Sex Criminals Vol. 1

Sex Criminals – Volume 1, Matt Fraction (writer) Chip Zdarsky (artist) – 2014

(Though I understand their working partnership to be a close and collaborative one, and have no doubt that they contributed many ideas to one another’s side of the work, for ease I am going to go ahead and treat the wonders of the words to Fraction, and the genius of the drawing and colouring to Zdarsky!)

A common misconception is that funny and serious are dichotomies, and that if a work is supposed to be taken seriously as literature it should, if not be outright humourless, certainly not be full of jokes. Humour, however is one of the most important lenses for examining serious subjects; one only needs to listen to the giggles and raucous laughter that often occur at a wake to understand this.

As Suzie, our protagonist and narrator, states: 'This guy killed my dad. The jokes are coming I promise.'1

Within the first volume (#1-5) of Fraction and Zdarsky's Sex Criminals, they deal with the homicide of a parent, rape, parental alcoholism, mental health, the evils of capitalism, STIs, lack of sexual education, slut-shaming, increasing closure of libraries, living with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and ADHD, the morality of stealing from the super rich to fund civic initiatives, good people struggling to do the right thing when the system is against them and implied PTSD. And of course, the ups and downs, highs and lows of sex.

And sex superpowers!

When Suzie orgasms, she stops time: literally. And then kind, passionate about libraries, Queen-singing Suzie meets Jon, wannabe actor, secretary at a bank, partial hipster and as they relax, post coitus, they lie back replete, look over at the other and then scream: 'How are you here?'2 It seems he too can stop time (and his dick glows neon-white till he's ready to go again fyi!) and they hang out, swap stories, share their experiences, plan a bank job to save the local library and just maybe fall in love along the way.

Zdarsky's art sets the tone beautifully. His character designs are a perfect antidote to the hyper-realistic, near caricatured perfection of mainstream (read, most superhero) comics. When we see them naked – and we see them naked quite a bit – neither Suzie nor Jon have any particular muscle definition or tone. Suzie is short, and slightly heavy, with large, tired eyes and an unturned pixie nose. Jon is tall, wears round hispter glasses, and has a large nose and even larger chin. They are also both utterly gorgeous, and it is easy not only to see why they connect emotionally, but fancy the pants off each other (quite literally!). The facial expressions Zdarsky is able to give all the characters seem limitless (see Jon's reactions during the glorious Queen montage) and when, occasionally, he needs to break into all out cartoon madness (such as the intricately plotted chase of the teenage Jon around the porn shop – don't ask!) he rises to the occasion hilariously! He draws pacey, kinetic actions scenes (just see the continuing battle of the two with the sex police that bookends every issue) and empty spaces that feel both lonely and grounded, without ever verging into gothic sensibilities (check out Suzie, working with the schoolgirl on her project). And of course, the showstopping colouring when The Quiet descends, providing us with lens flares JJ Abrams would envy and a glorious centrepiece to the series.

As for Fraction's text, the term that continues to come to mind is deft. It says something of Fraction's skill in that, when presenting a down-to-earth, off-beat relationship, focusing on them awkwardly, adorably working through and taking on board each other's issues, Suzie's anxiety and Jon's Oppositional Defiant Disorder and ADHD, he is able to slip seamlessly into something unabashedly romantic. Check out Jon's explanation of why he has to go home, rather than stay with her: 'I've looked for you everyday of my life. Or, since I was, what, thirteen, fuck, whatever it was and...Suzie, I'm worried that if I don't go home tonight I am never, ever, going to go home again.' Then there is the overall tone. From the rape of Rach, Suzie's roomate, which Fraction presents in a simple, straightforward, victim-first manner, to the wonderful post-it-notes that carefully work around copyrighted Queen lyrics, to Suzie's mother's heart-wrenching response to Suzie's request for information about sex, and Suzie's awkward, hilariously direct questioning of the 'Dirty Girls', Faction perfectly blends the shits in tone between upbeat and poignant, allowing them to complement each other perfectly. In a text mired in sadness and suffused with joy, it says something for his skill, and his beliefs as a creator, that Fraction is able keep the tone both bitter-sweet, and ultimately hopeful.

The joy, and joy really is the most important word with this series, reverberates through words and pictures in this series, and its non-judgemental attitude to both Suzie and Jon's teenage explorations and adult adventures, gives the reader a rewarding, healthy sex-positivity that other media, and indeed the world in general, needs to catch up with!

Deeply looking forward to finding out what happens next, and will review Volume 2 once read!

1Sex Criminals Vol. 1: One Weird Trick, Fraction, Matt & Zdarsky, Chip, Image Comics, 2014

2Sex Criminals,