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Sexcastle
A NEW 6X9 EDITION OF THE EISNER-NOMINATED SEXCASTLE!
Shane Sexcastle, formerly the World's Greatest Assassin, has paid his debt to society for killing the vice president. Leaving his violent past (also: prison) behind, he's decided to settle down and sell flowers in a small, quiet town--but that doesn't mean he'll tolerate the fools who think they run this town.
An homage to to the likes of Die Hard, Road House, and '80s-era WWF wrestling, SEXCASTLE may just be the single greatest '80s action movie never made.
"Come for the action, stay for the laughs and the surprisingly poignant character work."--The Onion's A.V. Club
Shane Sexcastle, formerly the World's Greatest Assassin, has paid his debt to society for killing the vice president. Leaving his violent past (also: prison) behind, he's decided to settle down and sell flowers in a small, quiet town--but that doesn't mean he'll tolerate the fools who think they run this town.
An homage to to the likes of Die Hard, Road House, and '80s-era WWF wrestling, SEXCASTLE may just be the single greatest '80s action movie never made.
"Come for the action, stay for the laughs and the surprisingly poignant character work."--The Onion's A.V. Club
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2015
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376 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
August 19, 2018
Mildly entertaining homage to / parody of the hypermasculine-redeemer archetype, America's favorite hero concept from the pulps to superhero comics to western movies (our hero's name is Shane) to the worst 80s action flicks to your typical video fighting game... Not bad but I feel this book could use more bite, especially considering our planet currently does not fare all that well with hypermasculine-redeemer types.
If you are looking for a more politically relevant (and still more ridiculous) pastiche of 80s action schlock, I recommend you check out the terrifyingly heroic world of Benjamin Marra:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If you are looking for a more politically relevant (and still more ridiculous) pastiche of 80s action schlock, I recommend you check out the terrifyingly heroic world of Benjamin Marra:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 4, 2018
This was bloody awesome! An insane homage/parody/love letter to everything that was good and bad about 80's action movies, Sexcastle is a brilliant, over the top comic about Shane Sexcastle, a living killing machine who decided to leave the life of murder and become a good man, but just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in. This book is thrilling, action-packed and hysterically funny, and now I desperately need a movie adaptation of it starring Nathan Fillion. Between Sexcastle and Rock Candy Mountain, Kyle Starks is quickly becoming one of my favourite comic writers, and now I feel obligated to check out the rest of his books.
April 5, 2020
If you're a fan of Commando or Road House, you'll love this book. It's a homage to action flicks of the 80's. It's over the top fun.
October 5, 2015
Bullet Review:
This was so ridiculously AMAZING!
Do you like those crazy @$$ 80's action movies starring Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal, Arnold Schwarzenegger? Then this is perfect for you - it's a playful satire/parody of those movies, so deliciously off-the-wall incredible! I had SO MUCH freakin' fun reading it - each page was a delight! It was so good, I almost want to buy it so I can reread it again in the future!
This was so ridiculously AMAZING!
Do you like those crazy @$$ 80's action movies starring Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal, Arnold Schwarzenegger? Then this is perfect for you - it's a playful satire/parody of those movies, so deliciously off-the-wall incredible! I had SO MUCH freakin' fun reading it - each page was a delight! It was so good, I almost want to buy it so I can reread it again in the future!
August 5, 2018
The art didn't appeal to me and the plot was barely there. Some of the self-aware humor was kind of fun, though.
February 19, 2020
AAAAAAA I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I couldn't stop laughing. Honestly I had a really good time reading this graphic novel.
April 13, 2019
So despite the title... there is no castle and only a little bit of sex. If you were hoping medieval porn and/or my first erotica review, sorry, this ain’t it. That being said I don’t plan on reading medieval (or any sort of) erotica anytime soon, hate to disappoint. Anyhoo...
What’s it about?
Shane Sexcastle was once a merciless killer but now is trying to live a peaceful life without violence. However, between violent thugs and super-assassins, Shane might not be able to be without violence in his life yet.
Pros:
The story is fairly interesting. Yes, most fans of action entertainment (whether it’s comics, prose books, movies, whatever) have seen this story before but it still kept me entertained despite seeing it so many times, partially because of the (admittedly minor) differences in this comic’s take.
The characters are interesting. The main character at first just seemed like an action guy that grumps about everything but his character builds and he becomes more interesting throughout so I liked that.
There is a shit-ton of great action! Don’t let the cartoony art fool you, it is gory as fuck and pretty brutal. It’s also exciting, insane, frequent and will keep most readers entertained throughout.
This book had me laughing out loud. There are several great jokes.
There are quite a few fun references to cheesy action movies which this is meant to be a tribute to.
Cons:
This book is so goddamn predictable. Really, this might be one of the most predictable comics ever.
There’s some anti-gun stuff. It’s not as bad as some anti-gun books I’ve read but it’s not well written and kinda stupid to put in a book that’s ultimately about a man having to kill to defend himself and others.
The villains are so weak and lame. I know Sexcastle is meant to be a super bad-ass but I still want villains to pose some type of threat.
Mixed thoughts:
The art is sorta mixed. Some of it looks really fun and cartoony but some of it just looks... poor quality.
The dialogue. On one hand I think it’s probably meant to be kinda cheesy and there are some good lines (“You want trouble? Go fuck a polar bear.”) but on the other hand it’s still a bit cringey at times and a few parts seem kinda awkward.
Overall:
I was torn between giving this 3 or 4 stars. I went with 3 because sure, it’s got great action and some good laughs but it’s predictable as hell and when it comes to many things in it my feelings are mixed.
Are you a fan of cheesy action films and such? Well, if this is available through a free or cheap source for comics, then it’s worth checking out.
Is it worth paying full price when it’s not on sale or in the cheap bin at your LCS? Probably not.
Would I recommend even looking at it for cheap if you aren’t a fan of cheesy action? No, you’ll just find it dumb.
So yeah, in the end Sexcastle is nothing special but it’s fun and I’m pretty sure fun is all that this comic is meant to be.
3/5
What’s it about?
Shane Sexcastle was once a merciless killer but now is trying to live a peaceful life without violence. However, between violent thugs and super-assassins, Shane might not be able to be without violence in his life yet.
Pros:
The story is fairly interesting. Yes, most fans of action entertainment (whether it’s comics, prose books, movies, whatever) have seen this story before but it still kept me entertained despite seeing it so many times, partially because of the (admittedly minor) differences in this comic’s take.
The characters are interesting. The main character at first just seemed like an action guy that grumps about everything but his character builds and he becomes more interesting throughout so I liked that.
There is a shit-ton of great action! Don’t let the cartoony art fool you, it is gory as fuck and pretty brutal. It’s also exciting, insane, frequent and will keep most readers entertained throughout.
This book had me laughing out loud. There are several great jokes.
There are quite a few fun references to cheesy action movies which this is meant to be a tribute to.
Cons:
This book is so goddamn predictable. Really, this might be one of the most predictable comics ever.
There’s some anti-gun stuff. It’s not as bad as some anti-gun books I’ve read but it’s not well written and kinda stupid to put in a book that’s ultimately about a man having to kill to defend himself and others.
The villains are so weak and lame. I know Sexcastle is meant to be a super bad-ass but I still want villains to pose some type of threat.
Mixed thoughts:
The art is sorta mixed. Some of it looks really fun and cartoony but some of it just looks... poor quality.
The dialogue. On one hand I think it’s probably meant to be kinda cheesy and there are some good lines (“You want trouble? Go fuck a polar bear.”) but on the other hand it’s still a bit cringey at times and a few parts seem kinda awkward.
Overall:
I was torn between giving this 3 or 4 stars. I went with 3 because sure, it’s got great action and some good laughs but it’s predictable as hell and when it comes to many things in it my feelings are mixed.
Are you a fan of cheesy action films and such? Well, if this is available through a free or cheap source for comics, then it’s worth checking out.
Is it worth paying full price when it’s not on sale or in the cheap bin at your LCS? Probably not.
Would I recommend even looking at it for cheap if you aren’t a fan of cheesy action? No, you’ll just find it dumb.
So yeah, in the end Sexcastle is nothing special but it’s fun and I’m pretty sure fun is all that this comic is meant to be.
3/5
August 14, 2016
A super fun 80's action movie parody book. Gunchucks, baby!
April 30, 2015
The point at which I went from enjoying Sexcastle to loving it was somewhere around the time he said, "You brought a YOU to a ME fight!"
I spent many years in my youth cared for by a somewhat irresponsible home daycare provider who absolutely loved action movies. From these I learned valuable lessons:
1. Handshakes can be a good way to show off your biceps.
2. A one-liner is an honorable way to salute a worthy foe.
3. Charles Bronson hates creeps.
4. He MUST break you.
Most of those movies were stupid in the most glorious way possible. They never took cover, seemed to have unusually good access to missile launchers, and had no issue hip-firing multiple assault rifles. There's something uniquely satisfying about watching a muscle-bound, charismatic weirdo plow through mustachioed jerks without missing a beat.
Sexcastle is the purified cartoon form of that. His one-liners are absurdly amped up, he can kill a man with virtually anything, and his ultimate weapon is a pair of gunchucks. This makes me happy, because now I know I'm not the only person who has imagined gunchucks.
I also like that without saying it, Sexcastle is effectively Snake-Plissken-era Kurt Russell. That's a fine choice to model a protagonist after.
If you were a child of the 80's, if you had a terrible Ahnold impersonation, if you once thought nothing would top Rambo III, then you owe it to yourself to read Sexcastle. It's the purified form of that wackiness.
I spent many years in my youth cared for by a somewhat irresponsible home daycare provider who absolutely loved action movies. From these I learned valuable lessons:
1. Handshakes can be a good way to show off your biceps.
2. A one-liner is an honorable way to salute a worthy foe.
3. Charles Bronson hates creeps.
4. He MUST break you.
Most of those movies were stupid in the most glorious way possible. They never took cover, seemed to have unusually good access to missile launchers, and had no issue hip-firing multiple assault rifles. There's something uniquely satisfying about watching a muscle-bound, charismatic weirdo plow through mustachioed jerks without missing a beat.
Sexcastle is the purified cartoon form of that. His one-liners are absurdly amped up, he can kill a man with virtually anything, and his ultimate weapon is a pair of gunchucks. This makes me happy, because now I know I'm not the only person who has imagined gunchucks.
I also like that without saying it, Sexcastle is effectively Snake-Plissken-era Kurt Russell. That's a fine choice to model a protagonist after.
If you were a child of the 80's, if you had a terrible Ahnold impersonation, if you once thought nothing would top Rambo III, then you owe it to yourself to read Sexcastle. It's the purified form of that wackiness.
August 24, 2015
You know when it feels like one of your friends is trying too hard to impress everyone? And you feel a little bad for them - but mostly embarrassed to be seen associated with them?
Well, Kyle Starks' Sexcastle is the poster child for that. Our "hero" gets out of prison and who's there to meet him? An ex-president of the U.S. - whom Sexcastle calls "dumb fuck", "old rich fuck" and then:
Then as he's leaving the prison bus, you see someone's boom box is playing the "Son of a Bitch" song, and I realize that Starks is trying to make a Michael Bay action movie with all the obvious cues of how cool, dontgiveafucking badass our "hero" is.
Thing is, the more I read, the less this felt like I was being tricked into liking it, and found some touches of humour and writing craft that endeared me to the silly premise. For example, Starks doesn't throw away red herrings - if he lands a gun on the roof, later that'll become part of an important throwaway moment.
This book is all kinds of ridiculous. (A) the WTF kind where "Dr. Nazi isn't even the third weirdest thing to appear in the penultimate chapter. (B) the smirky kind where every 80's action hero (including Double Impact) makes an appearance. (C) the over-the-top kind where the hero acquires Jason Aaron-style gunchucks from a Tarantino-esque glowing briefcase.
By the end I can't say I was dying to read more, but this was an entertaining enough read to warrant my time on it. Thanks, Kyle!
Art sucked though. A decent artist would've made this a lot less agonizing to read.
Well, Kyle Starks' Sexcastle is the poster child for that. Our "hero" gets out of prison and who's there to meet him? An ex-president of the U.S. - whom Sexcastle calls "dumb fuck", "old rich fuck" and then:
Then as he's leaving the prison bus, you see someone's boom box is playing the "Son of a Bitch" song, and I realize that Starks is trying to make a Michael Bay action movie with all the obvious cues of how cool, dontgiveafucking badass our "hero" is.
Thing is, the more I read, the less this felt like I was being tricked into liking it, and found some touches of humour and writing craft that endeared me to the silly premise. For example, Starks doesn't throw away red herrings - if he lands a gun on the roof, later that'll become part of an important throwaway moment.
This book is all kinds of ridiculous. (A) the WTF kind where "Dr. Nazi isn't even the third weirdest thing to appear in the penultimate chapter. (B) the smirky kind where every 80's action hero (including Double Impact) makes an appearance. (C) the over-the-top kind where the hero acquires Jason Aaron-style gunchucks from a Tarantino-esque glowing briefcase.
By the end I can't say I was dying to read more, but this was an entertaining enough read to warrant my time on it. Thanks, Kyle!
Art sucked though. A decent artist would've made this a lot less agonizing to read.
December 18, 2018
The one-liners are to die for and every action scene is riddled with parody. Anyone who has laughed at an 80's or 90's action movie will surely enjoy the comedy in this story. The artwork is simplistic and in black and white, but this somehow adds to the ridiculousness of the events. The only sex is in the character's name, so don't be expecting that.
Shane Sexcastle was an assassin working for the US government. He got sent to jail after killing the vicepresident. Now he is out of prison and he just wants to leave that life behind, but it's not as easy as it sounds. He is followed by violence wherever he goes and will resort to violence to fix his problems.
Shane Sexcastle was an assassin working for the US government. He got sent to jail after killing the vicepresident. Now he is out of prison and he just wants to leave that life behind, but it's not as easy as it sounds. He is followed by violence wherever he goes and will resort to violence to fix his problems.
May 19, 2025
Holy crap this was a lot of fun. A throwback to ridiculous and over the top 80s action films. Violent and funny and completely spot on.
Sexcastle is the world’s greatest assassin. Until he tires of killing and retires trying to make a better life for himself. But he’s soon pulled back into it when the family he’s staying with is threatened by the 9 best assassins of all time.
Sexcastle is the world’s greatest assassin. Until he tires of killing and retires trying to make a better life for himself. But he’s soon pulled back into it when the family he’s staying with is threatened by the 9 best assassins of all time.
April 27, 2018
A funny, irreverent, but loving parody of action-packed movies from the last few decades. One liners galore: something to offend all, especially those who abhors violence.
Shane Sexcastle is paroled and wants to become a florist in a small town, but the bad guys won't leave him alone. When he gains the upper hand with little to no effort, the boss brings in the world's top assassins.
The artwork is intentionally simple, perhaps to cloak the non-stop action/killing?
Shane Sexcastle is paroled and wants to become a florist in a small town, but the bad guys won't leave him alone. When he gains the upper hand with little to no effort, the boss brings in the world's top assassins.
The artwork is intentionally simple, perhaps to cloak the non-stop action/killing?
April 23, 2017
I have an extreme weakness for action movies, the more over-the-top the better. Sexcastle is everything I've always loved about 80's action movies, taken to an extreme. It's violent, ridiculous and chock full of one-liners. I spent most of the time reading it giggling and delighted. The art style is definitely more on the webcomic side of things but it provides a delightful contrast to the violence. If you enjoy ridiculous action movies, it's well worth your time.
Full review here
Full review here
June 24, 2024
Wild, ridiculous, and fun Kyle Starks kind of a book!
January 16, 2021
Update: Re-read tohto skvostu po troch rokoch nepriniesol nič iné, iba viac lásky pre to. Je to parádne nahláškované, násilné scény sú zlato a proste na také večerné, rýchle prečítanie/pobavenie ako stvorené. Odporúčam každému fanúšikovi Die Hard, Lethal Weapon a vlastne akéhokoľvek filmu, ktorého hlavným hrdinom je niekto z týmu z Expendables.
First read: "If you want flowers, come see me. But if you want trouble? Go fuck a polar bear."
This was so fantastically ridiculous I couldn't stop until I finished it. Amazing parody, full of action a violence, and amazing cheesy lines!
First read: "If you want flowers, come see me. But if you want trouble? Go fuck a polar bear."
This was so fantastically ridiculous I couldn't stop until I finished it. Amazing parody, full of action a violence, and amazing cheesy lines!
August 18, 2015
Absurdly over-the-top violent action(-movie type) Fun!
Hilarious and very entertaining.
Hilarious and very entertaining.
June 22, 2016
Nice read, but nothing particularly mind-blowing.
February 14, 2021
Did Chuck Norris and Thundergun have a baby? Because Sexcastle seems like that baby.
December 9, 2025
I really didn’t connect with this one. I went in expecting a sharp, funny action-comedy send-up, but the humor never landed for me. It felt like it was trying to be outrageous and clever without actually being either, and the jokes leaned more on loud parody than on character or wit. The art style didn’t work for me either — intentionally crude, sure, but it ended up making the whole thing feel even flatter.
I pushed through to the end hoping it would click, but it never did. Just not my kind of humor, and not enough substance underneath the gags to pull me in.
If you love over-the-top ’80s action spoofs, this might hit for you. But if you prefer character-driven storytelling, grounded tone, or strong visuals, this probably won’t be your thing.
I pushed through to the end hoping it would click, but it never did. Just not my kind of humor, and not enough substance underneath the gags to pull me in.
If you love over-the-top ’80s action spoofs, this might hit for you. But if you prefer character-driven storytelling, grounded tone, or strong visuals, this probably won’t be your thing.
March 21, 2022
One of the world's greatest assassins decides to retire, but fate has other plans for him.
Weirdly good, and hilarious. The art style looks great as well. It's one of the books that you randomly stumble upon and then end up liking.
Weirdly good, and hilarious. The art style looks great as well. It's one of the books that you randomly stumble upon and then end up liking.
December 11, 2024
yeah. that fucking kicked ass
June 27, 2022
This was great. The love of action movie clichés virtually seeps from every page. Starks has done it again, stylish and creative to a fault, subverting expectations in the best of ways, with a smattering of heart (the ending...!) as well as gobbets of gore. I would expect no less from the president of the Assassins' Union.
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July 30, 2016Shane Sexcastle (who is blatantly Kurt Russell) is out of prison and resolved to be a better person. He's done killing; he just wants to be a florist now. But the assholes in his new town don't know when to leave well alone... A delectably ludicrous action movie pastiche, made all the funnier by an art style reminiscent of Andi Watson's simple yet expressive cartooning, and laced with badass lines:
"You heard of the expression 'bringing a knife to a gunfight'?"
"You did worse than that. You brought a you to a me fight."
"You heard of the expression 'bringing a knife to a gunfight'?"
"You did worse than that. You brought a you to a me fight."
February 3, 2017
1.5 stars
This was given as a gift.. and I wonder why.
Anyways, its drawn by a 10th grade level illustrator and the dialogue is painful. Only one element of this was interesting and that was the roses dream. If its a homage to the 80s action films.. I feel like I watched different movies. I gave it 1.5 instead, because I know graphic novels and comics take a lot of effort and time. For me it was a quick yet painful read.
This was given as a gift.. and I wonder why.
Anyways, its drawn by a 10th grade level illustrator and the dialogue is painful. Only one element of this was interesting and that was the roses dream. If its a homage to the 80s action films.. I feel like I watched different movies. I gave it 1.5 instead, because I know graphic novels and comics take a lot of effort and time. For me it was a quick yet painful read.
January 4, 2023
Updated: 12/24/20 — I’ve read this book so many times and it is always the best thing ever. I fucking love this bad boy.
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Hilarious. Action packed. Totally over the top violent. Full of sharp one line zingers.
Like the best 80s action flick you could ever think of.
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Hilarious. Action packed. Totally over the top violent. Full of sharp one line zingers.
Like the best 80s action flick you could ever think of.
April 2, 2015
Oh Geez. READ THIS ONE.
It's hilarious.
It's hilarious.
January 26, 2016
Just like a Tarantino film, this is fun, funny and ultra violent!
November 14, 2025
Shane Sexcastle is the aptly named protagonist of this story, as it is a modern.graphic novel recounting of the classic western "Shane." Sexcastle is a former assassin who is finally let out of prison. He goes to small town and works in a flower shop with a woman and her young son.
Sexcastle stops the local baddie from trying to extort the lady who runs the flower shop, and so the baddie gets the elite of the Assassins Union to off Sexcastle. So he is drawn back into the violence he forswore as he tries to protect those he loves.
Sexcastle stops the local baddie from trying to extort the lady who runs the flower shop, and so the baddie gets the elite of the Assassins Union to off Sexcastle. So he is drawn back into the violence he forswore as he tries to protect those he loves.
February 28, 2024
3.5 Stars.
LOL This was so ridiculous and hilarious! Take basically every action movie trope from the 70s and 80s and shove it into one character and you get this book. I did laugh a lot... the titular hero, Shane Sexcastle, always had the same voice as Chris Evans' Lucas Lee from Scott Pilgrim.
If you want a good laugh and enjoy laughing at bad action movies, check this one out.
LOL This was so ridiculous and hilarious! Take basically every action movie trope from the 70s and 80s and shove it into one character and you get this book. I did laugh a lot... the titular hero, Shane Sexcastle, always had the same voice as Chris Evans' Lucas Lee from Scott Pilgrim.
If you want a good laugh and enjoy laughing at bad action movies, check this one out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews