So I was told to read Punk Rock Jesus when it first came out, and being the simpleton that I am, I ignored the recommendations as I thought the book "just wasn't what I was looking for." Books with quasi-religious overtones are rarely done well, and to be frank, I didn't want to waste my time.

Oh, how wrong I was.

I think this book fully harnesses a lot of things that people enjoy consuming today: a tragic story of an idealistic heroine, a power-hungry media mogul with no morals, and a reality-tv-obsessesed America who's willing to go a little crazy for the second coming of Jesus.

That all seems about right.

However, what makes this black-and-white book good is that it manages to pull all those portrayals off without seeming — pardon the pun — preachy. It's smart, and treats its characters like the flawed people that they are. It allows for personal weakness, screwups and a good old dose of personality issues to get in the way of getting what they want.

And I guess that's what I like most about comics: their potential to be genuine. Even though the concept of this book is pretty farfetched, the players make it plausible. If a movie like The Truman Show can get made, Punk Rock Jesus will find its success as well.

Punk Rock Jesus #2
Vertigo Comics
$2.99

The Verdict: Worth your time and money, but stil in the opening stages of the show. I give it four mowhawks out of five, but I suspect that it will only rise once we get a little more character development and the plot really gets going.