Well the honeymoon is over for Suzie and Jon as “Sex Criminals” #6 starts the second arc.  This issue switches perspective from Suzie to Jon as he describes the events that transpired over the months since their narrow escape from the sex police.  Jon is not in a good place and Fraction tackles mental illness with the same care and honesty that this title has come to be known for.  Though it may be far from the sexually charged whimsy of the first volume, this series is as engaging and emotionally powerful as it has ever been.

WRITTEN BY: Matt Fraction
ART BY: Chip Zdarsky
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: June 18, 2014

Reviewed by Epic Switzer

This issue crams a ton of heartache into 20 pages.  Despite how much the tone has changed, what I have always loved most about this book remains intact:  As honestly as Fraction and Zdarsky depicted sexuality and falling in love, they too have represented the reality of anxiety disorders, mental health management, and the loneliness associated with a relationship having run its course.  This issue hit close to home for me.  As personally as I feel connected to this book, any reader would find these characters and situations relatable.  Great fiction puts believable characters in unbelievable situations, and Sex Criminals does that exactly.

A great deal of the honesty comes from Zdarsky’s beautiful art.  Jon’s anguish is all over his face; you can read the distress and building tension from scene to scene. Likewise Susie’ s visible worry over the current state of their relationship will break your heart.  There is also a particularly clever use of color as a narrative tool that plays a big part in this issue.   Personally I think some non-traditional panelling might benefit this book, but I’m not complaining.  If its not broke, don’t fix it.

As a title known for being controversial, Fraction’s depiction of pharmacology may just be the most controversial thing about it.  Mental illness, and especially untreated mental illness, seems to be more prevalent than ever, and the dichotomy between medicated and unmedicated Jon is poignant and a major component in the mental illness debate.  Unmedicated, Jon is manic, paranoid, unable to focus and struggling with unmanageable stress.  When he decides to go back on his pills, Jon is hollow, a shell of his former self.  He takes no joy in anything and feels as though he is simply running on autopilot.  Without highs and lows, everything is just neutral.  This is a common issue in the mental health community, relatable to many people, and a succinct depiction of life with “brain stuff” as Jon calls it.

This issue is a real punch in the gut.  Gone are the dildo pumpkins and Willem Dafoe sex masks, and instead here is a truly gripping story about two people in love who can’t figure out how to live healthy lives and love each other at the same time.  I never expected to describe Sex Criminals as a tragedy, but this book left me with the same lump in my abdomen that Jon has.  Hopefully its not CancerAIDS.

I don’t have to tell you, you already know how great this book is.  If somehow you don’t: buy the first trade, jump in with #6, what are you doing?  Buy it already, Stupid.

Epic Switzer AKA Eric is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles.  His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality.  He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.