Super Fun Sexy Times, Vol. 1

In a startling but welcome departure from her fantasy serial Hinges, McClaren dives into sexually explicit territory in this collection of five superhero-themed erotic short stories. Each of McClaren’s episodes peeks in on a different pair of heroes and villains (and other associated characters, such as an “expert tactician and intel collector”) in various steamy scenarios: a hero’s sidekick and a villain’s hired thug share an illicit encounter while trapped in a laboratory after their bosses’ battle; a flustered virgin negotiates kitten play with her alien boyfriend; an aging assassin gets some much-needed reassurance from his dominant husband. McClaren’s skill and familiarity with the tropes of both superhero comics and erotic romance add up to more than the sum of their parts; each story is layered with solid character work and snappy banter, which inevitably leads to highly enjoyable smut (be prepared for truly porno graphics). But it’s the natural, lived-in diversity of McClaren’s worldbuilding that sets her collection apart, delivering a variety of body types, orientations, skin tones, and genders all experiencing pleasure in their own way, and with an emphasis on respect and consent. This smart, sexy, and super collection flies above its combined genres, setting a higher bar for both romance and cape comics. [em](Aug.) [/em]