The idea is so simple that it’s amazing nobody else thought of it
first: Boze and Kato ask people how they lost their virginity. They
then translate the stories into comics. Every story begins with a
person’s age, first name, and occupation. From there, the stories vary
wildly: gay lovers, straight lovers, multiples. Some were willing; some
were not. Many of the stories are humorous, and many, unsurprisingly,
involve drugs and alcohol.
The weakest part of The Virgin Project is the artwork; Boze
and Kato try to change up their styles—ranging from stick figures
to morose realism—this book would be better as an anthology of
different artists. In the ’90s, Time Warner–owned Paradox Press
put out oversize comics called The Big Book series. Each book was about
a different subject (death, urban legends, freaks, saints), and each
one- to three-page entry was drawn by a different cartoonist. The
result was a game of one-upmanship between the artists: Who could be
funnier, fancier, filthier?
Kato and Boze are kind to their subjects, and kindness is important.
This project could easily devolve into nasty frat-boy humor, but their
respectful tone is both inspiring and sexy. Hopefully, the authors will
bring their self-published idea to a company—like Drawn and
Quarterly, say, or Seattle’s own Fantagraphics—and continue to
write books with a stable of talented artists who aren’t afraid to
tackle taboo subjects. As it is, The Virgin Project is great
fun. If it were illustrated with a bit more variety and competency, it
could be joyous.
Jeffrey Brown, K.D. Bose, and Stasia Kato will be signing at
Emerald City ComiCon, Washington Trade & Convention Center,
Sat–Sun May 10–11.