Comic Review

Title: Chester 5000

Written and Drawn By Jess Fink

Publisher: Top Shelf Comics

144 pages

Release: May 2011

Reviewed By Richard Lam

Whew. This is a difficult comic to review. Clearly, I had no idea what I was getting into. Looking at the cover and reading the description (“An erotic, robotic, Victorian romance. Est. 1889”), one would maybe expect a charming, steampunk love story. A pull-quote from Alan Moore, long-time master of comics, adds to its credibility. But cracking open the first page, we are treated to full-out nudity of both sexes, in mid-coitus.

Chester 5000 is, start to finish, an erotic comic. Cartoonishly drawn in black and white brushstrokes, with silent, fluid panels, but there is rarely a single page without an exposed private part. Even the lines get increasingly curvy and sensual during the love scenes. It works. The story itself is minimal. An overworked scientist cannot please his wife, and so he builds a robot to satisfy her, emotionally and sexually. The ensuing love triangle forms the basis of the 140-page story, with elaborate, lengthy and admittedly, often ingenious scenes of passion and play.

See, Chester 5000 isn’t your ordinary inanimate sex object. He is a fully-functioning, fully-endowed robot with a heart. Anatomically correct, and with some added bonus features. Once turned on (in more ways than one), Chester features extended limbs, vibrating fingers, self-lubricating surfaces and more surprises in his compartments and engineering. Scientific sketches outline the features with labels, measurements and operational instructions. And then we get to see them in action in extended detail.

Regardless, the execution is surprisingly tasteful. Knowing nothing of the erotic comic industry, there’s nothing I can really compare it to. But it’s well-drawn, well-conceived, and in the end, rather sweet. There’s a happy ending here, and the ‘climax’ is simple and fittingly orgiastic. A quick and easy read. Clever and imaginative. Perhaps a nice romantic gift to a lover. Just as long as you know what you’re getting into.

Written by :

richard.l.lam