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Swing #5
Swing Vol. 5
Dan and Cathy’s epic journey into sexual discovery comes to an end in the final volume of this arc of SWING! Outed, aging, and just trying to live their best lives, will their love overcome all? Will there be a happy ending? Heh.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2022
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77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 10, 2022
The Yishan Li, Matt Hawkins team behind the Swing books had understood that their how to, with s story line and pretty pictures had to come to an end. They had previously announced that this volume, # 5 would be the end of the series. For that I say: “Good Call”. On the one hand they had said their say to say about the right way to swing, (itself an interesting presumption), and on the other I am not sure that the team behind this almost family friendly lavishly illustrated graphic DYI novel, were happy continuing a story line without a dystopia, bloody violence or much kinkier sex.
Our happy couple, having navigated the emotional and mechanical learning cure into the life style, had their turn in the fun times of swinging, lost a job over its social unacceptability and weathered the slut shaming aftermath of being in the public eye and deciding to call it ethically non-monogamous; are now I their advanced years. Either they have matured out of swinging or the artists cannot think of otherwise fit people as pretty enough to draw naked once their hair turns gray. We do get a family gathering with no indication that anyone in the family has adopted the older generations open marriage ways and a stroll through past pictures of their prettier (less old) selves having what was always pretty sex.
Overall, the authors make a romantic, positive case for swinging, providing a number of emotional and medical issues are as openly negotiated as the need to ensure that the other couples were equally open to shared intimacy. The series works well enough as entertainment and in its avowed DYI purpose. If one suspects there are other sides to the topic, that is if this is their starting point for research rather than a stopping point for the imagination. They are right.
Our happy couple, having navigated the emotional and mechanical learning cure into the life style, had their turn in the fun times of swinging, lost a job over its social unacceptability and weathered the slut shaming aftermath of being in the public eye and deciding to call it ethically non-monogamous; are now I their advanced years. Either they have matured out of swinging or the artists cannot think of otherwise fit people as pretty enough to draw naked once their hair turns gray. We do get a family gathering with no indication that anyone in the family has adopted the older generations open marriage ways and a stroll through past pictures of their prettier (less old) selves having what was always pretty sex.
Overall, the authors make a romantic, positive case for swinging, providing a number of emotional and medical issues are as openly negotiated as the need to ensure that the other couples were equally open to shared intimacy. The series works well enough as entertainment and in its avowed DYI purpose. If one suspects there are other sides to the topic, that is if this is their starting point for research rather than a stopping point for the imagination. They are right.
June 30, 2022
This was OK, but nothing more. Kind of like with the last volume, it didn't really feel like author knew what to do with the series after a certain part.
I don't feel like I have a lot more to say about this than that. It was an OK reading experience, but I won't be recommending the series to anyone, I think.
I don't feel like I have a lot more to say about this than that. It was an OK reading experience, but I won't be recommending the series to anyone, I think.
May 9, 2022
In the final volume you follow Dan and Cathy through the end of their journey, including the highs of being mentors to new couples and becoming fully comfortable with their lifestyle and the lows of being painfully outed. This one follows them all the way to the end of their road, and while it felt a bit preachy at moments, I did get a little teary eyed at the end. If you like the other volumes you'll like this one.
March 22, 2025
⭐ 1.5/5
Nope, just no.
Nope, just no.
June 19, 2023
(Zero spoiler review for the deluxe edition collecting this volume)
I have an exceedingly long TBR pile. Years of books I've been looking forward to reading just sitting there, piling up. So to disregard them all and crack open a brand-new arrival is a pretty big deal. I'm not sure what it was exactly that made me think Swing would be worthy of jumping such a heralded and lengthy que, but boy oh boy, I sure balls'd that one up.
Lacking the sophistication, the character development, the charm of its cousin Sunstone, Swing is the generic, paint by numbers, mentally deficient relation to that aforementioned, much better title. It didn't take long after starting Swing to realise not only the mistake I'd made, but the scale of it as well. I would recommend experiencing such literary laziness for yourselves, but then again, I wouldn't want to be held responsible for you wasting your time or your money on this dreck.
The characters are the gold medal standard of cliche's. Married couple with kids have slowly lost the spark and for some reason, decide that banging other people will rekindle their romance / save their marriage. Leaving aside the sheer absurdity of this notion for the extreme vast majority of the population, but the lack of originality in the idea is delivered in the most ham fisted and expected of ways. Seriously, there are those blind fish who live in dark caves who saw every single painful element of this story coming a mile off. it's bad, its predictable and... did I mention it's bad?
If you're going to do slice of life / suburban drama, then your characters, their interconnecting drama and your plot have to do all the heavy lifting. When your characters are as bland or as unlikeable as they are here, then you're doomed to fail. Seriously, I've had flu virus' I've been more invested in the lives of than these two dime store, cardboard cut outs. And the cast of side characters are somehow even worse. It takes a special kind of sloppy writer to write dialogue, both verbal and internal this bad, but Swing has it in spades. I'm al most certain enough of my brain cells died whilst reading this to lower my I.Q by a few points.
There was one moment in this book that caught me off guard, and had me thinking 'oh dam, this is something. Let's see where this goes'. But it was completely wrapped up and resolved near to immediately after, as if it never happened. Weak. So weak.
Linda Sejic's art is fine. It's not to my taste, seeing as how an actual pencil clearly hasn't touched a physical piece of paper throughout the entire process. This digital nonsense never has and never will do it for me. And when it's drawn to such a limp and boring story, then even better art than this (like in Sunstone) would fail to draw me in.
Unless you are an absolute sucker for this kind of thing, or your standards are so low when it comes to characterisation or storytelling that you would need a search and rescue team just to raise them out of the hole they're in, then you really should avoid this with every fibre of your being. I've already sold my copy. Good riddance. 2/5
OmniBen.
I have an exceedingly long TBR pile. Years of books I've been looking forward to reading just sitting there, piling up. So to disregard them all and crack open a brand-new arrival is a pretty big deal. I'm not sure what it was exactly that made me think Swing would be worthy of jumping such a heralded and lengthy que, but boy oh boy, I sure balls'd that one up.
Lacking the sophistication, the character development, the charm of its cousin Sunstone, Swing is the generic, paint by numbers, mentally deficient relation to that aforementioned, much better title. It didn't take long after starting Swing to realise not only the mistake I'd made, but the scale of it as well. I would recommend experiencing such literary laziness for yourselves, but then again, I wouldn't want to be held responsible for you wasting your time or your money on this dreck.
The characters are the gold medal standard of cliche's. Married couple with kids have slowly lost the spark and for some reason, decide that banging other people will rekindle their romance / save their marriage. Leaving aside the sheer absurdity of this notion for the extreme vast majority of the population, but the lack of originality in the idea is delivered in the most ham fisted and expected of ways. Seriously, there are those blind fish who live in dark caves who saw every single painful element of this story coming a mile off. it's bad, its predictable and... did I mention it's bad?
If you're going to do slice of life / suburban drama, then your characters, their interconnecting drama and your plot have to do all the heavy lifting. When your characters are as bland or as unlikeable as they are here, then you're doomed to fail. Seriously, I've had flu virus' I've been more invested in the lives of than these two dime store, cardboard cut outs. And the cast of side characters are somehow even worse. It takes a special kind of sloppy writer to write dialogue, both verbal and internal this bad, but Swing has it in spades. I'm al most certain enough of my brain cells died whilst reading this to lower my I.Q by a few points.
There was one moment in this book that caught me off guard, and had me thinking 'oh dam, this is something. Let's see where this goes'. But it was completely wrapped up and resolved near to immediately after, as if it never happened. Weak. So weak.
Linda Sejic's art is fine. It's not to my taste, seeing as how an actual pencil clearly hasn't touched a physical piece of paper throughout the entire process. This digital nonsense never has and never will do it for me. And when it's drawn to such a limp and boring story, then even better art than this (like in Sunstone) would fail to draw me in.
Unless you are an absolute sucker for this kind of thing, or your standards are so low when it comes to characterisation or storytelling that you would need a search and rescue team just to raise them out of the hole they're in, then you really should avoid this with every fibre of your being. I've already sold my copy. Good riddance. 2/5
OmniBen.
April 4, 2025
Been reading this comic for years and so happy that it had ended in a perfect conclusion.
I never understood swinging culture the first time I read it, it lead me to a rabbit hole of nonfiction by swings and poly folks who spend years in this style and I’m glad that I did.
It’s not for me, the lifestyle; a boring Ace can’t do much in a swingers party; however…
The comic humanizes and educated you through the story about consenting and boundaries within the lifestyle and show you the ropes on how it goes and how Cathy and Dan’a relationship thrived with it.
They may not have needed it, but it sure made their love to one another that much stronger and beautiful.
And I love to see it; and I love to see other forms of love and communication that is no strictly heteronormative and monogamous.
A lovely read.
I never understood swinging culture the first time I read it, it lead me to a rabbit hole of nonfiction by swings and poly folks who spend years in this style and I’m glad that I did.
It’s not for me, the lifestyle; a boring Ace can’t do much in a swingers party; however…
The comic humanizes and educated you through the story about consenting and boundaries within the lifestyle and show you the ropes on how it goes and how Cathy and Dan’a relationship thrived with it.
They may not have needed it, but it sure made their love to one another that much stronger and beautiful.
And I love to see it; and I love to see other forms of love and communication that is no strictly heteronormative and monogamous.
A lovely read.
June 14, 2022
Swing ends the way it started, with heart.
This is the end of the road for our couple, Dan and Cathy. The last few issues they get to explore a few interesting ideas. The first being their lifestyle becomes normal for them and they become the ones to help others getting into it. Also the public shaming of sexual acts/sexual preferences and how scary it can be in the real world. And of course last but not least, a goodbye to this cast in a fun and touching way.
I do think at points we do tidy up a bit to "nicely". Saying that, I did really have a good time on this journey and the ending was sweet. I'm interested to see where we go next in this universe with "Swing: Unicorn" but this was a great look into the Swinger lifestyle. A 4 out of 5.
This is the end of the road for our couple, Dan and Cathy. The last few issues they get to explore a few interesting ideas. The first being their lifestyle becomes normal for them and they become the ones to help others getting into it. Also the public shaming of sexual acts/sexual preferences and how scary it can be in the real world. And of course last but not least, a goodbye to this cast in a fun and touching way.
I do think at points we do tidy up a bit to "nicely". Saying that, I did really have a good time on this journey and the ending was sweet. I'm interested to see where we go next in this universe with "Swing: Unicorn" but this was a great look into the Swinger lifestyle. A 4 out of 5.
June 9, 2023
I love Dan, he is my everything but I love an Orgy. That's our protagonist favorite line.
I would have liked it if the relationships were done properly.
I would have liked it if the relationships were done properly.
November 30, 2022
Con questo volume si conclude la saga a fumetti Swing, la vicenda della coppia americana che, per ravvivare una vita complicata e stressante, intraprende con soddisfazione la prassi dello scambismo.
E’ evidente la connotazione didattica e a tesi di questo racconto. La coppia vive quest’esperienza in maniera sempre positiva; non c’è mai nulla che possa mettere in discussione la loro scelta. Qualche incidente di percorso nasce dalle incomprensioni col mondo esterno; in questo caso a causa di un incidente casuale il loro stile di vita viene rivelato pubblicamente e lei, amministratore delegato di una grande società che si occupa di multimedia, viene licenziata in tronco dalla proprietà in quanto, così le viene detto, quella degli swinger non è una “categoria protetta” tipo i gay o i neri. Lei si rivale scrivendo un libro sulla propria esperienza, cosa che le consente di perorare la causa degli swinger sui media e in televisione. Un altro problema nasce dal fatto che la figlia adolescente scopre per caso l’attività dei genitori, con la conseguenza che loro devono spiegarle il senso delle loro scelte (lei capisce ovviamente tutto, senza scandali).
Il libro si conclude con la coppia ormai invecchiata, circondata da figli e nipoti in una casa di campagna, che ha ormai abbandonato la prassi scambista per raggiunti limiti di età ma non rimpiange né rinnega nulla di quella che è stata la loro vita.
Tutto bello e perfetto, anche grazie all’elevato livello del disegno e al fatto che gli autori, in un’ampia postfazione, discutono e commentano le vicende del racconto (ad esempio: si può veramente essere licenziati per un’attività privatissima come lo scambismo? In teoria sì, e del resto questa prassi di rovinare la vita alla gente in nome di una non ben qualificata morale la si era vista anche in Italia quando, alcuni anni fa, una ragazza che aveva girato un video porno venne licenziata dalla società per cui lavorava).
Dalla lettura della storia, comunque, emerge qualche riflessione. Lo scambismo sarà pure una cosa bellissima, ma deve essere riservato alle persone giovani, belle e ricche, tanto è vero che anche i protagonisti del libro, con il venir meno di una di queste condizioni (l’età) lo abbandonano? E poi, porre dei rigorosi limiti ai coinvolgimenti emotivi, a parte l’amicizia con le altre coppie, non diventa spostare la censura morale su un altro livello? In effetti nel caso in cui questi limiti venissero superati e gli incontri non abbiano più luogo solo in posti deputati e con regole precise non sarebbe più scambismo ma poliamore (in un’intervista televisiva la protagonista del racconto specifica che si tratta di un altro ambito e che loro lo rispettano ma non lo praticano), qualcosa di estremamente più arduo da gestire quando non sia, come mi pare che accada spesso in ambiti lavorativi di punta tipo nuove tecnologie o Silicon Valley, l’alibi per conciliare i propri desideri biologici con la prevalenza e la centralità data al lavoro nella propria vita, cfr. libri come “Io odio Internet” di Jarett Kobek o “Accanto alla macchina” di Ellen Ullman o “La valle oscura” di Anna Wiener.
Potrebbe comunque esserci una continuazione della riflessione sul mondo degli scambisti, se non della vicenda di questo libro: nel 2023 potrebbe uscire, da quello che si arguisce da una delle ultime pagine di questo fascicolo, il primo volume di “Swing unicorn”. Nel gergo degli swinger gli unicorni sono le donne single che partecipano ad attività sessuale con altre persone, e che si chiamano così in quanto sono estremamente rare (chissà perché, come sosteneva la compianta Una Chi, una donna sembra sempre aver bisogno di un uomo per vedersi aperte le porte della perversione…). Aspettiamo, la cosa sarà sicuramente interessante.
E’ evidente la connotazione didattica e a tesi di questo racconto. La coppia vive quest’esperienza in maniera sempre positiva; non c’è mai nulla che possa mettere in discussione la loro scelta. Qualche incidente di percorso nasce dalle incomprensioni col mondo esterno; in questo caso a causa di un incidente casuale il loro stile di vita viene rivelato pubblicamente e lei, amministratore delegato di una grande società che si occupa di multimedia, viene licenziata in tronco dalla proprietà in quanto, così le viene detto, quella degli swinger non è una “categoria protetta” tipo i gay o i neri. Lei si rivale scrivendo un libro sulla propria esperienza, cosa che le consente di perorare la causa degli swinger sui media e in televisione. Un altro problema nasce dal fatto che la figlia adolescente scopre per caso l’attività dei genitori, con la conseguenza che loro devono spiegarle il senso delle loro scelte (lei capisce ovviamente tutto, senza scandali).
Il libro si conclude con la coppia ormai invecchiata, circondata da figli e nipoti in una casa di campagna, che ha ormai abbandonato la prassi scambista per raggiunti limiti di età ma non rimpiange né rinnega nulla di quella che è stata la loro vita.
Tutto bello e perfetto, anche grazie all’elevato livello del disegno e al fatto che gli autori, in un’ampia postfazione, discutono e commentano le vicende del racconto (ad esempio: si può veramente essere licenziati per un’attività privatissima come lo scambismo? In teoria sì, e del resto questa prassi di rovinare la vita alla gente in nome di una non ben qualificata morale la si era vista anche in Italia quando, alcuni anni fa, una ragazza che aveva girato un video porno venne licenziata dalla società per cui lavorava).
Dalla lettura della storia, comunque, emerge qualche riflessione. Lo scambismo sarà pure una cosa bellissima, ma deve essere riservato alle persone giovani, belle e ricche, tanto è vero che anche i protagonisti del libro, con il venir meno di una di queste condizioni (l’età) lo abbandonano? E poi, porre dei rigorosi limiti ai coinvolgimenti emotivi, a parte l’amicizia con le altre coppie, non diventa spostare la censura morale su un altro livello? In effetti nel caso in cui questi limiti venissero superati e gli incontri non abbiano più luogo solo in posti deputati e con regole precise non sarebbe più scambismo ma poliamore (in un’intervista televisiva la protagonista del racconto specifica che si tratta di un altro ambito e che loro lo rispettano ma non lo praticano), qualcosa di estremamente più arduo da gestire quando non sia, come mi pare che accada spesso in ambiti lavorativi di punta tipo nuove tecnologie o Silicon Valley, l’alibi per conciliare i propri desideri biologici con la prevalenza e la centralità data al lavoro nella propria vita, cfr. libri come “Io odio Internet” di Jarett Kobek o “Accanto alla macchina” di Ellen Ullman o “La valle oscura” di Anna Wiener.
Potrebbe comunque esserci una continuazione della riflessione sul mondo degli scambisti, se non della vicenda di questo libro: nel 2023 potrebbe uscire, da quello che si arguisce da una delle ultime pagine di questo fascicolo, il primo volume di “Swing unicorn”. Nel gergo degli swinger gli unicorni sono le donne single che partecipano ad attività sessuale con altre persone, e che si chiamano così in quanto sono estremamente rare (chissà perché, come sosteneva la compianta Una Chi, una donna sembra sempre aver bisogno di un uomo per vedersi aperte le porte della perversione…). Aspettiamo, la cosa sarà sicuramente interessante.
January 21, 2024
In which I finish this sadly not-hot series with lots of sex and nudity, very little emotional depth and an irritating approach to bisexuality and interracial sex.
Notes in no real order:
- Every Black woman either says "ever been with a Black girl" or that's part of the FMC's interest in hooking up with her
- One white lesbian woman is stoked to hook up with the FMC because she's never been with an Asian woman before.
- The FMC is not bisexual, she calls herself "heteroflexible" because she enjoys play with other women. Y'all if you experience sexual attraction to people of multiple genders, you are bisexual (or pansexual). This FMC is just not biROMANTIC. The MMC is uninterested in play with men (fine), but loves having three women in his bed as a birthday present. Perhaps if men IRL weren't disgusting about bi or lesbian women, I wouldn't have clocked this repeatedly. But they are and I did. It's been there since the first volume and never got better, even after they began hooking up with couples and even, in Vol. 4, invited just a man into their bed. The MMC sits on the sidelines and watches because he's into compersion but apparently doesn't want to be near a dude. Oh noes, what if their hands accidentally touched. We all know this is a loose adaptation of Matt Hawkins' journey and I shouldn't have expected more openness, but...sigh.
- The ending is sweet. I like old people who are still in love and I liked that they talk about how they would have still made it as a couple even without opening up their marriage. They had a lot of fun, though, and they wouldn't change any of it.
- I liked that they addressed how the couple talked to their kids about lifestyle.
- Some of the "sex ed" stuff Hawkins shares at the end of each volume is annoying AF, but some of it was well-considered and made it clear that Hawkins has done some counseling around the topic. There's a bit about porn and boundaries that I appreciated. It's not about controlling another person or being unreasonable, but if one partner set a boundary while dating and you decide 10 years later that their boundary is dumb... you're in the wrong. You agreed to the boundary and it wasn't renegotiated, so you're breaking trust. You can't just pick the boundaries you like and ignore others. Porn isn't inherently evil, but trust is super important.
- Again, largely irritated by the art and wondering how it's possible to have this much sex in a book and be boring and unsexy. A one-handed read this is not. Maybe I shouldn't be comparing it to Sunstone, but I can't help it. That series is so sexy, largely because the interactions aren't just physical but also emotional and intellectual, rather than a series of sexual positions.
There. I finished the series. Good job, me.
Notes in no real order:
- Every Black woman either says "ever been with a Black girl" or that's part of the FMC's interest in hooking up with her
- One white lesbian woman is stoked to hook up with the FMC because she's never been with an Asian woman before.
- The FMC is not bisexual, she calls herself "heteroflexible" because she enjoys play with other women. Y'all if you experience sexual attraction to people of multiple genders, you are bisexual (or pansexual). This FMC is just not biROMANTIC. The MMC is uninterested in play with men (fine), but loves having three women in his bed as a birthday present. Perhaps if men IRL weren't disgusting about bi or lesbian women, I wouldn't have clocked this repeatedly. But they are and I did. It's been there since the first volume and never got better, even after they began hooking up with couples and even, in Vol. 4, invited just a man into their bed. The MMC sits on the sidelines and watches because he's into compersion but apparently doesn't want to be near a dude. Oh noes, what if their hands accidentally touched. We all know this is a loose adaptation of Matt Hawkins' journey and I shouldn't have expected more openness, but...sigh.
- The ending is sweet. I like old people who are still in love and I liked that they talk about how they would have still made it as a couple even without opening up their marriage. They had a lot of fun, though, and they wouldn't change any of it.
- I liked that they addressed how the couple talked to their kids about lifestyle.
- Some of the "sex ed" stuff Hawkins shares at the end of each volume is annoying AF, but some of it was well-considered and made it clear that Hawkins has done some counseling around the topic. There's a bit about porn and boundaries that I appreciated. It's not about controlling another person or being unreasonable, but if one partner set a boundary while dating and you decide 10 years later that their boundary is dumb... you're in the wrong. You agreed to the boundary and it wasn't renegotiated, so you're breaking trust. You can't just pick the boundaries you like and ignore others. Porn isn't inherently evil, but trust is super important.
- Again, largely irritated by the art and wondering how it's possible to have this much sex in a book and be boring and unsexy. A one-handed read this is not. Maybe I shouldn't be comparing it to Sunstone, but I can't help it. That series is so sexy, largely because the interactions aren't just physical but also emotional and intellectual, rather than a series of sexual positions.
There. I finished the series. Good job, me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2023
The rating is for the series as a whole.
Some positives first. I love stories with interesting set-ups, that focus more on characters than the set-up. Swing might not be the very strongest contester in this category, but a solid one nonetheless.
Having read a few other reviews, I actually liked, perhaps controversially, the time jumps. To really show how these types of alternative lifestyles can be successful, it is not enough to show a good week or a few months. You need to get a sense of time passing and the characters and relationships evolving.
And finally, you can tell that the author has experience with alternative sexual lifestyles. There is a ring of truth to much of the story told. It usually finds a good balance between showing that people in the lifestyle are still just that, people, with good and bad days, some things that are "their kink" and others that are not.
On the flip side, sadly, there were a few things that kept me from fully enjoying this series.
The first one is that these volumes were really short. Graphic novels/comics are already quite pricey and when a quarter (or more) of 128 pages is either a recap or a sample of another story... It doesnt leave you feeling great having spent the money. And most volumes could have really used these extra pages to flesh out the characters a bit more, actually resolve all the set-ups.
The postpartum body image part in volume 4 left me very unimpressed. I would not bring it up here, but volume 5 decided to hammer it home one more time. While the way characters speak is (mostly) supportive, the art is very disconnected from this and does not match what the dialogue/internal monologues tell us. This is a fantasy and a sexy one at that but what the author said in the "Sex Ed" (punny title that I really enjoyed) in vol. 4 rang really hollow next to how this was actually portrayed in the story.
Finally, a very small and petty complaint. The spines of volumes 1 to 4 were all various shades of red. And the spine of volume 5 is dark blue... It is a nitpick, but I really love matching covers/spines.
I am glad that stories like this are becoming more popular and I will buy them to support creators making more content like this. But for myself personally, perhaps from one of the other Top Cow creators next time.
Some positives first. I love stories with interesting set-ups, that focus more on characters than the set-up. Swing might not be the very strongest contester in this category, but a solid one nonetheless.
Having read a few other reviews, I actually liked, perhaps controversially, the time jumps. To really show how these types of alternative lifestyles can be successful, it is not enough to show a good week or a few months. You need to get a sense of time passing and the characters and relationships evolving.
And finally, you can tell that the author has experience with alternative sexual lifestyles. There is a ring of truth to much of the story told. It usually finds a good balance between showing that people in the lifestyle are still just that, people, with good and bad days, some things that are "their kink" and others that are not.
On the flip side, sadly, there were a few things that kept me from fully enjoying this series.
The first one is that these volumes were really short. Graphic novels/comics are already quite pricey and when a quarter (or more) of 128 pages is either a recap or a sample of another story... It doesnt leave you feeling great having spent the money. And most volumes could have really used these extra pages to flesh out the characters a bit more, actually resolve all the set-ups.
The postpartum body image part in volume 4 left me very unimpressed. I would not bring it up here, but volume 5 decided to hammer it home one more time. While the way characters speak is (mostly) supportive, the art is very disconnected from this and does not match what the dialogue/internal monologues tell us. This is a fantasy and a sexy one at that but what the author said in the "Sex Ed" (punny title that I really enjoyed) in vol. 4 rang really hollow next to how this was actually portrayed in the story.
Finally, a very small and petty complaint. The spines of volumes 1 to 4 were all various shades of red. And the spine of volume 5 is dark blue... It is a nitpick, but I really love matching covers/spines.
I am glad that stories like this are becoming more popular and I will buy them to support creators making more content like this. But for myself personally, perhaps from one of the other Top Cow creators next time.
September 18, 2023
A fitting conclusion to this couple's lifestyle - very good.
I hadn't read Volume 4 but there is a long synopsis at the start of this volume, introducing this couple and their decision to join the swinging lifestyle. This volume shows the reader the way that this decision affects their lives as they get older. As one would expect, there's a fair amount of nudity and sexual scenes - so not for the prudish. Enjoyable enough. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I hadn't read Volume 4 but there is a long synopsis at the start of this volume, introducing this couple and their decision to join the swinging lifestyle. This volume shows the reader the way that this decision affects their lives as they get older. As one would expect, there's a fair amount of nudity and sexual scenes - so not for the prudish. Enjoyable enough. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 13, 2024
In the final volume of Swing, we see the happily ever after ending that I think we were all hoping for.
So Matt Hawkins manages to stick the landing, in that - the book was really about the relationship of these two people, as much as it is about the lifestyle they chose to partake in. It's about family and growth, and the ability to openly communicate. One interesting new angle that Hawkins tackles is the tough conversation between the parents and one of the kids about their lifestyle, once the oldest accidentally finds chat messages from a woman to her dad. Hawkins handles the conversation honestly and with a lot of kindness, and I think manages to play off of some of the core themes of the book.
Overall, this was a fun series with an interesting premise. I don't know if the lifestyle is for me, but Hawkins manages to showcase it without being gratuitous and furthermore... manages to make a great story out of it.
So Matt Hawkins manages to stick the landing, in that - the book was really about the relationship of these two people, as much as it is about the lifestyle they chose to partake in. It's about family and growth, and the ability to openly communicate. One interesting new angle that Hawkins tackles is the tough conversation between the parents and one of the kids about their lifestyle, once the oldest accidentally finds chat messages from a woman to her dad. Hawkins handles the conversation honestly and with a lot of kindness, and I think manages to play off of some of the core themes of the book.
Overall, this was a fun series with an interesting premise. I don't know if the lifestyle is for me, but Hawkins manages to showcase it without being gratuitous and furthermore... manages to make a great story out of it.
January 19, 2025
Cathy and Dan were now being tutors to first-time swingers and they were loving every minute of it. But no matter how many times they swing, Cathy and Dan always find their way back to each other. The group scenes were very erotic.
It’s hot sex and a sweet love story rolled into one. It was fun to see how the parents were going to explain their swinger lifestyle to their daughter when she sees something on their laptop. The fight scene with the goth girl was unexpected. A sex scandal leads to Cathy losing her job. Wow, such juicy drama!
A good read with great graphics!
It’s hot sex and a sweet love story rolled into one. It was fun to see how the parents were going to explain their swinger lifestyle to their daughter when she sees something on their laptop. The fight scene with the goth girl was unexpected. A sex scandal leads to Cathy losing her job. Wow, such juicy drama!
A good read with great graphics!
January 6, 2023
I really enjoyed the conclusion to Swing. I don’t think there could have been a better ending. My favourite part of volume 5 was when Cathy did the interview and addressed some of the stigma surrounding the lifestyle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2023
This series was so cute and educational. Seems like the author doesn't know what to do when a series is more than 3 volumes though which is a shame. This last volume has a lot of potential but fell flat. The series overall was really good and I might try and read some of their other stuff
June 19, 2022
Well, that certainly escalated. Overall I’m not going to be recommending this to anyone, even though I did read all 5 volumes.
August 11, 2022
This final volume tackled a number of different topics and managed to wrap everything up with a bow. A solidly enjoyable series. I'm interested to see what the sequel series will be about.
September 14, 2022
The final part of the 'Swing' five-some (lol). Great artwork, interesting story, finished off very nicely. Kinda a shame the spine is in blue when volumes 1-4 are all red, but that's minor.
October 10, 2022
Great way to wrap up a great series.
October 11, 2022
3.5 stars
October 24, 2024
I liked the conclusion to this story and the happy ever after for Dan and Cathy.
February 19, 2025
Very cute series with amazing art
November 11, 2025
It felt rushed compared to the rest of the series.
August 10, 2024
LOVED ending the series with the main characters as seniors. Excellent way to focus on the characters, more than their bodies
May 10, 2023
This was a very sweet and cheesy ending of the series! Full of love and kids and a big F- you to bigots. Possibly my fav volume out of the five!
August 7, 2022
Gives a nice happy ending to the series. Feels like it's 50% epilogue, 50% educational
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