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Monday 6 January 2020

Sex Criminals, Volume 5: Five-Fingered Discount Review (Matt Fraction, Chip Zdarsky)


Jon and Suze have broken up. She’s moved back to her mom’s place only to discover her mother’s gotten wayyyy too sexual in her retirement, while he’s moved in with a bisexual lady who he’s in an open relationship with. So they’re both still messes! Meanwhile the villainous Kuber Badal is doing questionable stuff with his sex powers – Sex Crimz and Sex Pols assemble!

Eh… no. I didn’t like this one much. There’s barely any story to speak of and what little there is remains vague and meandering – I’m honestly not sure what the characters are trying to do at this point or why but, worse, I don’t really care.

Jon and Suze breaking up was contrived and pointless as we know they’ll get back together again. It’s not entertaining and it’s just a waste of a book to have them putzing about with other, dreary people. There were too many unnecessary and dull subplots like Kegelface and Jon’s psychiatrist having an affair and some gay guy getting off with another gay guy who looks like him. And what was up with Suze’s dad living in an old PC?!

The series is starting to move in the unfortunate direction of the later volumes of Chew when there was a new food-powered character or three being introduced in every book; there’s a whole bunch of new sex-powered characters being tossed in for want of a plot. Maybe it’s required for later on but I’d prefer to read a story than this plodding table-setting.

Chip Zdarsky’s art is still very strong. And, rarely for this usually funny title, the only times I smiled were at the dedications and author bios at the front and back which had more humour and imagination than the actual comic itself!

A boring, empty read that doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing anymore, Sex Crimz, Volume 5: Five-Fingered Discount is the first crummy addition to this otherwise fun series. Maybe it’s time to pull the (butt)plug on this title and close it out with an orgy-themed Queen musical number?

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