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Tag Archives: sexuality

Comics You Should Be Reading: Sex Criminals (NSFW)

Posted on February 16, 2016 by

Sex Criminals, an ongoing comic book by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, is dedicated to everyone who has had sex – or is curious about it.

The criminals from the title are Suzie and Jon, described by Fraction as a mix of Masters & Johnson, the pioneer research team on human sexuality, and Bonnie & Clyde, the legendary bank robbers from the 1930s. That’s what they are and that’s pretty much what they do. They have sex and they rob banks. Maybe even both at the same time.

But they’re also much more than that. Because Suzie and Jon share a common secret: when they reach orgasm, time stops. Literally stops. They each enter a private world of silence, solitude and exploration, a world Suzie calls “The Quiet” and Jon calls “Cumworld”. When both have an orgasm at the same time, they get to explore this world together, not so silent and lonely anymore. That’s their superpower.

Guilt, shame and curiosity. That’s sex and crime in a nutshell. Which brings us back to the title: what’s Suzie and Jon’s real crime? The bank-robbery or the sex? They only rob one bank, and they have good reasons to do so. They’re not exactly Most Wanted for doing that. That only happens after they start exploring their sexuality together.

Which activity is more transgressive? Which couple is more dangerous, Bonnie & Clyde or Masters & Johnson?

Suzie and Jon aren’t the only criminals in the story. Each character in the series is introduced by their sexual history, which defines them and makes them who they are.

Rach, Suzie’s roommate/best friend, defaces a toilet stall to teach Suzie of possible sexual acts:

Robert Rainbow, Suzie’s gynecologist and Jon’s childhood friend, talks openly about the different kinds of birth control methods:

Jazmine St. Cocaine, ex-porn actress and Jon’s teenage crush, responds to prejudiced comments against the nature of her former occupation:

The other criminals are the creators of the series and their loyal readers. We’re all part of this open relationship called Sex Criminals. Fraction & Zdarsky have created such a delicious story that their readers get to ask questions about sex and share sex tips on the letter’s column.

The comic itself is part of that experience. It shows and tells unashamedly of penises and vaginas, oral sex and masturbation, sex shops and pornography, S&M and prostitution, rape and contraceptives, dildos and sex toys, slutshamming and dick pics, drugs and therapy.

Sex Criminals is a very mature comedy series. It can be extremely provocative and reader-friendly at the same time:

Did you notice it’s Suzie, the woman, not Jon, the man, experiencing oral pleasure? Can you see Suzie’s discomfort at her first gynecological visit? Do you understand Robert’s embarrassment when hearing the words related to his profession?

None of that is by chance. And the crime is exploring this language together. Suzie, Jon and the reader. Time stops all around us. Each panel, in its fixed and timeless moment, is a post-orgasmic experience of reading.

And how can a couple of white men portray sex in such an inclusive way? They research about it. And they aren’t afraid of asking for help. “I ask Kelly”, says Fraction, talking about his wonderful feminist wife. Simple, effective and something all creators should do to reduce the effects of their own privileges.

Please, do not miss this one out. It makes you laugh and it gives you pleasure.

What else could you ask for?

For more information on the single issues and collected editions, click here.

Jughead is Asexual

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Brett

There’s been rumors, hints, and debates raging about Archie Comics‘ Jughead‘s sexuality, and in Jughead #4 it is confirmed the character is Asexual.

For those that don’t know, asexual is when a person doesn’t experience sexual attraction. There are only a few comic or webcomic characters known to be asexual, and Jughead is the highest profile as of now.

Jughead #4 is out this Wednesday and is written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Erica Henderson.

Yay for more diversity in comics and once again Archie taking the lead! Check out the confirmation below.

Bisexual Erasure Strikes Again in All-New X-Men #40

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Elana Levin

Brian Michael Bendis’ All-New X-Men #40 hits shelves tomorrow with a big change to one of the original X-Men characters. Warning Spoilers to follow.

In the issue, regular jokester Bobby Drake aka Iceman, is confronted by telepath Jean Grey after Drake makes a comment about the “hotness” of a female character Magik. Grey, reading his mind, outs Bobby as a gay. Bobby initially disagrees, citing the fact that his older self (time travel stuff) has dated numerous women. He asserts to Jean that maybe he’s bisexual to which Jean says nope, he’s “fully gay.” You can read the exchange on the left.

So I’ve been sitting on this because I want to read All-New X-Men #40 myself first before going on record. But having seen the panels I need to at least say this: Bendis, I really respect your work but you messed this up. Please consider listening to actual bisexual people when you do this sort of thing. Because we are going to have a different perspective on this than you will. I’m not saying that Bobby needs to be bi (though lord knows, we need another bi hero). I’m not saying that Bobby should identify in any particular way. I’m saying that the way the scene was written dismisses the existence of bisexual people. And Bobby deserves to have the chance to define his own sexual orientation rather than having a narrator stand-in tell him how he should or shouldn’t identify.

Evan at Bisexual Books summed it up nicely:

Saying everyone is bi erases us. It invalidates bisexual identity and gives room for people to feel it’s perfectly ok for them to smack their own labels on us rather than allowing us to self identify. This is exactly what young Jean does to young Bobby in this exchange.

Maybe the writer doesn’t want us to interpret Jean’s voice as the narrator’s, though her being a telepath complicates this. Maybe he is showing the limitations of her teenage vocabulary and understanding of human sexuality (they just pulled her out of the 60s). But it is hard for me to read the scene any other way.

(and thank you to herecomesthewomanwithoutfear aka Emma Houxbois for turning my Living Eraser from Dimension Z comment into an awesome jpg. FYI the Living Eraser is a comics meta joke dating back to the silver age).