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Sex Criminals: The Complete Edition
**_All 31 award-winning, headline-grabbing, head-spinning, genre-defying issues of SEX CRIMINALS collected in one soft unthreatening volume celebrating its tenth-ish anniversary.
Bonnie & Clyde meets The 40-Year-Old Virgin by way of When Harry Met Sally_**—only none of these orgasms are fake!
When Suzie and Jon have sex, time stops. Literally. So they have lots of sex, fall in love, and eventually start robbing banks. Until they find out they're not alone…
Collects Sex Criminals issues # 1- #30 & the one-shot special issue #69.
Select praise & accolades for the Sex Criminals
Eisner Award winning Best New Series
Harvey Award winning Best New Series
#1 New York Times Bestseller
#1 Amazon Literary Graphic Novels
_Entertainment Weekly's Must List_
_Publishers Weekly Bestseller_
"Fraction's best work yet. It's a precision-tuned screwball comedy on its surface, and that surface is gorgeous, thanks to Zdarsky's ace sense of design and inventive color technique." —TIME
"An honest, heartfelt story about relationships that was more John Hughes than John Holmes." —USA Today
"Sex comedies usually focus on the pursuit of orgasm; the writer Matt Fraction and the artist Chip Zdarsky have devised an ingenious one about the stillness that follows it. Zdarsky's fluid, brightly hued artwork is dense with smutty gags, but this is a deeper, more understated comedy than it initially seems." —The New York Times
"Wildly imaginative, randy and true with characters whose sexual satisfaction freezes time and facilitates crime. Artist Zdarsky's staging, storytelling and character designs make this even crazier. Great fun!" —The Miami Herald
"A sex comedy with a splash of crime thriller, the title is a fascinating examination of the pleasures and pitfalls of intimate relationships, using the central fantastic conceit as a metaphor for the way sex distances people but also, under the right circumstances, brings them together." —The A.V. Club
"I wouldn't trust most comic creators to turn a sexual awakening into compelling pulp fiction, but Fraction and Zdarsky pull it off masterfully." —PASTE
"Sex Criminals is just amazing. If this isn't on your pull list you have to get it." —io9
"Sex Criminals is not just one of the best comics I've ever read, it's one of the best things I've ever read, period." —Wil Wheaton, actor
"The best debut of 2013" —RollingStone
Bonnie & Clyde meets The 40-Year-Old Virgin by way of When Harry Met Sally_**—only none of these orgasms are fake!
When Suzie and Jon have sex, time stops. Literally. So they have lots of sex, fall in love, and eventually start robbing banks. Until they find out they're not alone…
Collects Sex Criminals issues # 1- #30 & the one-shot special issue #69.
Select praise & accolades for the Sex Criminals
Eisner Award winning Best New Series
Harvey Award winning Best New Series
#1 New York Times Bestseller
#1 Amazon Literary Graphic Novels
_Entertainment Weekly's Must List_
_Publishers Weekly Bestseller_
"Fraction's best work yet. It's a precision-tuned screwball comedy on its surface, and that surface is gorgeous, thanks to Zdarsky's ace sense of design and inventive color technique." —TIME
"An honest, heartfelt story about relationships that was more John Hughes than John Holmes." —USA Today
"Sex comedies usually focus on the pursuit of orgasm; the writer Matt Fraction and the artist Chip Zdarsky have devised an ingenious one about the stillness that follows it. Zdarsky's fluid, brightly hued artwork is dense with smutty gags, but this is a deeper, more understated comedy than it initially seems." —The New York Times
"Wildly imaginative, randy and true with characters whose sexual satisfaction freezes time and facilitates crime. Artist Zdarsky's staging, storytelling and character designs make this even crazier. Great fun!" —The Miami Herald
"A sex comedy with a splash of crime thriller, the title is a fascinating examination of the pleasures and pitfalls of intimate relationships, using the central fantastic conceit as a metaphor for the way sex distances people but also, under the right circumstances, brings them together." —The A.V. Club
"I wouldn't trust most comic creators to turn a sexual awakening into compelling pulp fiction, but Fraction and Zdarsky pull it off masterfully." —PASTE
"Sex Criminals is just amazing. If this isn't on your pull list you have to get it." —io9
"Sex Criminals is not just one of the best comics I've ever read, it's one of the best things I've ever read, period." —Wil Wheaton, actor
"The best debut of 2013" —RollingStone
714 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2024
68 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Matt Fraction
1,223 books1,868 followers"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 16, 2024
I came (hehe) to Sex Criminals, expecting a fairly linear story of a straightforward bank robbery that would give way to a more complicated criminal underworld involving sex based superpowers. Instead, I got a psychotherapeutic exploration of the nature of kinks and fetishism and their acceptance among peers and partners.
Jon and Suze are definitely damaged individuals, and it was refreshing to see their flaws presented as such as opposed to most protagonists, where their flaws are their defining characteristics, not something to be worked on. See Bruce Wayne, who should've sought therapy instead of a black leather batsuit. This is probably most telling in the ending; where they don't actually end up together, sometimes the healthiest thing for a relationship is for it to end. However, I will say I don't think the story quite gets over the male gaze, more women back accommodations for male fetishism than vice versa. Despite Ana having a very well written monologue about how men feel a need to conquer the idea of their partner as opposed to the reality.
I was going to write how I thought the story had some stumbling blocks, around the mid point of the series especially, because at times it looks like Jon and Suze and their extended crew are preparing for all out sex war only for it to fizzle out and shift perspective elsewhere, to other characters even. But after some consideration, I see that was done because it's not a story about war and conflict it's about love and acceptance.
Suze's confrontation with Kuber Badal isn't borne out of some sense of justice. It's her attempt to make peace with her own past.
On the topic of sex, sometimes the build-up is better than the payoff, and that's definitely how I felt in the back end of this series. Some characters turn on an absolute dime to change teams, only for it to be relatively meaningless in the end game, only serving to give them a happily ever after I don't think was deserved. Even Badal's motivations and schemes seem to spring up from nowhere, where I would've preferred them to be peppered through the whole series as aside to the main plot of Jon and Suze. Kabal really did feel like a generic villain from a big 2 comic, not quite in keeping with the themes of the comic.
To give Fraction and Zdarsky their dues, I can't imagine this was an easy pitch to Image, but they certainly steered the ship well. Despite their obvious enjoyment for puns and background humour, it never undermines the serious points of sexual identity and acceptable of the story. I think of how Preacher's message of judge the content of the man and not the colour of his skin, is often undercut by the liberal use of slurs in the dialogue. The way Matt and Chip also pepper in their own cameos is an interesting peep behind the writer's curtain, but I feel like I could've done with one less than what we got. For instance, I would've liked to see the dialogue in Suze's argument with Ana.
Overall, I'm glad I experienced this book as it did get me thinking about acceptance and sexual representation in the medium.
Jon and Suze are definitely damaged individuals, and it was refreshing to see their flaws presented as such as opposed to most protagonists, where their flaws are their defining characteristics, not something to be worked on. See Bruce Wayne, who should've sought therapy instead of a black leather batsuit. This is probably most telling in the ending; where they don't actually end up together, sometimes the healthiest thing for a relationship is for it to end. However, I will say I don't think the story quite gets over the male gaze, more women back accommodations for male fetishism than vice versa. Despite Ana having a very well written monologue about how men feel a need to conquer the idea of their partner as opposed to the reality.
I was going to write how I thought the story had some stumbling blocks, around the mid point of the series especially, because at times it looks like Jon and Suze and their extended crew are preparing for all out sex war only for it to fizzle out and shift perspective elsewhere, to other characters even. But after some consideration, I see that was done because it's not a story about war and conflict it's about love and acceptance.
Suze's confrontation with Kuber Badal isn't borne out of some sense of justice. It's her attempt to make peace with her own past.
On the topic of sex, sometimes the build-up is better than the payoff, and that's definitely how I felt in the back end of this series. Some characters turn on an absolute dime to change teams, only for it to be relatively meaningless in the end game, only serving to give them a happily ever after I don't think was deserved. Even Badal's motivations and schemes seem to spring up from nowhere, where I would've preferred them to be peppered through the whole series as aside to the main plot of Jon and Suze. Kabal really did feel like a generic villain from a big 2 comic, not quite in keeping with the themes of the comic.
To give Fraction and Zdarsky their dues, I can't imagine this was an easy pitch to Image, but they certainly steered the ship well. Despite their obvious enjoyment for puns and background humour, it never undermines the serious points of sexual identity and acceptable of the story. I think of how Preacher's message of judge the content of the man and not the colour of his skin, is often undercut by the liberal use of slurs in the dialogue. The way Matt and Chip also pepper in their own cameos is an interesting peep behind the writer's curtain, but I feel like I could've done with one less than what we got. For instance, I would've liked to see the dialogue in Suze's argument with Ana.
Overall, I'm glad I experienced this book as it did get me thinking about acceptance and sexual representation in the medium.
November 30, 2024
really interesting & thought-provoking! my discovery of graphic novels on libby continues to consume my life
April 16, 2024
This full-series collection is good for having everything together digitally (helped me save on Hoopla monthly borrows). If I were to go back in time and talk to my previous self, through a method in which month-younger me could actually hear current me and not, say, through an orgasm-driven flow state of pure energy, I might suggest to my former self to try the individual trade volumes first to see if I like them before committing to the whole thing.
It's good, though, it's very good. It's hard to describe. I might as well not even try because you'll basically just have to read it yourself, if sex comedy/drama comics sound good to you. It starts better than it finishes, but that's kind of the point, isn't it.
It's good, though, it's very good. It's hard to describe. I might as well not even try because you'll basically just have to read it yourself, if sex comedy/drama comics sound good to you. It starts better than it finishes, but that's kind of the point, isn't it.
July 15, 2025
So much more than dick jokes. I thought the ending had been spoiled for me, but even knowing what I knew, I was not ready.
June 24, 2024
Super enjoyable, and surprise surprise Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky can write amazing characters. My main problem is this would have worked a lot better if it was stretched out more. There was a LOT of jumping around and the ending didn’t feel fully earned because of it. Felt like the writers didn’t truly know how to finish the book. But I loved the world and the characters so much that it didn’t bother me. It’s a bittersweet ending, especially the epilogue, but it’s beautiful.
July 28, 2024
I shouldn’t have read the compilation: I should have read them individually so I’d have a higher book count! Oh well.
I really liked this. I laughed, I cried, I got horny. I think it contained good depictions of OCD/ODD and getting help/not getting help for those. I think the characters were flawed in all the ways people are flawed but they tried to take responsibility for their slutshaming and other issues. Would recommend, but only if you’re ok with the EX rating.
I really liked this. I laughed, I cried, I got horny. I think it contained good depictions of OCD/ODD and getting help/not getting help for those. I think the characters were flawed in all the ways people are flawed but they tried to take responsibility for their slutshaming and other issues. Would recommend, but only if you’re ok with the EX rating.
June 30, 2025
An outstanding achievement in the graphic novel medium, Sex Criminals receives my highest recommendation....with a big asterisk, and the reason for why is exactly what you're thinking of: it's pretty fucking graphic. I read this for the second time today, and before jumping back into it in last month, I remembered stating in my initial review of the series that it'd probably receive an "NC=17" rating from the MPAA if released as a theatrical film. And I still stand by that argument. The "Sex" in the "Sex Criminals" is used appropriately. There is some VERY explicit sexual activity here, with hardly ANY modesty. Even better is that it's shown at least once per issue, save for the final "69th" issue. However, unlike pornos, there's actually a really captivating story behind all the explicit fucking.
Our two main leads have such perfect chemistry that you truly wish for them to stay together throughout the comic run, and the graphic novel series does a very good job of explaining how the duo is perfect for one another, in a cosmic sort of way even! I'm going to keep this review very vague, as I implore everyone to give this one a chance. It may just surprise you. 10/10
Our two main leads have such perfect chemistry that you truly wish for them to stay together throughout the comic run, and the graphic novel series does a very good job of explaining how the duo is perfect for one another, in a cosmic sort of way even! I'm going to keep this review very vague, as I implore everyone to give this one a chance. It may just surprise you. 10/10
April 19, 2025
I picked this up for the wild concept—two people who discover they can stop time when they orgasm and decide to rob banks. Totally absurd, totally intriguing. But what I didn’t expect was how human, emotional, and oddly relatable the story would be.
Sex Criminals throws you into a chaotic, funny, and surreal world, but at its core, it’s about real people dealing with trauma, shame, desire, and the complicated relationships we have with ourselves and others. It explores everything from emotional baggage to sexual fantasies and fetiches, all wrapped in humor and self-awareness. It’s not just about sex—it’s about what sex means, and how it shapes who we are.
There’s a raw honesty under all the madness that makes the characters feel weirdly close to home. It’s bold, hilarious, and often very touching. Honestly, this should be a TV show—like The Matrix meets Sex Education. High-concept and totally unfiltered, it’s one of those stories that shouldn’t work… but absolutely does.
Sex Criminals throws you into a chaotic, funny, and surreal world, but at its core, it’s about real people dealing with trauma, shame, desire, and the complicated relationships we have with ourselves and others. It explores everything from emotional baggage to sexual fantasies and fetiches, all wrapped in humor and self-awareness. It’s not just about sex—it’s about what sex means, and how it shapes who we are.
There’s a raw honesty under all the madness that makes the characters feel weirdly close to home. It’s bold, hilarious, and often very touching. Honestly, this should be a TV show—like The Matrix meets Sex Education. High-concept and totally unfiltered, it’s one of those stories that shouldn’t work… but absolutely does.
October 6, 2024
I went looking for something short and fun to read, and stumbled across this novel. It sounded funny, so I started looking at it last night…and I ended up pretty glued to it. There is so much more to this storyline that is says in the blurb, and it’s all so good. I think it contained good depictions of ADHD & OCD, and Jon getting help/not getting help for that issue.
But most of all, a lot of the things this review on goodreads brings up are all something I felt and still feel, after reading this novel. (Most, but not all….) It’s located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I also couldn’t wait to get back to this novel as soon as I could today, to see how things turned out for the couple. I’m so glad I found this, instead of rereading something I’ve already had the pleasure of.
4 stars, and a warning: NSFW, and X rated.
But most of all, a lot of the things this review on goodreads brings up are all something I felt and still feel, after reading this novel. (Most, but not all….) It’s located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I also couldn’t wait to get back to this novel as soon as I could today, to see how things turned out for the couple. I’m so glad I found this, instead of rereading something I’ve already had the pleasure of.
4 stars, and a warning: NSFW, and X rated.
August 16, 2024
There’s never been a more Freudian sci-fi story. That premise I think will go further for some than honestly it did for me and while I really enjoyed a lot of the science fiction elements and characterization, the sense of humor and the way conflict resolved itself felt thin and boring. Was a bit disappointed for how good the core elements and the complex relationships are. It had all the right pieces but didn’t feel like enough time was spent on the draft to sharpen the writing to the level I know Matt Fraction has. Maybe I should reread Hawkeye though and see if I’m not perhaps overhyping him in my head
January 11, 2025
Surprisingly wholesome, and painfully relatable.
I think after the first “arc” the story kinda started to lose me as it tried this weird balancing act between insightful sex talk and JoJo’s Horny Adventure, but in the end the humor and insanely creative background details combined with an emotionally impactful and mature ending gave way to what was ultimately a very worthwhile read 💕
“Never feeling new joy is too high a price to pay for never feeling new pain. So maybe this is gonna hurt.
It's okay. I can take it.”
I think after the first “arc” the story kinda started to lose me as it tried this weird balancing act between insightful sex talk and JoJo’s Horny Adventure, but in the end the humor and insanely creative background details combined with an emotionally impactful and mature ending gave way to what was ultimately a very worthwhile read 💕
“Never feeling new joy is too high a price to pay for never feeling new pain. So maybe this is gonna hurt.
It's okay. I can take it.”
July 8, 2024
I LOVED THESE COMICS!! I couldn't help but blush when I read the sex panels while I was on public transit, but I couldn't put the comics down until I was done! I thought it was great that the series centered around Suze and her journey through grief and sexuality. The writing was hilarious, and each edition added more meaningful elements to the story. Nothing felt like filler, and the ending is actually satisfying.
January 12, 2025
It was funny and weird and a bit sexy. Some parts were a little underdeveloped and I'm not sure I fully loved the bits where the authors inserted themselves into the book to try and explain what they really wanted to say. Like just show it/say it please...these f*ckin guys.
December 24, 2025
I thought it was a well told story taking you through the lives of many characters. I didn’t like the time jumps as many did and I think it was just too sci-fi for me but I’m impressed with the story as a whole.
August 15, 2024
If I’d gotten this when I was 12 everything would’ve been so different
October 15, 2024
Do NOT read this in church. The nuns were not impressed.
November 19, 2024
I kept waiting for this to be anything more than a one note joke and wannabe Brian K. Vaughn book, but it was not to be.
January 11, 2025
4.8. Surement 5 quand je vais lire les bonus
February 1, 2025
This was a funny adult comic
November 24, 2025
Surprisingly bittersweet. I only give 5s to books I would read again, and I think I would read this again.
January 31, 2026
Fun and interesting, but I felt like they lost it in the end. Ending felt kinda rushed.
December 27, 2025
Great contained story, doesn’t feel padded or rushed. I went in expecting a zany sex crime story like I’m sure everyone does, with how the book is sold, but it’s much more satisfying than that. Kind of deeply sad, although tries to give you a more saccharine and overly sweet ending.
November 19, 2024
On my list for quite a long time; finally got to it. Though it's overlong and meandering and doesn't quite make sense, it's beautifully drawn, packed with visual gags, and horny as hell. Jon is an extremely flawed protagonist, and Susie is beautiful and interesting and sympathetic. I don't know how much this will stick with me; like Nicholson Baker's The Fermata, I'll probably remember the premise a lot more than the specifics.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews