Matt Fraction

A toast to Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky! For achieving what no one anywhere ever even anticipated. For imagining an asexual character who possesses a similar ability to stop time. This issue begs more than a few explanations. Does this new character, Alix, move through the space of the “Quiet” differently than Suzie, Jon, Kegelface, and others? What is up with Carl Sagan’s uncomfortable innuendo? And why is Alix watching the original version of Cosmos instead of the reboot with Neil deGrasse Tyson? Does this mean the Sex Criminals universe is set in the past? Or maybe even an alternate timeline?

There’s nothing more satisfying than going back to a comic and finding the issue where everything just clicks into place. The concept, the characters, the story, and the art just start working perfectly in tandem. For Sex Criminals, Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s funny book about love, sex, depression, weird tentacle cum monsters, endless background dick jokes, and making fun of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie that one time, it was definitelyissue #3. The issue is tagged with the subtitle “My Sexual Errors and Misfortunes 2001 – Present,” but it’s more commonly known as the issue where Suzie sings ‘Fat Bottomed Girls.’

Sex Criminals #12 truly runs the gamut tonally from the broad, crude, and occasionally laugh out loud comedy of Jon and Susie escaping from Douglas to an incredibly informative lecture about normality and abnormality framed in ideas about female sexuality from Professor Kincaid, a porn star turned college professor and ally of Jon and Susie’s against the Sex Cops.

Many comic stores around the world have various signings from top creators encompassing small, indie or mainstream. Christian Ward used to frequent the Nostalgia and Comics store in Birmingham, UK during his university days. Under the aegis of Image Comics, Christian’s career as an artist has been on the rise over the past few years. Having worked on The Infinite Vacation with Nick Spencer (Morning Glories), he resigned from his job as a teacher to not only draw but also co write alongside Matt Fraction on ODY-C.

Sex Criminals #11 brings something old, something new, and definitely won’t leave long time Brimpers with comic book blue balls. Chip Zdarsky continues to be the master of visual innuendo and also gets to show off his sensitive side in some intimate moments (Read: sex scenes.) between the main characters while Fraction’s dialogue continues to be filthy and insightful as ever. And stay after the letters page for a special post-credits scene. (Wait, I thought Matt Fraction was done writing for Marvel.)

Hawkeye #22 manages to be the action movie of the summer (thanks to David Aja’s layouts and Hollingsworth’s punchy colors) while also rounding off the series’ emotional arc. Prepare to cheer, laugh, cry, and fall in love with Clint and Kate all over again as Matt Fraction and (hopefully not) David Aja take their final bows in the Marvel Universe. Hawkeye is truly the gold standard for regular dude superheroes, and Hawkeye #22 brings this simple theme to an exciting, relatable conclusion.

Last night on late night, there was no Letterman. Conan gave his staff at “Conaco” a performance review, Jimmy Fallon talked to Dwayne Johnson and Meghan Trainor, Kimmel talked goombahs and gangsters with Ray Liotta, and Seth Meyers talked Kangaroo parts with Heidi Klum.

Casanova Acedia #2 Written by Matt Fraction Art by Fábio Moon Colors by Cris Peter Lettering by Dustin K. Harbin Back-up Story by Michael Chabon & Gabriel Ba Published by Image Comics Last time you checked in with Casanova: Acedia, you had the best guide possible: Jake, a man that’s followed the previous 3 Casanova volumes, knows the titular character, his …

Hawkeye #21 Written by Matt Fraction Art by David Aja Colors by Matt Hollingsworth Published by Marvel Comics In the penultimate issue of their Eisner Award winning run on Hawkeye, Matt Fraction and David Aja bring all the threads of Clint Barton’s story together as the Track Suit Vampires (who still say “Bro” every other word) try to evict the …

Casanova: Acedia #1 Written by Matt Fraction Art by Fabio Moon Colors by Cris Peter Lettering by Dustin K. Harbin Back-up Story by Michael Chabon & Gabriel Ba Published by Image Comics Have you guys heard of Matt Fraction? Okay, okay. But have you ever really read Matt Fraction? Well, okay, fine. But, if you’ve …

2014 was an incredibly rewarding year to be a comics reader. Veteran creators, like Grant Morrison, Kurt Busiek, and Matt Wagner continued to churn out some of the best work of their career while new creators, like Noelle Stevenson, Babs Tarr, and Tula Lotay had very strong starts. Marvel and DC published their fair share of events, including Original Sin, …

The Odyssey is one of the oldest and best stories of Western civilization and has been adapted, retold, and expanded upon many times over the years in mediums as disparate as film (O Brother Where Art Thou), modernist novel (Ulysses), and even epic poem (The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel). In Ody-C #1, Matt Fraction and Christian Ward move the wanderings of wily Odysseus to space while performing gender swaps on the majority of the characters. Odysseus is now Captain Odyssia, the leader of one of the only three ships to survive the war against the siegeworld Troia. Like any good adapter, Fraction keeps much of the core of the Odyssey, which is the fickleness of the gods, the difficulty of returning home, and Odyssia’s personal struggle between her yearning for adventure and settling peacefully for her family.

Starz knows exactly what it needs. “The Rope of the Dead” is that thing. It is the perfect blend of high octane action, visual spectacle (enhanced by a little bit of sexiness, of course) and powerfully emotional character beats.

Sex Criminals #5 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Chip Zdarsky Publisher: Image Comics Sex Criminals #5 deals with the problem of the Sex Police raised last issue and brings Jon and Suzie’s shenanigans to a satisfying end. Chip Zdarsky continues to build the world of the Quiet and have more fun background gags while Matt Fraction uncovers a secret about Jon and …

*SPOILER ALERT* This article contains spoilers for Sex Criminals #1-4 Even though there are only four issues out of Sex Criminals, the romance between its two lead characters Jon and Suzie has become one of my favorite relationships in comics. Jon and Suzie are a pair of bibliophiles stuck in dead-end jobs who share a big secret: they …

Sex Criminals #4 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Chip Zdarsky Publisher: Image Comics With the “origin” stories of the main characters Jon and Suzie out of the way, Sex Criminals #4 inches closer to the end of its story arc while fleshing out Jon and Suzie’s motivations for robbing the bank in the first issue and looks at an important moment from her …

Hawkeye #6 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: David Aja Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth Publisher: Marvel Comics Matt Fraction and David Aja’s run on Hawkeye has been critically acclaimed winning two Eisner Awards for Aja’s art. It also has gained a cult following of fans for whom “bro”, “Hawkguy”, and “Pizza Dog” have become part of their personal vernacular. Sometimes Hawkeye can be …

Inhumanity #1 Writer: Matt Fraction Penciller: Olivier Coipel Inker: Mark Morales Colorist: Laura Martin Publisher: Marvel Comics On paper, Inhumanity seems like it could be a cool book or event. There are sci-fi elements (futuristic machines and medicines), political intrigue (who will succeed Black Bolt as leader of the Inhumans), and even some superheroics (the cool Inhuman transformations, …

Since the release of The Avengers, Hawkeye has blown up to be one of the leading titles on the shelves, thanks to the clever portrayal by Jeremy Renner. However, Hawkeye is still more than a pretty face and sarcastic quips. Matt Fraction helped prove to the new Hawkeye audience that this is still a character, and …

Sex Criminals #1 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Chip Zdarsky Publisher: Image Comics Sex Criminals #1 is one of the weirdest comics of 2013. The basic premise is that the main character, Suzie, can stop time every time she has an orgasm. The comic emphasizes Suzie’s slow discovery of her “power” and uses a non-linear narrative. The …

Hawkeye #12 Written by Matt Fraction Art by Francesco Francvilla Cover by Francesco Francavilla Published by Marvel Fraction soared high in the last issue of Hawkeye, approaching a familiar set up with a fresh and entertaining perspective. This gave us the much-needed break from the moaning and groaning of our hero, who is still hanging …

Hawkeye #11 Written by Matt Fraction Art by David Aja Published by Marvel Now this is the reason why Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye series is one of the most popular and talked about titles in the market right now. Seamlessly blending together story, art, humor and all around creative genius to deliver what most fans will …

Satellite Sam #1 Written by Matt Fraction Art by Howard Chaykin Published by Image Comics Eisner award winner Matt Fraction is back in the independent fold with the exciting Satellite Sam #1, much to benefit of all those thirsty perverts out there in need of a little bit more titillation than the big two can …