It has been hard not to avoid Sex Criminals if you follow comics. The series has received countless accolades and made all kinds of “best of” lists for 2013. Just four issues in, the little bit playful , little bit dirty, and a whole lot of hip story has become a super hit for Image Comics and for Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, the story’s creators. Sex Criminals has led the reader down a lubed up journey of sex and crime as it follows Suzie and John with their “super” ability of being able to stop time during the act of sex. Like anyone with such a power, I guess it would be only natural to play with it some and see where it would take you. In Suzie and John’s case, that would be robbing banks and horsing around in various locales. It seems to have hit a vein both good and bad as you will see in this issue with like a thousand letters praising the story. But there has been some negative things too like iTunes refusing to sell it. From what I have seen in the four issues released, I fall in the camp of the former. This is good decadent fun that never pushes the envelope to the sleazy. Cheesy, maybe it hits, but not sleazy. It is fun and Faction and Zdarsky should get credit for running with this quite unique idea that I have not seen in the comics world.

Issue four flows with some present and past like all the issues have done for the most part. But the present here deals with a very real threat of the police… No, not the regular police. They’re clueless. This police are some kind of “sex police” dressed in dazzling white that seem to be in no mood to deal with Suzie and John’s shenanigans. We will have to see how things turn out. This police also appear to be unaffected by the time stoppage effect that the rest of the world experiences when Suzie and John get it on.

As with every issue, the writing style is brisk and emotional with ample amounts of seriousness and humor balanced out like a perfect dessert. You just want to take every bite and savor each tasty morsel. The art likewise blends in with the story perfectly between the almost glittery times in “The Quiet” (What John calls it) as well as just wonderful high-definition and playful coloring during the day-to-day scenes.  It works wonderfully together like a good couple.

Up until issue four, life has been fun and playful for our dynamic duo. But here in four, the ramifications of Suzie and John’s actions may be catching up with them, even if the “sex police” aren’t what they seem to be. We are left with a little cliffhanger here at the end. All I can say is bring it on guys. I am vested and looking forward to seeing what will happen next.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Chip Zdarsky Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 1/8/14