The Confessor (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Confessor | |
 The Confessor and Altar Boy, pictured on the cover of the Astro City: Confession collected edition. Art by Alex Ross. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Wildstorm (current) |
| First appearance | Astro City #_ (1995) |
| Created by | Kurt Busiek Brent Anderson Alex Ross |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Jeremiah Parrish |
| Team affiliations | Roman Catholic Church |
| Abilities | common vampiric abilities and weaknesses, including enhanced physical attributes, transformation, and hypnosis |
The Confessor is a fictional character in the comic book series Astro City. Created by writer Kurt Busiek and artists Brent Anderson and Alex Ross, the Confessor was a Roman Catholic priest who fell victim to temptation during construction of a cathedral in 19th century Astro City. He was seduced by a vampire, who bit him, causing his transformation. As penance, he fought crime in Astro City, eventually constructing the identity of a religious-themed costumed hero. Towards the climax of his career he began mentoring a sidekick, Altar Boy, who discovered his vampiric nature. The Confessor sacrificed his identity and life to expose masquerading alien invaders, but posthumously was nonetheless falsely blamed for a string of unrelated murders. The mantle of The Confessor was then taken up by Altar Boy.
Staying inside the church during daytime, the Confessor appears only at night, possessing the regular vampiric aversion to sunlight. He is almost always seen wearing an all-black costume with a large black cape, a high collar, and usually a ninja-esque mask over his face. On his chest there is a large, shining cross, which causes him sufficient pain to prevent his temptation to drink blood, and remind him of his mission. Although the original Confessor had traditional vampiric weaknesses, and was thus defeated by traditional methods (i.e. crucifixes, holy water, and a stake), his successor Altar Boy, not being a vampire, is immune to these methods, to his great advantage when fighting enemies who mistakenly view him as a vampire.
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[edit] Influences
The Confessor follows the general "brooding vigilante" formula, much like Batman, Daredevil, and even Rorschach. A common theme within this character archetype is the man pretending to be a supernatural creature (usually a vampire) as a way to intimidate criminals. Busiek has stated that he considered the question of what if a "dark and brooding" hero really was a supernatural creature pretending to be a human, leading to the original Confessor (a vampire pretending to be a human) as the answer.
[edit] The Confessor in Pop Culture
In the 4th Undercover Brothers (Hardy Boys) graphic novel, Malled, Frank Hardy is seen wearing a T shirt that pays homage to The Confessor.
[edit] Bibliography
Astro City: Confession (ISBN 1-56389-550-1, collects Astro City Vol. 2 #1/2, 4-9)
