sex criminals

Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's Sex Criminals is way more than the sex romp it advertises itself as; it's one of the most uplifting, sex-positive, and downright fun comics on the stands. This playlist has been tailored to the relationship between Suzie and Jon, and while there are some songs about getting busy, we've tried to make it a bit more well-rounded than that, just as the comic isn't always about boning down!

Rom-coms are all too rare in comics. Most stories have a romantic plot threaded through them somewhere, but books dedicated to telling a love story are few and far between in the modern market. So when Sex Criminals came along, nearly a decade into my relationship with comics, it stuck out like an especially sexy thumb. It was funny, it was romantic, and I loved it. Much like the person I shared the comic with.

The fact that Image Comics is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year has made me feel so old that I'm worried about just deteriorating into a vaguely person-shaped pile of dust any second now, but there's one thing that's really helping to take the sting out of it: An amazing roster of variant covers where current image titles like Sex Criminals, The Wicked + the Divine, The Walking Dead, and Invincible homage the classic first issues from throughout the company's history, like, uh, Sex Criminals, The Wicked + the Divine, The Walking Dead, and Invincible.

Despite all the naysayers and negativity, the new Ghostbusters movie has received a rave reception from critics and audiences, thanks in large part to the chemistry and charisma of its four lead actors, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. If you loved Ghostbusters and you're after comics in a similar vein, we've rounded up five of the best independent comics that capture the spirit (no pun intended) of the summer's biggest comedy.

Valentine's Day weekend is upon us, and love, bad chocolate, and expensive restaurant reservations are everywhere you look. To mark the occasion, we've compiled a list of the 30 greatest couples in comics. These are the romantic pairings whose stories inspire us to believe in the power of love, and whose devotion to each other may provide a model for how to woo your own beloved when they're cloned, or possessed by evil forces, or you forget their birthday or whatever.

Our judges have adjudicated; our readers have voted. We’re proud to present to you the best comedy comic of 2015 — and four great runners up.

Other than that one time that NASCAR Heroes was nominated a few years ago, the Harvey Awards are not usually rocked with controversy. This year, however, has been marked by one notable exception: Chip Zdarsky's refusal to accept the Special Award For Humor In Comics for his work on Sex Criminals. In a post at his website, Zdarsky discussed his reasons for declining the award, specifically citing the inherent unfairness of not including writer Matt Fraction, who, in Zdarsky's words, "supplies 90% of the humor."

Last weekend at Baltimore Comic-Con, the 27th annual Harvey Awards were held, and in one of the least surprising developments in the history of the Harveys, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' Saga took home a few more awards to add to a shelf that I'm sure is already collapsing under the weight of its many honors. Named for MAD Magazine editor and cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman (who, interestingly enough, did not win the award he was nominated for this year), the Harveys are voted on by industry professionals, and this year's winners represent a pretty interesting crop of current comics, including CA favorites like Lumberjanes, Hellboy In Hell, and even Dick Tracy. Check out a full roster of winners and nominees below!

Publishers Weekly released findings from their comics retailer survey last week, and once more all signs point to growth, particularly in regards to female readers. This is great news not just for people who care about representation in comics, but for people who care about the health of the comics industry. An influx of younger readers of any gender is what the comics industry needs so that publishers can engage them and keep them reading for years to come. It seems like a wide variety of publishers are getting this job done.

Every year, nerdcore rapper Adam WarRock runs a donation drive where he offers a lot of different music and other perks in exchange for money to allow him to keep making music. Since most of his music is offered online for free, WarRock explains that this is the best way for him to stay in business. This year, as part of his donation drive, WarRock has released a remix of his song "The Quiet (Sex Criminals)," which you can hear right here on ComicsAlliance.