I must admit I’ve always been more of a super heroes in comics kind of a fan, so reading a book like this is certainly not the norm for me nor would I devote any of my spare time to anything religious in nature. Having said that, I was very surprised at what I found when I picked this up. If you are aware of Mark Millar’s body of work, for example Civil War and Old Man Logan, it tends to centre around one big idea which often makes for a roller coaster of a ride without too much in the way of characterisation. However, with American Jesus, Millar delivers his usual big idea wrapped in controversy but all the while manages to make you identify and care about the characters involved and the journeys they are on. The story revolves around a 12 year old boy named Jodie who through a strange set of occurrences discovers that he is in fact the returned Jesus Christ. The most enjoyable aspect of the book for me is that a fantastic job is done of keeping things grounded and just how aware you always are that although this is a farfetched tale it is very much about a young boy's journey through life, and that boy is a very human boy who is just as prone to our trials and tribulations. He starts the book by bunking off school with mates so they can go scouring for “stroke mags”, not very Christian but very endearing and a reminder of what it’s like to be a 12 year old boy, not that I ever did stuff like that!! As the book continues I enjoyed watching him grow into his new role and responsibilities whilst struggling with the ramifications and his own hormones. What we have here is a very contemporary story that is not only intelligent but also very funny. I personally can’t wait for the next chapter to arrive and if the rumours are true for a film version directed by Matthew Vaughn ( Kick – Ass ).
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