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American Virgin #1
Review posted: 16 Mar 2006
Writer: Steven T. Seagle
Artist: Becky Cloonan
Artist: Frank Quitely, cover
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Colors: Brian Miller
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
3.60 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by J. W. DeBolt Jr.
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Adam Chamberlin tells his audience that God wants him to remain a virgin until he marries his girlfriend, Cassandra. God told him Cassandra is the only woman ever meant to be with him. As a leader in the National Youth Virginity Movement, Adam proselytizes his views to make other people choose abstinence until marriage and urges them to sign Virginity Pledge Cards.
Asking people to maintain his condition, and the implication that such condition is morally superior, causes some antagonism toward Adam. By simply trying to maintain his standard, he becomes a target. Complications come along that challenge Adam’s inner strength, threaten his convictions, and even place him in physical peril.
Meanwhile, Adam’s stepfather, a television minister, recognizes Adam’s gift of public speaking and influence. He wants Adam to be on his television show because the ratings are going down and he thinks Adam will boost them. It isn’t clear whether or not Adam is eager to work with his stepfather.
Cassandra works for the Peace Corps in Africa, and in a telephone conversation with Adam, in which she can hardly get a word in, she indicates to Adam that she might not be happy with the status quo. Adam is too distracted to notice what she is trying to say.
Some women see his virginity pledge as a challenge. He gets offers all the time. Writer Steven Seagle adds depth to the character by showing that Adam keeps all the proposition notes. This hints at an internal conflict. Perhaps he keeps the notes out of sentimentality for what could have been or perhaps they are trophies of his strength and resistance. Maybe he’s saving them for his girlfriend to show her how strong he has been. He could even be keeping them “just in case.”
Adam tells Cassandra he can’t wait until they’re married so he can fulfill his vow. As a 21-year-old, he’s been holding out for a long time. Cassandra’s imminent return to the U.S.A. may give him the strength to hold on for just that much longer — or the stress could cause him to lose it, especially with the outside forces in play.
We feel the suspense of Adam trying to preserve his status with so many trying to make him break his vow. Even his family is disunited. Adam tries to draft his younger brother Kyle into the National Youth Virginity Movement, but Kyle shows little interest. Meanwhile, Kyle and his parents treat his worldly sister as persona non grata — apparently she is a lost cause.
Becky Cloonan’s depiction of Adam’s parents is at times redolent of Gerald Scarfe; this gives the parents a slightly sinister aspect. I can’t say whether that is intended or not in this first issue, though we can recognize that the parents want to use Adam to achieve their goals and to keep him close, like the mother in Pink Floyd’s The Wall, which Scarfe illustrated. The art is generally clear, with muted colors, in a simple style such as you find in Cocopiazo. Different scenes are anchored with specific background color, such as the yellow-green tinge in a bathroom scene caused by fluorescent bulbs, the dark blue at night, and the bright yellow spotlight during the “interrogation” scene. The cover is hideously pink and red, but certainly eye-catching — what you want in a cover.
Seagle writes well and carries his main character forward in sincerity — the story works best that way. He handles the story deftly, as you can’t tell which side of Adam’s plight the writer is on. The book is intended for mature audiences because of the theme and language. Adam’s last words in the book, though, while not to be uttered in genteel society, perfectly close the chapter with cutting irony.
The suspenseful part is wondering just when Adam’s virginal condition will change and whether it will be of his own volition or someone else’s. The fun part is seeing the attempts various entities make to bring that about. And the big whammy at the end of this first issue creates an entire new level of stress for Adam — and may change his world forever.
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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