Sex & Violence Vol. 1 (HC) Review


Sex. And. Violence.

Need I say more? Isn’t this what sells…well, everything? It certainly sold me on this Kickstarter project. I guess to be completely honest, it was Sex. Violence. And my favorite writing team: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray.

Looking for an official description would take us back to the actual Kickstarter Project where the idea was turned into reality. 200% reality – This project was originally asking for $18,500, it received $38,027. Enough of how great it did with funding… let’s get to the official description:

“SEX AND VIOLENCE volume 1 is a 64 page graphic novel about crime, lust and redemption split into two distinctively different stories sharing similar themes written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray and drawn by Jimmy Broxton and Juan SantaCruz.  Excessive nudity and violence makes this an adults only title.”

So, was this worth the $38K people pledged? Yes.

Hell, Yes. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. That is to say, the electronic covers I was privileged enough to get my hands on, being a Backer of this project and all…

As the description states, this book is actually two stories in one 64 page hardcover. I will discuss each story individually and then give an overall rating for the book (which obviously is going to be high).

Story 1

“Pornland, Oregon” by Justin Gray and Jimmy Broxton

Revenge and redemption are on the menu for this tragic tale of a runaway teen, her untimely death, and the blood-soaked breadcrumbs that lead her grand-father back into a world he thought he left long ago. Mild-mannered, Rick is not, as he views the videotaped death of his grand-daughter Suzie, again, looking for clues – clues that will focus his vengeance in the right direction. This direction, as you may have guessed is in Portland, OR – the city where he will lay all his chips on the table to take back whatever might be left of Suzie’s dignity.

 Especially for a book named “Sex & Violence”. It was really no worse (graphically) than if Law & Order: SVU aired on Showtime.That should be enough of a teaser. I certainly do not want to spoil what happens once he actually gets to Portland. Needless to say, it includes plenty of sex and violence. That said, it was not gratuitous.

Now, get L&O out of your head. That may be the genre, but this story is way better than all the episodes that I have seen of that show. This story, cleverly named “Pornland” could have been set in any city – all the better set in a dreary city that shares 7 / 8 of the same letters. Whether we like it or not, filth is all around us. We are just reminded of it here. Justin did a fantastic job portraying the underbelly of Portland through the awful internet porn community. It is the kind of story that makes your skin crawl and blood boil all at once. All this, and he throws in a bit of a twist. Something I was not expecting, yet made the ending that much more satisfying.

The art is excellent. It fits the story perfectly. Every panel of every page is gloomy, rainy, seedy, or a combination of all three. You feel what Rick feels, experience what he experiences. The sex scenes are sexy, the violent scenes are violent – Jimmy Broxton couldn’t have done a better job at illustrating what Justin intended for this book.

Story 2

“Girl in a Storm” by Jimmy Palmiotti and Juan SantaCruz

Curiosity, voyeurism, and confusion abound in the re-coming of age experiences surrounding NYPD Officer Sierra’s life. Tough as nails, Sierra has been at the job long enough to know exactly what lines she can cross, and which ones she is willing to shatter – much like the skulls she cracks within the panels of this story. Seemingly troubled by the unending stressors at work, she takes to baths, voyeurism, “recreational indulgences”, and even a self-help book titled, “Stress Relief for Idiots”.

You didn’t see things – I snuck “voyeurism” in that list. It actually is the most important item in that line-up – as it defines a majority of the focus and pacing in the story, and most certainly its ending. In fact, the story flips back and forth between her highly stressful job and her mostly failed attempts at relieving that stress. The only thing that seems to work is the voyeurism – something she surely would never have expected. Near the end of the story, she is so used to the previously unthinkable act that she refers to the spoils of her voyeurism as her “personal soaps”. And why shouldn’t the spy-cam videotaped recordings of your lesbian neighbors be prime time stress relief? It has to be better than that book for idiots.

Again, I feel that should be enough of a teaser. And, again, rest assured – the rest of the story includes plenty of appropriately gratuitous sex and violence. This story couldn’t be more different than the first. Not just because Jimmy Palmiotti wrote it instead of Justin, but the fact that the tone and feel are that much different. Justin’s story is dark and moody. Jimmy’s story is, dare I say it, light-hearted and fun? Odd that I would characterize it that way, but in comparison, it is pretty light-hearted, even with all the violence. Either way, it was a wonderfully compelling story, paced well and ended on a nice note.

Once again, the art was excellent. Juan did a fantastic job at capturing the “…dirty, dangerous, beautiful and magical…” nature of the city and its characters. As with any comic, facial expressions are a critical piece of the artistic puzzle. When it comes to a story so heavily rooted in deep emotions and actions such as sex and violence, it is that much more crucial to get it right. I am happy to say that Juan’s art did each of those facial expressions you are imagining, justice.

Overall: Sex & Violence, Vol. 1 HC

If you know me, know my reviews, you know that I am pretty decently biased towards this writing team. I am a big fan of their work, and admire and respect them as people. I will always be a “Jimmy and Justin” backer. That said, I also know when I like something, because I like something. And this book is something I am proud to be a part of – even if it was just a pledge on a crowd-funding website. Sure, my name is in the back as one of the 925 backers, but that would have happened whether I liked the book or not. I can easily say that I am very much looking forward to future volumes of this book. This team took two of the most common selling points for books today and created something interesting, tasteful and worthwhile.

Not to mention – did you see the amazing cover art that Amanda Conner created? I realize I had to censor it a bit for public consumption, but if you do get your hands on an actual hardcopy of this book, I just know you will be pleased with the uncensored results.

5/5

Okay, okay – you need something from me that is “negative” about this book. I get it. Bias be damned. Well, the only thing I can think of – is no fault of the creators at all – it is that you may not actually be able to get your hands on one. And while the 925 backers will be sure to get their copies – I am not sure how many are actually being printed. Now, that is not to say that you won’t be able to find one online somewhere, or at a convention – but running down to your local comic shop will more than likely not be an option (unless of course your LCS backed at a level for multiple copies).

S#!T Talking Central