American Jesus Volume 1: Chosen just sorta landed flat for me. There were a few things I thought were handled well, some not so much. It seemed far slower to develop than I would have liked, but it is hard to know how much of that is because of my general skepticism with anything trying to use a mythology, in this case Christianity, as a real thing with lessons for mankind.

I do think it improved as it went on and the end was a nice twist. I just didn't find the journey to that point particularly compelling.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. ( )

¡El cómic más polémico y valiente de Mark Millar! Imagínate que eres un chaval de veinte años que de repente descubre que es la reencarnación de Jesucristo. Puede convertir agua en vino, andar sobre las aguas y, quizás, resucitar a los muertos. ¿Cómo afrontará su destino para liderar al mundo a través de un conflicto que lleva siglos en marcha?

A good plot, but to me it's like is missing an ending. ( )

A retelling of the Jesus story in the modern day with a twist ending. You'll find many of the familiar tropes in this story. The twist is what makes this book unique. It's something that fans of movies from the '70s will recognize quickly. I recommend it as a unique read. ( )

Chosen follows a religious storyline built around great art. It asks the question, “What would you do if you were the second coming of Christ?” which to be honest, doesn’t get asked nearly enough. The main character, Jodie, is on the fast track to becoming a burnout high school student when he discovers that he has incredible powers that no one can explain. The book details his various interactions with the people of the small town he lives in and explores his own attempts to figure out what exactly is happening to him.
The art, though colorful, has a sort of drab lifeless feel to it, which inexplicably draws the reader in instead of pushing him away. It creates a feeling of slight anxiety and keeps you reading not only because the story is great, but also because you feel a need to be done with it.
Millar’s language throughout is his classic style, if you don’t like cursing and references to porn stay away. If you don’t like graphic scenes, read Garfield in the funny pages instead. That said, the Chosen team creates a tapestry of decadence intended not only to tell a story, but also to impart a moral. Think of this as ‘Revelations lite.’ A sinner may become a god, but does that mean he should stop being a sinner? Does the second coming get to fuck his high school sweet heart? Does he turn water into wine or into cold Coors Light? These and other, probably more important questions are answered only between the covers. It’s a great read and being a 3-issue mini series is short enough to read in about half an hour or less. ( )