Overview
Writer: Tim Seeley & Patton Oswalt
Artist: Garth Graham
Colorist: Maksim Strelkov
Letterer: Crank!
Cover Artist: Garth Graham
WARNING!
The following is a review of a very naughty comic book written by two wildly naught individuals named Tim Seeley and Patton Oswalt. It is a comic book that is meant for mature readers. If it were a movie, you would only find it on Cinemax after midnight starring Shannon Tweed, Shannon Whirry and Julie Strain (iykyk). The comic book is written using adult language and scenes depicting imagery of strong sexual content. If you are offended by nudity, swearing, dirty talk and impossibly wild sexual encounters, please turn back now. This is not the book for you and this warning should be all the review you need. Anthony Cooley did not write the comic. Anthony Cooley only read the comic and is giving his opinion. Any attempt to cancel Anthony Cooley for reading a naughty comic will result in maniacal laughter because child, please! Nobody cancels Anthony Cooley! (For real though, it wasn’t me!)
Okay, now that that's out of the way, I need to preface this review with a statement: I honestly had no idea what this was before I opened it. The cover depicts 5 people in red and white jumpsuits running from a dinosaur in the jungle. Sure, the title should’ve been a dead giveaway, but, you know, people name their comics all kinds of stuff that ends up being metaphoric or whatever. I was unprepared. Apparently, Money Shot is a series of stories by creators Tim Seeley and Patton Oswalt and there are about 5 other chapters that came before The Fuck Offs. Again… I had no idea. Now, on to the review!
The title is not a metaphor. The group of protagonists on the cover are a team of scientists-turned-intergalactic-porn-stars named the XXX-Plorers. They have exploratory sex with aliens in the name of science and fund their experimentation by filming and live streaming their exploits. In this story, they are participating in an intergalactic sex competition called, you guessed it, The Fuck Offs! I’m not going to sugar coat it. It really is as depraved as it sounds. It’s kind of like One Piece if all the different pirate groups just wanted to, like, get freaky with each other all the time. The Fuck Offs is like a televised sex tournament to determine who will claim the title of the ultimate fuckers (I made that title up since they never really say what the winners get. Ultimate Fucker feels like a good guess)
When the death of a rival, uh… Sex Athlete? Sure… When the death of a rival Sex Athlete is pinned on one of the XXX-Plorer’s members, the team must work to find out what really happened and clear her name.
Writing
Tim Seeley is a guy that’s never let me down. When I see his name attached to a comic as the writer or the artist (or both), I usually pick it up. One of my favorites was his GI Joe: Cold Slither one shot which was written like a This Is Spinal Tap type rockumentary. He’s got a great sense of humor and you can tell he loves every minute of the work he puts in breathing life into the characters he writes. Check out Revival as well, you’ll be glad you did! Here he partners with frequent collaborator and friend, the always entertaining Patton Oswalt! Yes, that Patton Oswalt! These guys are obviously having a blast writing Money Shot. The pacing is quick enough that I never struggled to maintain focus on the story but not so quick that the ending felt premature. The magic of Money Shot is that Seeley and Oswalt manage to tell the story of the XXX-Plorers in a way that doesn’t make the reader feel like a perv. Yes this book has a lot of nudity and sex, but it’s the most absurdly gratuitous nudity and sex with the ultimate goal of making the reader laugh. But it really isn’t that simple. It’s a silly and hilarious story but it’s also a tactful setup for an intriguing mystery. I started off thinking “What the hell am I reading here?” and by the last page I was looking forward to the next issue.
Art
Garth Graham’s art on this book is really impressive. I’m not sure how many people truly understand how difficult it is to consistently draw so many characters (probably about 30?) and give them all a unique look and keep them recognizable. I have to think that Seeley and Oswalt feel liberated knowing that whatever they throw in the script, no matter how ridiculous, Graham is going to kill it! He has a very cartoony style that works well with the tongue in cheek writing style. Nice crisp line work. High energy. Great visual storytelling. Colors by Maksim Strelkov compliment Grahams art perfectly. Very bright, saturated colors with a mix of hard and soft shadows and highlights. The art reminds me a bit of Invincible. If I have to give one criticism it would be that there weren’t many panels that had backgrounds. This could just be because of the environment they were in, though, so I’m going to wait and see on that.
Final Thoughts
If you are mature enough to see human comic book characters having sex with aliens and still catch the punchlines and get caught in the mystery, then I say you should give Money Shot a shot. It’s a lot of fun and It’s not what you think. Even after you find out it wasn’t what you thought, it’s STILL not what you think!
The Score:
9/10
