It’s love as a battlefield, on the front cover. And inside, much is covered and uncovered, in Image Comics’ SFSX, or ‘Safe Sex’, possibly, as shown in neon on the front cover.
It’s sex alright, but not exactly safe. In the sense that in this comic’s time period, San Francisco is a very repressive place. Oh, it is ‘today’ and not the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, but people are not rushing to have sex. The authorities have scolded people to the point that underground sex clubs are a welcome refuge for the swinging set. They appear to be ‘all set’ when the place is swarming with cops. Not a great day. And that’s just the start.
This comic strays across boundaries disturbs the norm, swarms the ropes and chains and it whips the story into a frenzy. It’s triple x, full of vinegar and other liquids. Mix well, so it dominates any submissive bookshelf flavour nearby.
It’s a pulse accelerant written by Tina Horn and incredibly illustrated by Michael Dowling. The colouring, poses, daring angles, and expressions are extremely well done here. The compromising positions are aptly displayed with an art to illustrate and demonstrate the plot, the characters and the progression of the tension. It’s not gratuitous, thank you very much. And it’s not all kicks and giggles, there is a real story here and a world of hurt.
Be mature, be appreciative and be a fan of this SFSX comic if you can see your way to enjoying sexual content that is firmly and confidently pushed to the forefront of speculative comic fiction.
Cover art by Tula Lotay, and some fascinating reading in the back of the issue, including a musical playlist for listening along!
Image Comics, SFSX #1, $3.99 for 24 pages of comic content, Rated Mature for Sexual content