Comic Review: Sex Criminals #69

Image Comics

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artist: Chip Zdarsky

You might be wondering why Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky decided to make this issue Sex Criminals #69 instead of Sex Criminals #31. Well, you can probably guess why, but there is more to it than just a sex joke. Sex Criminals #69 is the final issue of the series and takes place a few years, or 39 issues worth or story after the previous issue ended.

I don’t want to go into the plot too much, since there are tons of surprises throughout the issue. This final issue does have all the characters reuniting for one final moment together in celebration of a marriage. It’s a nice way to wrap everything up and say goodbye to all the characters that we have fallen in love with over the last seven years.

The characters are all familiar, but they have all grown as people. Fraction does a great job of making everyone feel human. The characters are all under new circumstances, but their changes all still fit their personalities and arcs. Fraction is one of the best at writing people, and Sex Criminals has always been a fantastic example of that. No matter how big of a role they have played, everyone we have met along the way gets a moment or two. It’s impressive that they all have authentic character moments in this issue, even if they only appear in a few panels in this book. No one is really just a gag character in Sex Criminals.

Of course, the book has always been about Jon and Suzie, and they steal the spotlight as always in this issue. Their relationship has always felt real, and Fraction gives them a very real ending. This finale pulls at the reader’s heart and takes full advantage of the rapport that the series has built with readers.

Zdarsky is as much a part of Sex Criminal‘s success as Fraction is. His art is iconic at this point, and for every joke that Fraction writes, Zdarsky draws in two more. This final chapter isn’t full of little gags scattered throughout the panels, but there are still one or two funnies hidden in the issue. Instead, Zdarsky draws a much more subdued issue. This issue is full of gorgeous backgrounds and beautiful moments for our characters to live in. No panel feels rushed, and Zdarsky gives readers a fantastic final product to read and enjoy. The last page is wonderful, giving readers and the characters one more chance to reflect on this journey. We have all come a long way.

It’s sad to see Sex Criminals go, but Fraction and Zdarsky have put together a beautiful goodbye. It’s crazy that a series that started off a hilarious romp has become so much more. This is one of the best works of the last decade, and any fan of romantic comedies owe to themselves to read this series through.