Sex Criminals

Sex Criminals

Artwork for the cover of Sex Criminals #1 . Art by Chip Zdarsky.
Publication information
Publisher Image Comics
Schedule Monthly
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Number of issues 10 (as of January 2015)
Creative team
Writer(s) Matt Fraction
Artist(s) Chip Zdarsky

Sex Criminals is an ongoing, monthly comic book published by Image Comics. It is written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Chip Zdarsky. The first issue was published on September 25, 2013 and it opened to highly positive reviews.

Sex Criminals was nominated for two Eisner Awards in 2014 including Best Continuing Series and won Best New Series.[1] On February 25, 2015, it was announced that Matt Fraction made a deal with Universal TV to turn Sex Criminals into a television show.[2]

Synopsis

Suzie, a librarian, and Jon, an actor, meet at a party and, after sleeping together, they discover that they share the ability to freeze time when they orgasm. As their relationship develops and their sexual histories are explored, they decide to rob the bank where Jon works in order to save Suzie's endangered library.

Publication history

In March 2013, Image Comics announced a sex comedy during the Emerald City Comicon.[3] Later reports confirmed that it was intended for mature readers and would have Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky in the forefront. Films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Bridesmaids, and Jackass: The Movie were referenced as touchstones for the comics, and Fraction himself confirmed in an interview that the works of Billy Wilder also inspired him deeply in writing.[4]

Zdarsky and Fraction had known each other for a short time before the book's creation. They communicated almost exclusively online and Chip was the first to suggest a collaboration between the two. Initially, Zdarsky wanted to write a book that was their take on fantasy, as neither of the two were big fans of the genre.[5] Matt reponded with another idea. In an e-mail sent on March 31, 2012, Fraction said "what if we do a sex comedy about a guy, who every time he ejaculates, stops time?". Zdarsky was tired from a business trip he was on and agreed to the idea without much thought. After continued communication, their idea began to grow until the book was published in September 2013. Since then, the book has gained a cult following and the fans refer to themselves as 'brimpers' after a sex position described in the first issue.

Collected editions

Tradepack releases

Title Material collected Publication date Diamond ID
Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick Sex Criminals #1-5 April 2014[6] JAN140558
Sex Criminals, Vol. 2: Two Worlds One Cop Sex Criminals #6-10 February 2015[7] OCT140654

Hardcover releases

Title Material collected Publication date Diamond ID
Big Hard Sex Criminals Sex Criminals #1-10 March 2015[8] NOV140582

Reception

Time honored Sex Criminals as the #1 comic series/graphic novel of 2013.

IGN tagged the work as "amazing", and said that the story is "so addictive, you'll find yourself staring at the last page in horror when you realize you'll have to wait another month to find out what happens next".[9]

Paste called the first issue "splendid", with "an immediately likable character", specifying that although one "wouldn’t trust most comic creators to turn a sexual awakening into compelling pulp fiction (...) Fraction and Zdarsky pull it off masterfully."[10]

WhatCulture.com called Sex Criminals a "masterpiece", with "an adorable cast, virtuoso writing and stunning art,",[11] and Sciencefiction.com called it "entertaining", "witty", and "very fun", while emphasizing that the sexual content is "tastefully presented."[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2014 Will Eisner Awards Announced". comicsalliance.com. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  2. ↑ "Sex Criminals Comic Possibly Coming to Television". Renegade Cinema. February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  3. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: Fraction & Zdarsky's "Sex Criminals"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  4. ↑ "Matt Fraction Gets Cheeky With "Sex Criminals"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  5. ↑ "Chip Zdarsky On ‘Sex Criminals’: The Comics Alliance Interview". Comics Alliance. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  6. ↑ https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/sex-criminals-vol.-1-tp
  7. ↑ https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/sex-criminals-vol.-2-two-worlds-one-cop-tp
  8. ↑ https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/big-hard-sex-criminals-hc
  9. ↑ Melissa Grey 23 Oct 2013 (2013-10-23). "Sex Criminals #2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  10. ↑ Martin, Garrett. "Sex Criminals #1 by Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky :: Books :: Reviews :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  11. ↑ "Sex Criminals #1 Review - Matt Fraction And Chip Zdarsky". Whatculture.com. 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2014-04-02.
  12. ↑ "Comic Book Review: ‘Sex Criminals’ #2". ScienceFiction.com. 2013-10-26. Retrieved 2014-04-02.

External links