Posted in: Comics, Image, Review | Tagged: chip zdarsky, crime, image comics, matt fraction, sex criminals, Supernatural

Sex Criminals #23 Review: I Don't Know What I Expected

We join Sex Criminals with a man entering an orgy before backing out. It's followed by a dissatisfied wife, a man who almost misses an appointment with a woman and a bus accident, a man who pleasures himself with a high-tech machine, and, finally, young woman who works at a library. She returns home to her mother, who works for a company that specializes in sex toys. She goes to an art show full of ambers with copulating bugs inside.

Okay, this is my first excursion into Sex Criminals, and I looked up most of these characters' names after reading it. That said, congratulations, you know what my first experience was with Sex Criminals in exact detail.

That paragraph probably sounded a lot more dissatisfied than intended; as I quite enjoyed Sex Criminals #23. Knowing the names wouldn't have changed much; the premise about sex-based superpowers probably would have helped somewhat before reading. There were a couple of scenes that left me baffled.

As a first impression, it is gratifying to read a comic that does openly talk about people's various kinks plainly and not hidden behind innuendo. That said, it still has that middle school-age "haha, that's naughty stuff" sense of humor behind the jokes, and I still laugh at those more than I should.

There is a brief snippet of a Shape of Water porn parody with a line that left me laughing for several minutes.

That said, characters like Jon, Suzie, and Suzie's mom are interesting. The rest didn't stick around long enough for me to glean much given my limited experience with the book.

Chip Zdarsky's artwork has a detailed yet sterile aesthetic to it which fits the dry and blunt nature of the comic. It shows things plainly, and it fits the "here is an avalanche of sexual kinks" thematic of the comic. The colors have a high-contrast 1970's vibe to it which work to keep the comic visually appealing. This comic looks great.

Sex Criminals #23 was my first excursion into this series, and it did not disappoint. It was funny, interesting, and looked great. This one gets a recommendation. Check it out (if you're old enough).

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