in anticipation of the AMC TV adaptation, I re-read my collection of the late 90s comic book phenomenon by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
(btw, I enjoyed that much of the Ennis/Dillon run on Punisher was incorporated into "Daredevil" Season 2)
The Preacher is written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon. Debuting in 1995 under DC's Vertigo line, this comic hits you instantly with its violence, its unrepentant dismantling of religious iconography, and ultimately its examination of friendship and love through the 3 main characters. Jesse Custer is a disillusioned preacher in Texas with a dark and violent past. Tulip O'Hare is Jesse's former girlfriend, on the run from a mob hit gone wrong. She is picked up by a Cassidy, an aged Irish vampire with a penchant for booze, drugs, and fighting.
Jesse Custer is inhabited by a spirit called "Genesis", the offspring of a union between an angel and a devil, and has powers that rival the creator. With his new found friends, they embark on a weird, violent, and tumultuous journey to find God (who has gone "missing") and hold him accountable for his actions.
This comic has one of my favorite characters of all time, the Saint of Killers. He's a unstoppable force of anger and violence that is set loose by some less than scrupulous angels to stop Jesse Custer and destroy Genesis. Also in the mix is Herr Starr, leader of a group know as "the grail", who control most of the world leaders and protect the bloodline of Christ.
The series lasted a taut 66 issues. It is not for the reverent. Ennis' writing is often deliberately and offensively critical of much of established Christian doctrine. But if one can set aside religious offense, it is also some of the best storytelling of our generation. Ennis combines conspiracy theories with violent but 3-dimensional action. He never wavers from stooping to the most base elements of a story, but in a way it juxtaposes with his deep meditations on the romance between Jesse and Tulip, and the complicated nature of betrayal that underlies the relationship between Custer and Cassidy.
The comic unfolds into a series of interconnecting storylines that last anywhere from 7 to 10 issues. "Gone to Texas" (the first) is a bold and unique introduction to the main characters and plots. "War in the Sun" depicts a brutal and violent clash in Monument Valley, UT (Dillon's wide illustrations of the landscape are some of the best in comic book history). "Salvation" is probably my favorite run of the series, which also introduced the immensely disturbed slaughterhouse owner Odin Quincannon (who will be played by Jackie Earle Haley in the AMC series)
There's also a few companion series to the comic, my favorite being "Saint of Killers"
I'm a huge fan of Frank Miller's Dark Knight runs, and Alan Moore's Watchmen. I also believe the Claremont/Byrne run of the X-Men is one of the greatest in comic history. Also give props to the Claremont/Miller "Wolverine" limited series.
so are there Preacher fans out there? any other series or runs that can compare?
(btw, I enjoyed that much of the Ennis/Dillon run on Punisher was incorporated into "Daredevil" Season 2)
The Preacher is written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon. Debuting in 1995 under DC's Vertigo line, this comic hits you instantly with its violence, its unrepentant dismantling of religious iconography, and ultimately its examination of friendship and love through the 3 main characters. Jesse Custer is a disillusioned preacher in Texas with a dark and violent past. Tulip O'Hare is Jesse's former girlfriend, on the run from a mob hit gone wrong. She is picked up by a Cassidy, an aged Irish vampire with a penchant for booze, drugs, and fighting.
Jesse Custer is inhabited by a spirit called "Genesis", the offspring of a union between an angel and a devil, and has powers that rival the creator. With his new found friends, they embark on a weird, violent, and tumultuous journey to find God (who has gone "missing") and hold him accountable for his actions.
This comic has one of my favorite characters of all time, the Saint of Killers. He's a unstoppable force of anger and violence that is set loose by some less than scrupulous angels to stop Jesse Custer and destroy Genesis. Also in the mix is Herr Starr, leader of a group know as "the grail", who control most of the world leaders and protect the bloodline of Christ.
The series lasted a taut 66 issues. It is not for the reverent. Ennis' writing is often deliberately and offensively critical of much of established Christian doctrine. But if one can set aside religious offense, it is also some of the best storytelling of our generation. Ennis combines conspiracy theories with violent but 3-dimensional action. He never wavers from stooping to the most base elements of a story, but in a way it juxtaposes with his deep meditations on the romance between Jesse and Tulip, and the complicated nature of betrayal that underlies the relationship between Custer and Cassidy.
The comic unfolds into a series of interconnecting storylines that last anywhere from 7 to 10 issues. "Gone to Texas" (the first) is a bold and unique introduction to the main characters and plots. "War in the Sun" depicts a brutal and violent clash in Monument Valley, UT (Dillon's wide illustrations of the landscape are some of the best in comic book history). "Salvation" is probably my favorite run of the series, which also introduced the immensely disturbed slaughterhouse owner Odin Quincannon (who will be played by Jackie Earle Haley in the AMC series)
There's also a few companion series to the comic, my favorite being "Saint of Killers"
I'm a huge fan of Frank Miller's Dark Knight runs, and Alan Moore's Watchmen. I also believe the Claremont/Byrne run of the X-Men is one of the greatest in comic history. Also give props to the Claremont/Miller "Wolverine" limited series.
so are there Preacher fans out there? any other series or runs that can compare?
