The American

The American #1-2

by Mark Verheiden, Various (Artist)

He's the ultimate American hero. Since the fifties, he has been a symbol of hope and courage for the entire nation, an indestructible one-man army standing tall for freedom, justice, and the American way -- but what about truth? When reporter Dennis Hough is assigned to cover a story about his boyhood hero, he begins to see the cracks in the legend. Does The American have feet of clay? Or is he himself a victim of a larger conspiracy?

Created by screenwriter Mark Verheiden (The Mask, Smallville), The American wowed comics critics with it's savvy mixture of gritty realism, cultural commentary, and dark humor set against the all too real backdrop of an America polarized into ideological camps standing off across an ever-widening gulf of mistrust and media distortion. Now, collected in its entirety for the first time (including hard-to-find American short stories), The American rises again, a cautionary tale perhaps even more relevant in today's politically divided America.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

360 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

Mark Verheiden is an American television, movie, and comic book writer. He was a co-executive producer for the television series Falling Skies for DreamWorks Television and the TNT Network.

Reviews

[Mark Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well and truly enjoyed this.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. I was unfamiliar with this when the GN fell into my hands. The back cover claims that this series, "... wowed readers and critics ..." when it first appeared, but I don't recall ever hearing about it at the time despite being a devoted reader of both the Comics Buyers Guide and the Comics Journal. So I wasn't expecting much. That said, it's actually not bad. One can see Verheiden's writing improve as the series progresses as he figures out the characters and what sort of story he wants to tell. My Eyeroll Per Page score was down nearly to zero by the end of the book, despite an initial double digit high. The artwork and story are typically '80s and rather dated by today's standards, but there's a certain charm and even a developing sense of humor that carry the reader through. Comics fans will appreciate some of the parodies that round out the book. Not the greatest comic ever, but certainly enjoyable if you don't expect too much.