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Sex #v1
Sex, Book One: The Summer of Hard
Retired superhero Simon Cooke has returned to Saturn City to live life as a "normal" civilian. Easier said than done! You might've heard about SEX, but nothing beats the real thing!
Collects issues #1 - #8!
Collects issues #1 - #8!
168 pages, Paperback
First published November 27, 2013
25 people are currently reading
326 people want to read
About the author
Joe Casey
971 books86 followersLibrarian note: there is more than one author with this name
Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite among others. As part of the comics creator group Man of Action Studios, Casey is one of the creators of the animated series Ben 10.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Casey
Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite among others. As part of the comics creator group Man of Action Studios, Casey is one of the creators of the animated series Ben 10.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Casey
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
February 28, 2023
A provocative, or just presumptive title for a series? Either way the reader is forewarned. I read the comic books Sex #1-8 which cover the content of volume 1 of Sex. This has pretty graphic content - in the sexual acts obsessed world of Saturn City a retired superhero tries to rebuild his corporate empire. Despite his retirement, the world goes on and the super villains are still out there operating. Despite the highly graphic nature of the book, I found that this has some quite innovative story telling, with non-linear plotting, lots of mystery and very little superhero-ing, all in all making it a good read! 7 out of 12, Three Stars.
2017 and 2015 read
2017 and 2015 read
January 15, 2020
So pretty much just add a bunch of sex to the 007 legend, to the superhero pastiche in its myriad tropes; to all these cartoons also add genitals, & highlight in exuberant exaltation the terrific act of coitus. Call it kama sutra for the 2010's; one nasty yarn with an ever winding plot and a bunch of memorable characters to boot. Several of them, well most of them, end up "doin' it", & this is just ingenious! Think of the countless times fantasies were created with your regular cast of TV players or star actors in your dirty brain. Yup, here that happens.
This is like the NC-17 "Eyes Wide Shut" we were promised (before Kubrick died)... with the added ingredient of superheroes!
This is like the NC-17 "Eyes Wide Shut" we were promised (before Kubrick died)... with the added ingredient of superheroes!
August 30, 2016
What would happen if Bruce Wayne stopped being Batman - could he return to civilian life?
You wouldn’t know it from the cheap, attention-grabbing title, but that’s what Joe Casey and Piotr Kowalski’s Sex is all about, and all it proves is what an unappealing storyline that is to pursue.
Simon Cooke is a billionaire playboy who runs a global company and is secretly the superhero vigilante, Armored Saint, protecting Saturn City from criminals like Prank Addict and Shadow Lynx. Annabelle LaGravenese is Shadow Lynx, a cat-like burglar with goggles who frequently tangles with Armored Saint. But when Simon’s close friend Quinn asks him, on her death bed, to leave the vigilante nonsense behind and find happiness in a real life, Simon finds it hard adjusting to what most people term a normal life - sleeping during the night, working a job, having friends and a sexual partner.
While the premise sounds like Casey has some subversive ideas on the Dark Knight, after reading Book One, I can tell you that Casey doesn’t have anything at all to say about Batman, Catwoman, etc. His Batman is somewhat resistant to sex because his many years spent living his alternative lifestyle and muses that his real identity might’ve been behind the mask than without it. Yawn. I’m sorry but that’s a pathetic observation that’s been made numerous times before. Casey’s Catwoman has eye problems after wearing a mask that incorporated super night vision goggles. Oh, and Casey borrows Frank Miller’s idea of Catwoman running a brothel. That’s it?! His Joker character lives through the news clippings of the past and has the worst villain name ever - Prank Addict (though to be fair Armored Saint and Shadow Lynx are equally shite).
There’s precious little of any real substance to justify the eight issue length of this first book. That’s a longer-than-usual amount of issues for the first collected edition in a series and really there should be much more here than those lame character observations but there really isn’t. Maybe Casey’s spending the extra pages to world build? Well, there is a lot of sex depicted in this book (and it’s all full frontal so this one isn’t for kids) but Saturn City isn’t a place that’s any more saturated with sex than any city in our world and besides that it looks identical to every other Western city, so no, Casey’s not world building, he’s just wasting time.
And despite the brazen title and frequent, often gratuitous and pointless nudity, this isn’t a shocking book. It doesn’t have any brilliant ideas and it’s characters aren’t interesting. There’s certainly no plot besides watching Simon sit through numerous business meetings. And this is why Batman works better than this - we read Batman because of his awesome adventures; we don’t give a fuck about his life as Bruce Wayne, who has to sit in on business meetings every now and then. Take away the Batman aspect and you’re left with a businessman going to meetings - in other words, fucking boring comics!
Also I don’t care about Simon or anyone in this book. He’s a one-dimensional dweeb who lives in luxury and doesn’t want to do it with any of the gorgeous high-end call girls throwing themselves at him because he’s just not there yet mentally. Why would anyone care about this guy if that’s the (non)dilemma? Can anyone relate?!
There’s some side stuff featuring supporting characters where a old man gangster, creatively called Old Man, is doing something evil, and a dishwasher who’s secretly a martial arts expert/hacker who’s messing with a pair of homosexual gangsters, but nothing you could call a plot. I suppose with the inclusions of these crimes and Simon’s dithering lack of direction as a civilian, it’s pointing to the conclusion that he’ll (sigh) once more don the Armored Saint uniform? Whatever. I’m not going to read Book Two to find out.
Piotr Kowalski’s art is damned good throughout and his covers are stunning, showing an imagination lacking in Casey’s script. The pull-back shots of Saturn City are really pretty and gives the story a strong sense of grounding and atmosphere, and the characters’ facial expressions are very evocative that express moments of comedy or conflict perfectly on their own. Brad Simpson’s colours are brightly colourful and exciting, making the pages pop in sharp contrast to dark Batman comics, particularly the Batman: Black and White comics.
In comparing this book to Batman I’m actually making it seem more interesting than it is - really it’s the lamest facsimile of Batman coupled with the third act of Eyes Wide Shut, both minus the masks and the interest. Sex features a collection of cardboard cutouts apparently doing something in between scenes of sex acts. If that sounds appealing, as well as a sequence where “Catwoman” masturbates to the memory of being chased by “Batman” across the “Gotham City” skyline, then Sex is for you. Otherwise I’d say this is the one time it’d be safe to avoid Sex.
You wouldn’t know it from the cheap, attention-grabbing title, but that’s what Joe Casey and Piotr Kowalski’s Sex is all about, and all it proves is what an unappealing storyline that is to pursue.
Simon Cooke is a billionaire playboy who runs a global company and is secretly the superhero vigilante, Armored Saint, protecting Saturn City from criminals like Prank Addict and Shadow Lynx. Annabelle LaGravenese is Shadow Lynx, a cat-like burglar with goggles who frequently tangles with Armored Saint. But when Simon’s close friend Quinn asks him, on her death bed, to leave the vigilante nonsense behind and find happiness in a real life, Simon finds it hard adjusting to what most people term a normal life - sleeping during the night, working a job, having friends and a sexual partner.
While the premise sounds like Casey has some subversive ideas on the Dark Knight, after reading Book One, I can tell you that Casey doesn’t have anything at all to say about Batman, Catwoman, etc. His Batman is somewhat resistant to sex because his many years spent living his alternative lifestyle and muses that his real identity might’ve been behind the mask than without it. Yawn. I’m sorry but that’s a pathetic observation that’s been made numerous times before. Casey’s Catwoman has eye problems after wearing a mask that incorporated super night vision goggles. Oh, and Casey borrows Frank Miller’s idea of Catwoman running a brothel. That’s it?! His Joker character lives through the news clippings of the past and has the worst villain name ever - Prank Addict (though to be fair Armored Saint and Shadow Lynx are equally shite).
There’s precious little of any real substance to justify the eight issue length of this first book. That’s a longer-than-usual amount of issues for the first collected edition in a series and really there should be much more here than those lame character observations but there really isn’t. Maybe Casey’s spending the extra pages to world build? Well, there is a lot of sex depicted in this book (and it’s all full frontal so this one isn’t for kids) but Saturn City isn’t a place that’s any more saturated with sex than any city in our world and besides that it looks identical to every other Western city, so no, Casey’s not world building, he’s just wasting time.
And despite the brazen title and frequent, often gratuitous and pointless nudity, this isn’t a shocking book. It doesn’t have any brilliant ideas and it’s characters aren’t interesting. There’s certainly no plot besides watching Simon sit through numerous business meetings. And this is why Batman works better than this - we read Batman because of his awesome adventures; we don’t give a fuck about his life as Bruce Wayne, who has to sit in on business meetings every now and then. Take away the Batman aspect and you’re left with a businessman going to meetings - in other words, fucking boring comics!
Also I don’t care about Simon or anyone in this book. He’s a one-dimensional dweeb who lives in luxury and doesn’t want to do it with any of the gorgeous high-end call girls throwing themselves at him because he’s just not there yet mentally. Why would anyone care about this guy if that’s the (non)dilemma? Can anyone relate?!
There’s some side stuff featuring supporting characters where a old man gangster, creatively called Old Man, is doing something evil, and a dishwasher who’s secretly a martial arts expert/hacker who’s messing with a pair of homosexual gangsters, but nothing you could call a plot. I suppose with the inclusions of these crimes and Simon’s dithering lack of direction as a civilian, it’s pointing to the conclusion that he’ll (sigh) once more don the Armored Saint uniform? Whatever. I’m not going to read Book Two to find out.
Piotr Kowalski’s art is damned good throughout and his covers are stunning, showing an imagination lacking in Casey’s script. The pull-back shots of Saturn City are really pretty and gives the story a strong sense of grounding and atmosphere, and the characters’ facial expressions are very evocative that express moments of comedy or conflict perfectly on their own. Brad Simpson’s colours are brightly colourful and exciting, making the pages pop in sharp contrast to dark Batman comics, particularly the Batman: Black and White comics.
In comparing this book to Batman I’m actually making it seem more interesting than it is - really it’s the lamest facsimile of Batman coupled with the third act of Eyes Wide Shut, both minus the masks and the interest. Sex features a collection of cardboard cutouts apparently doing something in between scenes of sex acts. If that sounds appealing, as well as a sequence where “Catwoman” masturbates to the memory of being chased by “Batman” across the “Gotham City” skyline, then Sex is for you. Otherwise I’d say this is the one time it’d be safe to avoid Sex.
September 5, 2015
Probably the most literary and adult graphic novel I've ever picked up, Joe Casey's Sex is a very slow moving story about a retired superhero struggling to come to terms with the reality of life without a mask to hide behind. The references to HBO is obvious - adult storytelling with occasional hardcore sex scenes that serve to move the story forward - and I can easily see this as a high quality TV show if some plot happens in the next issue. That's it's one major drawback so far, there really hasn't been much in the way of plot, Casey preferring to give eight issues to character establishment/development, that and I felt a little bit awkward on the bus turning a page to find a graphic sex act depicted where any old prude could see and tut at me. But I guess that's kind of expected when you read a comic book called Sex on public transport. More Sex please Mr librarian.
August 3, 2016
I gave this trade 5 out of 8 issues to catch my attention, far more than I would if I was picking up floppies once a month.
First, there is not a single female character in this book. There are set pieces and objects, but not a single character.
Beyond that, there are barely any male characters. The main one, an ex-batman type, is so bland as to be invisible.
Nothing in this is new, it's not even a fresh rehash of anything. I felt the most on the panels that were landscape views of the city. How bad is it that this comic can't make me feel anything when there's a person on the page?
First, there is not a single female character in this book. There are set pieces and objects, but not a single character.
Beyond that, there are barely any male characters. The main one, an ex-batman type, is so bland as to be invisible.
Nothing in this is new, it's not even a fresh rehash of anything. I felt the most on the panels that were landscape views of the city. How bad is it that this comic can't make me feel anything when there's a person on the page?
December 5, 2013
Sex is probably one of the smartest books on the stands. The best thing about this book is that it treats the reader like an adult – and it is a book for mature readers. It does feature sex within its pages, as well as violence, cursing and all manner of adult-type situations. It is a book for grownups, or frankly, most comic book readers these days. It is also brilliant by the way. That was mentioned already, but it bore repeating. The book is honest and forthright and does not try to hide anything within its pages, except the actual planned surprises by writer Joe Casey.
Sex takes us on a journey of a retired superhero named Simon Cooke, formerly the Armoured Saint. His partner and mentor having died some time previous, has left him shaken and left with a promise to find a life outside of the never-ending battle. And so the book opens with him returning to Saturn City to head up his company and see if he can get on with what people call life. It is not so easy though, as for most of his life, over half of it, he has been fighting crime. To suddenly step into normality does not sit well, and Simon is having trouble doing so. He has problems with women, with co-workers and with friends including his lawyer. He has never been inebriated either and upon being so, finds it is not really the thing for him. The only thing that he can seem to concentrate on is his past life, and his one-time foe Shadow Lynx whom he keeps obessessing over. But not all is peaceful in his world and though he is unaware of it, crime, and his former foes, is on the rise.
Summing it up more succinctly, the book is about one man’s life, not necessarily about sex though it figures heavily into the book. It is scattered throughout the book and serves to move the plot and the issues along at a fairly decent and brisk pace. The story is text heavy at times, but is never really noticeable as it is so interesting and absorbing that you savour every word and do not even come to realize that you have just sat and read for an hour thinking it had only been a couple of minutes. And those words that Casey has penned are sharp as well, and cut your mind with their directness and meaning. The title alone – Sex – more of a statement than a subject, cuts through the preconceived thoughts of what this book could be once you come to figure out it is not just about the act. Frankly the best sex featured in the book is that between the pages and your retinas as they take in the story and art that is laid out before you.
The art is fantastic as well. Piotr Kowalski, wherever he has been hiding, is a revelation. That art coupled with the colouring by Brad Simpson make this book a much more in-depth read than would have been otherwise. At times the colours convey the mood with their sparse pallet as Kowalski brings it home with his tight, yet flowing pencils. His women are gorgeous and objects of desire, whether he means them to be or not. The men, most oftentimes are the same, except in some particular cases such as the Foggy Nelson-ish lawyer and The Old Man. Kowalski makes the book seductive whether through the aforementioned sex, through the violence that takes place within the book or simply through situation as his pencils draw you in. Together he, Casey and Simpson make this one of the best looking books out today.
Building his world up around Simon and Saturn City, Casey does a great job and it comes to life quite naturally as we get to learn about some of the different areas within its limits. We come to know about the people, the heroes and the villains who inhabit the world and most of them, if not all of them, have something that they are hiding. Everyone and everything in the book seems seedy and dirty under the surface and Casey does a great job of putting that across to the reader, but at an eventual pace. Not everything in the book is as it seems and it makes the story much richer for being so. The chapter titles are genius as well often having multiple meanings and leave you never knowing what they refer to until you finish said chapter. On every level, this book is a marvel to read.
If there is one thing that can be said about the book, much like its title is that it always leaves you wanting more. Even when you finish, you just want to pick up where you left off and continue on. In the case of this tale, you have to wait either monthly for the single issues, or months for the trade. Because of all involved, creators and subject matter, it is worth the wait, and more than likely, all the more satisfying for having done so.
5 out of 5
http://thetelltalemind.com/2013/12/02...
Sex takes us on a journey of a retired superhero named Simon Cooke, formerly the Armoured Saint. His partner and mentor having died some time previous, has left him shaken and left with a promise to find a life outside of the never-ending battle. And so the book opens with him returning to Saturn City to head up his company and see if he can get on with what people call life. It is not so easy though, as for most of his life, over half of it, he has been fighting crime. To suddenly step into normality does not sit well, and Simon is having trouble doing so. He has problems with women, with co-workers and with friends including his lawyer. He has never been inebriated either and upon being so, finds it is not really the thing for him. The only thing that he can seem to concentrate on is his past life, and his one-time foe Shadow Lynx whom he keeps obessessing over. But not all is peaceful in his world and though he is unaware of it, crime, and his former foes, is on the rise.
Summing it up more succinctly, the book is about one man’s life, not necessarily about sex though it figures heavily into the book. It is scattered throughout the book and serves to move the plot and the issues along at a fairly decent and brisk pace. The story is text heavy at times, but is never really noticeable as it is so interesting and absorbing that you savour every word and do not even come to realize that you have just sat and read for an hour thinking it had only been a couple of minutes. And those words that Casey has penned are sharp as well, and cut your mind with their directness and meaning. The title alone – Sex – more of a statement than a subject, cuts through the preconceived thoughts of what this book could be once you come to figure out it is not just about the act. Frankly the best sex featured in the book is that between the pages and your retinas as they take in the story and art that is laid out before you.
The art is fantastic as well. Piotr Kowalski, wherever he has been hiding, is a revelation. That art coupled with the colouring by Brad Simpson make this book a much more in-depth read than would have been otherwise. At times the colours convey the mood with their sparse pallet as Kowalski brings it home with his tight, yet flowing pencils. His women are gorgeous and objects of desire, whether he means them to be or not. The men, most oftentimes are the same, except in some particular cases such as the Foggy Nelson-ish lawyer and The Old Man. Kowalski makes the book seductive whether through the aforementioned sex, through the violence that takes place within the book or simply through situation as his pencils draw you in. Together he, Casey and Simpson make this one of the best looking books out today.
Building his world up around Simon and Saturn City, Casey does a great job and it comes to life quite naturally as we get to learn about some of the different areas within its limits. We come to know about the people, the heroes and the villains who inhabit the world and most of them, if not all of them, have something that they are hiding. Everyone and everything in the book seems seedy and dirty under the surface and Casey does a great job of putting that across to the reader, but at an eventual pace. Not everything in the book is as it seems and it makes the story much richer for being so. The chapter titles are genius as well often having multiple meanings and leave you never knowing what they refer to until you finish said chapter. On every level, this book is a marvel to read.
If there is one thing that can be said about the book, much like its title is that it always leaves you wanting more. Even when you finish, you just want to pick up where you left off and continue on. In the case of this tale, you have to wait either monthly for the single issues, or months for the trade. Because of all involved, creators and subject matter, it is worth the wait, and more than likely, all the more satisfying for having done so.
5 out of 5
http://thetelltalemind.com/2013/12/02...
July 19, 2016
A Batman analog retires to run his huge corporation. Predictably, he has trouble adjusting to civilian life.
It plods. I'm not sure why. Three big villains are set up; the protagonist struggles with his role as CEO; a humble dishwasher (slash-hacker-slash-badass-fighter) begins to fill the superhero vacuum; and the retired hero has a flirty will-they/won't-they thing happening with his equally retired Catwoman nemesis. There's a lot going on but I just found it boring.
And what's up with the text highlighting? Random words are blocked in blue, green, orange and yellow. I thought at first it was a substitute for bolding but it doesn't read that way. The colors don't correspond to characters. Makes no sense.
Also I'm not sure why the book is titled "Sex". There is some sex (sometimes pretty explicit) but it's not about that. It's as relevant as calling it "Business Meetings".
It plods. I'm not sure why. Three big villains are set up; the protagonist struggles with his role as CEO; a humble dishwasher (slash-hacker-slash-badass-fighter) begins to fill the superhero vacuum; and the retired hero has a flirty will-they/won't-they thing happening with his equally retired Catwoman nemesis. There's a lot going on but I just found it boring.
And what's up with the text highlighting? Random words are blocked in blue, green, orange and yellow. I thought at first it was a substitute for bolding but it doesn't read that way. The colors don't correspond to characters. Makes no sense.
Also I'm not sure why the book is titled "Sex". There is some sex (sometimes pretty explicit) but it's not about that. It's as relevant as calling it "Business Meetings".
February 17, 2018
Joe Casey's Sex, follows retired Superhero Simon Cooke who returns to the city he used to once protect.
.
This is basically an imagining of what would happen to Gotham and Batman if Bruce Wayne hung up the cowl. This makes Matt Fraction's Sex Criminals look PG so I wouldn't recommend this to the faint at heart but the first volume was worth the read. 3.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ✨
.
This is basically an imagining of what would happen to Gotham and Batman if Bruce Wayne hung up the cowl. This makes Matt Fraction's Sex Criminals look PG so I wouldn't recommend this to the faint at heart but the first volume was worth the read. 3.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ✨
November 12, 2013
There is "slow burn" -- and then there is this comic. After eight issues (all collected in this book) we've only scratched the surface: we have gotten an introduction to this world and met some of the players, but any action has been only served as an introduction. An intro to a much larger story that hopefully will really kick off soon.
Which explains my score; sure, there is plenty of intrigue and promise, but whether that will pay off... I really feel that this could and should have been further along by now.
As for the provocative title, yes, the comic delivers on that promise repeatedly but that merely makes it an adult comic, not porn. The sex is part of the story and the characters, and not just gratuitous titillation.
Which explains my score; sure, there is plenty of intrigue and promise, but whether that will pay off... I really feel that this could and should have been further along by now.
As for the provocative title, yes, the comic delivers on that promise repeatedly but that merely makes it an adult comic, not porn. The sex is part of the story and the characters, and not just gratuitous titillation.
March 23, 2015
I like the idea behind this, but I don't think the execution was very successful. I like Joe Casey, but I think this book meanders a bit too much. The back cover has a comment calling it the HBO of superheroes, and I agree, it does strike me as a very adult version of superheroes, but not a very complete one. While the book is competent, I didn't have any urge for completion. I found it interesting but not very compelling. If I didn't read any more issues, I would be fine, though there is a part of me that wants to keep going just to see if a point develops. 12 books in and I didn't find much of a reason to keep reading. I would say read at your own risk, it is very adult and has a lot to recommend it, but I also felt some of the excesses were more irritating than interesting.
November 14, 2019
You know those porn parodies with titles like 'pirates of the carribee-ass' or 'tits a wonderful life'? This is like that, except where those porn parodies fully embrace what they are, this takes itself much too seriously, creating a joyless, unsatisfying, weirdly unsexy experience.
This is basically Batman, but *sexy* batman, with really no logical reason for graphic sex to be on every other page. We've got sexy girl sex, uptight dudes not turned on by the sex, old dudes doing the sexy sex, and some super graphic rape scenes because this is a sexy book so what a great idea.
I feel like they were trying to create a new genre here: literary erotica but in graphic novel form. And I can respect that, but if you want your story to have some depth, you need to do more than have your character act troubled by saying 'I made a promise and I'm a man of my word' in between every other panel of an old dude getting a bj. This felt mildly embarrassing, like a kid using curse words for the first time when their mom's not around and they go completely overboard, excessively spewing things out there that aren't even relevant or well constructed. I've never hate-read something as hard as I hit this, and I'm still mad about it.
This is basically Batman, but *sexy* batman, with really no logical reason for graphic sex to be on every other page. We've got sexy girl sex, uptight dudes not turned on by the sex, old dudes doing the sexy sex, and some super graphic rape scenes because this is a sexy book so what a great idea.
I feel like they were trying to create a new genre here: literary erotica but in graphic novel form. And I can respect that, but if you want your story to have some depth, you need to do more than have your character act troubled by saying 'I made a promise and I'm a man of my word' in between every other panel of an old dude getting a bj. This felt mildly embarrassing, like a kid using curse words for the first time when their mom's not around and they go completely overboard, excessively spewing things out there that aren't even relevant or well constructed. I've never hate-read something as hard as I hit this, and I'm still mad about it.
January 9, 2016
I had to give this a try because I love stories about sex, and I love new takes on superheroes, and pushing the envelope in comics, unfortunately, this one doesn't push it in any meaningful way. The premise is great: a retired, restless, and repressed Batman (thinly veiled) struggles with his id, in a superhero book where the flashy, often gratuitous action sequences are almost all of fucking rather than fisticuffs. Alas, the characters feel flat, the sex has no heat, the sex parties are clearly written by someone who's never attended any, and most off-putting for me, we're subjected truly lurid and gratuitous rape-and-murder porn by our lead villain. I'm a little curious what faux-Batman and faux-Catwoman get up to in the next volume, but probably not curious enough. Oh, and this book is unrelated to the more promising Sex Criminals, confusingly launched by Image at about the same time.
April 15, 2016
I wanted to read Sex Criminals and accidently picked this trade instead. It started out interestingly enough. A Bruce Wayne-like ex-Batman-ish millionaire returns home and vows not to take up the mantle of superheroism again. There's a Gotham-like town with a lot of bad people and a Catwoman-wannabe as a kind-of love interest. Ok. Interesting premise.
This book, however, fails on execution. The story is sloooow, incohesive, and is filled with gratuitous sex and violence. By page 40 I was struggling to read on.
I finished the book eventually, but will definitely not continue reading. Now I just have to find Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick and hope it's better.
This book, however, fails on execution. The story is sloooow, incohesive, and is filled with gratuitous sex and violence. By page 40 I was struggling to read on.
I finished the book eventually, but will definitely not continue reading. Now I just have to find Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick and hope it's better.
October 20, 2016
Saga, Volume 1 okuduktan sonra İmage Comics'in diğer çizgi romanlarına göz atmaya başladım. Bu seriyle ilgili okuduğum bir yorum, adını dikkate alınmaması gerektiğini söylüyordu ve gerçekten adını dikkate almadan okuyunuz. Ama şöyle bir olay var ki bugün hiç havamda değilim. Çizimlerini beğenmeme rağmen nasıl desem,
elektrik alamadım?
mı
enerjimiz tutmadı?
mı?
April 2, 2015
I was quite disappointed by this. Whilst the 'retired/washed-up superhero' trope is well trodden, I thought this book would be an interesting and adult take on it. Instead, it's all a bit cheap and nasty. The representation of women is pretty archaic and there is precious little story. Won't be bothering with the next volume.
November 15, 2015
Like Batman and Catwoman retired in a city like Gotham....the title and background sex is a distraction maybe even an attempt to sell this book. Average read....don't think I'll continue series.
January 28, 2020
Reprints Sex #1-8 (March 2013-October 2013). Simon Cooke is accustom to living a secret lifestyle…as a super hero. When he gives up his mantle and returns to Saturn City, he begins to enter a different underworld. It is seedy world of sex and power that isn’t too different from the world of superheroes. Everyone in Saturn City seems to be hiding a secret, and Simon Cooke is finding his place in the world.
Written by Joe Casey, Sex Volume 1: The Summer of Hard is an Image Comics adult post-modern superhero comic book. The series features art by Piotr Kowalski.
Both Sex and Sex Criminals were out on the racks at the same time. While I heard a lot of buzz around Sex Criminals, Sex seemed to just “hang out there”. I have liked Joe Casey’s stuff in the past, but it has largely been more mainstream superhero stuff (with a twist). Here, Casey is expanding and trying something different…and I don’t particularly like the end results.
Sex tries to be tantalizing. It is full of course and vulgar characters having as the title implies “Sex”. This isn’t the real problem with the series; the problem with the series is that it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. There are some plotlines and potentially interesting stories, but the comic comes off as more derivative than clever.
The ultra-sexualized story feels more like an Alan Moore comic book without Alan Moore’s creativity. Comic books like Lost Girls and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen seem to have a hook and an idea to build them on. Here, Casey just takes a dull Bruce Wayne-esque character and has them being Bruce Wayne instead of Batman…it isn’t very inspired.
The comic also feels like it is taking aspects of Ex Machina while trying to recreate the sexual tension between Batman and Catwoman. While Batman and Catwoman were all-ages sexual tension, the Cooke character is for adults…yet the tension between Batman and Catwoman was a lot better and more tangible despite not being explicit like this book.
I like some of the art but the style of the comic also really is grating. The primary problems I have are with the coloring and oddly enough the letterer (Brad Simpson and Rus Wooton). The colors for the comic are rather muted and very single color driven. It reminds me of Millar’s The Dark Knight without Miller’s style. Random words are highlighted in color for emphasis, but I find it extremely distracting and honestly rather irritating.
These factors combine to make Sex a chore (ironically). None of the characters are very interesting and none of the plotlines being set-up by Casey really compel me to seek out the next volume. The risqué nature of the comic feels rather bland next to true sex driven comics like Sex Criminals and even something like Preacher or Rick Veitch’s satirical Brat Pack. Just skip out on Sex…you aren’t missing much. Sex 1: The Summer of Hard was followed by Sex 2: Supercool.
Written by Joe Casey, Sex Volume 1: The Summer of Hard is an Image Comics adult post-modern superhero comic book. The series features art by Piotr Kowalski.
Both Sex and Sex Criminals were out on the racks at the same time. While I heard a lot of buzz around Sex Criminals, Sex seemed to just “hang out there”. I have liked Joe Casey’s stuff in the past, but it has largely been more mainstream superhero stuff (with a twist). Here, Casey is expanding and trying something different…and I don’t particularly like the end results.
Sex tries to be tantalizing. It is full of course and vulgar characters having as the title implies “Sex”. This isn’t the real problem with the series; the problem with the series is that it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. There are some plotlines and potentially interesting stories, but the comic comes off as more derivative than clever.
The ultra-sexualized story feels more like an Alan Moore comic book without Alan Moore’s creativity. Comic books like Lost Girls and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen seem to have a hook and an idea to build them on. Here, Casey just takes a dull Bruce Wayne-esque character and has them being Bruce Wayne instead of Batman…it isn’t very inspired.
The comic also feels like it is taking aspects of Ex Machina while trying to recreate the sexual tension between Batman and Catwoman. While Batman and Catwoman were all-ages sexual tension, the Cooke character is for adults…yet the tension between Batman and Catwoman was a lot better and more tangible despite not being explicit like this book.
I like some of the art but the style of the comic also really is grating. The primary problems I have are with the coloring and oddly enough the letterer (Brad Simpson and Rus Wooton). The colors for the comic are rather muted and very single color driven. It reminds me of Millar’s The Dark Knight without Miller’s style. Random words are highlighted in color for emphasis, but I find it extremely distracting and honestly rather irritating.
These factors combine to make Sex a chore (ironically). None of the characters are very interesting and none of the plotlines being set-up by Casey really compel me to seek out the next volume. The risqué nature of the comic feels rather bland next to true sex driven comics like Sex Criminals and even something like Preacher or Rick Veitch’s satirical Brat Pack. Just skip out on Sex…you aren’t missing much. Sex 1: The Summer of Hard was followed by Sex 2: Supercool.
July 26, 2024
Imagine how many safe words are going around down there right now... not to speak of how many of them are ignored in the heat of the moment.[Quote (re-)translated from my German copy.]
I picked this volume up at the comic store thinking it was something else (Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction) but when I figured out my mistake at home, I wasn't too angry. Bluntly titling a comic Sex is an interesting decision and I was curious to see how it would back that up. Unfortunately, the content isn't very enticing, like plenty of people before me have already said.
The initial premise of an ex-superhero of a similar style to Batman coming back to normal life in a corporate world isn't super exciting but a decent enough idea for an introspective look at the genre. The theme of sex being all around in a way through the thriving red light district of the city and the hedonistic lifestyle of the rich suits in skyscrapers is there to give the title a bit of purpose but none of it really every goes anywhere interesting or really makes a point to latch on to.
The story meanders without actually moving around very much, introduces a couple characters with vague motivations, and then this collection of issues ends without really leaving behind much of an impression.
The art isn't great either. It's not awful since there are some cool panels here and there for sure. But I did think the style was rather bland when it came to the actual people and characters started looking very rough real quick when they weren't the focus of the panel.
I didn't hate reading this. It had the occasional promising character and slightly interesting attempt at exploring what pleasure can mean in one's life. But it fails to actually build on any of it and so it ends without truly having anything to show for itself or remember it by. I would call this near-perfect mediocrity and if I could, I would give this 2.5 out of 5 stars.
I was gonna give it the benefit of the doubt and try another volume because I would love to see this flimsy groundwork actually get somewhere, but reading reviews gives me the impression that it basically stays the same.
June 1, 2018
The start of the story is bretty slow, primarily with characters being introduced and the decadent setting being shaped. Saturn City is a place where crime families, sex and depravity feel at home, at least in the upper class. The artwork is sexy enough with occasional full nudity which is pretty uncommon for mainstream comics.
Simon Cooke is the owner of a large company in Saturn City. He returns as active CEO after a long hiatus to fulfill a promise he made a long time ago to Quinn, a loved one, on her death bed. His heart isn't into it, even though his lawyer and friend Warren is trying to get him out of his slump on a personal level and his trusty assistants are pushing him to take a more active role in the company.
Other characters are Annabelle, a former friend and vigilante teammate who is now running her club complete with girls willing to do most anything, the old man who is a feared mob boss, Keenan the dishwasher who has plans to become a vigilante and the Alpha brothers Cha Cha and Dolph who seem to be low-level mafia collectors. These characters don't really do much, so the direction of the story is ambiguous so far. Simon has a revelation at the end, but it's not revealed yet.
Simon Cooke is the owner of a large company in Saturn City. He returns as active CEO after a long hiatus to fulfill a promise he made a long time ago to Quinn, a loved one, on her death bed. His heart isn't into it, even though his lawyer and friend Warren is trying to get him out of his slump on a personal level and his trusty assistants are pushing him to take a more active role in the company.
Other characters are Annabelle, a former friend and vigilante teammate who is now running her club complete with girls willing to do most anything, the old man who is a feared mob boss, Keenan the dishwasher who has plans to become a vigilante and the Alpha brothers Cha Cha and Dolph who seem to be low-level mafia collectors. These characters don't really do much, so the direction of the story is ambiguous so far. Simon has a revelation at the end, but it's not revealed yet.
December 12, 2022
Ich bin so verblüfft über diese 192 Seiten (Band 1 mit den ersten acht Heften) an absoluten Nichts, dass ich mir (heute?) noch den zweiten Band geben wird -- weil: das kann nicht sein, dass das schon alles gewesen ist?!
Millionär (Bruce Wayne ick hör‘ dit trapsen) legt seinen Superheldenjob nach einem Unglück an den Nagel, kehrt nach einem Sabbatical in seiner Firma zurück und geht durch eine Identitätskrise. Dit war‘s für sage und schreibe 192 Seiten.
Dazu eine Frau Halb-Feindin/Halb-Freundin (Catwoman, ick hör‘ dit trapsen) und drei Antagonisten und ein potentieller Sidekick, die in Szene gesetzt werden. Eine Story ist nicht zu erkennen. Alles ist erst einmal nur Agendasetting. 192 Seiten lang Reden, Nachdenken, Vögeln, Masturbieren oder Blasen.
Sex kommt vor, aber man weiß nicht warum. Es tut nichts zur Story, weder vordergründig noch als zweite Ebene à la Eyes wide shut, auch wenn es eine geheimnisvolle Sexorgie für die Reichen der Stadt gibt.
Zeichner Piotr Kowalski zeichnet schöne Settings, aber die Figuren wirken hölzern. Hände und Arme wirken wie angeklebt. Bei dem einen oder anderen Panel sind ihm Basics der Perspektive entglitten. Die zahlreichen Bums-Panels sind genauso erotisch wie der Plot: nämlich gar nicht.
Das Lettering ist bemerkenswert: es wirkt zu dünn und lenkt mit seinen Effekten (Wörter/Ausdrücke sind farbig unterlegt) vom Lesen ab.
Wie geschrieben: ich bin so fassungslos über dieses 192 Seiten langes Nichts, das kann nicht sein. Da muss doch spätestens im zweiten Tradepaperback was kommen. Oder? ODER?
Millionär (Bruce Wayne ick hör‘ dit trapsen) legt seinen Superheldenjob nach einem Unglück an den Nagel, kehrt nach einem Sabbatical in seiner Firma zurück und geht durch eine Identitätskrise. Dit war‘s für sage und schreibe 192 Seiten.
Dazu eine Frau Halb-Feindin/Halb-Freundin (Catwoman, ick hör‘ dit trapsen) und drei Antagonisten und ein potentieller Sidekick, die in Szene gesetzt werden. Eine Story ist nicht zu erkennen. Alles ist erst einmal nur Agendasetting. 192 Seiten lang Reden, Nachdenken, Vögeln, Masturbieren oder Blasen.
Sex kommt vor, aber man weiß nicht warum. Es tut nichts zur Story, weder vordergründig noch als zweite Ebene à la Eyes wide shut, auch wenn es eine geheimnisvolle Sexorgie für die Reichen der Stadt gibt.
Zeichner Piotr Kowalski zeichnet schöne Settings, aber die Figuren wirken hölzern. Hände und Arme wirken wie angeklebt. Bei dem einen oder anderen Panel sind ihm Basics der Perspektive entglitten. Die zahlreichen Bums-Panels sind genauso erotisch wie der Plot: nämlich gar nicht.
Das Lettering ist bemerkenswert: es wirkt zu dünn und lenkt mit seinen Effekten (Wörter/Ausdrücke sind farbig unterlegt) vom Lesen ab.
Wie geschrieben: ich bin so fassungslos über dieses 192 Seiten langes Nichts, das kann nicht sein. Da muss doch spätestens im zweiten Tradepaperback was kommen. Oder? ODER?
October 25, 2016
Take the Batman, Cat Woman, and the Joker from a Frank Miller-esque future, apt up the violence and sex to 11, and rip the nob off: this is what Joe Casey and Piotr Kowalski do in Sex. Now, sadly, that sounds more interesting that it actually is: Kowalski seems mimic the art styles of 1980s Batman even down to some of the semi-washed out orange/blue color schemes. Simon Cooke's billionaire play boy turned superhero who has a strained relationship with an relationship with a retired catwoman analogue-turned-madam, who gives up his vigilante on the last request of a dying friend. He is charged with living a normal life.
There are lots of board meetings, night clubs conversations, pointless numbers, and graphic sex in Saturn City, but in the first eight issues represented here one gets a few key points: tropes are enemy, the psycho-sexual realm of a former superhero is filled with sexual hang ups, the villains, such as the Old Man, are really bad, and a bunch of comic tropes are delivered with little pay-off. Cooke is one-dimensional, the board meetings are boring, and the sex isn't that shocking. The art is amazing, but very much in the style of 80s Batman.
I will say that the dialogue does seem to indicate that there is more to the story and Casey is trusting his reader to read closely, and to patient. I appreciate this novelistic approach, but it doesn't pay off in this trade.
There are lots of board meetings, night clubs conversations, pointless numbers, and graphic sex in Saturn City, but in the first eight issues represented here one gets a few key points: tropes are enemy, the psycho-sexual realm of a former superhero is filled with sexual hang ups, the villains, such as the Old Man, are really bad, and a bunch of comic tropes are delivered with little pay-off. Cooke is one-dimensional, the board meetings are boring, and the sex isn't that shocking. The art is amazing, but very much in the style of 80s Batman.
I will say that the dialogue does seem to indicate that there is more to the story and Casey is trusting his reader to read closely, and to patient. I appreciate this novelistic approach, but it doesn't pay off in this trade.
July 8, 2021
The life of the retired superhero is...boring? I'm not sure why this series is called Sex. I assumed sex had something to do with the main theme or idea, but it seems to be the background noise that's aimed to titillate as boring conversations are happening. In the end, I couldn't pay attention to the oft interrupted conversations, nor to the sex. It's not clear why our ex-superhero is resistant to living life to the fullest. Having dropped his perhaps more fulfilling superhero gig, you'd think he'd throw himself more readily into the other stuff, but no. He's depressed, I guess? But we don't really get more than, "Oh, I think the superhero-me was the real-me," which is not a novel idea, and certainly not worth spending all this time to expound without much development. What was striking about Book One is how much of the time is spent in long, boring conversations about business and bitter people explaining themselves, much of which doesn't move the plot forward or develop character. In the end, the art is what I enjoyed the most with lush colors and dynamic scenes providing much needed distraction from the storyline.
February 23, 2024
A shame this comic has been interrupted.
The story is a parallel to Batman with a protagonist who is a millionaire like Bruce Wayne who used to fight crime using a costume and gadgets.
But he retired in his prime and for years now dedicated himself to managing his company.
His former villains have also retired or were killed.
But crime is coming back along with other mysterious intrigues and it has been tempting the protagonist to make a comeback as his vigilante self.
But he doesn't want it.
In this universe, the masked vigilantes and villains shared a very erotic relationship (explaining the series title), a life this Bruce Wayne doesn't want to go back to.
His former lover, the Catwoman-like character, now owns a brothel.
All issues in this comic, in some way, revolve around sex, and when the story was about to climax, the author left us... hanging, per se. :)
The story is a parallel to Batman with a protagonist who is a millionaire like Bruce Wayne who used to fight crime using a costume and gadgets.
But he retired in his prime and for years now dedicated himself to managing his company.
His former villains have also retired or were killed.
But crime is coming back along with other mysterious intrigues and it has been tempting the protagonist to make a comeback as his vigilante self.
But he doesn't want it.
In this universe, the masked vigilantes and villains shared a very erotic relationship (explaining the series title), a life this Bruce Wayne doesn't want to go back to.
His former lover, the Catwoman-like character, now owns a brothel.
All issues in this comic, in some way, revolve around sex, and when the story was about to climax, the author left us... hanging, per se. :)
October 11, 2020
All six books of this strange and colourful romp were very entertaining and a little confusing. An ex superhero tries to make it in the normal world as CEO whilst all his former nemisies and even some of his co heroes, continue on in the darkness without his old righteousness in their way, Which then boils over into a city wide battle between multiple gangs whilst the original main character figures out the weird nuances of being a part of the mega rich.
A weird non-super hero graphic novel series, filled with amazing dialogue with highlights, very interesting characters that come in and out of the storyline and create tension that keeps everything interesting. I read all six books, but I will just post this.
A weird non-super hero graphic novel series, filled with amazing dialogue with highlights, very interesting characters that come in and out of the storyline and create tension that keeps everything interesting. I read all six books, but I will just post this.
May 30, 2022
What happens when superheroes and villains decide to retire? If they have lived sheltered and black and white lives?
This is that series. So far, the setup has been good with well defined subplots that are telegraphing a large clash at some time. But given the dynamics, it is hard to say what the outcome will be. There is a lot about power, money and responsibility so far. I am not sure it is as clever as Transmetropolitan which it has been compared to but it has an intelligence that I am watching. I think this will eventually get us somewhere satisfying.
Yes, there is a lot of sex but so far it seems to be more mechanical without meaning. I am not sure if that is a theme or not so I will hold off on trying to analyze it too much. I do wonder where this focus will lead.
This is that series. So far, the setup has been good with well defined subplots that are telegraphing a large clash at some time. But given the dynamics, it is hard to say what the outcome will be. There is a lot about power, money and responsibility so far. I am not sure it is as clever as Transmetropolitan which it has been compared to but it has an intelligence that I am watching. I think this will eventually get us somewhere satisfying.
Yes, there is a lot of sex but so far it seems to be more mechanical without meaning. I am not sure if that is a theme or not so I will hold off on trying to analyze it too much. I do wonder where this focus will lead.
April 15, 2021
En serie som heter ”Sex - The summer of hard” lovar mycket. Och visst den innehåller sex. En del kul scener... snygga vyer och snygga människor. Men storyn är... hm.. trist? Alltså... hur nära får en historia vara utan att kännas som ett plagiat? Varför inte göra Batman om man nu vill skriva en historia om Batman?
Vill man ha semi erotik så hittar man det här. Vill man ha en lite trist historia om en aprik snubbe som varit stadens beskyddare men som inte vet hur man lever (typ Batman) så visst, här är den.
Vill man ha semi erotik så hittar man det här. Vill man ha en lite trist historia om en aprik snubbe som varit stadens beskyddare men som inte vet hur man lever (typ Batman) så visst, här är den.
June 6, 2024
A tremendously disappointing and flaccid attempt at storytelling that is about as far from the heights of SUNSTONE and SEX CRIMINALS as you can get. Thin characters, unclear motivations, the mystery of Saturn City never even remotely answered, and some really bad "secret society" that feels like a 100 BULLETS knockoff. I've read worse comics, but I've also read so many better ones. If this is the best "creator-owned comic" that Joe Casey can come up with, it would seem to me that he is more of a corporate lackey than a writer of any real talent.
August 10, 2025
Couldn’t read the text very well and couldn’t get the story from the pictures, which were reminiscent of some old-style comic book. If you ask me, there was way too much text to read. Too confusing. But there were some nice action scenes and the sex was lustful.
There’s sex and violence—both graphic. Of course, I minded more the violence being too graphic rather than the sex. Didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I couldn’t get the story. What was with the sex club and who was the scary Freddy Krugger guy? What a waste!
There’s sex and violence—both graphic. Of course, I minded more the violence being too graphic rather than the sex. Didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I couldn’t get the story. What was with the sex club and who was the scary Freddy Krugger guy? What a waste!
November 29, 2025
Don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is pure illustrated smut. While there are sexual situations in the story, this is about a man returning to his city after retiring as a superhero. Think of Bruce Wayne flagged up being Batman and had to try to integrate himself into regular life. It takes the tropes of Batman and Iron Man then adds the outlandish behavior from The Boys to make an interesting story of an existential crisis. I’ll definitely continue on to vol 2.
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