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Smut Peddler #4
Sex Machine
Cyborgs. AIs. Androids and automatons.
This is SEX MACHINE, an erotic comics anthology. 240 pages and 16 tales of sex-positive, consent-driven smut, expertly tuned and fully automatic.
Or manual, if that's what you're into.
Grab the user guide and flip the switch, 'cuz it's time to turn on.
This is SEX MACHINE, an erotic comics anthology. 240 pages and 16 tales of sex-positive, consent-driven smut, expertly tuned and fully automatic.
Or manual, if that's what you're into.
Grab the user guide and flip the switch, 'cuz it's time to turn on.
250 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2018
6 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
August 24, 2019
Some sex positive stories from some of today's top indie talent (Fiona Staples and Faith Erin Hicks to name a couple of them) featuring androids, robots, cyborgs and A.I. Yeah, it's more than a little weird in some cases. The stories are LGBTQ+ as well.
April 23, 2019
4 Stars
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
So it turns out that despite not usually being a big fan of regular anthologies, I am a fan of comic anthologies, and this one was a lot of fun! I didn't love every single story, but I did enjoy many of them, and altogether as a whole I really liked this.
There was a wonderful assortment of stories---no two felt the same, which is really cool considering they were all based around the pretty narrow theme of robot smut. There was a great range of emotions, art styles, relationships, and pairings. Some of the relationships were purely physical, some were couples just starting a relationship, others were already established couples. There were M/F, M/M, F/F, and possibly some non-binary pairings. Some of the stories were just sex, some had more of a story and/or message. Some were more explicit than others. There were POC characters in many of the stories. I just found the whole thing to have a great variety.
Also, the whole thing was in full color, so it was a joy to look at.
I won't review every individual story, but there were a couple standouts for me, and I've definitely found some writers/artists I want to look into:
- Little Universe Machine by Aud Koch was my favorite. It wasn't so much a story but a look into a character, but the character was lovable, the message was beautiful, and the art was absolutely stunning. I would hang this art on my wall.
- Vanilla Game by Fiona Staples was just fun, and I loved that it eschewed the traditional M/F sexual roles usually found in books/comics. Plus I love her art style.
- Employee of the Month by Myisha Haynes had a cute, little story about a human and his android coworker with just the right amount of sexiness and fun ridiculousness, and the art was great.
Overall, this was a great comic anthology with nice variety, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read about some sexy robots!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes explicit graphic novels, comic anthologies, and sexy robots.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
---------------------
Initial Thoughts:
This comic anthology was a lot of fun! Nice variety of stories, relationships, and art styles. Full review soon!
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
So it turns out that despite not usually being a big fan of regular anthologies, I am a fan of comic anthologies, and this one was a lot of fun! I didn't love every single story, but I did enjoy many of them, and altogether as a whole I really liked this.
There was a wonderful assortment of stories---no two felt the same, which is really cool considering they were all based around the pretty narrow theme of robot smut. There was a great range of emotions, art styles, relationships, and pairings. Some of the relationships were purely physical, some were couples just starting a relationship, others were already established couples. There were M/F, M/M, F/F, and possibly some non-binary pairings. Some of the stories were just sex, some had more of a story and/or message. Some were more explicit than others. There were POC characters in many of the stories. I just found the whole thing to have a great variety.
Also, the whole thing was in full color, so it was a joy to look at.
I won't review every individual story, but there were a couple standouts for me, and I've definitely found some writers/artists I want to look into:
- Little Universe Machine by Aud Koch was my favorite. It wasn't so much a story but a look into a character, but the character was lovable, the message was beautiful, and the art was absolutely stunning. I would hang this art on my wall.
- Vanilla Game by Fiona Staples was just fun, and I loved that it eschewed the traditional M/F sexual roles usually found in books/comics. Plus I love her art style.
- Employee of the Month by Myisha Haynes had a cute, little story about a human and his android coworker with just the right amount of sexiness and fun ridiculousness, and the art was great.
Overall, this was a great comic anthology with nice variety, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read about some sexy robots!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes explicit graphic novels, comic anthologies, and sexy robots.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
---------------------
Initial Thoughts:
This comic anthology was a lot of fun! Nice variety of stories, relationships, and art styles. Full review soon!
March 17, 2019
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley
I had previously read the My Monster Boyfriend anthology from the same publisher, so I was definitely excited to check this out and I absolutely loved it! If you have read that anthology then this one is pretty much the same general concept, except with robots and androids instead of 'monster' creatures. There is a good mix of different kinds of relationships and characters and art styles so I definitely think there will be something for everyone in here. I may have technically liked the content better in My Monster Boyfriend [I definitely like monsters more than robots lol], but this one was good too and I liked that it didn't have the 'boyfriend' qualifier because that meant we got several cute F/F shorts that were sadly absent before. Definitely recommend this!
I had previously read the My Monster Boyfriend anthology from the same publisher, so I was definitely excited to check this out and I absolutely loved it! If you have read that anthology then this one is pretty much the same general concept, except with robots and androids instead of 'monster' creatures. There is a good mix of different kinds of relationships and characters and art styles so I definitely think there will be something for everyone in here. I may have technically liked the content better in My Monster Boyfriend [I definitely like monsters more than robots lol], but this one was good too and I liked that it didn't have the 'boyfriend' qualifier because that meant we got several cute F/F shorts that were sadly absent before. Definitely recommend this!
Read
September 4, 2019Not giving a star rating bc I feel really mixed on this one - I don't wanna be mean but a lot of it was a normie, cis, conventional-beauty-standards yawnfest. Why are you even writing about robot-fucking when it's obvious that you don't even really like robots! Get off my lawn and go make art about sex dolls or something instead!!
That said, there were definitely a few 5-star gems that turned up the volume on the trans and non-human robot themes, so I would recommend checking this out on the strength of those alone. Two of my favs were Love Triangulation by Blue Delliquanti and Jon Cairns, and Like We Do by Taylor Robin.
That said, there were definitely a few 5-star gems that turned up the volume on the trans and non-human robot themes, so I would recommend checking this out on the strength of those alone. Two of my favs were Love Triangulation by Blue Delliquanti and Jon Cairns, and Like We Do by Taylor Robin.
April 1, 2021
As with most anthologies, I liked some stories in this collection more than others. A few of the real stand outs included "Little Universe Machine" by Aud Koch, fully painted in exquisite watercolors; "Rendezvous with Ain" by Savanna Ganucheau which played with the concept of virtual presentations of an AI; "Love Triangulation" written by Blue Delliquanti and drawn by Jon Cairns which includes a really unique and intriguing human pilot/robotic transport relationship made possible through extensive cybernetic modifications; and "Starship", Faith Erin Hick's well executed Star Trek AU. I appreciated the authors who chose to tell stories of non-humanoid robot characters as well!
March 8, 2020
So, I'm apparently on this graphic novel kick at the moment, possibly because my brain is burned out from all the non-stop reading I've been doing for the last few years LOL, so I picked up this and a few others (Heartstopper, Letters for Lucardo, TJ & Amal) and am making my way through them.
I really enjoyed this one! First off, SO MANY talented people, wow! I love how all the art styles were so different from the other. And there was a great variety of choices, with MF, FF, MM, and plenty of sexyfuntimes with robots and other sci-fi related beings.
This year this publisher is going to release a new anthology called Silver, and I already can't wait to read it!
I really enjoyed this one! First off, SO MANY talented people, wow! I love how all the art styles were so different from the other. And there was a great variety of choices, with MF, FF, MM, and plenty of sexyfuntimes with robots and other sci-fi related beings.
This year this publisher is going to release a new anthology called Silver, and I already can't wait to read it!
July 30, 2022
The average art caliber is low-grade for the way I view things. But I think that would be the common perception because this is a crew of mostly "nobodies". I only use that term because, outside of the capes & tights corporate employees, I've at least >heard of< more creators than essentially anybody. Look at my CV to see just how many I've read- from the fullest ensemble of publishers (in pan-English and French). Because of that aggressive experimentation, I had to get the book- if for no other reason.
Those last words are pertinent to my story angle on this jumble because non-human(oid at least) sex holds no interest to me, other than for the burgeoning laugh potential which I figured that I'd get a bunch of within but nope- these are all serious love stories with humor only mixed in occasionally. You can tell that these folks take this stuff absolutely seriously which makes me assume that they are from a younger vintage than myself when combined with ways in which it's perpetrated.
Then, I'm a straight who does read homo- but only at a sprinkle when it's sex-scenery. There are too many pages of it in here for me. I get overwhelmed by the physicality of it. Sorry guy's guys. That's just how my brain works. Conditioning by society? Probably. Because even though I can read lesbian for days, it needs to be at least relatively pretty. What else can I say but that my psyche has obviously been brainwashed in many ways. The important part is that I support it all consciously. Right?
I need to criticize an unrelated speech-balloon:
In the final story, a character says: "But it's hard to feel wanted when the only reason you were born was because of a government mandate". At least she KNEW that she definitely wasn't a mistake- like a shocking amount of the people are (despite what they're told)! Even though all angles point to me being planned there is still no way I can be sure that I was born with as good of a REASON as she was (to repopulate after a heavy nation-wide scourge).
Those last words are pertinent to my story angle on this jumble because non-human(oid at least) sex holds no interest to me, other than for the burgeoning laugh potential which I figured that I'd get a bunch of within but nope- these are all serious love stories with humor only mixed in occasionally. You can tell that these folks take this stuff absolutely seriously which makes me assume that they are from a younger vintage than myself when combined with ways in which it's perpetrated.
Then, I'm a straight who does read homo- but only at a sprinkle when it's sex-scenery. There are too many pages of it in here for me. I get overwhelmed by the physicality of it. Sorry guy's guys. That's just how my brain works. Conditioning by society? Probably. Because even though I can read lesbian for days, it needs to be at least relatively pretty. What else can I say but that my psyche has obviously been brainwashed in many ways. The important part is that I support it all consciously. Right?
I need to criticize an unrelated speech-balloon:
In the final story, a character says: "But it's hard to feel wanted when the only reason you were born was because of a government mandate". At least she KNEW that she definitely wasn't a mistake- like a shocking amount of the people are (despite what they're told)! Even though all angles point to me being planned there is still no way I can be sure that I was born with as good of a REASON as she was (to repopulate after a heavy nation-wide scourge).
April 15, 2019
Yup. That was a lot of robot sex.
3/5 stars
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review
Honestly, this was so fun! It was literally about sex machines. Every story had at least one machine having sex.
There was a good amount of diversity as well, different gender pairings and such. There were a few that were absolutely bizarre (see: women has sex with sentient worship statue), but some were sweet. My favourite was Remote Connection.
I’d recommend it if you’re into this sort of thing I guess 🤷🏻♀️ I liked it, I’m probably going to read other Smut Peddler instalments as well!
3/5 stars
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review
Honestly, this was so fun! It was literally about sex machines. Every story had at least one machine having sex.
There was a good amount of diversity as well, different gender pairings and such. There were a few that were absolutely bizarre (see: women has sex with sentient worship statue), but some were sweet. My favourite was Remote Connection.
I’d recommend it if you’re into this sort of thing I guess 🤷🏻♀️ I liked it, I’m probably going to read other Smut Peddler instalments as well!
March 23, 2024
This was everything I wanted in a comic anthology about robot fucking!
Like all anthologies, some stories and art styles were stronger than others but in general this was a beep boopin' good time. 🤖
Like all anthologies, some stories and art styles were stronger than others but in general this was a beep boopin' good time. 🤖
December 3, 2021
Once again, I absolutely adore a Smut Peddler anthology but for a minor critique. A well-themed, classy, beautifully-drawn addition to the SP anthology series whose only fault is that I wanted even more.
My complaint of the first SP was that it was just too difficult for the average person to read—it had a lot of specific, morally questionable fetishes that are going to drive away people who are more vanilla, are survivors of abuse, are generally sensitive, or just don’t want to see that kind of thing for a variety of reasons. I found that this anthology, like SP 2 and Monster Boyfriend, managed to keep things exciting without having to resort to uncomfortable themes that would drive people away.
In terms of the robot thing, I was very happy—we got a lot of takes on what ‘robot’ means, and while most appear humanoid in one manner or another, I was personally happy with that and felt that the size and shape of the bots (as well as overall design and function) was sufficiently diverse as to make me happy. It’s true that you’re not going to get someone having sex with a conventional Tin Man box-with-beeps, but I don’t mind that the artists wanted to do something more interesting than that. In fact, when we did get more conventional TVheads, they felt totally shaped by the skill and style of the artists, so that it was simply impossible to make a boring design.
Some specifics:
Vanilla Game by Fiona Staples. Opening strong with what I would argue was the most anticipated piece, done by an artist whose ongoing comic’s hiatus has probably sent millions into Saga-fueled depression. I was a little nervous about that, but fortunately this went nicely with everything else and didn’t outshine the other pieces. I do wish Staples had had more space to explore her idea, but given that it was having sex with a video game boss AI, I also understand the appeal to keeping it simple. Huge props for the unique idea!
Like We Do by Taylor Robin. What WAS this story?! I absolutely loved it. Two mysterious robots… or perhaps a robot and a modified human? A future human? I loved not knowing the species or genders of these characters. It’s hard to pull off something like this, in my opinion, without having to explain how these creatures work, but rather than being frustrating it just intrigued me. This was another story I could’ve happily read more on, and I will definitely be checking out Taylor Robin’s other work to see if these guys pop up elsewhere, too.
Autoerotic by ghostgreen. YES! ROCK HARD ABS! ANIME BOYS! This felt so simultaneously tropey and unique and it was so much fun to read. There’s something refreshing about a guy being sexually attracted to a male (?) AI, as opposed to sexualizing Alexa or whatever it is cishet men are doing recently. The fact that the AI has no penis is also going to have me thinking for quite a while (in a good way). It also leads surprisingly well into the next story...
Remote Connection by Tits McGee. Oh my God was this so cute. To begin with you know I love a female mechanic, but the characters were also both so well designed, and the whole world made sense—having not just a tech system like in Ex Machina but an actual humanoid bot set up to help you in a remote location. Not to mention that the random feminist monologue was, well, empowering. Another one for the stan list!
Picnic by Kelly Matthews and Nicole Matthews. ROBOTSBIANS! This is definitely one of the stories to most embrace the potential of robots—vibrating arms, odd shapes, and all—and it pairs well with an adorable art style and a well designed human character, too! I also loved the personalities in this one. “I can offer you stimulus!” Home run.
Little Universe Machine by Aud Koch. WOW the art was stunning on this one; an obvious standout. The effort put in completely pays off in a beautiful, elegant story about dystopian jobs and the AI lovers we come home to. And the dimples on the protagonist! I will admit that I don’t totally understand this piece, but I did enjoy it, and that’s what I rate things on. I just wish (SIGH) that it had been longer so that I could’ve spent more time with this couple!
(5yrs/1sec) by Anderjak. Ambitious! This comic depicts a relationship between two bots, one of whom has been capsuled to be rebuilt several years down the line. There was a lot of feeling in this one, and I found that the author well balanced the erotic scenes with the monologues—it can be hard to write something for a porn anthology that says anything complicated without either ruining the porn or sounding silly. This was a great balance, and a casually trans/GNC character (I LOVE not knowing their identity because they’re a robot! They transcend gender! Yes!!!) and a robot who chooses not to have both arms provide a great leap into questioning what it means to be an ‘ideal’ person.
Bodywork by Amanda Lafrenais. I did not expect to like this one as much as I did! The main reason being that I’m not generally into giant women, and this is all about giant women—specifically, a magic orblady who finds a new body with the help of her girlfriend. This is one of those rare few erotic pieces that can make me understand something I’m usually not into and wouldn’t have looked for otherwise, so it deserves major props for that alone. Also, an adorable art style!
Handsy by Meredith McClaren. So sweet and simple! The art style perfectly matched the tone of the story, and I found that this one did a good job of bridging some gaps between what it means to be ‘robot’ and ‘human’... and making sex happy and fun and enjoyable! Which is not to say that any of these pieces made it seem sad, but this one in particular was really really tooth-rottingly sweet and I absolutely loved it.
Employee of the Month by Myisha Haynes. RIVALS! YES!!! I am once again enjoying a piece about erotic rivalry tension. And the way it was accomplished was so cute, with the robot vs. human/perfect vs. imperfect thing… the fact that the robot in question vibrates when he’s excited was too perfect. Hope this artist feels like a genius because they are.
Robot by Roxie Thunderhug. Total honesty: this is not my style. It’s just not my thing. And I say that not because of crazy fetishes, but because (of all things) it just wasn’t the sort of art style I find attractive. However! I obviously love that we get a massive buff woman x a nongendered robot partner, and I think the idea for this (a mecha suit and its human pilot) is fantastic, and there was just so much pink in this comic. I can’t be upset about it.
Rendezvous with Ain by Savanna Ganucheau. I have to get this off my chest: the proportions here are whack. They’re just whack. The bodies are fine, but something about Azzy’s head was consistently very weird. Either way, I find myself wishing the artist had gone back and redrawn those panels, or had an editor to help, or something. Oddly enough, I never had this issue with Ganucheau’s fantastic graphic novel Bloom.
The Stuppa by Harlotin. This wasn’t remotely my thing, from style to story, but once again, it didn’t feel alienating or uncomfortable—it was just someone else’s thing. Personally, I would have liked the ‘robot’ in this one to have more of a personality; I’m someone who needs the characters to be interesting in porn. Still, I think this fit in nicely with the other pieces and is a really cute approach to the prompt.
Love Triangulation by Blue Delliquanti and Jon Cairns. Fine. Alright. I knew Blue Delliquanti was going to bring it. I enter every SP volume with their name in it assuming Delliquanti will not only understand the assignment but blow everyone else out of the water. And guess what? They did it again. The choice to be the writer for a story illustrated by another artist was executed so cleanly; you get the genius of Dellilquanti’s storytelling paired with a fresh new style that I personally was all over—it’s got this retro vibrancy and style to it that seemed completely unique and needed. Of course, this is also a piece which involves BEARS, and let me tell you, these were some sexy robotfucking bears. Definitely a piece that thought as hard as possible about the unique possibilities of robot sex and brought us a great result.
Starship by Faith Erin Hicks and Amanda Lafrenais. A surprise standout for me! I’ve read a bit from FEH before, but hadn’t ever gotten super into her work, and this turned me right around. Maybe I just prefer her adult (or more recent) work—the story and art on this were fantastic; I’m always down for a simple two-people-meet-and-have-sex piece. And FEH’s shading is just phenomenal; every panel was worth a second and third glance just to really dissect what her lines did for every piece. Goddamn! That’s some good art. And I do love blue boys.
My one critique, as you may have noticed, is that I just wish each contributor were given a little more space to play in. So many stories intrigued me enough to call for more content, but while I’m happy to follow these contributors to their personal publishings, I do wish I could’ve had just a few more pages per story to really develop everyone.
Another thought, albeit not a specific critique, is that SP started out as a women’s-only thing, and it seems like now everyone can contribute. Good! There were some wonderful pieces by/about trans men here, which I loved seeing. There’s just nothing out there like SP, so opening it up to everyone means a lot—to me, rather than being “comics for/by women”, it’s “good erotica comics”, and I can’t think of a single other place I can get an anthology like that. Thanks, Spike!
One final thought before I summarize: the questions of consent. These stories often made me think, when I was done, about consent re: sexbots. I don’t have some kind of big conclusion to write here; I just wanted to commend everyone involved that I didn’t ever feel like a story promoted anything non-consensual, and at the same time it’s not like people were playing it safe. There was some great, thought-provoking content here, because the topic itself is thought-provoking. I’m very happy with this aspect for sure.
This just felt so much better overall. It’s not hit-or-miss, all the art is fantastic, the storylines are unique and well-considered, and I just like reading it. I’ve already reread a few of the stories a couple of times each, and I find that I rarely skip anything when flipping through. That’s quite rare for any anthology, especially when you’ve got me as your very picky reader. Definitely recommend to anyone who might be interested—if you think you might like it, you’re probably right.
My complaint of the first SP was that it was just too difficult for the average person to read—it had a lot of specific, morally questionable fetishes that are going to drive away people who are more vanilla, are survivors of abuse, are generally sensitive, or just don’t want to see that kind of thing for a variety of reasons. I found that this anthology, like SP 2 and Monster Boyfriend, managed to keep things exciting without having to resort to uncomfortable themes that would drive people away.
In terms of the robot thing, I was very happy—we got a lot of takes on what ‘robot’ means, and while most appear humanoid in one manner or another, I was personally happy with that and felt that the size and shape of the bots (as well as overall design and function) was sufficiently diverse as to make me happy. It’s true that you’re not going to get someone having sex with a conventional Tin Man box-with-beeps, but I don’t mind that the artists wanted to do something more interesting than that. In fact, when we did get more conventional TVheads, they felt totally shaped by the skill and style of the artists, so that it was simply impossible to make a boring design.
Some specifics:
Vanilla Game by Fiona Staples. Opening strong with what I would argue was the most anticipated piece, done by an artist whose ongoing comic’s hiatus has probably sent millions into Saga-fueled depression. I was a little nervous about that, but fortunately this went nicely with everything else and didn’t outshine the other pieces. I do wish Staples had had more space to explore her idea, but given that it was having sex with a video game boss AI, I also understand the appeal to keeping it simple. Huge props for the unique idea!
Like We Do by Taylor Robin. What WAS this story?! I absolutely loved it. Two mysterious robots… or perhaps a robot and a modified human? A future human? I loved not knowing the species or genders of these characters. It’s hard to pull off something like this, in my opinion, without having to explain how these creatures work, but rather than being frustrating it just intrigued me. This was another story I could’ve happily read more on, and I will definitely be checking out Taylor Robin’s other work to see if these guys pop up elsewhere, too.
Autoerotic by ghostgreen. YES! ROCK HARD ABS! ANIME BOYS! This felt so simultaneously tropey and unique and it was so much fun to read. There’s something refreshing about a guy being sexually attracted to a male (?) AI, as opposed to sexualizing Alexa or whatever it is cishet men are doing recently. The fact that the AI has no penis is also going to have me thinking for quite a while (in a good way). It also leads surprisingly well into the next story...
Remote Connection by Tits McGee. Oh my God was this so cute. To begin with you know I love a female mechanic, but the characters were also both so well designed, and the whole world made sense—having not just a tech system like in Ex Machina but an actual humanoid bot set up to help you in a remote location. Not to mention that the random feminist monologue was, well, empowering. Another one for the stan list!
Picnic by Kelly Matthews and Nicole Matthews. ROBOTSBIANS! This is definitely one of the stories to most embrace the potential of robots—vibrating arms, odd shapes, and all—and it pairs well with an adorable art style and a well designed human character, too! I also loved the personalities in this one. “I can offer you stimulus!” Home run.
Little Universe Machine by Aud Koch. WOW the art was stunning on this one; an obvious standout. The effort put in completely pays off in a beautiful, elegant story about dystopian jobs and the AI lovers we come home to. And the dimples on the protagonist! I will admit that I don’t totally understand this piece, but I did enjoy it, and that’s what I rate things on. I just wish (SIGH) that it had been longer so that I could’ve spent more time with this couple!
(5yrs/1sec) by Anderjak. Ambitious! This comic depicts a relationship between two bots, one of whom has been capsuled to be rebuilt several years down the line. There was a lot of feeling in this one, and I found that the author well balanced the erotic scenes with the monologues—it can be hard to write something for a porn anthology that says anything complicated without either ruining the porn or sounding silly. This was a great balance, and a casually trans/GNC character (I LOVE not knowing their identity because they’re a robot! They transcend gender! Yes!!!) and a robot who chooses not to have both arms provide a great leap into questioning what it means to be an ‘ideal’ person.
Bodywork by Amanda Lafrenais. I did not expect to like this one as much as I did! The main reason being that I’m not generally into giant women, and this is all about giant women—specifically, a magic orblady who finds a new body with the help of her girlfriend. This is one of those rare few erotic pieces that can make me understand something I’m usually not into and wouldn’t have looked for otherwise, so it deserves major props for that alone. Also, an adorable art style!
Handsy by Meredith McClaren. So sweet and simple! The art style perfectly matched the tone of the story, and I found that this one did a good job of bridging some gaps between what it means to be ‘robot’ and ‘human’... and making sex happy and fun and enjoyable! Which is not to say that any of these pieces made it seem sad, but this one in particular was really really tooth-rottingly sweet and I absolutely loved it.
Employee of the Month by Myisha Haynes. RIVALS! YES!!! I am once again enjoying a piece about erotic rivalry tension. And the way it was accomplished was so cute, with the robot vs. human/perfect vs. imperfect thing… the fact that the robot in question vibrates when he’s excited was too perfect. Hope this artist feels like a genius because they are.
Robot by Roxie Thunderhug. Total honesty: this is not my style. It’s just not my thing. And I say that not because of crazy fetishes, but because (of all things) it just wasn’t the sort of art style I find attractive. However! I obviously love that we get a massive buff woman x a nongendered robot partner, and I think the idea for this (a mecha suit and its human pilot) is fantastic, and there was just so much pink in this comic. I can’t be upset about it.
Rendezvous with Ain by Savanna Ganucheau. I have to get this off my chest: the proportions here are whack. They’re just whack. The bodies are fine, but something about Azzy’s head was consistently very weird. Either way, I find myself wishing the artist had gone back and redrawn those panels, or had an editor to help, or something. Oddly enough, I never had this issue with Ganucheau’s fantastic graphic novel Bloom.
The Stuppa by Harlotin. This wasn’t remotely my thing, from style to story, but once again, it didn’t feel alienating or uncomfortable—it was just someone else’s thing. Personally, I would have liked the ‘robot’ in this one to have more of a personality; I’m someone who needs the characters to be interesting in porn. Still, I think this fit in nicely with the other pieces and is a really cute approach to the prompt.
Love Triangulation by Blue Delliquanti and Jon Cairns. Fine. Alright. I knew Blue Delliquanti was going to bring it. I enter every SP volume with their name in it assuming Delliquanti will not only understand the assignment but blow everyone else out of the water. And guess what? They did it again. The choice to be the writer for a story illustrated by another artist was executed so cleanly; you get the genius of Dellilquanti’s storytelling paired with a fresh new style that I personally was all over—it’s got this retro vibrancy and style to it that seemed completely unique and needed. Of course, this is also a piece which involves BEARS, and let me tell you, these were some sexy robotfucking bears. Definitely a piece that thought as hard as possible about the unique possibilities of robot sex and brought us a great result.
Starship by Faith Erin Hicks and Amanda Lafrenais. A surprise standout for me! I’ve read a bit from FEH before, but hadn’t ever gotten super into her work, and this turned me right around. Maybe I just prefer her adult (or more recent) work—the story and art on this were fantastic; I’m always down for a simple two-people-meet-and-have-sex piece. And FEH’s shading is just phenomenal; every panel was worth a second and third glance just to really dissect what her lines did for every piece. Goddamn! That’s some good art. And I do love blue boys.
My one critique, as you may have noticed, is that I just wish each contributor were given a little more space to play in. So many stories intrigued me enough to call for more content, but while I’m happy to follow these contributors to their personal publishings, I do wish I could’ve had just a few more pages per story to really develop everyone.
Another thought, albeit not a specific critique, is that SP started out as a women’s-only thing, and it seems like now everyone can contribute. Good! There were some wonderful pieces by/about trans men here, which I loved seeing. There’s just nothing out there like SP, so opening it up to everyone means a lot—to me, rather than being “comics for/by women”, it’s “good erotica comics”, and I can’t think of a single other place I can get an anthology like that. Thanks, Spike!
One final thought before I summarize: the questions of consent. These stories often made me think, when I was done, about consent re: sexbots. I don’t have some kind of big conclusion to write here; I just wanted to commend everyone involved that I didn’t ever feel like a story promoted anything non-consensual, and at the same time it’s not like people were playing it safe. There was some great, thought-provoking content here, because the topic itself is thought-provoking. I’m very happy with this aspect for sure.
This just felt so much better overall. It’s not hit-or-miss, all the art is fantastic, the storylines are unique and well-considered, and I just like reading it. I’ve already reread a few of the stories a couple of times each, and I find that I rarely skip anything when flipping through. That’s quite rare for any anthology, especially when you’ve got me as your very picky reader. Definitely recommend to anyone who might be interested—if you think you might like it, you’re probably right.
June 12, 2019
A lot deeper than I anticipated (is that a pun??), and some really great art.
May 5, 2019
Smut Peddler continues to delight with another quality sexy comic anthology. This time it is the rise of the machines is at hands, though many here aren't quivering with the fear of annihilation.
The anthology brings together the expected broad spectrum of characters, organic and otherwise, with diversity covering more than sexual and gender identities. There is a little bit of something for everyone and it is an enjoy collection to explore even if you're confident in your preferences.
The stories themselves offer a wonderful range of sex, emotion and romance. So again whether you want the physical or the feelings or a mix of the two you are likely to find your flavour among the collection.
Polished an vibrant, if you're a smut peddler fan you'll be more than satisfied by this offering.
The anthology brings together the expected broad spectrum of characters, organic and otherwise, with diversity covering more than sexual and gender identities. There is a little bit of something for everyone and it is an enjoy collection to explore even if you're confident in your preferences.
The stories themselves offer a wonderful range of sex, emotion and romance. So again whether you want the physical or the feelings or a mix of the two you are likely to find your flavour among the collection.
Polished an vibrant, if you're a smut peddler fan you'll be more than satisfied by this offering.
October 20, 2019
Well, this is probably the best Smut Peddler I've read so far. I like almost every stories in this collection, which is something extremely rare for me.
Let's get down to business. One by one, a short commentary on the sixteen stories that make up this collection.
Vanilla Game by Fiona Staples: ★★★
I'm not into RPGs but I quite enjoy the story. The Champion of Thunderwood has to save Sir Henry from a green creature. But, maybe, the green monster is way more interesting than him. I like the way the author draws the characters' faces.
Like We Do by Taylor Robin: ★★
Well, this is one of the story I didn't like that much. Well, the art is pleasant - a bit too dark, sometimes - but I'm not sure I got the meaning of the story.
Autoerotic by ghostgreen: ★★★★
Well, I like both characters and the story was nice.
Remote Connection by Tits McGee: ★★★★
Another good story, with interesting art.
Picnic by Kelly Matthews, Nichole Matthews: ★★★★
What I like the most about Picnic is the bright colors of the pages and the pink robot. It's probably one of my favorite ones.
Little Universe Machine by Aud Koch: ★★★
The art is brilliant! I love it, even if it's far away from the stuff I usually like. The story was OK, maybe a bit too philosophic at the end.
[SYRS/ISEC] by Anderjak: ★
Well, that's probably my least favorite story. The art was meh and I'm pretty sure I missed the point of the whole thing.
Bodywork by Amanda Lafrenais: ★★★★
Another story with beautiful art. I especially love the second armor and its flowing white hair.
Handsy by Meredith McClaren: ★
I didn't like the art that much - way too brown for my liking - and the story was just meh... Why do the characters have those circles under their eyes, by the way?
Employee of the Month by Myisha Haines: ★★★★
So nice! Even if there was a lot of brown tones, the green robot fully made up for it.
Robot by Roxie Thunderhug: ★★★
Well, I love the art in general but the author surely can't draw faces. Some of them were really ugly. But the backgrounds, the robot and the colors were fantastic.
Rendezvous with Ain by Savanna Ganucheau: ★★★
Uhm, not entirely convinced that it really deserves three stars. Maybe it's just a slow start that made my reading a bit difficult. I absolutely love Ain gets at the end.
The Stuppa by Harlotin: ★★★★
Bonus point for the exotic setting, but I didn't like the art that much. Good story, though.
Love Triangulation by Blue Delliquanti (words and colors), Jon Cairns (art): ★
Hairy story. Weird colors. Strange art. Didn't like it.
Starship by Faith Erin Hicks (story and art), Amanda Lafrenais (colors): ★★★★
Well, this is the perfect conclusion for this anthology. Good story, good art and a nice robot!
Probably the average rating isn't exactly ★★★★ but I'm going to give it anyway.
I haven't backed the new Smut Peddler anthology simply because it's too expensive and I'm sorry about it. But it's like 50€, shipping included. I'll get it later from Book Depository, as I did with this one.
Let's get down to business. One by one, a short commentary on the sixteen stories that make up this collection.
Vanilla Game by Fiona Staples: ★★★
I'm not into RPGs but I quite enjoy the story. The Champion of Thunderwood has to save Sir Henry from a green creature. But, maybe, the green monster is way more interesting than him. I like the way the author draws the characters' faces.
Like We Do by Taylor Robin: ★★
Well, this is one of the story I didn't like that much. Well, the art is pleasant - a bit too dark, sometimes - but I'm not sure I got the meaning of the story.
Autoerotic by ghostgreen: ★★★★
Well, I like both characters and the story was nice.
Remote Connection by Tits McGee: ★★★★
Another good story, with interesting art.
Picnic by Kelly Matthews, Nichole Matthews: ★★★★
What I like the most about Picnic is the bright colors of the pages and the pink robot. It's probably one of my favorite ones.
Little Universe Machine by Aud Koch: ★★★
The art is brilliant! I love it, even if it's far away from the stuff I usually like. The story was OK, maybe a bit too philosophic at the end.
[SYRS/ISEC] by Anderjak: ★
Well, that's probably my least favorite story. The art was meh and I'm pretty sure I missed the point of the whole thing.
Bodywork by Amanda Lafrenais: ★★★★
Another story with beautiful art. I especially love the second armor and its flowing white hair.
Handsy by Meredith McClaren: ★
I didn't like the art that much - way too brown for my liking - and the story was just meh... Why do the characters have those circles under their eyes, by the way?
Employee of the Month by Myisha Haines: ★★★★
So nice! Even if there was a lot of brown tones, the green robot fully made up for it.
Robot by Roxie Thunderhug: ★★★
Well, I love the art in general but the author surely can't draw faces. Some of them were really ugly. But the backgrounds, the robot and the colors were fantastic.
Rendezvous with Ain by Savanna Ganucheau: ★★★
Uhm, not entirely convinced that it really deserves three stars. Maybe it's just a slow start that made my reading a bit difficult. I absolutely love Ain gets at the end.
The Stuppa by Harlotin: ★★★★
Bonus point for the exotic setting, but I didn't like the art that much. Good story, though.
Love Triangulation by Blue Delliquanti (words and colors), Jon Cairns (art): ★
Hairy story. Weird colors. Strange art. Didn't like it.
Starship by Faith Erin Hicks (story and art), Amanda Lafrenais (colors): ★★★★
Well, this is the perfect conclusion for this anthology. Good story, good art and a nice robot!
Probably the average rating isn't exactly ★★★★ but I'm going to give it anyway.
I haven't backed the new Smut Peddler anthology simply because it's too expensive and I'm sorry about it. But it's like 50€, shipping included. I'll get it later from Book Depository, as I did with this one.
July 21, 2022
Smut Peddler returns, and zooms in the opposite direction of their previous collection, "My Monster Boyfriend," opting for scifi over fantasy. Although that isn't to say there aren't fantastic elements to this book. Most notably, "The Stuppa" by Harlotin straddles scifi and fantasy, evoking and poking "technology of the ancients."
My favorite has to be "Rendevouz with Ain." A spacefarer contacts a trapped AI, and goes out to rescue her, including uploading her into a brand-new body. The robot girl is just the CUTEST thing, and seeing her fall apart as she experiences physical sensations for the first time is just...A+.
For humor, the very first story hits the mark: "Vanilla Game" by Fiona Staples (recognizable for her artwork in Saga). A gamer gets a little hot under the controller for an NPC, and is delighted to find a mod to prove she's not the only one. The sex is brief in this one, but the point is more punchline than moneyshot.
Props to "Bodywork" by Amanda Lafrenais for proving that I may have additional kinks. 😳 And for being one of the few F/F (for certain robotic definitions) pairings in the book. But, seriously, how am I supposed to NOT be into the big, pretty robot lady? The big...BIG pretty robot lady.
My favorite has to be "Rendevouz with Ain." A spacefarer contacts a trapped AI, and goes out to rescue her, including uploading her into a brand-new body. The robot girl is just the CUTEST thing, and seeing her fall apart as she experiences physical sensations for the first time is just...A+.
For humor, the very first story hits the mark: "Vanilla Game" by Fiona Staples (recognizable for her artwork in Saga). A gamer gets a little hot under the controller for an NPC, and is delighted to find a mod to prove she's not the only one. The sex is brief in this one, but the point is more punchline than moneyshot.
Props to "Bodywork" by Amanda Lafrenais for proving that I may have additional kinks. 😳 And for being one of the few F/F (for certain robotic definitions) pairings in the book. But, seriously, how am I supposed to NOT be into the big, pretty robot lady? The big...BIG pretty robot lady.
April 10, 2020
16 tales of sci-fi sex, mostly involving androids and robots, maybe half in space. Fiona Staple's Vanilla Game was probably my favourite, with a number of laugh out loud moments involving a woman VR questing. Myisha Hayne's Employee of the Month was another amusing one involving a competitive guy called Jesse and his robot nemesis CHR-L3. On the adorable side is Tits McGee's Remote Connection, where Ms Garcia is out doing tech repair at a broadcasting station in the wild with a lone maintenance android. On the more philosophical side, Anderjak's 5 yrs / 1 sec looks at a couple where one is switched off for five years, then switched back on as they reunite, bridging that divide. Upping the ante on the philosophy (and going for a very distinct art style reminiscent of The Fountain?) is Little Universe Machine, by Aud Koch, where one partner is off in space and the one left on earth seeks comfort in the arms of a robot whilst waxing poetic.
May 17, 2019
I'm really glad that these books exist, and like all Iron Circus anthologies, they're crammed full of great writers and artists doing great work. But widely-marketed porn, even when it's super high-quality, kind of fundamentally loses out on the ability to be bizarre and fucked-up and specific. For me, that specificity is what makes porn interesting, and lacking it the best of these stories—like Blue Delliquanti's celebration of polyamory or Savanna Ganucheau's fable of the triumph of love—are those that focus on interpersonal dynamics more than just sex.
June 23, 2019
I received an ARC via Edelweiss.
This was a fun NSFW comic anthology with stories based on them of sex with robots, AIs, androids and via virtual reality that's inclusive of a broad range of genders and sexualities (as much as that makes sense for robots!) I can't say I have much interest in the concept of sex with robots itself, but it did allow for some interesting settings and sexual exploration, and I liked the range of art and tone between the stories. Recommended for fans of erotic comics, sci-fi fantasies or anyone with a kink for sex machines!
This was a fun NSFW comic anthology with stories based on them of sex with robots, AIs, androids and via virtual reality that's inclusive of a broad range of genders and sexualities (as much as that makes sense for robots!) I can't say I have much interest in the concept of sex with robots itself, but it did allow for some interesting settings and sexual exploration, and I liked the range of art and tone between the stories. Recommended for fans of erotic comics, sci-fi fantasies or anyone with a kink for sex machines!
January 24, 2021
What a lovely anthology of sexy stories. It's sex positive, size positive and has lots of lgbta-content. The sheer diversity of stories told and experiences lived is staggering. Some stories do that classic sci-fi thing of using robots, holograms and AI to use as metaphors to tell stories about having a different body than you had before and trying to make it work with your lover. Or about trying out interacting with different bodies and seeing what you like. Others are less of a metaphor and really explore the intricacies of science fiction. The art is incredibly unique every time as well.
March 31, 2019
An interesting graphic novel anthology with erotic stories about robots, cyborgs, androids, and artificial intelligence. The artwork in each story is superb, with short stories that are both erotic and clever. By that I mean that it isn't just about the erotica, the stories are actually interesting with engaging characters and I wished some of them had been longer.
Copy provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an unbiased review.
Copy provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an unbiased review.
December 9, 2019
I'm a HUGE fan of Iron Circus comics and am always excited to get a new copy of something they've produced. This anthology is fun and extremely sexy! (I mean... it's sex. Lots of sex. With technology!) It's also pretty inspiring, if you're into a diverse spectrum of sci-fi worlds and robot/AI tech, and how they can exist, manifest, and be experienced.
Did I accidentally read it all in one go? Yes. And you can too!
Did I accidentally read it all in one go? Yes. And you can too!
May 3, 2019
has some really nice art and good writing. Lost points because there's no fat main characters. There's a few disabled characters and some older characters which is good to see. Gender is played with since the theme is AI/robots/androids/etc. but afaik there were no explicitly trans human characters.
May 10, 2019
Smut Peddler does it again! This volume focuses on robot sex, which was a pretty wild ride, lots of different interpretations of the theme. As with all Smut Peddlers, this one continues with the trend in diversity, offering up a wide range of bodies and and sexuality.
My fav story was definitely ‘Vanilla Game’
My fav story was definitely ‘Vanilla Game’
August 8, 2019
This collection of short stories was amazing. They were all very different and very engaging. I loved the art style in all of them and they never lingered too long. There was only one story that I wasn't fond of overall.
This title doesn't lie - it's all about sex and all involving machines. I couldn't put it down. There was lots of diversity in this book including male/male and female/female relationships (using the term relationship loosely since not all encounters were "relationships".
I would love to read more of series and more of C Spike Trotman's work.
This title doesn't lie - it's all about sex and all involving machines. I couldn't put it down. There was lots of diversity in this book including male/male and female/female relationships (using the term relationship loosely since not all encounters were "relationships".
I would love to read more of series and more of C Spike Trotman's work.
April 2, 2023
To borrow a meme: humans will pack bond with anything, even robots. Like the title suggests, this anthology is mostly romances/sex scenes with a thin veneer of plot leaning towards robot, android, and cyborg lovers; however, the title is a little misleading. Generally the focus is more on future technology in general than what most people probably think of when they picture a robot. For example, many of the androids or robots in the stories more or less looked like typical human males with a token decorative line or port (useless body hair included) with the exception of a few A.I. systems and two robots who literally have screens for faces. While some of these man-bot characters took away from the theme most of the stories did incorporate the role of technology in more interesting ways and dynamics like sentient A.I.s falling in love and androids awkwardly romancing humans. There's also tons of variety in the couples such as lots of m/m, w/w, and m/w as well as a few A.I. that are non-binary or trans and change skins/genders. Overall I thought the most interesting takes on technology influencing romance were: a gamer using a spicy mod to romance a villain character, cyber-enhanced humans using software to romance A.I.s, a tech repair girl falling for a caretaker bot, a robot and alien wife celebrating their anniversary, an all-powerful sentient energy swapping shells, a rivalry between a tech worker and his robot co-worker, f-buddies in space using body scanners, a polyamorous couple featuring a cyber-limbed human, an android, and their bot pilot, and two passengers on a deep space exploration ship (one an android and the other human). Although some stories stray a bit from the theme ones that do imagine what romances featuring artificial life could look like are so unique that anyone looking for sci-fi inspired romance will likely enjoy this collection. (4.0/5)
March 17, 2025
I love that these books are as queer as they are straight. I like a love story (or smut story as these are) and don’t really care either way what the character has in their pants. I think these really represent that well.
December 6, 2018
I will try to come back and do a more thorough review, but suffice to say, barring a couple stand-outs, this ain't it.
March 17, 2019
What an incredible looking anthology, really beautiful artwork. Definitely the best collection of sci-fi erotic short stories I've ever read.
April 3, 2019
This is the type of anthology I could see Lily from Sex Education submitting to.
June 5, 2019
I liked this anthology! A lot of gorgeous art and a lot of very good short stories.
January 16, 2020
Super amazing anthology, great stories. My only :( is that I would have liked to see more diversity in body size and shapes, not just thin and muscular bodies.
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