SEX CRIMINALS #4
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Chip Zdarsky
Published by Image Comics
Release Date: January 8, 2014
Things are getting even weirder and more interesting in the fourth installment of Sex Criminals, “Sex Police.” We’ve passed the getting-to-know-you phase; now it’s time to get to know more of the world Suzie and Jon live in. This world blessedly includes a woman we know only as Kegelface (and if that’s not a Bond villain in the near future I will be very upset).
The plotting of this issue is a bit more intricate than we’re used to, jumping from now to several different thens to now again. We spend a lot of time in The Quiet (which is a name I prefer over Cumworld, sorry CW fans) and we start to see problems with power couple Suzie and Jon. The main problem is that they are robbing a bank, and have been caught by people wielding tasers hidden in sex toys. Compounding that problem: it’s kind of Rachel’s fault. We get to know more about Rachel, Mistress of Brimping, Bloobing, and the Three-Second-Rule Taco; it’s interesting to see how the image of her as Suzie’s sexual empowerment cheerleader might be overly simplistic. I am a bit confused as to why Suzie wasn’t a bit more discrete around Rachel. Perhaps it’s a part of the greater point that she and Jon are definitely NOT criminal masterminds (my best friend has worked at a bank for 7 years and is highly skeptical of their plan, even with their special talent).
Despite all the drama, and some dark stories, there is much funny to be had. From dropping the dongs to Kegelface to that damn recap page, I ended up laughing so hard it hurt. I do not know why as a grown ass woman the phrase “butt stuff” reduces me to giggle fits, but I do not care. I accept myself as I am.
Chip Zdarsky, with assistance from Becka Kinzie, delivered yet more fine work. The scenes in The Quiet were like a trip to Oz, only the crazy disco version from the movie The Wiz. Greens, pinks, red, blues – I am hoping there is a specific reason for the shifting colors (they change scene to scene) and I’m just too dumb to get it. I’m fairly certain Zdarsky might be the first man to draw a dude waving a purple dildo at someone in a best-selling comic book. The only brilliance eclipsing that is the panel acknowledging that if you could stop time by masturbating, many of us would do it at the zoo and totally pet some wild animals.
As the story moves from foreplay to the business, it’s jarring how quickly I’ve gotten attached to these people and how vested I am in the connections between them. The thought that Jon might not be the best thing for Suzie makes me nervous. That’s the great strength of this book. You’re laughing at sex jokes but you’re also caring about these people and kinda like hanging out with them. I just hope no one else gets tased with a vibrator.
The Verdict: 9.0/10
