Review: Sunstone, Vol. 2

Sunstone, Vol. 2
Writer/Artist: Stjepan Sejic

Image Comics
Street: 05.14

Sex is a strange subject in the United States—bordering on taboo. It’s weird to me because it’s a basic human function. We forget sometimes that, ultimately, we’re all just searching for someone or something to scratch that itch. Sunstone tackles sexuality and the BDSM culture with conviction, but rather than preachy, Sejic scribes something nurturing and feels more like a self-aware and confident erotica novel walking into comic book convention.The dialogue between Alan and Chris at the Crimson speaks volumes about modern culture’s hang-ups about sexual experimentation while balancing it with maturity and relevance. Sometimes character insight here comes across as a confessional booth, but reading how Ally steadily immersed herself into the role of a domme is so natural, and even tragic at points. Sejic points out how easily we confine ourselves to that unique, wholly human characteristic: Shame. There are some times, though, that the excess in narrative boxes overwhelms the eyes and distracts from his expressive illustration—it isn’t completely necessary to guide the reader by the hand. Sunstone isn’t something to shun, it something we should embrace. I embrace this story because it works toward building an understanding in misrepresented cultures—both the comics fandom and the BDSM community. –Rob Hudak