There are still a surprising amount of people who feel that comic books are only for kids. Anyone who has read them for the previous few decades knows that this is just not true. Publishers have struggled to keep up with a base audience that seeks more sophisticated content which they can relate to as the media and industry have evolved in maturity and craft over the last 30-40 years.
Some believe this has led to the industry’s sales downturn over the same time period. Others claim that the development of more detailed plots and characters has allowed comics to evolve into the form of art that they are now. Whatever side of the debate you take, the truth remains that there are a variety of comics accessible for the discriminating reader that strongly resonate with adult senses.
15 of the Famous Comics That Are Too Hot To Read In Public:
We’re not talking about porn here; instead, we’re talking about works that welcome and explore mature topics that would otherwise be inappropriate in comics aimed at a younger audience. To be clear, these aren’t nighttime stories, but they will keep you involved in the story.
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15. Sex Criminals
Anyone who has had truly good sex knows that there is a point in the act when everything seems to come to a halt. If you haven’t been that lucky, we can only advise you to keep trying. Sex Criminals is a bold, unabashed study of orgasm, bursting with humor, heart, and unexpected sensitivity, written by Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky. Suzie & Jon are star-crossed couples who have a secret that they thought was only theirs until they made love for the first time.
When they orgasm, each of them has the capacity to stop time. But what do they do with such a diverse range of abilities? Of course, rob a bank! Sex Criminals is more than just a brilliant play on words; it’s a wonderfully unique heist comic that takes readers on a one-of-a-kind thrill journey while still managing to be a wise, often tender reflection on the nature of genuine love.
14. Preacher
Preacher by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon was one of the best comics of the 1990s. Preacher is a clever, well-crafted, at times frantic, reckless dive into all of the major concerns that characterize us as human beings, despite its perversity and violence. Is there a God? If He does, then why does He let bad things happen to good people? What makes true friendship so special? Is it a love story?
Ennis & Dillon’s magnum work revolves around the connections between the lead preacher Jesse Custer, his fiancée Tulip, and the vicious Irish vampire Cassidy, and takes the trio on a search for truth that doesn’t hold any punches. It will make you smile, cry, and scream in terror at the same time with its razor-sharp language and smart insights on everything from pop culture to religion in general.
13. Batman: The Killing Joke
Alan Moore has made a name for himself by pushing the limits of the comics media. Moore has always approached comics with an enhanced degree of complexity and technique, whether he’s writing standard popular superhero comics or exploring new creative routes in his creator-owned work. One of his most polarizing mainstream works is the controversial Batman: The Killing Joke, which he co-wrote with Brian Bolland in 1988.
The book examines the origins of Batman’s maniacal arch-nemesis, attempting to put the Clown Prince of Sin in a more flattering light through a walk down memory lane. The plot centers around the Joker’s effort to break Commissioner Jim Gordon by paralyzing and brutalizing his daughter Barbara, all in the name of proving that we’re all insane on some level. Because of its representation of violence toward women, the narrative has sparked debate among readers of all shades to this day.
12. Sex
Joe Casey & Piotr Kowalski’s Image Comics series has a misleading title. Sure, there are plenty of graphic representations of sexual activity in Sex, but the actual story revolves around the retirement of a formerly costumed vigilante in the Batman model and his struggle to adjust to ordinary life. Casey & Kowalski tell a story of obsession and endless repression in which the hero, previously known as the Armor Saint, tries to change his city by more traditional means.
His previously compulsive routine of violence and celibacy is shattered by the truth of the ordinary citizen, and he is haunted by old opponents and his own sexual stupidity along the way. It’s a fascinating depiction of a Bruce Wayne that could never appear in mainstream comics, one that delves into the dual nature of conventional superheroes from a viewpoint that never fails to amaze and sexualize.
11. Intersect
Ray Fawkes is mainly remembered to mainstream comics fans as the writer of critically praised works like Justice League Dark and Constantine, but it’s his founder Image Comics title Intersect that earns him a spot on our list of excellent adult comics. Fawkes examines the nature of sexuality and physiology with poetry and insight that defies his audience’s senses in Intersect, a superb painter whose delicate watercolors bring to life a tortured realm of body horror and metamorphosis.
Fawkes has previously been purposefully vague regarding the series’ central theme, allowing readers to develop their own conclusions. So far be it from us to spoil the fun. Just remember this: Intersect is a difficult, sensual comic that isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s live visual poetry, and as such, it’s open for interpretation on a variety of levels, the majority of which tend to be disturbing.
10. Saga
Saga by Brian K. Vaughn & Fiona Staples is a family story at its core. It just so happens to take place in the midst of a massive cosmic conflict that threatens the entire galaxy. Saga is the winner of multiple industry awards. It follows a young family as they struggle to remain one step ahead of a war that threatens to tear them apart.
The series has received praise for its rich world-building, deep character development, and breathtaking artwork, and it is still running great after 40 issues. Saga is not a comic for adults because of its racy passages, although its writers never shy away from sexual themes or nudity. The series’ level of intelligence in dealing with mature subjects, as well as its rich storytelling, earn it a spot on our list.
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9. Oh Joy, Sex Toy
Erika Moen first made headlines for her Dar diary webcomic. The most intriguing thing about Dar was usually the sex discussions because Moen had a talent for condensing complex notions about sex into their most simple form, all while being charming about it. That formed the inspiration for her latest run, Oh Joy Sex Toy.
Oh Joy, Sex Toy is a sexually liberated comic book that examines and explains pretty much whatever element of sex they feel like covering, from kink conversations to sex ed to, of course, sex toy reviews. Moen is such a gifted storyteller that she uses the abilities she honed on Dar to create a fascinating series that everyone interested in sex should read. When Moen & Nolan tackle a particularly difficult or controversial kink, such as cuckolding, it’s very fascinating.
8. Chester 5000
Jess Fink’s Chester 5000 is a fantastically creative fiction about Priscilla, a sex-hungry wife amid the Industrial Revolution. Robert, her husband, determines that the only way to keep her happy is to make her a sex robot, Chester 5000. He did, however, build Chester a bit too well, as Chester rapidly falls in love with Priscilla, and when she is subjected to his gentle, thoughtful manner toward her, Priscilla falls in love with him as well.
Robert works hard to keep the two lovers apart, but he eventually changes his mind. Fink’s brilliance as a graphic artist is evident in her ability to communicate this story so wonderfully. The sex in the book is also pretty innovative, especially with all of Chester’s many attachments at his disposal.
7. The Pro
Garth Ennis is well-known for not being a fan of heroic comic books, hence most of his work has included parodies of superheroes, with Hitman being one of the most renowned examples, and The Boys being his longest anti-superhero riff. The Pro, by Ennis, would have to be his most daring bit of superhero parody. The comic’s premise is that an Analyst, the Viewer, bestows superpowers on a prostitute to test if she will become a hero.
She does eventually wind up becoming a superhero, but not before utilizing her abilities for sex and making some other superheroes surrounding her look like idiots as she rips into their conventional views about sex and morals. It’s a damning critique of the superhero industry, but there’s also a lot of heart mixed in with the gory details of the comic, which is true of many Ennis comic book stories.
6. Insexts
Insexts may be the most unsettling on our list. It’s a terrifying metaphor for female sexual repression, a thrilling drama that explores two women’s love for one other during a time when such feelings were banned. Insexts is more than just a work of erotically charged visual fiction; it’s a lushly designed visual treat that excites your neurons as well as your senses.
Even during the series’ most distressing moments of shapeshifting body horror, it handles its material with a high level of finesse and understanding, blending the storyline with sexual tension. This is not a series for the faint of heart, yet its writers have placed such emotional weight on the plot that we can’t seem to take our gaze away from the gore.
5. Birdland
Birdland featured a married attorney who has affairs with several strippers while his allegedly stuck-up wife hypnotizes him and has sex with her patients. However, his wife’s sister is in love with him, but his brother is fascinated with his wife. When aliens abduct the entire crazed bunch, things get even worse, and the series concludes with a series of weird sensual stories. It’s a strange comic, but Hernandez is so good that it works. Later, he incorporated the figures into his other comic book works, but in a more sinister manner.
4. Like A Velvet Glove Cast In Iron
In 1993, Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron was published as a graphic comic. Clay Loudermilk is on a quest to find his ex-wife, who also happens to be the star of a BDSM pornographic film. This comic features extended stretches of phantasmagoric images, weird sex, and body horror. The book purposefully strives to resist definition by touching on a wide range of odd ideas and issues such as conspiracy theories, sexual dysfunction, and religious cults. The greatest way to comprehend Clowes’ most famous work is to witness it firsthand.
3. Paying For It
Brown’s most hotly debated work has to be the biographical graphic novel Paying For It. Paying For It was a deeply personal examination of the artist’s fondness for paying prostitutes, and it looked at how physical and romantic love intersect and are frequently misunderstood. Brown’s analysis of love between two people is full of wisdom and wit, given to life by an entertainer at the top of his game. It’s one part political rant pushing the legalization of prostitution and one part comprehensive explanation of his sex life.
2. Strips
Strips was a Rip Off Press comic book series that began in 1989 and was written and illustrated by Chuck Austen. It followed Zack Mackinerny, a gifted comic strip creator for a student newspaper, and his buddies’ sexual mishaps at university. Kenna English is the second main character. She has a strong crush on Zack but can’t seem to get him to notice her because he ends up seeing (and having lots of intercourse with) her roommate instead.
Zack is a douche, but he’s a charming enough guy that you can’t really dislike him, and Kenna is attractive enough for both of them. Unfortunately, the comic book story ended on a cliffhanger, with Kenna presumably going to become a stripper to pay for her tuition when her financial aid was canceled by the school.
1. Lost Girls
Lost Girls is a lavishly illustrated, graphic novel that chronicles the sexual exploits of three well-known imaginary ladies. It was first published in 1991. The comic features adult versions of Dorothy from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Wendy from Peter Pan, and was created by Alan Moore. Lost Girls, perhaps Moore’s most renowned work, isn’t a work that abuses women or displays sexual situations gratuitously, despite the grand wizard of comics classifying it as pornography.
That isn’t to say it isn’t explicit; it isn’t afraid to show full-frontal nudity and a variety of compromising sexual situations. Lost Girls is a mature and sensitive piece of narrative and visual craftsmanship that tackles its frequently challenging subject matter. Despite Moore’s dismissive labeling of Lost Girls as porn, it is a true work of erotic art that defies categorization.
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