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Review: Sex #8

By | November 1st, 2013
Posted in Reviews | 2 Comments

Wherein we join Simon Cooke at the orgy at Saturnalia. It’s like Trick-or-Treating for consenting adults, right? And “Sex” #8 is a treat – especially for fans of complex layers of subtext under very stark imagery.

Happy Hallowe’en, everyone.

Written by Joe Casey
Illustrated by Piotr Kowalski
Colors by Brad Simpson
Lettered by Rus Wooton
Graphic Design by Sonia Harris

THIS IS IT! Simon Cooke finally comes face to face with the psycho-social phenomenon known as… the Saturnalia! What surprises await him? More importantly: Who’s gonna get naked? It’s all been building to this climax so, whatever you do, don’t you dare miss it!

Joe Casey has intentionally structured his opening “Sex” act as a slow build to big release. That’s the most obvious pun in the world when talking about a book about sex, but it’s pretty much unavoidable because that’s exactly what the series has done here. As Simon Cooke wanders speculatively and detachedly around Saturnalia, Casey and Kowalski treat us to the most explicit and lengthy cornucopia of sex that mainstream comics has ever provided. Cooke’s character remains unresponsive to the cavalcade of pleasures – unable to reconcile his new, unmasked life with that of his prior life as a crime fighter. At the same time, “Sex” itself takes the opportunity to go on full blast with its penchant for erotica. As every scene in this issue does, these moments work on multiple superficial and deeper thematic levels. The deliberate, sometimes mundane pacing of the storytelling thus far has always made the erotic scenes pay off better than they should have. Issue #8 is payoff nearly all the way through.

Shortly after his buddy Warren gets pulled off into another room for some rather uncomfortable comic relief, Simon (of course) stumbles into his longtime masked rival turned club owner Annabelle, a character we’ve been following throughout the series as well. Again, something that has been building gets paid off (to a certain degree). Casey has likened his approach to “Sex” as an exploration of the idea that the fight scenes between characters like Daredevil and Elektra were always subtextual representations of sexual relations. To that end, he uses the conversational dance between Simon and Annabelle as a bubbling cauldron of both tension, intense honestly and surprising warmth. As I previously mentioned, there are multiple levels of conversation going on here which deepen our understanding of the characters, our empathy toward them, and even give themselves growth and closure in some really interesting and intense ways. Many words are said, but a lot of them are cryptic in some ways. There’s an understanding between Simon and Annabelle that even the reader isn’t entirely privy to. The conversation even contains subtle moments of bittersweet or tragic comedy – certainly not what you’d expect from an issue advertised on the billion backs of an orgy. Then again, with a writer as good as Casey, maybe you would. These honest conversational sequences are deliberately cut by more visually intense and explicit sequences that play off of their conversation and even manage to squeeze a little more mystery into the book regarding future plot lines and challenges. Despite all of the debauchery present, “Sex” #8 is truly the most emotionally resonant issue of the series and shows a maturity that most comics just don’t attempt.

And the maturity extends to Piotr Kowalski’s art, which is incredible for an artist of his relative level of experience in comics. From issue #1, it was clear that Kowalski already had a terrific handle on erotica. His work on #8 is endlessly impressive in that regard, as Simon wanders through sex acts that are neither made to be repellant, nor overly idealized. The sex is as matter-of-fact as the ambivalence on Simon’s face, and is engaged in by a wide variety of characters with unique visual designs. Kowalski slots in close-up shots of the sex at key thematic points, which definitely acts as obvious symbolism, but never comes off as hokey or too on-the-nose. Well, at least as far as a book that is entirely built around sex goes.

But his most impressive work, just as Casey’s is, is in that conversation between Simon and Annabelle. Even if the exact right words seem to elude our characters at times, even as they extend to the understanding of the reader, the feelings that the characters are working through are seen in their expressions and body language. Annabelle has been struggling for several issues with the fact that she’s losing her sense of sight. Each time she puts on the glasses, her demeanor changes and the complexion of her face noticeably changes. She’s not ugly with them on (though she would argue that), but she a little older and visibly upset by them. They take away from her sense of self and that idea is always present in the art.

For a book that started out erring a little on the side of the mundane, “Sex” is anything but that at this point. “Sex” #8, in particular, is one of the finest comics this year as far as pure subtextuality goes. By the time Casey and Kowalski are done, “Sex” 1-8 feels like a finished, polished work – even if few of our questions have found answers. The revelations within are entirely character based, and incredibly satisfying. There’s more “Sex” to come, and while issue #8 is not a place to start reading – it does serve to validate everything that has come before it, and secures its place as one of the most interesting projects in comics.

Final Verdict: 9.3 – Buy


Vince Ostrowski

Dr. Steve Brule once called him "A typical hunk who thinks he knows everything about comics." Twitter: @VJ_Ostrowski

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