A review by vulpasvulpas
Sunstone, Vol. 5 by Stjepan Šejić

3.0

overall, I was lowkey enamored by this whole project. I was excellently charmed by the entire story arc, and after spending the better part of a year ruminating through this whole series, I really saw the superb value in its character-powered centricity. this volume was for the cheeseballs, absolutely, and between all the meta-narrations that Šejić employs, I saw the entire series rounded out to be something touchingly human and romantic - exactly what a comic centered on a queer BDSM relationship should be like! I genuinely do adore and appreciate how this series has made sexuality a primary topic of focus without being overtly pornographic, shallow, or exploitative. it normalized a sexual subculture by pivoting towards the actual people versus the act itself, which is essential on more levels than just fictional value. refreshing and real, it explores the vulnerability, anxiety, electricity, creativity, and thrill of forming life-changing friendships and relationships that challenge our identities and expand the ways in which we grow to accept and ultimately become our own selves.