Well, that was certainly different

What did I just read? This comic certainly is completely different from anything I’ve experienced before. So the first time Suzie masturbates and orgasms, it literally makes time freeze. She’s not sure if it’s like that for everyone and having no one to ask, and limited resources to figure things out, she’s a bit lost. Then she meets Jon at a party and is surprised to discover that it’s exactly the same for him. They’ve always believed themselves to be alone, and now, when they’ve found each other, they become a bit addicted to exploring the range of their “powers”.

The library where Suzie works is being closed down by the bank and Jon suggests that they use their unusual ability to stop time and rob banks. Just small amounts every time, slowly getting enough to save the library. Suzie’s reluctant at first, but sadness and desperation to save her beloved library makes her change her mind. Only, Suzie and Jon aren’t the only ones with unusual power, their activities have been noticed and there are people close on their tail.

While the book starts on a quite depressing beat, with Suzie explaining how her father was killed and her childhood wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs, most of the comic is actually very funny. Filthy and NSFW and probably not for kids, but laugh out loud funny and creative, with a rather unique concept and very likable characters. Volume 1 collects the first five issues, where we are introduced to Suzie and Jon and learn how they both came to discover their strange superpowers. Being a huge fan and frequenter of libraries and a passionate book lover, I can’t really fault Jon’s plan of robbing banks to prevent the closure of one. And his job at the bank does indeed seem pretty sucky, even if I don’t exactly agree with some of his coping strategies.

Issue 5 ends at a pretty dramatic point and I’m very eager to get the next volume and see what happens next. My husband and everyone else who’s recommended this comic were absolutely correct. Matt Fraction’s writing is hilarious and Chip Zdarsky’s art fits perfectly. I will be reading more of this in the coming year.

Crossposted on my blog.