American Virgin (comics)

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American Virgin

Cover of American Virgin #1, artwork by Frank Quitely.

Publisher	Vertigo Comics DC Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing
Publication dates	March 2006 – present
Main character(s)	Adam Chamberlain

Creative team as of January 2007
Writer(s)	Steven T. Seagle
Artist(s)	Becky Cloonan (interior art) Joshua Middleton (covers)
Creator(s)	Steven Seagle Becky Cloonan

American Virgin is an American comic book series written by Steven T. Seagle and illustrated by Becky Cloonan. The series is being published monthly by Vertigo, since March 2006. It follows the life of Adam, a teenager who is a born-again Christian preacher, and his struggle with issues related to sexuality and faith. There are two sagas as of October 2006, the first is "Head", consisting of four issues, and the second is "Going Down", which consists of five.

“	'Virgin' will do for global sexual myth, history and practice what 'Preacher' did for gross-out action and 'Hellblazer' did for demonology.	”
	— Steven T. Seagle, ^[1]

1 Plot
2 Collected editions
3 References

[edit] Plot

[edit] Head (issues #1-#4)

The first story arc "Head" introduces the main character Adam Chamberlain as he preaches across the country on his book tour. Adam believes that his girlfriend Cassie, who is currently in the peace corps and in Africa, was chosen by God to be his wife. After being taunted with a stripper by his cousins, Adam flees to the home of his stepsister Cyndi. While watching television he learns the shocking news that Cassie has been killed and beheaded by terrorists. Adam and Cyndi flee her home when two men enter looking for her and open fire with pistols. Adam then finds his younger brother at home, seemingly about to engage in sexual acts with a girl. They have a confrontation and then Adam informs his mother and stepfather that he is going to Africa to find out what happened to Cassie. He and Cyndi fly to South Africa where Adam sees the body and has a breakdown. Adam finds out there was semen in Cassie's body and decides to find out the truth. He hires a mercenary named Mel who says he can find the answers he wants. The trio go on a search across Africa and along the way Adam attempts to introduce Christian values to the natives. Adam continues to have erotic visions of Cassie and finally succumbs to masturbation. Finally, they are able to find one of the men involved in Cassie's murder and he and Adam have a violent confrontation that ends in the perpetrator's death.

[edit] Going Down (issues #5-#9)

"Going Down" begins with Adam returning home. Cyndi returns to her apartment where the drug dealers who had previously tried to kill are waiting. They hold her at gunpoint but Mel saves her, knocking the men out. Adam delivers the eulogy at Cassie's funeral but has another breakdown and a highly sexual vision of a naked Cassie rising up from her coffin. Afterwards he is propositioned by a young woman who wants to spend her first time with him but refuses. Mel appears and tells him that he has found information on the mastermind behind Cassie's murder. Adam, Cyndi and Mel travel to Australia where they continue Adam's book tour. They stay with brother and sister Deacon and Clauda and Adam has an awkward conversation with Deacon when he discovers that he is gay. Outside one of Adam's speeches he has another strange encounter with a transgendered reporter who attempts to mock him. Adam speaks of the reporter, Alex, in his speech and reduces her to tears. Afterward Mel shows up with video of Cassie's execution. Adam views it and has another vision of Cassie. Adam finds the executioner at a gay [S&M] club and goes undercover to get him to confess. After taking him to the dungeon, the killer discovers who Adam is and threatens to kill him if they ever meet again before making his escape. Adam flees but discovers from his agent the next day that he has been seen and outed as a homosexual. Adam becomes distraught over people thinking he is gay and has a revealing conversation with Deacon that examines both Deacon's thoughts on God and Adam's thoughts on homosexuality. Adam then learns that Mel has had a personal score with the same terrorists who killed Cassie and has been using him the whole time for information. He confronts Mel outside the hotel room that the killer is staying and knocks him unconscious. Adam then tries to finish the job of the executioner himself. He can't bring himself to do it and almost ends up dead, if not for Mel arriving at the nick of time and shooting the killer in the head. Adam and Cyndi then take a flight home but their plane crashes into the ocean. The third arc, "Wet", which begins with issue #10 as of Feb 2007, begins here.

[edit] Wet (issues #10-14)

The first issue of this story arc deals with Adam's past and ends on how Cassie may not have been the girl God intended for him. The second sees Adam returning to his preaching in the aftermath of the plane disaster. He begins to search for the other girls he believes God may have intended for him to be with, which leads him to his uncle's mansion.