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XTC69
Explorers from an all-women planet have found men to breed with, but have they found studs or duds?
Commander Jessica Campbell of the planet L8DZ N1T3 and her crew are searching for men to breed with when they discover the last human on Earth, the cryogenically frozen Jessica Campbell. With a new, but familiar crewmember, the search for men continues, but will it be worth it?
Jessica Campbell is from Victoria, BC and is an enthusiast of jokes, painting and comics. She completed her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she is a comics instructor. In 2016, she unleashed the art world and chauvinist skewering: Hot or Not: 20th-Century Male Artists.
Commander Jessica Campbell of the planet L8DZ N1T3 and her crew are searching for men to breed with when they discover the last human on Earth, the cryogenically frozen Jessica Campbell. With a new, but familiar crewmember, the search for men continues, but will it be worth it?
Jessica Campbell is from Victoria, BC and is an enthusiast of jokes, painting and comics. She completed her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she is a comics instructor. In 2016, she unleashed the art world and chauvinist skewering: Hot or Not: 20th-Century Male Artists.
120 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2018
132 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Campbell
3 books14 followersJessica Campbell is from Victoria, BC and is an enthusiast of jokes, painting and comics. She completed her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she is a comics instructor. In 2016, she unleashed the art world and chauvinist skewering: Hot or Not: 20th-Century Male Artists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
September 25, 2018
XTC69 is Jessica Campbell’s quirky and funny sci fi story about Jessica Campbell, the leader of a mission of women seeking to find males to breed so they can continue their race. They find a planet that is uninhabited, Earth, where they find a kind of time capsule, and in it is . . . Jessica Campbell, looking exactly the same as Jessica Campbell the mission leader, whom they begin to refer to as JC2, whom they invite to another planet where they find no women and a bunch of men, but the men just assholes. Nope, even if they are the Last Men in the Universe, just nope! No weird space aliens in this one; all the “creatures” appear to be human, so things appear to be sort of absurdist.
If you don't want to read how it ends, don't read this bit, but the women, still in search of men to "breed with," happily run into a planet full of women who have found a way to reproduce without men, so: Happy ending for them! (But wait, I'm a guy, so maybe the joke finally is on . . .. me??! Now wait just a minute there, Mz Jessica. . ..)
I thought it was pretty dryly funny. It’s a small and short book, too, which I love, and it has an appendix where Jessica Campbell, the actual artist who created the book (we have to assume, unless it is yet another clone of Jessica Campbell! Ha! Did you consider that?!) who wonders if her story is misogynist—I mean, given what happens to all the assholes on said planet when they leave it, not that I'd tell you, you'd have to treat me very nicely to get that information, unlike Jessica—but she says, in her defense, Hey, I had a know a guy who read it and he said it was totally fine! Well, I think so, too (I think?!)! (Because I am an exception to her rule, so obviously! Aren't I?!)
If you don't want to read how it ends, don't read this bit, but the women, still in search of men to "breed with," happily run into a planet full of women who have found a way to reproduce without men, so: Happy ending for them! (But wait, I'm a guy, so maybe the joke finally is on . . .. me??! Now wait just a minute there, Mz Jessica. . ..)
I thought it was pretty dryly funny. It’s a small and short book, too, which I love, and it has an appendix where Jessica Campbell, the actual artist who created the book (we have to assume, unless it is yet another clone of Jessica Campbell! Ha! Did you consider that?!) who wonders if her story is misogynist—I mean, given what happens to all the assholes on said planet when they leave it, not that I'd tell you, you'd have to treat me very nicely to get that information, unlike Jessica—but she says, in her defense, Hey, I had a know a guy who read it and he said it was totally fine! Well, I think so, too (I think?!)! (Because I am an exception to her rule, so obviously! Aren't I?!)
July 27, 2018
WOW such a wonderful comic I totally understand the hype now, this is amazing, so funny, and I loved the reviews of the crying men, 11/10.
April 20, 2019
Man, I am really digging all these comics that feature women living in a world without men. (See also: Woman World). A super quick and funny read, XTC69 features a group of women who are on the search for men to help them reproduce back on their home planet. They encounter Jessica Campbell on a deserted Earth, have her join them on their search for men, and then…they find them.
Obviously the comic is not very deep, but it is hilarious, and there are probably people out there that will hate the depiction of men in the comic. In that case, maybe don’t be angry at Campbell for the way she depicted men, and redirect your anger to the men who are actually like this today.
Obviously the comic is not very deep, but it is hilarious, and there are probably people out there that will hate the depiction of men in the comic. In that case, maybe don’t be angry at Campbell for the way she depicted men, and redirect your anger to the men who are actually like this today.
November 27, 2021
For a book about gender stereotypes I was surprised how much I enjoyed this quip filled, quick read! It is genuinely funny and smart and feels like a dream Jessica Campbell had one night and brought to life in exactly the right amount of panels and pages. The story centers around a team of women from a planet of ALL women in the future who, after a disaster on their planet, can no longer clone and once again 'need men' to reproduce. They find only the author, Jessica Campbell, on earth and take off together to try to find men with a tongue in cheek and hilarious result.
May 22, 2018
This is a very droll comic that mixes pointed feminism into its storyline lifted from the grade-D 60's sci-fi flick Mars Needs Women. The art is perfectly charming and Campbell tosses in some wonderfully elbow-in-the-ribs style jokes. It's a lot of fun. My longer review is up on TCJ:
https://bit.ly/2KJp5ef
https://bit.ly/2KJp5ef
August 28, 2018
Jessica Campbell is pithy, wry, and blunt. She envisions a future that is at once the same as our own and also better. It's a really fun quick read. I'll follow Jessica Campbell anywhere!
September 25, 2018
There have been a lot of really funny, really intelligent feminist graphic novels coming out for the last few years. In the last few weeks alone books like Flocks (which is smart and honest), Woman World (which is smart and hilarious), Coyote Doggirl (smart & experimental), Femme Magnifique (an excellent anthology series), and i love this part (spare and beautiful, if not very narratively satisfying).
It's great that there's a wealth of these books, as it allows for a wider variety of people to find graphic novels and comics that appeal to them.
I found this collection vapid, dull, and unfunny. The conceit was boring, the characters were all ciphers, there were moments where it felt like the author might have thought the book was being clever that fell flat for me.
So the art doesn't interest me, the characters don't interest me, the plot doesn't interest me, and the humor is lacking.
But, maybe this is the perfect book for you.
I can't stand most of the "Underground" 20th century artists: Crumb, Wilson, Deitch, Ryan, Bagge (before he started writing non-fiction historical work). If you like them, maybe this will appeal to you. It presents men with the same disdain that most underground comic writers present women. And that doesn't do it for me. It might do it for you. I would rather either a hysterical play on stereotypes, or really brutal takedowns that take longer than a high school lunch period to come up with. Sadly, this book didn't land in either of those directions.
I recommend it for people interested in twenty to forty years late satire, or people who are amused by 80s sitcom level jokes.
It's great that there's a wealth of these books, as it allows for a wider variety of people to find graphic novels and comics that appeal to them.
I found this collection vapid, dull, and unfunny. The conceit was boring, the characters were all ciphers, there were moments where it felt like the author might have thought the book was being clever that fell flat for me.
So the art doesn't interest me, the characters don't interest me, the plot doesn't interest me, and the humor is lacking.
But, maybe this is the perfect book for you.
I can't stand most of the "Underground" 20th century artists: Crumb, Wilson, Deitch, Ryan, Bagge (before he started writing non-fiction historical work). If you like them, maybe this will appeal to you. It presents men with the same disdain that most underground comic writers present women. And that doesn't do it for me. It might do it for you. I would rather either a hysterical play on stereotypes, or really brutal takedowns that take longer than a high school lunch period to come up with. Sadly, this book didn't land in either of those directions.
I recommend it for people interested in twenty to forty years late satire, or people who are amused by 80s sitcom level jokes.
May 18, 2018
LOL JC is the best
October 2, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ rounded up - The art is really simplistic but the story is charming. But of its time, there’s an HP moment (pretty minimal though). The exploration and commentary on gender is actually pretty funny and had me positively howling at times.
June 26, 2018
This book is stupid. Stupidly stupid. And I think the author may be proud of that fact? Like it's supposed to be humorous?
Not funny. Not good. Not for me.
Not funny. Not good. Not for me.
November 16, 2019
Totally nuts and brilliant!
May 9, 2022
Es super gracioso!!!!
August 29, 2019
badly drawn. brilliant. charming. funny. I want more
June 25, 2018
I didn't think it was funny, or well thought out, or particularly clever.
July 14, 2018
Jessica Campbell's short graphic novel is funny jab at the patriarchy. Far in the future, female-coded aliens come to a desolate Earth hoping to find mates to ensure the survival of their species. Instead, the aliens find and release Jessica Campbell, who was preserved in a research experiment (a missing $50 reimbursement is a recurring joke throughout.) What follows is a quick jaunt through the galaxy, and ultimately a celebration of non-binary identified people trying to survive. This is definitely a welcome addition to the queer graphic novel canon.
June 25, 2018
I enjoyed XTC69, and I appreciate Jessica Campbell's work, in general. This one struck me as something like an extended minicomic, and it has that tone that you might find in a shorter work. Clever concept for a story, and the way that Campbell handles women's issues -- especially with the "self love" we see toward the end -- is impressive.
March 3, 2020
La verdad es que es bastante divertido.
- "No te preocupa que este libro sea, no sé, misógino contra los hombres.
- Pues no... Un hombre lo leyó y dijo que le parecía bien.
- ...
- Además, algunos de mis mejores amigos son hombres."
- "No te preocupa que este libro sea, no sé, misógino contra los hombres.
- Pues no... Un hombre lo leyó y dijo que le parecía bien.
- ...
- Además, algunos de mis mejores amigos son hombres."
July 18, 2018
Very funny and pretty much how I envision the future.
September 10, 2018
Oh, misandry!
I'm only giving this three stars because it left no lasting impression on me, but it was funny enough, and it's refreshing to see men getting dunked on hardcore now and then.
I'm only giving this three stars because it left no lasting impression on me, but it was funny enough, and it's refreshing to see men getting dunked on hardcore now and then.
May 16, 2020
I just found this in my housemates shelf while reshelving the book i just finished. I have no idea who jessica cambell is and didn't recognize any of the movies when I looked her up. It was cute had some funny moments. I was put off by the grimes review on the back lol. It was honestly very fitting when i think about the saga of baby x ae 12's gender--how grimes talked about wanting to raise the baby genderless and then elon immediately tweeted that it was a boy. the characters are theoretically women? genderless? idk (actually it says theyre all "femmes" ...theres a lot of questions here are butches allowed on the planet? what about trans men or trans women for that matter) but the planets are very clearly "girls go to college to get more knowledge boys go to jupider to get more stupider". idk im not going to tie my brain in knots thinking about what this comic is saying about gender. i support the concept of an all lesbian planet in general categories are just messy . the story overall was just saying the tepid take of "men are trash" but it's also just for fun and silliness so i'm not going to spend a zillion years dissecting it.
i liked the spaceship drawing
Also I was thinking the cryogenically frozen jessica and future jessica were somehow related. is it incest to kiss your great great great great great great granddaughter? Esp if at some point reproduction was not sexual but done via cloning? if time travel existed and you did kiss your great great great descendant, you would really only be sharing an minuscule amount of actual DNA. But we don't know when the cloning practices began. this is raising lots of questions.
also, there was not enough stratification on the male planet. there are chads and yet everyone is an incel. does this mean that without women, incels and chads are totally on the same level and there is no alpha/beta hierarchy????? *billy ray cyrus voice* much to think about
though tbh looking thru the reviews and the amount of butthurt men saying this book sucked due to its representation of men is just laughable maybe "men are trash" is not such a tepid take
i liked the spaceship drawing
Also I was thinking the cryogenically frozen jessica and future jessica were somehow related. is it incest to kiss your great great great great great great granddaughter? Esp if at some point reproduction was not sexual but done via cloning? if time travel existed and you did kiss your great great great descendant, you would really only be sharing an minuscule amount of actual DNA. But we don't know when the cloning practices began. this is raising lots of questions.
also, there was not enough stratification on the male planet. there are chads and yet everyone is an incel. does this mean that without women, incels and chads are totally on the same level and there is no alpha/beta hierarchy????? *billy ray cyrus voice* much to think about
though tbh looking thru the reviews and the amount of butthurt men saying this book sucked due to its representation of men is just laughable maybe "men are trash" is not such a tepid take
May 10, 2024
Es un cómic gamberro, feminista y también una space opera. Se leen las buenas intenciones y el mensaje desde un tono desenfadado y socarrón, pero también con unos agujeros gigantes tanto en el guión como en el propio contenido.
El nivel técnico no me ha parecido deslumbrante porque hay partes en las que le tempo de la historia y la secuenciación no estaban bien sincronizados; es decir a veces las viñetas sugerían un ritmo más lento de lo que lo hacía la acción. El dibujo tampoco me entusiasmó, pero esto es algo bastante subjetivo.
Por último creo que la traducción, la corrección o ambas necesitan pulirse un poquito más. En concrento encontré un ejemplo que me chirrió bastante "misoginia contra los hombres", cuando en castellano lo más correcto sería decir misandria o misoandria.
El nivel técnico no me ha parecido deslumbrante porque hay partes en las que le tempo de la historia y la secuenciación no estaban bien sincronizados; es decir a veces las viñetas sugerían un ritmo más lento de lo que lo hacía la acción. El dibujo tampoco me entusiasmó, pero esto es algo bastante subjetivo.
Por último creo que la traducción, la corrección o ambas necesitan pulirse un poquito más. En concrento encontré un ejemplo que me chirrió bastante "misoginia contra los hombres", cuando en castellano lo más correcto sería decir misandria o misoandria.
March 14, 2020
i thought this was pretty good for a pocket size gay space pulp fiction. im not surprised by the quick camaraderie i built with the main characters. i like the cute lil ship they fly in. i love jessica campbells ambigous form. theres this neat filled in page of a house- i feel really inspired to fill a page in a similar style, made me wanna see more of the authors work besides cartoon characters. i enjoyed this storys genre and queerness but i dont feel like its cover doesnt pair well. i picked this up and literally put it back down, it came home with us bc my partner tossed it to me. i didnt clock the cover originally, not the art nor title caught my attention.
February 24, 2024
Quick, accessible feminist sci-fi story - fun read. I would call this novel “cute” in an endearing way (NOT misogyny) - it doesn’t try to be anything that it isn’t. The line-art style is expressive and the simple/deadpan writing is punchy and keeps the story moving. Apt social commentary in a fun fictional environment. Worth reading!
September 20, 2018
I tried so hard not to laugh while reading this book on my lunch break, because there was no way I could explain it to my male coworker. I loved it, and will probably read it again tonight before I go to bed.
March 27, 2020
This was a very quick read. I didn't really get the story as the book seemed to be more of a device to comment on society. It was alright, just very biased and opinionated. Not the sci-fi adventure it alludes to be.
April 1, 2020
A quick read that makes fun of silly stereotypes while illuminating oft-sidestepped truths.
Plus you REALLY get to know "JC1".
The art is dicey but it somehow works. It makes me want to drop a star...
Plus you REALLY get to know "JC1".
The art is dicey but it somehow works. It makes me want to drop a star...
June 6, 2018
A trifle, but a very fun one. And one that sticks with you more than you’d expect.
September 29, 2018
Simultaneously goofy and serious. Very timely with the Supreme Court confirmation hearing
December 30, 2018
I didn't really care for the characters or illustrations, or the depiction of the men in the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews