American Jesus – The New Messiah #1

Written by Mark Millar, Art by Peter Gross, Cover by Jodie Muir
Published by Image Comics

A Birth, a Prophecy and a Complicated Future

American Jesus: The New Messiah #1 begins not with fireworks, but with faith; or more specifically, with birth. In a remote Mexican village, a teenage girl gives birth under mysterious circumstances, mirroring Christian iconography almost too closely to ignore. From the outset, the parallels with the Nativity story are not subtext; they’re front and centre. But this isn’t a tale of miracle and meekness. It’s a Mark Millar book, which means something darker is coming.

This is the long-awaited follow-up to American Jesus, originally released as Chosen in the early 2000s. That first volume was a tight three-issue arc about a boy who believes he’s the second coming of Christ; until it’s revealed he’s actually the Antichrist. The New Messiah picks up years later with a new thread, new characters, and a broader, more global lens. Where the original played with shock value and clever twists, this issue lays groundwork more quietly, asking: what does it mean to be chosen, and what happens when the prophecy returns — but in a different form?

The pacing is careful, almost restrained, as if Millar is holding back the punch. And that’s intentional. This first issue is all about context: introducing the new messianic child, her politically charged birth, and the religious, military, and ideological tensions already closing in around her.

Mark Millar

Mark Millar’s reputation precedes him — sometimes for better, sometimes for spectacle. He’s best known for high-concept, often hyper-violent stories that explode with pop culture awareness (Kick-Ass, Wanted, Kingsman), many of which have been adapted to screen. But underneath the bombast, Millar is also fascinated by power: who holds it, who manipulates it, and what happens when someone unexpected is given too much of it.

In American Jesus, Millar swaps out the swagger for something more deliberate. There’s no immediate violence or snark here. Instead, the tension builds from symbolism, from quiet terror, from the way power systems (churches, governments, cults) lean in when a myth starts becoming reality.

That restraint may surprise readers who expect a full-throttle opener. But it’s consistent with the tone of the original American Jesus, and if anything, this first issue suggests Millar is now more interested in playing the long game; exploring faith, identity, and prophecy with a steadier hand.

Peter Gross and Jodie Muir

Peter Gross, known for his work on Lucifer (with Mike Carey) and The Unwritten, is no stranger to blending the mystical with the mundane. His style leans toward expressive minimalism — he lets faces carry the story, and he uses space, posture, and shadow to evoke unease. There’s a grounded realism to his linework here that suits the tone perfectly. Scenes feel dusty, lived-in, and weary. Gross doesn’t try to make the world beautiful. He makes it believable.

His work is especially effective in the birth sequence, where the atmosphere feels both sacred and tense. He illustrates the miraculous without leaning into cliché. And that’s crucial in a book where the line between divinity and danger is razor-thin.

Jodie Muir’s painted cover is striking, a deliberate echo of classical religious art, featuring a Madonna-like central figure surrounded by cherubs and bathed in radiant light. It’s theatrical, reverent, and loaded with symbolism. Muir’s painterly technique adds grandeur to a story that, at least initially, is steeped in rural anonymity. It creates a visual contrast: the myth on the cover versus the reality in the pages.

Is the Second Coming Worth the Wait?

As a standalone issue, The New Messiah #1 is more slow-burn than headline-grabbing. That may leave some readers underwhelmed; especially those who expect Millar to hit hard from the first panel. But the deliberate pacing works in its favour. This is a story about the calm before an inevitable storm rather than explosive revelations.

The dialogue is sparse but efficient. Characters aren’t yet fleshed out, but the bones of something complex are in place. Millar is setting up a geopolitical chessboard, not a street brawl. It’s clear this series wants to ask deeper questions about faith, identity, motherhood, and the global stage into which this new “Messiah” is born.

That said, some will find the lack of payoff in this first issue frustrating. There’s not much action, and most characters remain archetypes for now. But if you trust Millar’s storytelling instincts, there’s every reason to believe the slow build will be worth the tension.

Final Thoughts

American Jesus: The New Messiah #1 opens with a whisper and not with a bang; one that echoes louder the longer you sit with it. It’s a book about prophecy that avoids preaching, a book about miracles that chooses realism over wonder. It’s less interested in answers than in setting the stage for a world on the brink of spiritual and political upheaval. If you’re patient, and if you’re willing to lean into the ambiguity, this first chapter holds promise.