Sunstone started as a web comic but thankfully Top Cow/Image Comics made the decision to bring this to print and olumes one, two & three have proven to be one of the surprise hits of 2015 for me.
It’s not your typically comic title as it nestles in the “Erotic/Romance” and while it IS definitely a mature title there is far more to this than the throwaway titillation that the likes of 50 Shades of Grey would make you expect. It’s the story of a BDSM life and the first steps that our two lonely, curious central characters take to embrace the fetish feelings they have.
The Lisa & Ally dynamic starts with an awkward air but the relationship builds with each volume as their trust and blossoming love highlights the real heart that creator Stjepan Šejić builds with a great ease. The wider group of friends & family are built around the two and this all ends up as a far more normal story than you’d think…..although it mainly tackles the idea of what exactly is “normal”. We ultimately end up with a smart combination of humour & tenderness wrapped in a love story and then wrapped in a layer of leather……but every aspect blends to really become a memorable story for a whole mix of reasons.
Visually its glorious and while some may pick this up for that brief flash of nudity (that’s far less explicit than you might think) it instead becomes the complete package as Stjepan balances the themes effortlessly and you reach the end of each volume with the realization that you “get it” and see exactly what they were aiming for. Billed as a “must read for erotica fans”……I think this is a far more general title than that…..and just a must read for comic fans……MATURE comic fans maybe…..but definetly one that many more can enjoy.
G-Man
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