Joe Bones

Joe Bones is a freelance writer who specializes in reviewing books, pop culture and entertainment media. He currently writes for Centerfield of Gravity, Outright Geekery, and Graphic Policy. He's also held positions as a content creator for non-profits, most notably community theaters. A long time fan of DC Comics, Joe has recently expanded his comic book reading to include titles by many different independent publishers. He is an active bibliophile who also enjoys playing harmonica, watching mindless television, and engaging in social activism.

    <
    >
← Back to portfolio

Explore the Galaxy and Support Local Book Sellers – MONEY SHOT Review

Published on

Money Shot

Written by Tim Seeley and Sarah Beattie

Drawn by Rebekah Isaacs

Lettered by Crank!

Published by Vault Comic


During the era of Covid-19 stay-at-home orders, one of the things I miss most is my weekly trip to the comic book store. Yes, there are other sources for comics, but what I like most about my comic shop is that it's a local small business. Over the years I've made friends with the owner and employees, and I miss chatting with them every week. Like many small businesses that have been forced to temporarily close, comic book stores are struggling to make ends meet. Things may be looking up to an extent, but comic book stores still need our help. Stay-at-home orders begin to expire next week, but it's likely that comic shops won't be high on the list of businesses that are allowed to fully reopen right away. Plus, Diamond doesn't plan to begin shipping new product until mid to late May. Then once shops reopen, chances are good they might not see a lot of traffic at first as people wait to see if it's truly safe to resume normal life. Luckily, there are many ways to support your local comic book store without leaving your home.

Many small publishers are sharing the profits made from online sales of their products with local comic book stores, including TKO Studios, Black Mask, and Scout Comics. For those who aren't into buying physical copies of books, you can make monetary donations to BINC, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. They support small booksellers all over the country. For those who want to purchase a book, support small booksellers and their local comic book store, I suggest bookshop.org. Every purchase made from bookshop.org benefits small bookstores, including comic shops. Plus, your local shop can create personalized lists from which you can shop. Right now, bookshop.org is shipping faster than Amazon (and selling some of the same titles at cheaper prices as well). I ordered Money Shot, and it arrived in less than a week.

The back cover sums up Money Shot more eloquently than I ever could, “This is a story about scientists having sex with aliens for the glory of mankind...and money!” Having invented a teleportation device that allows her to instantly travel to the far corners of the galaxy, Christine Ocampo and her fellow scientists start live streaming their sexual encounters with various alien species. By selling memberships to their live streams, they work to raise money to fund their other research and scientific projects. The story reminded me of a cross between two of my favorite films, Galaxy Quest and Zack & Miri Make a Porno.

The writing in Money Shot is very clever and the dialogue is witty. Each main character is an expert in a different field of science. The writing team does a great job of working these specialties into the team's adventures. My favorite part is that the characters' porn names are all plays on concepts from physics or famous scientists. If it's one thing science needs more of, it's innuendo. The writers also do a great job of keeping the plot moving forward while using flashbacks to establish background information and flush out character details. Though I enjoyed all the characters, my favorite was Dr. Doug Koch. Everything Dr. Koch says is hilarious, and his character design makes him look like an even sexier version of Patrick Stewart. Dr. Ocampo is very charming and endearing as the team's leader. I found myself rooting for the team, not just to see more crazy sexual encounters, but also to see Ocampo achieve her dreams.

Money Shot's art team also does a great job. The human and alien characters' bodies are all anatomically realistic. They are all drawn sexy without becoming exaggerated sex objects. The hardcore sex acts are never shown, but there is quite a bit of nudity. Head up prudes, this includes male full frontal. Luckily, all the nudity is handled tastefully, fits into the scenes where it occurs, and is never exploitative. Just like with the writing, there were many small artistic details that I highly enjoyed. For one, the cod pieces on the team's jumpsuits had me giggling through half the comic. Midway through the story there's an alien called the Bokai Elder. If his weapon of choice doesn't make you laugh-out-loud, then you may be dead inside.

Money Shot is a comic I've been interested in for awhile now. Having finished it, I'm glad to report that it surpassed my expectations. The story is fast paced and hilarious. I fell in love with the characters and became enamored with the artwork, especially the bright colors. Plus by purchasing this trade paperback from bookshop.org, I got to help out my local comic book store and local booksellers nationwide as well. That may be the best thing about this comic...no, I take that back. The best thing is Dr. Koch, but helping out bookstores is a close second. Check out bookshop.org's selection today and help out a bookstore or comic shop near you.


Writing: 5 / 5

Art: 5 / 5

OVERALL: 5 / 5

Close ✕