Sex #33 Comic Book Review
Summary: Not just about sex... some deep issues and tough choices to be made.
3.8
Attention Grabbing
It’s hard (no pun intended) to read the title of this comic and not think of The Simpsons episode that stated “Sex: Now that I’ve got your attention vote for Bart”. It is also reasonable to say that sex is not really the focus of this comic (well not this issue anyway). There is far more going on that simple carnal desires.
Writing
As stated in the Q and A at the end of the comic… this is very much an ensemble piece. There aren’t too many stories that give you a list of the characters at the start to help you out. But that ensemble is just what makes this interesting. Typically we would follow one or maybe two main characters and that would be it, but Joe Casey weaves the stories of multiple protagonists together to form a more full fleshed out world for them all to inhabit. The events in the peoples lives aren’t just superficial concerns either, there are drug issues, care of children, obligations… these are grown up people dealing with grown up problems and then some. It’s a nice change from the typical hero meet villain and fight scenario of the stereotypical comic.
Artwork
Piotr has a very unique style… straight lines awash with bold colour choices. There’s a definite feeling of “theme” colour tones. The blue and green tones of the city and offices, the warm orange, brown and red of Cooke’s meditation. It reduces the distraction of a more widely coloured comic and instead helps to hone in on the feelings of the panels, to guide the reader into the emotions of the characters and their actions. The “highlighted” text also keeps the reader curious as to the text and subtext throughout.
Final Thoughts
Clearly a story that works best in it’s complete form but a curious read none the less. The multiple characters and their story arcs may well draw you in and have you asking what could possibly come next. Is a hero ever really able to retire? I’m the sort of reader that likes my story complete so jumping into a story somewhere in the middle can be frustrating.. but even with that caveat… there is something intriguing about this world and I am indeed curious to know what happens next. If you are looking for a comic that is more mature in nature this may well be worth checking out.
Comic Details
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Piotr Kowalski
Colourist: Brad Simpson
Cover Artist: Piotr Kowalski, Sonia Harris
Genre: Superheros
Release Date: November 30, 2016
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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