Vertigo has done it again, taking a bizarre and mature story concept and transforming it into something compelling and thoroughly down to earth. Steven T. Seagle -- once one of the industry's top writers, handling X-Men and Superman titles for the two largest publishers -- hasn't been as prominent as of late, but if he's been squirreled away in an office crafting stories and characters as original as this, it's worth it. Given the story's foundation in youth and cynicism, Demo's Becky Cloonan was an excellent choice as the artist for the book. She captures the central character's antiseptic image perfectly while embracing a rougher, more raw approach for the remainder of the cast.
Adam Chamberlin is special. He's charismatic. He's handsome. And what people thinks makes him special is his public pledge to remain a virgin until he marries Cassie, his longtime girlfriend, as well as his success in bringing that message to the masses. But what really makes Adam special isn't that he's saving himself, but that God himself told Adam to do so, that he and his girlfriend weren't meant for each other and no one else. Knowing he's special makes Adam happy, and it's a good thing, because the people around him want only to use him or to change him. His mother wants to transform Adam into a prophet and a leader of lesser people, while his brother and cousins want to see Adam turn into hedonists like them. Well, Adam's life is definitely about to change, but due to a most unexpected reason.
Cloonan's art in this book is about contrasts. Adam is almost constantly in a perfectly put-together mode. He looks slick, but he's the only one who really does. His mother is portrayed as a monstrous creature, and it's no surprise, as she's clearly one of the antagonists of the book. Adam's other relatives also boast looser, messier looks. Adam is isolated visually because he is alone. The only thing that kept him going was his unwaivering belief that he had a real and direct connection with God. As that comes apart, Adam's appearance does as well.
I don't really know how Seagle pulls it off, but he manages to transform this evangelical, zealous figure into a character I actually liked. By the middle of the issue, the reader will be convinced of the fact that Adam truly wants to help people, that he truly believes in what he preaches. I think it helps that he hasn't turned his back on his black-sheep brother and that he doesn't embrace the sleaziness of the TV ministry.
Of course, it also helps that Seagle shows us that Adam's beliefs don't come easily to him. He's tempted. He lusts. But he also doesn't want to be a hypocrite, and too many of such public preacher figures have proven to be so over the years here in the real world. Yes, Adam hides naughty notes from fans, and yes, he has impure thoughts and yearns to finally have sex. But those aren't sins or signs of weakness. He acknowledges his designs and exerts his will over them. If only his philosophy was as strong and bulletproof. 8/10
