing happens. Gone is the original storyline, gone is the sex police. Bye bye fun, hello boredom. All we get is Jon suffering from depression, being a hypocondriac and rambling incessantly about his childhood. All this while Suzie is having doubts about their relationship. Yay. How exciting.
And don't get me started on the scenes involving Suzie and her ob-gyn (who also happens to be Jon's friend *eyeroll*). They made me feel like I was in a high-school sex ed class. Will there be a multiple choice test at the end of this lecture? Fascinating stuff, really. I have to admit I liked the colors in those scenes, though. That's good, right? Right. Not nearly enough, but good.
What bothered me most is probably the immaturity of the whole sex part of the plot. It feels like the authors are just two teenage kids trying to be naughty by writing about sex. The problem is, the end result is not naughty, it's boring. And completely lacklustre. And juvenile. And childish. Oooooooh, dildos!! Ooooooooh, porn!! How positively outrageous! How insanely risqué! ← in case you didn't know, this is called irony. I guess it would have helped if I'd thought this was as funny as other people seem to think. But it didn't even make me smile once and everything just fell flat. I guess it's just not my kind of humour.
►► So let's see, what do we have here? Time for simple maths:
Bleh + Meh + Yawn = I'm done with these sex criminals.
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This was great like book one! I like how this one delves a little bit into mental illness and expands the world of our sex police and other timestoppers lol. I liked the first one a little better because there's less relationship angst, but the humor and the weirdness of this is so compelling and I can't wait to read volume 3!
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Well, I have done it. I have finally read a graphic novel where I don’t feel comfortable sharing any of the pictures I have been able to find online that accompany the volume. Either the language or visual content is not something I want randomly showing up in my friend’s feed! Now, you might say, “Matthew, were all adults around here, we can take it!” Well, I know I have a variety of followers out there and I want to make sure that I don’t alienate anyone.
That being said, I guess you pretty much by now know that the content of this book is adult (did the title give it away?). Some of you may be uncomfortable with labels like “Adult content” or “okay for young adults”, so it is probably best to just say what it is; there is lots of sex, talk about sex, four letter words, slang terms for private parts, and nudity. So, if any of those make you uncomfortable, this is not for you. But, if you are okay with those things, there is a pretty interesting story here.
While there is a lot of goofiness in this story (there is a fight in a sex dungeon where the only weapons are ), there is also a lot dealing with how sex and sexuality can be a weapon, a tool, and benefit, and a detriment. When I wasn’t laughing or cringing it really had me thinking about the intricacies of the physical relationships between the main characters and how much pressure it puts on them.
As we have definitely established, this series is not for everyone. But, if you are okay with your content being raw, then there is a lot psychological/relationship content to get into here as well. -
So, first of all, that title though!
Second of all, this series is INSANE!
This still includes the same time-stopping orgasms and bank robberies that took precedent in the first installment, but there is also an added depth of emotion that I felt was missing in the previous volume. Whilst still hilarious, this covers topics such as mental health, sexuality and female sexual arousal. This added depth allowed for the characters to display a more raw and real side to them, and for me to empathize with them as individuals. Of course, there is still oodles of sex scenes and hilarious anecdotes, but the darker sections give this an overall different feel from the first installment. And, I must say, I like where this series is going. -
This story continues to surprise me. I was really impressed with this volume, for how artfully it entwined so many different important elements.
Was I laughing so hard my sides hurt? Yes.
Was it also insightful, poignant, and real? Surprisingly, yes.
I appreciate how honestly it tackles topics like depression, mental illness, sex-workers, relationships, etc. That's so important, especially in a setting that also manages to be hilarious and incredibly sex-positive at the same time.
This is DEFINITELY a book for adults, but a really important one once you get past the fact that there's also an iron throne made out of dildos. And it is glorious. -
Suzie and Jon both have a special superpower: when they orgasm, they can stop time. Then they meet, fall in love, and decide to save Suzie’s library from foreclosure by the bank by robbing said bank of its filthy lucre! And so they ran like the sex criminals they were – in love, robbing the rich to give to the needy, and evading the sex police. A perfect ending!
Or it would’ve been if there wasn’t a Volume 2!
The initial burst of romance is over and Suzie and Jon are settling into their new relationship just as Jon’s depression looms. They also didn’t steal as much as they thought but enough to keep the wolf from the door – for now – while the sex police, led by Kegelface herself, is still on their trail. And, as Suzie and Jon are about to discover, they are not alone and the world is full of people with unusual sex powers. The battle between the sex criminals and the sex police just got taken up a notch – brimp it on!
Tonally, the second volume of Sex Criminals is more of a downer than the first. Jon’s mental issues take over his life after he stops taking his medication and there’s more backstory exploring his confused and lonely childhood. Depression atrophies his relationship with Suzie who is going through her own problems, one of which is: does she love Jon or was it just a sex thing? This is the only sour note I had for this book and I love Suzie but what the hell – walking out on Jon when he needed her the most? What a shitty thing to do!
Sex Criminals has always been a character-driven series so it’s great that Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky are expanding their cast beyond Suzie and Jon to include some awesome new additions. There’s Robert Rainbow, Suzie’s OBGYN and coincidentally Jon’s childhood buddy; Rach, Suzie’s bestie who taught her about sex in a bathroom stall in high school (not really new but returning); and Ana Kincaid who’s led a really interesting life – she’s definitely the character you’ll remember the most from this book!
I also really liked Jon’s new psychiatrist, who, rather than throw pills at him, gives Jon some sound advice on his depression: exercise daily for 45 minutes and have a friend you can speak to. And that’s the other thing about Sex Criminals that’s so good: it’s full of useful, practical information about sensitive issues and handles them so well. Like when Suzie goes to see Robert Rainbow and he does a sexy striptease (albeit in her mind) while telling her about the various methods of birth control. Kids/teens reading this (and I’m sure there’s more than a few who do) can get all edumacated while enjoying an adult comic! No bathroom stall sketches for this generation!
But it’s also lots and lots of fun to read and the humour keeps the mental/sexual health issues from overwhelming the generally light tone. There’s a lightsaber-ish fight with dildos, the sex police tracking device is ingeniously called a cumpass, there’s a fast food joint in the mall called Salad Cake – “Have you cake and eat salad too!”, and there’s an awesome The Wicked + The Divine porn parody, The Lick-ed + The Divine, featuring cameos from Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie! I also noticed for the first time how sexual the names of our characters are: Suzie Dickson, Jon Johnson, and Myrtle Spurge (Kegelface).
It is a grown-up book though so you do see T&A though never gratuitously and surprisingly, considering Ana’s chapter (her porn name WAS Jazmine St Cocaine!), it doesn’t feel sleazy either. Also, given that the approach to this volume is “the honeymoon is over”, it’s more about relationships after the initial frenzy of sex, and the more sporadic nature of it afterwards.
Suzie and Jon take the fight to the sex police though the story itself only progresses so far in this second volume – like I said, it’s about the characters than the plot itself, but the cast are so good you almost forget about it entirely! If you enjoyed the first book, you’ll love this one just as much. Fraction and Zdarsky continue to do great things with this original title - what a brilliant comic this is!
And so we ran, like the Sex Criminals fans we are, onto the next volume! -
This series is just damn enjoyable. Solid volume with some actual important topics.
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Our favorite couple has narrowly escaped Kegel Face and her Sex Police and now they want to lay low, settle down, and just be a regular couple. But like any new couple, the honeymoon phase fades and the real struggle begins!
The fun is over in Sex Criminals and in some ways, I thought the shift in tone was interesting. But it did mean that I enjoyed this volume a little less. I really wanted more time-stopping sex and CumWorld criminal hijinks but instead I got hefty doses of relationship woes and dealing with depressing mental health issues. Although it wasn't as fun, Fraction does do a great job with pushing the further development of Jon and Susie and the rest of the supporting cast.
It's still lovable and and comical (that porn parody of The Wicked and the Divine...hilarious!), I just wish that the plot momentum was consistent with the last volume.
Good stuff.
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While the first volume introduces readers to the wacky sensibilities and grueling sexual histories of the protagonist couple Suzie and Jon, the second volume of Sex Criminals entitled Two Worlds, One Cop. delivers a more well-balanced story arc which enhanced my appreciation and enjoyment of this series. It solidified my fan status for what writer and artist Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky respectively have accomplished.
Suzie and Jon had just reached a breaking point after their misadventures last time when they decided to use their time-stopping orgasms to plan a heist and rob for the bank Jon is working for in order to save Suzie's library from being closed. As it turns out, they are not alone. Other people have the same ability and this is when they were approached by a unit of three people who call themselves the Sex Police. They are led by a woman named Myrtle Spurge whom Suzie and Jon fondly referred to as 'Kegelface". To save their relationship and get out of the Sex Police's radar, Jon decided to go back on his medication. Suzie was more than happy to have a normal relationship again except that she also began to understand that Jon is pretty immature and repressively angry in many ways.
As for Jon, he admits readily in his POV issue that he was doing it all for Suzie which is not the kind of mindset someone with an antisocial disorder should have if he truly wants to get well, mentally and emotionally. As a gap grows between the two, a heated argument took place that drove Jon to commit something he will later forget.
This second volume was amazing in both the subtlest and explosive of ways! Fraction's writing is not only just humorous and sardonic--it's also touching in a lot of places, given the depth he tackled Jon's depression and impulsive behaviors geared towards anti-authority. The issue focusing on Jon's struggles to be noticed after his parents have more than stopped caring about him even as a young boy is pretty fascinating and sad to see unfold. I really felt for Jon's solitude whenever he is in the Quiet (or the Cum World as he personally prefers it).
Inside that transcendental plane of reality, there are no rules or rejection; it's just him being able to scream and kick and wreak havoc as much as he wants to. What I think was sympathetic about this is that Jon doesn't want to be some kind of a terrorist who hurts people; he just wants to express his anger and frustration over being abandoned in ways that are not dangerous per se but are still detrimental to his well-being as a person.
[CLICK HERE FOR LARGER IMAGE]
Meanwhile, Suzie opted to take a break from Jon, assessing that as much as she cares about him, she has to look out after for herself first. In a panel sequence, she even expressed that she's not with Jon because she wants to fix him. She stresses that Jon should want to get better and seek help with his psychological difficulties, and I think this was a truly positive message to convey for a lot of young women who have this gratingly twisted way of perceiving themselves as life givers for the men they love.
I've had friends and have met various women who think they can repair someone by the power of their love and support and that sucks balls because life begs to differ. Sometimes love isn't really enough for a person to get better and stop being disruptive in their personal lives. More often than not, we should all learn to cut off abusive people from taking advantage of our kindness and devotion, and I'm glad Sex Criminals and its creators made the right decision in making Suzie say these things to the readers because it's uplifting and empowering:
I won't be spoiling the crucial moments in this volume anymore because I would like to encourage EVERYONE to read this scintillating series, especially this volume in particular that has a lot of heart and guts. I'm pleased that a comic book like this got published. Fraction has instilled enough humor and self-awareness in Sex Criminals that can be valued a lot more than just its entertainment factor. Zdarsky's illustrations were also splendid, particularly on how he drew Suzie. She has curves in her body and is not that drop-dead gorgeous-looking either, much like Jon is typically just average-looking too.
In a nutshell, Sex Criminals is a promising and important work that you should not missed out on!
RECOMMENDED: 9/10
READ MY REVIEWS AT:
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No, really, what the hell am I reading?
I like that this discusses depression. I like that Suzie and Jon aren’t automatically super happy forever just because they can both stop time with their orgasms. I like that Jon goes to therapy, and the first therapist doesn’t do him much good, and that the one who does begin to help (and it is only beginning) is idiosyncratically suited to him. That’s the way it works. (I’m not as keen on the exhortation to get out there and exercise ’cause that’ll fix it. It’s true for some people. It’s not always true, and it’s not always possible.) I like the portrayal of Jon’s depression where he goes all grey and there’s a bad Jon-voice telling him everything’s terrible, and the meds level him out and take the edge off everything. That, too, rings true.
It’s also cool that the porn star from the first book is fleshed out a bit, and has a whole backstory of her own and a relevance to the plot. Also cool that female sexual health is a key thing, and that it acknowledges that not all women like the same stuff, just as they don’t think or act the same way. Whether they’re porn stars or not.
The plot, though? The timeline is all over the place, Jon is kinda creepy sometimes, and I just do not care about all this sex. And it’s difficult to root for people who’re using secret powers to rob banks, however noble the cause — or at least, it’s difficult to find someone trying to stop them totally evil.
I think there’s two strikes against me and this comic here: one, I don’t have that kind of sense of humour. We’re pretty sure I have one, but you need a microscope. This is not the kind of humour that works for me, nor the kind of weird that I find interesting. And two, I’m ace, and I just do not understand the appeal of all this sex. I don’t know if that’s playing into my lack of shits about this series, but probably.
Originally posted here. -
I really can't say why but I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the first.
Also, I've discovered that this is a really weird thing to attempt to read on your lunch break when other people might be able to see the pages. Awk-ward.
Look, it's not porn, I just happen to be reading a very clever graphic novel about time traveling sex maniacs, ok?
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A scene that is a porn filmed of people pretending to be characters from The Wicked + The Divine. Yep.
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I
loved the first installment so much that I'm surprised at my feelings on the second. Nothing happened in this volume that truly excited me. The storyline felt a little stalled (even though ), and Jon and Suzie's relationship seems to be the central piece for issues 6-10.
But that aspect wasn't handled as well as I had hoped. One of the things that I really liked about Vol. 1 was how well the relationship was written. It's an interesting take to go with, "Well, the first blush of excitement is over - now what?". However, most of the issues in here focus on Jon's own mental health problems. Suzie's willing to support him, but she gets relegated to the sidelines a bit. By the end (with the introduction of Robert Rainbow and the new psychiatrist), Jon and Suzie seem to be back on track - but I don't know if I believe that completely.
I'll probably keep reading, but I didn't like this as much as the first. -
WTF????? The ending?????!!!!!
3/1/16 // 5 hours later and I want to read this again. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Where's the next volume?! -
Δεν είμαι και πολύ σίγουρη προς τα πού πάει....η φάση με τις ληστείες τραπεζών μου άρεσε αλλά από ότι φαίνεται το παρατήσαμε....κρίμα! Επίσης εδώ είχαμε περισσότερο Jon ο οποίος αν και απέκτησε μεγαλύτερο ενδιαφέρον μιας και μάθαμε περισσότερα γι' αυτόν, συνεχίζει να μου φαίνεται λίγο αδιάφορος. Η Suzie πολύ καλύτερη!
Γενικά μου άρεσε λίιγο λιγότερο από τον πρώτο τόμο, αλλά συνεχίζω και βλέπουμε! -
Shit, as they say, is getting real.
Sex Criminals, Vol. 1 remains one of the funniest, sexiest, most ridiculous things I’ve ever read. That it’s a comic is only a plus. It would have been funny and sexy and touching if it was just words, but Suzie and Jon and their friends really come to life in the colorful, sometimes profane, artwork. (There are also some truly hilarious visual gags as well.) But if One Weird Trick was all about introducing Suzie and Jon and their Special Power, then Two Worlds, One Cop is about what happens once the newness of their meeting wears off. How do they make this new life of theirs work?
We learned last time around that both Suzie and Jon had felt alone emotionally their whole lives, and their meeting not only gave them someone they could experience their sexualities with fully, but someone who they could relate to in every other aspect of their lives as well. They were an instant team, them versus the world. But we also learned that Suzie’s job was at stake, and that Jon’s mental health could possibly be an issue. So that’s how they can go from this:
To this:
The meat of this volume involves both Jon and Suzie working to figure out, first themselves, and then how they can work together to actually make a relationship they can actually practically maintain without their lives dissolving into chaos. Or, you know, getting arrested every five seconds by the fucking Sex Police. Yeah. Those guys, remember them from last time?
Jon has been self-medicating for quite some time, but he finally reaches a breaking point when his new therapist prescribes him drugs that essentially castrate him, pushing him to act out in order to feel anything at all. This leads to some encounters with Kegel Face (the leader of the Sex Police) that have ramifications not only for his relationship with Suzie, but also for one of the things Suzie cares most about in the world. The library.
This leads to a rocky period between the two of them that finds Suzie reconnecting with her best friend, getting a new gyno, and Jon getting a new therapist, among other things. Fraction and Zdarsky also begin to expand their world away from just being about Suzie and Jon. Their respective best friends get fleshed out (heh). We get to see the origin story of Jasmine St. Cocaine, who actually becomes a player in the ongoing story. And we get to see the inside of Kegel Face’s house. (
THE DILDO THRONE.)
And Jon, well. Jon is still having a hard time:
I cannot for the life of me find out when the next issue of this series is due to be published let alone the next volume, which won’t even be published until they have at least five issues to collect together. And that is unacceptable. -
Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.
I liked this volume a lot!
The previous one was centered around Suzie much more than it was around Jon. And I liked her a lot, while my feelings towards him were very ambiguous. Especially between him as she sees him, and him as he is.
In Volume 2, however, we had the opportunity to spend more time with the "real" Jon, and I started warming up to him more. I enjoyed the first issue of the volume a lot, because it showed his own struggle, his attempts to be "normal", his desire to do so, for her, if not for himself.
Which of course led to a lot of ups and downs in their relationship, which, I guess, is pretty normal. And I also liked that the authors were very persistent in their storytelling. A worse writer would have idealized Suzie and Jon's relationship now that they have found each other. Instead, the two characters stayed themselves. Suzie was described as... let's call it frivolous, in her sex life, prior to meeting Jon, and here we saw her struggles to abstain from other men. Especially Robert Rainbow, whom I actually liked a lot.
However, my most beloved character of this volume was undoubtedly Jazmine St. Cocaine. She was a fantastic comic relief and a nice breath of fresh air among the inner struggles of Suzie and Jon, their relationship trouble, and their attempts of escaping Kegelface. Not to mention The Wicked + the Divine porn version, which was absolutely brilliant and I'm so glad I read that one first, because it made the Sex Criminals issue even better.
I'm really excited about reading the next volume of the story and seeing how everything unravels!
P.S. If there is one thing I would change about the art, it's Jon's nose. Nothing has ever been as unnecessary and as distracting.
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4.5 stars.
Some of the sex humor in these comics isn't really my taste, but I appreciate that it's not completely juvenile. There is a lot of humorous commentary on other subjects that had me cackling like a fool though, and I think it will speak to many adults. Sex Criminals is one of my favorite comic series at the moment. I do really adore the way the relationship between the main characters is playing out. It's very realistic, these characters are very realistic. Yay for a sexy lead female character who doesn't have ridiculous proportions. And yay for an imperfect lead male character who has ADHD and is still portrayed as sexy and awesome. Even the side characters feel very fleshed out, much more than is typical in comics or graphic novels. The narration is also my absolute favorite. Exploring this relationship with it's ups and downs, and the struggle of trying to "get it together" in your late twenties is just really appealing to me. This series definitely wasn't what I was expecting, in the best way possible. -
I loved Sex Criminals Volume One. I loved it so much that I ran out after finishing it to buy the second volume because I needed more right away. I wish I could say that I loved volume two as much as I loved volume one... but I didn't. I found volume two to be boring and all over the place. I felt like this volumes issues didn't flow together at all. I found myself sometimes looking back to see if I had skipped over a page only to find that I hadn't and something new was being brought up randomly. I really enjoyed the last issue in this volume and that will cause me to eventually get volume three so that I can see what will happen next but overall this volume just bored me. I don't know what I expected volume two to be but it wasn't this. The biggest problem I had was that I felt like the characters stories weren't going anywhere and this upset me more than anything else. There were moments that I did enjoy but overall I enjoyed the first volume ten times more than I did this one.
Longer review coming soon -
Loved it as much as the first volume.
Yes there's still parts where too much talking is happening. I also think sometimes plot advances little too slow.
Now the good part.
Holy hell is this series funny as fuck. Who didn't laugh at the face for Keagleface? Or even better the ass-illuminti line. I fucking lost it. My wife is reading these at the same time as me and just finished volume 3 and we laugh so much in bed you'd think we're fucking insane. It just has too many funny lines.
Also the series gives us such a great cast. So many wonderfully made characters. I can't get over how many people I like in this series. I mean rainbow? COME ON. This series has too many good characters I'm waiting to hate one.
So yeah on to volume 3! -
Just as good as Vol. 1 in terms of humor, breaking the fourth wall and art style, but not enough to grab my attention and make me wanna continue on with the series. It is simply too silly for me, and I won't be spending 18€ on a half-assed comic book that won't me think or consider the art form in new innovative ways. Nowadays, I need a lot more than mere entertainment. And even on the entertainment front, there are better comics out there.
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Still clever and witty, definitely enjoying this series. I find myself really liking the characters.
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3.5 Stars
Review:
I didn't find this volume to be as hilarious or as adorable as the first. It was less about the relationship between Suzie and Jon and more about the sex cops conflict. I know there has to be some sort of action in the story, it can't just be two people having sex all the time and nothing else, but I guess I found the whole Bonnie and Clyde/bank robbing thing of the first volume more interesting. But it still made me laugh, sometimes because of the characters and sometimes because of the hilarious details in the background. I definitely recommend taking the time to read the posters, porno movie titles, sections of the bookstore, etc. I especially loved the "Salad Cake" restaurant that was behind Jon when he was in the food court. One of the menus was "salads made out of cake" and the other was "cakes made out of salad" lol. The book also delved a little more into Jon's mental illnesses, so it also had a bit of heaviness. Overall, not bad, just not something that blew me away.
*I've read this book multiple times. This review was written after my 2nd read.*
Reread Ratings:
3 Stars (1st Read - 2016)
3.5 Stars (2nd Read - 2017)
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight -
Don't get me wrong. I love these graphic novels and will be hunting down the next volume pronto. However, the back matter for this one included a faux interview with the authors, where they congratulate themselves for being so brave to write stories with sex in them. Like, it's such an important part of people's lives, and why isn't it part of more stories, and why do people think their comic is dirty just because they dare to write about sex. If they were talking about just comics, I might let this pass, and yet earlier in the "interview" they declare that most of their influences come from non-comic sources.
Bitch, please. It's called ROMANCE. A whole freaking genre devoted to human relationships in all their myriad forms, including SEX.
You guys go right ahead congratulating yourselves for inventing something that's already the biggest driver in fiction sales. But when someone inevitably mentions romance novels, will you roll your eyes and crack jokes about mommy porn? -
Downer.
Nowhere near the fun or world-changing mysteries or frenetic pacing of the first volume.
Instead there’s introspective monologues on the nature of mental illness, then a bunch of antics around how they’ll amp up the tension, and some new and abrasive (Matt Fraction’s word, not mine) characters.
It’s like the refractory period (for guys anyway) where the world seems calmer, less interesting and a little scary again. (First volume was the insane, sweaty, terrifying buildup to new sex and orgasm, in this analogy. What? I didn’t claim I was a poet.)
The best part of this volume was the backmatter, and of that, the best “tip” for me was:
“Pre-ejaculate is nature’s lubricant, so feel free to drag your freshly erect penis along your bike chain every few months.”
You probably have to read it in context for that laugh-out-loud feeling. -
It's kind of depressing. This one. I didn't sign up for this. Anyway, at least, we learned more about our characters, their past and their present, emotionally.
I like the cliffhanger ending. The fuck. -
Reading this I had deja vu...because I already read this in a bigger volume...d'oh.
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I recently attended Toronto comicon earlier this month and after reading Sex Criminals Volume 1, I was on the hunt for Sex Criminals Volume 2. I read the first volume last year and I loved it. It was my first graphic novel in quite a long time and it sparked my interest in getting back in to the graphic novel world. I had given the first Volume a 5 star rating and it ended with a bit of a cliffhanger so I was super eager to get my hands on volume 2. I could have easily purchased it through the Chapters/Indigo/Coles website or in store, but there is just something about buying a graphic novel at a comic book convention that is just so much more appealing and satisfying!
The story doesn’t exactly start from where the first volume ended with the cliffhanger. Instead, it skips forward into the future a bit with the main characters of Suzie and Jon dealing with the repercussions of their crimes.
We learn more about Jon and his past in this volume where as we learned more about Suzie in the previous volume. We are also introduced to a few new characters like Robert Rainbow, Jazmine St. Cocaine and Jon’s new therapist. This volume shifts in perspective a few times between Jon, Suzie, Jazmine and Robert Rainbow. I reallyliked this aspect! Although there were a lot of perspectives, it was neatly organized by having the thought bubbles in different colours depending on which character point of view we were in. I liked that the characters all touched on their pasts while we were in their points of view as we only really had the opportunity to learn about Suzie and her past in volume 1.
I won’t get into too much detail because no one likes spoilers, but my favourite character back story was that of Jazmine St. Cocaine. It was completely unexpected as she was only described as Jon’s favourite porn star in volume 1 so it surprised me to see her as an actual character with a backstory. Also, learning about Jon’s past and the issues he deals with was a pretty realistic and believable element to the storyline.
This story is just as hilarious as the first volume, if not more so. I missed the post it note Fat Bottom Girls scene though, not going to lie. It did work in some serious situations as well which keeps everything feeling realistic. It also definitely felt more sexual which is something the reader should expect in a comic titled Sex Criminals.
The artwork was just as great as the first time around. I especially loved the frames in which time was stopped. The colours are fantastic, especially in the scenes with Jazmine St. Cocaine. The writing is hilarious, clever and witty and I really enjoyed the little things like signs on doors and the text on things like the packaging of products within the comic.
Overall, if you haven’t already read the first Volume, I suggest you get on that! Volume 2 did not disappoint and I’m eager to continue with these graphic novels and see where this original and creative story goes!
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Recap: Back in Volume 1, Suzie discovered that time stops whenever she orgasms. She thought she was alone until she met Jon. Turns out she wasn’t so alone after all. Because Suzie wanted to save the library, she and Jon concocted this scheme that wasn’t exactly legal- not legal at all actually- and that’s how they became literal sex criminals. See my review for Sex Criminals Vol. 1
here
All caught up? Good. In Volume 2, Suzie and Jon have given up their illegal activities and work on finding ways to save the library without risking too much. Of course Kegelface won’t let them live their lives.
What’s different about this volume is that we look more into Jon’s life and see things from his perspective. He’s talked about his life a little in the first volume but seeing it from his POV…dude’s got a lot going on. We touch upon his mental illnesses and see how troubled he actually is. It’s actually kind of sad, all the things he has to go through and still seem like the one who brings the humour to the comic. It just goes to show how we don’t know what goes on in other people’s heads. We see what we choose to see.
The honeymoon phase is over and it’s time for Jon and Suzie to pull up their socks and face reality. With the Sex Police alway at the back of their minds, it seems that they can’t get a moment’s peace. Drastic measures have to be taken so that they don’t end up drawing the short straw.
As the story winds on, the POVs in the issues mold together and become one. Although I did like Jon’s POV more than I did Suzie’s. I liked this volume a lot more than the first one and I have no doubt in Matt Fraction’s writing so I definitely enjoyed the story as a whole.
Series were revealed and a new can of worms has been opened. We were left on a major cliffhanger at the end of this book and I need to know what happens next. Too much happened in this volume and I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. I’m itching to start Volume 3 as soon as possible.
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