American Virgin Vol. 1: Head (TPB)
Writer: Steven T. Seagle
Artists: Becky Cloonan & Jim Rugg
Company: Vertigo
Some of the best stories, whether in comics, TV, film, books or some other medium, are damned hard to describe. American Virgin is like that. It’s the story of a teenage celebrity at the head of a national virginity movement and what happens when everything he’s believed in is thrown into chaos. But it’s about much more than an act of violence robbing Adam Chamberlain of his perceived destiny. Seagle’s story covers themes of faith, family, violence, cultural differences, anger, vengeance and of course sex. The artwork by Becky Cloonan (with inks by Jim Rugg on some issues) has a look that is both energetic and gritty, capturing the youth of the protagonist alongside the very adult realities he finds himself in.
American Virgin is a comic that I enjoyed in single issues, but it reads even stronger in collected format. Where the issue-by-issue story left me breathless with cliffhangers, wondering where the story would go, when the first arc is viewed all together, the potential of the book comes even more into focus. Beyond what Cassie’s death does to Adam and the shockwaves that will ripple through the rest of the family, there’s the question of Cyndi’s past, not to mention the true story of Cassie’s life in Africa, hinted at in the final, frantic phone call she exchanges with Adam in the first issue. It’s clear in reading this story that this is about much more than the quest for vengeance which has driven the first eight issues of the book so far.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of American Virgin is its lead character, a deeply Christian teenager named Adam Chamberlain. Rather than being a figurehead for the positive or negative aspects of faith, Adam is a character first and foremost, a dedicated and gentle soul with a strong will and plenty of charisma. His faith and expression of it is heartfelt and much less judgmental than much of what passes for Christianity in the modern political arena, and he’s both a believable representative of faith and a believable character. Adam holds himself to a higher standard, but he doesn’t always meet those standards, and it’s interesting to see him struggling with his faith when its challenged by events both large (what happens to Cassie) and small (a forced bachelor party).
Another fascinating aspect of American Virgin is its unpredictability. The book was even harder to predict in single issue form, whereas in trade format the flow of the story leads the reader to guess at the next step more, but even in this collected format, there’s a lovely variety of setting and character at work. Seagle’s story isn’t just about faith, but about sex and how the two affect the world in a variety of places. Over the course of the story, we see an exotic dancer in America, pornographic magazines, a virginity-related taboo in an African kingdom, casual prostitution in an African bar and plenty more examples of the wide and varying cultural mores about sex. Adam, with his somewhat puritanical view, is our filter, as he gets to experience a wider range of sexual behavior than he otherwise would have, if tragedy hadn’t entered his life.
Along with these heady themes of sex and faith, Seagle provides a strong, character-driven action plot. Many times, when a writer decides to explore themes, they get too lost in the symbolism and fail to provide a straightforward story to make the book entertaining on the surface, which is not the case with American Virgin. Instead, the story is easily described, as Adam goes to Africa seeking answers, closure and maybe revenge and meets a mercenary who can help with all three. Each step of the journey sees him having to choose between turning a blind eye, going back to his higher calling or digging deeper in the name of a love he’s lost and a questioning of his faith. It’s clear early on that Adam’s life has changed irrevocably, and he won’t be the same man he was when his quest is finished.
And then there’s the artwork. Becky Cloonan’s work on Demo was terrific, perfectly matched to Brian Wood’s scripts, and I’m honestly surprised that she found another work so ideal for her sensibilities right off the bat. Her work has something of a hard-edged tone, perfect for the violence and stress that makes up so much of the story, and she also brings a youthful tone to the work. The emotions of American Virgin are vivid, visually, popping right off the page thanks to the expressions on the character’s faces and Cloonan’s design. A bad hair comb-over, teeth gritted in anger and despair, a burst of violent action or a strong gesture, these are all hallmarks of Cloonan’s work in American Virgin.
Jim Rugg’s inks bring a noticeable change, a cleaner line style in some ways, and it’s interesting that the art works either way. There’s a difference, and I like Rugg’s work, but I didn’t miss his inks when Cloonan was inking the work. It should also be said that Brian Miller, the colorist on American Virgin, has the unenviable task of giving color to Cloonan’s work, which stands so strongly on its own in black and white. Miller’s colors, however, are vibrant and varied and a perfect match for Cloonan’s work. The first issue features some unusual choices, heavy focuses on reds or yellows that perhaps emphasize the color a bit too much, but by the time the characters have moved on into Africa and Miller is using a surprisingly wide palette, the colors and the art are perfectly in synch.
Vertigo launched several books at the same time as American Virgin. It launched alongside DMZ, Exterminators and Testament. For my money, American Virgin is the best of that new crop, with only DMZ riding close to its heels, and Vertigo fans who are picking up Fables or Y: The Last Man should definitely be giving this book a try as well.
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I didn’t really digg American Virgin I’ve to say. Why couldn’t we get to know Adam a little bit more before he got pulled out of his normal environment and was thrown in to Africa?
Also the artwork wasn’t really my thing. Found it to sketchy I think. So after reading 8 issues I’ve quit this serie. I’ll continue reading DMZ, for me the best new comic of Vertigo
14 Nov 2006 at 4:03 am
QuotePrevious works of Seagle have been hit-and-miss for me, but I think I will try this one. It’s one of the only vertigo ongoing I’m not reading and it could be a mistake. Thanks for your review.
14 Nov 2006 at 4:12 am
QuoteI just read the TPB and I was surprised about how great this book was. I can follow Jofo though, I also wonder why we had to go to Africa this fast. I hope we’ll get to know Adam a bit better in the following stories.
15 Nov 2006 at 3:58 am
QuoteWell, Marc and Jofo, I will say that you do indeed get to know Adam better as time goes on. But it’s not really in the ways you’d expect, it’s more through his actions rather than words that you come to find out what really makes him tick. And that’s something about American Virgin that I really like. It does the unexpected and really captures you with it, and even though I still don’t exactly know where the story is going, I’m hooked by it.
The reason for that?
The characters. They are all that interesting and fun to read about, and as a bonus you get Becky Cloonan’s fantastic art. All in all, not a bad combination.
15 Nov 2006 at 4:33 am
QuoteWell, I already said that the art really wasn’t my thing but I get the feeling that I’m on my own on that subject
As for the characters, most of them are indeed interesting. I only didn’t get the part of the private detective. Where did he get from all of a sudden.
Maybe I also expected something else from this serie. I know that it’s called American Virgin but why has every girl to throw herself at Adam’s feet
It’s not that I really disliked the serie but it wasn’t good enough for me to continue. Ironically enough I found the last issue I read, about the gay bar/club, the best of the entire run so far. I only had already decided that I should stop with this serie, you can’t read everything 
15 Nov 2006 at 6:05 am
QuoteWell Nick, that makes me even more curious about the second TPB.
And for the art, I personally liked Becky’s art better with Jim’s inks, it was a bit smoother and refined. I hope Street Angel will continue soon …
15 Nov 2006 at 10:53 am
QuoteThough I’ve enjoyed this series (esp Becky Cloonan’s art), I haven’t been able to shake the question of whether or not the hook is enough to sustain the story for long. Seagle’s last Vertigo ongoing (Crusades, which lasted 20 issues) basically centered on one mystery and fizzled fast, even before the mystery was solved. Even the initial solicitations of American Virgin made me think: Ok, and then what?
Also, is there no love for Exterminators or Testament round here?
15 Nov 2006 at 11:37 pm
QuoteI don’t read Testament but I like Exterminators. Not as good as Y or Fables, but quite interesting.
16 Nov 2006 at 5:19 am
QuoteI found both Exterminators and Testament to be exceptionally weird. And I’m all for weird, I’m a Grant Morrison fan after all, but I need some grounding in characters and plot and both of these stories were just too out there. On Exterminators, the characters were too extremely jokey, and on Testament, the story was so jumbled that I couldn’t actually follow it.
As for American Virgin’s validity in terms of length… it’s a fair point. I’d forgotten Crusades, but I remember being really onboard for the first couple issues and then totally losing interest. American Virgin has at least sustained more interest for me, and while at first I wondered how long the premise could sustain, I see a number of potential story arcs, including the story of Adam’s cousin Cindy and her legal issues, the story of Adam’s brother, following up on his stepdad’s ministry, what happens when Adam returns to the U.S., and we still don’t know the full story behind what happened with Cassie. I think that with just what we know so far, Seagle could easily sustain a good three-year run (equal to the Losers), if not more.
16 Nov 2006 at 4:31 pm
Quoteit’s a whole other discussion, isn’t it? which one is the best new series. i like american virgin, i’ve quit testament (too obscure for me) and dmz (i found it rather unbelievable character-wise). now, i think exterminators is by far the most entertaining one of the one you were talking about. plus, i dig the subject.
but to me the best vertigo new series is loveless.
and the best vertigo current title has to be either 100 bullets or fables, depending on the month.
20 Nov 2006 at 10:20 pm
QuoteI’ve kind of lost my intrest in this series. One issue is great and the next is average and the next is just good. Kind of inconsistent for me. I’m sure it does read better in tp.
21 Nov 2006 at 12:15 am
QuoteThe thing about Exterminators is that the real story has just begun — the first year seems to have just been the prelude. I agree it’s been weird but I’m very curious to see where things go from here. Loveless was the only series from the latest batch which I gave up on after a few issues. It just felt gratuitous.
22 Nov 2006 at 11:16 am
QuoteI couldn’t understand some parts of this article American Virgin Vol. 1: Head (TPB), but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
18 Jan 2008 at 5:23 pm
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