Seagle talks religion, desire and American Virgin

Talk about good timing: Last night I mention American Virgin #3, by Steven T. Seagle and Becky Cloonan, as my Pick of the Week, and today Scripps Howard News Service carries an interview with Seagle about the Vertigo title.

The new series, which centers on the handsome and charismatic young leader of a national virginity movement, explores issues of politics, faith and morality.

"These are the same conflicts we've been hearing for decades," Seagle told writer Andrew Smith, a k a Captain Comics. "It's just that there are so many more channels and outlets for people that the volume's been turned up lately. The only bandwagon I intentionally rode with American Virgin was people's desire to have sex and the related feelings of shame associated with some of those desires. The creepy political climate is just happy coincidence."

Seagle goes on to say: "I've gotten some e-mails praising the book for having Adam actually be a standup Christian. But then the same people go on to complain about Adam's parents, Mamie and Earl. All I have to say is I grew up in the Southern Baptist church, and there were saints AND sinners. I don't know how anyone alive can look at the past five years' worth of news stories relating to televangelists, priests and 'good Christian politicians' and think I'm taking some kind of cheap shot at these people. This stuff's going on all the time. And they'll all get a talking-to from Adam about it ... if he can pull himself away from the sexual quicksand he's getting into as a result of his mission."

Much more at the link.