‘Sex Criminals Vol. 1: One Weird Trick’ review
By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor
3/5
We’ve all heard Uncle Ben’s old adage, “With great power comes great responsibility,” but what if that wasn’t true? What if you chose not to be a hero, and instead be as selfish and self-serving as possible? It would be tough to deny that kind of temptation, and this dark comedy from the mind of Matt Fraction explores just that.
Sex Criminals follows the life of Suzie. She’s a mostly normal woman, except for the fact she has the ability to stop time when she orgasms. Eventually she crosses paths with Jon, who can do the exact same thing. Now, I know what you’re thinking—this brings a whole new level to tantric love-making. But rather than cuddle, Suzie and Jon prefer to rob a few banks after coitus than reaffirm their co-dependence.
Fraction’s concept is pretty awesome, and the dialogue in the novel is funny and surprisingly upbeat for a story about a crime spree. The comic’s best feature is how Fraction developed his characters. Suzie and Jon are completely unlikeable. At no point in time was I ever rooting for them, but rather than be annoyed by this, it just seemed to add to the overall tone of the narrative. I wanted to keep reading, not for the characters, but for the overall story itself—and to see them get caught.
One thing I was not a fan of was the art style. Illustrated by Chip Zdarsky, the panels look like something out of classic Archie—everything is cell shaded, there’s very little detail, and the anatomy is bubbly. The overall aesthetic looks incomplete and does not fit the sophistication of the writing or the narrative’s adult themes.
If you’re okay with skimping a little on the art in favour of a good story, I would definitely recommend picking this up.
