Writer: Steven T. Seagle
Artist: Becky Cloonan
Publisher: Vertigo/DC comics
Price: $2.99
American Virgin as a concept sounded really bad when DC announced the series in the convention circuit last summer. The notion that a young Christian preacher with Rock Star status and a mission of chastity was an idea that really bothered me. Writer Steven T Seagle has written a lot of worthy works that were ahead of their time (Kafka, The Amazon, Sandman Mystery Theatre, It’s a bird and House of Secrets) and artist Becky Cloonan has done some amazing work with Brian Wood. The talent was solid, but would American Virgin be a good comic series?
Yes it is. It has the potential to be the next Preacher.
The series starts off on a Monday and it ends on a Friday and in that week we meet Adam Chamberlin. He’s a Man of God. He preaches abstinence to young people in an effort to push an agenda of moral superiority and highhandedness. Adam has every possible motivating factor to be a jerk, but he is a true believer. He is an extreme Christian athlete. He is ready to marry his high school sweetheart Cassandra, get his theology degree and become a powerful minister. Adam’s mother wants this to be so, because she can profit from God. He’s the one that she is proud of. That’s because the rest of the family is no good. Adam’s brother Kyle is a slacker with a drug issue. His Sister Cyndi is the black sheep of the family, and his cousins Morgan and Levi kidnap Adam and force him to have a hooker take his virginity.
It all seems to be a bit sitcom in the execution of the series. Then things go wrong on the last three pages. So wrong that it changes the perspective of Adam forever. Something happens and it really jumpstarts the attention and makes the reader want more. Adam’s life is about trying to find a new meaning for your life.
The thing that strikes me is that American Virgin strikes a precarious balance between the sexual and the moral. The opening scene where Cassandra is discussed is very romantic and heartfelt. The scene with the flirtatious girl at the prayer rally is amusing because it displays a devout nature to Adam and it helps make the scene with the hooker uncomfortable. I get the vibe that Adam will not come out right by the time the first story is over.
The topic of religion is very prevalent in American Virgin. It is a book about one man’s faith. It also gives a very astute observation on religion in America right now. The modern emphasis in the United States is about bringing back morals in people’s life by religious advocacy. Adam is a person who believes in God and his rules. American Virgin does not mock his beliefs. As a matter of fact, his beliefs in contrast to the rest of his family makes Adam a good guy. His mother and step dad want to make money off him. His brother is a bum. His sister has been deemed the antichrist by context of introduction. The reader will question the faith-based motivations of The Chamberlin family, but Adam comes off as being the most together guy in the cast.
On the technical aspect, Seagle’s writing is as insightful and real. The dialogue is plausible and it sells that Adam sounds young and even more interesting and likable as a protagonist. The plot for the first issue is set up in the way that it shows the reader where and what Adam comes from before he begins his journey. The art by Cloonan brings a youth to Adam that displays world-weary knowledge and innocent charm. The mother looks like a demon harpy and the rest of the cast look like real people. Frank Quitely’s cover art was so good and dirty that it could make someone nervous to read the book on the train.
American Virgin is a very different story. Everyone should read it. It is funny, awkward, pretty, dirty and even a bit moral. The best part of the series is that it is compelling and very astute, knowing book.
- Francis Davis a career drunk with a love of comics and movies, lives in and works for the City of Chicago. Confidentiality agreements prevent him from saying exactly what he does, but it is important.