The first volume of Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky was kind of quirky, fun and original. Jon and Suzie can both stop time when they orgasm. They each think they are the only one. They meet and what fun when they can stop time together. Suzie’s library is being foreclosed on by the bank where Jon works. They decide to “raise” the money by stopping time and robbing the bank. Except it turns out there are sex police, or at least three people who say that’s what they are. The robbery foiled and the police barely evaded, Jon and Suzie find themselves angry and confused.
In Sex Criminals Volume Two, Two Worlds One Cop, Jon and Suzie discover they can be tracked. They become paranoid and pretty much cease having sex. And then their relationship begins to fall apart. Jon sees the head of the sex police at the bank and finds out her real name and address and decides to break into her house. It does not go well. He also discovers one of the other members of the police is a very wealthy man who invests a lot of money through the bank. And suddenly the grace period the bank had given the library is revoked and the bank immediately forecloses and knocks down the library. But they discover another person who can also stop time and has met the “police.” They form a plan. What that plan is we really don’t know because that’s pretty much where this volume ends.
It also ended with me feeling pretty meh about this whole series and doubting that I will even bother with volume three whenever it should be published. After the novelty of the first volume you have to double down and really make an effort to have a good and interesting story because, well, the novelty has worn off. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the story all that interesting. I still don’t know who the sex police are or what they are doing since they aren’t really police at all. The story introduces a couple of new characters and tries to do some character development particularly with Jon, but it just didn’t work for me. When the best thing about the book is the “extras” at the end, I have to say the series is no longer that interesting for me.
And how about those extras? The “Sex Tips” were laugh out loud funny and I kept interrupting Bookman to read them to him. Here is one of my favorites:
Shower sex is great because you can fantasize that you’re having sex out in the rain, but the rain is hot because these are the End Times.
Heh.
There’s really nothing else to be said about this one.
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the second as much as the first. I liked the first volume well enough, but I hadn’t realized there was another.
I’ve finally read the Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples series, Saga, so I think I’ll take a break before I head back to graphic novels; I’m afraid everything else, for a time, will be Not-Saga. Which is a nice “problem” to have, really.
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buriedinprint, the second volume was just published not long ago so it’s pretty new yet. I’ve heard the Saga series is really good. I might have to give it a try sometime but not all at once unless I just can’t help myself 🙂
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I preferred the first volume of Sex Criminals to the second also, although I’m still going to stay with the story. I’m interested to see where the next story arc goes because right now, I really have no guesses about what happens next.
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Jenny, true I have no idea where the story is going either which is a nice thing actually. By the time volume three comes out I will probably have gotten over my disappointment of volume two and curiosity will get the best of me 😉
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Aaaa this is like those dreams where you are screaming but not making any noise! I keep trying to comment on WP blogs and my comments keep not showing up! What am I doing wroonnnnnngggggg?
(Watch: After all other attempts have failed, this comment’s going to be the one that works and then I will look like a crazy person.)
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Oh, and nothing is wrong, your comment went to moderation because of “sex.” I have the filter set pretty high because I get some really disgusting spam sometimes. Don’t worry you don;t look like a crazy person 😀
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Well, this is different! 🙂 I think I’d like to check out the first volume so I’ll have to remember this one next time I do a graphic novel haul at the library. I still have some out that I haven’t gotten around to so I need to finish those first.
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Iliana, the first one is lots of fun and definitely different. This one was a bit disappointing but as Jenny said, it is interesting that we still don’t know where the story is going to go. We can make lots of guesses but they wouldn’t be confident ones!
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