Science fiction, sex and a little romance combine… but what is the secret of BWEEDT? Your Major Spoilers review of Money Shot #4 from Vault Comics awaits!
MONEY SHOT #4
Writer: Tim Seeley and Sarah Beattie
Artist: Rebekah Isaacs
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: Cranki
Editor: Adrian F. Wassell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 5, 2020
Previously in Money Shot: In the afterglow of an orgasm that devastated an army, the XXX-Plorers must pick up the pieces, pull up their britches, and figure out how to save a dying world.
But first: The horror known only as BWEEDT!
CAPTIVE ON AN ALIEN WORLD
After last issue’s explosive (you should excuse the expression) climax, Christine and Omar are in the clutches of Warlord Priest Daughir. They’re both wearing ‘Slave Leia’ costumes, which is a bit on the nose, while their friends from the Money Shot are herded into a gladiatorial arena to fight to the death with BWEEDT! What’s BWEEDT? Just a killer-whale looking alien murder-machine that’s going to eat them all and spit out the bones while the crowd cheers. All of that seems dire, but not so dire that Chris and Omar can’t stop to hash out the problems in their relationship, with her angry that he bonded with an alien rather than her and him angry at her inability to share anything with him. It’s kind of a sweet moment, other than the whole “everybody gon’ die” part. A little help from a local shaman keeps the team alive long enough for Doug to save the day by… uhhh… having sex with a crystalline creature, causing sympathetic vibrations that distract their would-be devourer, leading to an explosion, some collapsing scenery and a desperate escape. As the issue closes, Chris has given up, ready to go home and finally deal with the destruction of her personal and professional life, but Bree has other plans: Show the people of the universe how the unpredictable human being can work for good… by getting the #&$@ on.
OH SO *VERY* NSFW
First of all, this book is beautiful too look at, and for a comic that starts with someone pleasuring himself to porn and has a major plot point involving a sex toy, it’s remarkably restrained in its depiction of sexuality and sexual situations. With the exception of an alien whose anatomy is barely recognizable, there’s no nudity to be found here and Doug’s “sex scene” is a hug and singing, causing sympathetic vibrations in his crystalline partner. It’s definitely adult, but it’s not pornographic. It does, however, take great joy in making double entendres and inappropriate references at every turn, occasionally to the detriment of the story. There’s a core of truthiness to the characters that is great, but moments like the final page kiss and declaration of sexual intent on the universe feels… a bit much. I love the visuals that go with that over-the-top moment though, and all the art is beautiful. The moment where Doug and Bree realize how to defeat their cetacean enemy features some of the most subtle expressions I’ve seen in comics in some time, and the brief battle sequence is kinetic and exciting, even as it features a large, muscular man in Carrie Fisher’s famous space bikini.
BOTTOM LINE: GLEEFUL, ENTERTAINING AND VERY JUVENILE
All in all, Money Shot #4 defies expectations, refusing to be pornography, embracing the bits of space opera that it wants to while throwing in a lot more sex and sexuality than I would expect from a mainstream comic book, and doing it all with expressive, lovely art and beautiful colors, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. It is by no means a comic for everybody, and parts of Seeley’s script are a little too smirky even for my tastes, but it’s a book that deserves to find an audience of snarky science-fiction/comic book/adventure fans who also like stories where the characters get to have sex… If that’s you, I recommend checking it out.
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MONEY SHOT #4
Things look really bleak, but there's always hope. And some really inappropriate moments, with pretty art.
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Writing6
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Art9
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Coloring7
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.