Review: Chester 5000-XYV: Isabelle and George - Jess Fink

1889: an age of industrial revolution and sexual frustration. Isabelle is a lonely orphan, reprimanded at every turn by her strict matron. George is an inventor on the cusp of a brilliant discovery. Together they find love, but in an age of violent mechanization and military secrets, can their passion survive?

After the smash success of CHESTER 5000’s first volume (the tale of a Victorian woman and her robot lover), beloved webcartoonist Jess Fink returns with another triumphant story of boundary-breaking love, sex, and technology. Discover the origins of your favorite characters along with all-new thrills. All the drama and adventure of the silent film era is here, enlivened with modern whimsy and erotic charm.

Chester 5000 Series:
Chester 5000-XYV
Chester 5000-XYV: Isabelle and George

Visit Jess Fink's website for more information

Review:
If you enjoyed the first book in this series then you're bound to love this one just as much if not more. Once again you can read it completely for free on Jess Fink's website but there is also a print edition releasing on the 14th of February. This story actually starts before the first book begins but I would definitely recommend reading them in order because it spans a much larger length of time and continues beyond the end of Chester 5000-XYV.

We already met Isabelle in the first book but this story allows us to get to know her and her husband George much better from how they met and married through to when Isabelle was introduced in the first book. I have to say I like George a LOT more than I liked Robert but we actually get the chance to see more of Robert here too and he wasn't as bad as I initially thought he was. We get to see just why he became so work obsessed and started neglecting Priscilla and that made him an easier character to like.

As with the first book Chester 5000-YXV: Isabelle and George is written completely without dialogue so it's impressive how well you are able to connect with all of the characters and understand what motivates them without them ever speaking. The artwork was just as impressive and I think this had more of an actual story than the first book. That's not to say there isn't sex in here (in fact I think it's a little more risqué this time around!) but there were other things going on too which is probably what held my interest enough to read both books in one sitting. I hope that this isn't the last we've seen of these characters, the web comic hasn't been updated in a year but the book is only just being released in print so perhaps there is still more to come.

Source: Read for free online at Jess Fink's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback:

Review: Chester 5000-XYV - Jess Fink

1885: an age of industrial revolution and sexual frustration. Pricilla is a woman with needs, and her inventor husband Robert is a little too busy with his experiments to keep her fully satisfied. Science to the rescue! With a few gears and springs, the proper appendages, a little lubrication, and a lot of love, Chester 5000 is born! He's the perfect tool for the job... but what if Chester is more than just a machine? What are the consequences of trying to engineer love?

A vintage delight for adult readers of all stripes, Jess Fink’s Top Shelf debut reads like a whimsical love-child of steampunk, silent film and erotic comics.

CHESTER 5000: Because sometimes love comes with detachable body parts.

Chester 5000 Series:
Chester 5000-XYV
Chester 5000-XYV: Isabelle and George

Visit Jess Fink's website for more information

Review:
Chester 5000-XYV is an erotic graphic novel that can be read online for free on Jess Fink's website here but is also available as an ebook or in print from Top Shelf Comix if you want to support the artist. I'm still fairly new to graphic novels in general and definitely ones of the erotic variety but I somehow stumbled across the website and ended up devouring this book (and the sequel!) in less than an hour.

This is the story of Priscilla, her inventor husband Robert, and Chester, the sexbot he builds to cater to her needs when he is busy working. Priscilla is fed up with being neglected by her husband and with the loyal sexbot doting on her both in and out of the bedroom she soon finds herself falling in love with Chester. Robert wasn't anticipating this turn of events and he's not exactly happy about it either but you'll have to read the comic for yourself to find out what he does about it.

I absolutely love the artwork in both of these stories, Jess Fink cleverly uses different perspectives and styles to make each page unique. They're the kind of drawings you appreciate more the longer you look at them as you notice the clever little details like the way she'll blend Pricilla's hair into the curling pattern at the boarder or how she uses a fisheye lens to draw attention to certain details. There is no dialogue, in fact the only words are a few sound effects along the way so reading this is a lot like watching an old silent movie and that fits in with the feel of the Victorian Steampunk nature of the story perfectly. The romance is surprisingly sweet considering it's between a human and a robot as well as being incredibly erotic.

Source: Read for free online at Jess Fink's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Kindle: