Description
Written by Garth Ennis Art by Steve Dillon Cover by Glenn Fabry A new edition of the classic collection featuring the landmark PREACHER #1-7! Jesse Custer begins a violent and riotous journey across the country joined by his girlfriend Tulip and the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1996-03-01
Publication
New York DC Comics Cop. 1996
ISBN
1563892618 / 9781563892615
Local notes
Volume 1 of the "Preacher" series, collecting issues 1 through 7.
Library's review
While I'm not a fan, there's a lot of stuff I like about "Preacher". There are some memorable characters, a pretty good premise, usually quite good dialogue. There's a lot of stuff I don't like. I find the amount of violence and degradations to be juvenile -- too extreme for much entertainment
Thankfully, this review is just for the first volume, and here, most of what makes me less thrilled by the series as a whole is less present. Though, sure, there's the Jesse-Tulip relationship, which in this first volume feels very... icky. The only female character in the whole book keeps saying she's not interested in the protagonist (who has a backstory of having abandoned her without explanation), and yet we're somehow supposed to (with her) be reluctantly charmed at his insistance she wants to sleep with him. On the trade-off, though, there's Jesse's relationship with Cassidy, which is easy, believable and very endearing. I also find the (on paper rather filler) serial killer plot in the second arc to be very well done, with a great red herring and a creepy resolution. The Saint of Killers is still cool and scary, having yet to become a character so Mary Sue'd that his very existence just irritates me, several supporting characters are memorable (the stoic, redneck sheriff and the unlucky detective in particular stood out to me), and -- romantic ickyness aside -- the three core characters have an immediate and fun dynamic to them that sucks me into the story quite well. It's also early enough in the plot that the angelic interactions are more interesting than disappointing to me, so the fantasy aspect is still working in its favour -- even though when the otherwise quite consistently clever Jesse never seems to bother to think through how to get the most of his uses of his Word of God power, that is another minor nuiscance rubbing me the wrong way over and over.
(Feel free to skip this paragraph unless you want to know more about my thoughts on the violence in particular: Because, I should note about that, I quite love Ennis' "Punisher" run, which might on the face of it be said to have all the same problems with the extreme violence portrayals. The difference is, there (to my subjective experience) it's gratifying violence. Horrible people are almost exclusively the victims of it -- as ensuring that is literally the premise of the Punisher character -- so it's not just constantly happening to everyone, everywhere, good, bad and everything between. To me, it's neither very interesting, upsetting or funny seeing a villain be gruesomely molested when three other characters have been through similar experiences in the last fifty pages, which is how I sometimes feel it goes when reading "Preacher".)
I originally read "Preacher" well over a decade ago, borrowing volumes 2 and onwards from a friend. I reread this now to see what I thought of it this long after, if my impressions would hold. All in all, they did. There's a lot in here to like. There's also a lot I don't, and (the awesomely horrific grandma aside) I'm pretty sure I remember feeling all of those issues getting a lot worse moving forward. So while I'll keep volume 1 in the collection, and maybe even revisit it again in another decade or so, I don't think I'll ever buy the rest of the run. Someone else's cup of tea.
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value (after a while it's just unpleasant), and too frequent for emotional or shock value (it quickly becomes self-parodical). The approach to the supernatural forces is shallow -- too big in scope and form to work as parody, too mundane and simplistic to work as cool or awe-inspiring.Thankfully, this review is just for the first volume, and here, most of what makes me less thrilled by the series as a whole is less present. Though, sure, there's the Jesse-Tulip relationship, which in this first volume feels very... icky. The only female character in the whole book keeps saying she's not interested in the protagonist (who has a backstory of having abandoned her without explanation), and yet we're somehow supposed to (with her) be reluctantly charmed at his insistance she wants to sleep with him. On the trade-off, though, there's Jesse's relationship with Cassidy, which is easy, believable and very endearing. I also find the (on paper rather filler) serial killer plot in the second arc to be very well done, with a great red herring and a creepy resolution. The Saint of Killers is still cool and scary, having yet to become a character so Mary Sue'd that his very existence just irritates me, several supporting characters are memorable (the stoic, redneck sheriff and the unlucky detective in particular stood out to me), and -- romantic ickyness aside -- the three core characters have an immediate and fun dynamic to them that sucks me into the story quite well. It's also early enough in the plot that the angelic interactions are more interesting than disappointing to me, so the fantasy aspect is still working in its favour -- even though when the otherwise quite consistently clever Jesse never seems to bother to think through how to get the most of his uses of his Word of God power, that is another minor nuiscance rubbing me the wrong way over and over.
(Feel free to skip this paragraph unless you want to know more about my thoughts on the violence in particular: Because, I should note about that, I quite love Ennis' "Punisher" run, which might on the face of it be said to have all the same problems with the extreme violence portrayals. The difference is, there (to my subjective experience) it's gratifying violence. Horrible people are almost exclusively the victims of it -- as ensuring that is literally the premise of the Punisher character -- so it's not just constantly happening to everyone, everywhere, good, bad and everything between. To me, it's neither very interesting, upsetting or funny seeing a villain be gruesomely molested when three other characters have been through similar experiences in the last fifty pages, which is how I sometimes feel it goes when reading "Preacher".)
I originally read "Preacher" well over a decade ago, borrowing volumes 2 and onwards from a friend. I reread this now to see what I thought of it this long after, if my impressions would hold. All in all, they did. There's a lot in here to like. There's also a lot I don't, and (the awesomely horrific grandma aside) I'm pretty sure I remember feeling all of those issues getting a lot worse moving forward. So while I'll keep volume 1 in the collection, and maybe even revisit it again in another decade or so, I don't think I'll ever buy the rest of the run. Someone else's cup of tea.
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Awards
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — Graphic Novel — 1998)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Clurb
Violent, sexy, painfully funny and very addictive. This series starts off well with Gone To Texas and just gets better and better with the progression of plot and character.
Well written, very well drawn, and an interesting take on the topics of religion and faith.
Well written, very well drawn, and an interesting take on the topics of religion and faith.
LibraryThing member JackieP
Sick, slick, and utterly brilliant. Really didn't expect it to be as good as it was. If you have a twisted sense of humour, don't mind graphic violence, like the sound of a slightly insane Irish vampire, and you aren't easily offended, this is the graphic novel for you! Great characterisations,
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great plot, outstanding artwork. I just need to buy the rest now. Show Less
LibraryThing member flockhartsl
This series converted me to graphic novels - (make sure you read them in order)
LibraryThing member rodhilton
Preacher, Vol. 1 wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was expecting. When I see a book like this, I assume that it works as a cohesive book on its own, like Watchmen, Marvels, or The Dark Knight Returns. I expect a complete story which resolves by the end.
Preacher Vol 1 is just the first 7 issues of
The plot resolved at the end of the book was only introduced a few "issues" prior, and the "main" antagonist disappears after 3 issues.
I think if I had realized this was just 7 comic books glued together, I would have enjoyed this more, but as it is I was expecting a standalone comic novel, which isn't this.
Overall, Preacher is a good comic, with a ton of borderline-excessive violence and an interesting and unique world. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll read more.
Preacher Vol 1 is just the first 7 issues of
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Garth Ennis's preacher, and the 7 seems to have been chosen largely arbitrarily. A number of plot threads and characters introduced in the comics are not referenced again, and it kind of seems to meander all over the place.The plot resolved at the end of the book was only introduced a few "issues" prior, and the "main" antagonist disappears after 3 issues.
I think if I had realized this was just 7 comic books glued together, I would have enjoyed this more, but as it is I was expecting a standalone comic novel, which isn't this.
Overall, Preacher is a good comic, with a ton of borderline-excessive violence and an interesting and unique world. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'll read more.
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LibraryThing member erikeric
This is the book that got me back into comics. I can't remember why the hell I picked this up my sophmore year at college since I hadn't read a comic book since I was 14. The giddy feeling and pure fun of this book is what keeps me reading: I am always looking to have that feeling again and it's
As far as the content, you either will enjoy this story about a Preacher imbued with the "voice of God" which enables him to command anyone to do anything. Trademark Garth Ennis-style violence and language (read: gratuitous), check. Even if you're a Christian (like myself who is of the born-again sort) you can really have a laugh with this book. You just gotta take it for what it is: really fun fiction. Plus the serialized/soap-opera style story keeps you reading for the next plot point.
If this were a TV show, it'd be a mix of Deadwood, Rescue Me and Lost.
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elusive that makes the hunt all the more exciting.As far as the content, you either will enjoy this story about a Preacher imbued with the "voice of God" which enables him to command anyone to do anything. Trademark Garth Ennis-style violence and language (read: gratuitous), check. Even if you're a Christian (like myself who is of the born-again sort) you can really have a laugh with this book. You just gotta take it for what it is: really fun fiction. Plus the serialized/soap-opera style story keeps you reading for the next plot point.
If this were a TV show, it'd be a mix of Deadwood, Rescue Me and Lost.
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LibraryThing member Terpsichoreus
I'd have to agree with one of the responses in the letters page that Ennis is never as revolutionary as he seems to imagine himself. Cursing is really an art, and while Ennis is a proficient user, he's really not masterful enough to make it beautiful. He's had to study it with some care and made an
After reading Morrison's Invisibles, it is a sweet blessing to find someone with a mind for coherent storytelling. Even his flashbacks and cuts seem reasonable and driven. Then again, there is a smidge more action in Preacher, and a lot fewer unrelated tangents.
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admirable transition from Irish to Southern U.S. (which may not seem a drastic change in volume, but is a world apart in vernacular).After reading Morrison's Invisibles, it is a sweet blessing to find someone with a mind for coherent storytelling. Even his flashbacks and cuts seem reasonable and driven. Then again, there is a smidge more action in Preacher, and a lot fewer unrelated tangents.
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LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
I feel both guilty and a bit, er, dirty, but I can't stop laughing. I have gone and purchased the rest of the series, if only to find out what happens to one minor character. This was an interesting look at the power of religion, rather than the power of faith.
LibraryThing member lithicbee
The first volume of Preacher contains all the elements that make this series great. The trinity of Jesse Custer, Tulip, and Cassidy; insanely graphic, almost cartoon but still too too real violence; an awesomely vulgar sense of humor; angels; devils; God (or the lack thereof); the Saint of Killers;
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and John Wayne. Somehow, all that mixed together makes perfect sense. Oh, and Aresface, let's not forget him. Garth Ennis writes some very real characters and puts them in increasingly bizarre situations to see how they react. Steve Dillon's artwork is perfect for the story; the man knows how to draw him some gunshot injuries, let me tell you. At any rate, this series is of course not for the easily offended, but it is wicked good fun for the rest of us. Show Less
LibraryThing member Anagarika-Sean
It reminds me of some elements of my childhood. The religious symbolic nature of the story is awe-taking. A great series.
LibraryThing member stephmo
Trying to describe Gone to Texas is a bit like heading cats. You start with an atheist preacher, his vampire sidekick and ex-girlfriend on the run. Well, the atheist bit is a bit wrong, since he is carrying Genesis within him. Genesis is hard to explain and a major portion of the story, so let's
This is only about half the story. In this introduction, you receive hints that Jessie and Tulip's breakup story will involve more than a mundane "growing apart" tale. You find that his vampire friend, Cassiday, will lead them into adventures that will rival the one that they're on. You're introduced to a sad and tragic rival created out of a hastily used power. Did I mention that they have to find God?
This is a shoot-'em-up graphic novel with gritty, hard and violent characters. Even the angels are hard-drinking and foul-mouthed. Of course, with a faith-lapsed, possessed Preacher searching for a being who deliberately disappeared a few thousand years ago standing between you and Armageddon...well, the mood fits.
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just say that you'll learn that Heaven's working-class angels are quite upset that it's gone, God has been AWOL since it's taken up residence and the executive class decided to unleash the Saint of All Killers on the earth in an effort to retrieve it from Jessie Custer (our titular Preacher) by any means necessary.This is only about half the story. In this introduction, you receive hints that Jessie and Tulip's breakup story will involve more than a mundane "growing apart" tale. You find that his vampire friend, Cassiday, will lead them into adventures that will rival the one that they're on. You're introduced to a sad and tragic rival created out of a hastily used power. Did I mention that they have to find God?
This is a shoot-'em-up graphic novel with gritty, hard and violent characters. Even the angels are hard-drinking and foul-mouthed. Of course, with a faith-lapsed, possessed Preacher searching for a being who deliberately disappeared a few thousand years ago standing between you and Armageddon...well, the mood fits.
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LibraryThing member conformer
Spastically violent, ridiculously profane, and just a bit too cool. The first volume collects the first seven issues of DC's bleeding-edge Vertigo title, and while it meanders off into a B-plot tangent in the second half, it at least buttons itself up by the end to make for an above-average climax
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and conclusion. The book(s) really shine, however, with Ennis' slick writing, oddly capturing the moseying dialogue of Texas, an even greater feat considering he's from Ireland. Show Less
LibraryThing member othersam
PREACHER, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon is a nine-volume comic about friendship, love and courage, encompassing a skewed but brilliant look at American history, righteous rage against religious dogma, vampires, drinking, cowboys, sex, swearing, violence, heart-stopping romance and swearing. It's
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a work of genius. I was recently asked to choose my five favourite books of all time: if the fact it's nine volumes long means that technically PREACHER would have to be all five plus another four, that would probably be fine with me. Show Less
LibraryThing member Ridley_
Husband: "You should read Preacher, I think you'd really like it."
Me: "Oh yeah? What's it about?"
Husband: "...well, it's, uh, hmmm...it's a western?"
Me: "You can't blurb it for me?"
Husband: "Not really, no. Just read it."
A few hours later...
Me: "So lemme get this straight. We have Jesse Custer, the
Husband: "Yup."
Me: "That's just insane."
Husband: "Maybe."
Me: "Be a dear and grab me volume two, if you would be so kind..."
Me: "Oh yeah? What's it about?"
Husband: "...well, it's, uh, hmmm...it's a western?"
Me: "You can't blurb it for me?"
Husband: "Not really, no. Just read it."
A few hours later...
Me: "So lemme get this straight. We have Jesse Custer, the
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Preacher, who's been possessed by some sort of nigh-omnipotent heavenly power and has the spirit of John Wayne as his guardian angel, Cassidy, who's basically Shane McGowan the vampire, and Tulip, the mob-connected hit woman and Jesse's ex-girlfriend all off on a mission to literally find God?"Husband: "Yup."
Me: "That's just insane."
Husband: "Maybe."
Me: "Be a dear and grab me volume two, if you would be so kind..."
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LibraryThing member talk0underworld
Though the storyline is fascinating, the writing seems very unpolished. The dialogue is especially stilted. Overall, the characters make it worth continuing on to the next collection in the series, which I hope to do shortly. Perhaps the writing will improve as the plot develops. I think I'm just
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spoiled after having read so much Gaiman and Alan Moore over the years. This is a far cry from From Hell or The Sandman, after all. Show Less
LibraryThing member stipe168
although it doesn't quite reach sandman's peak, this series concerning Life and Death and God rank up there with the best. More twists than a chubby checkers groupie.
LibraryThing member RoC
Just started re-reading this - I've been meaning to do so for a while (since reading the rather rubbish da vinci code), but hadn't quite got round to it. Glad to see its just as gripping as the first time round
LibraryThing member regularguy5mb
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked up Preacher, I just knew that it was one of the Vertigo titles that everyone raved about and that the trade had Kevin Smith's recommendation right above the title. That was enough for me.
This book is fantastically written. There is so much dark
I cannot wait to see where this is going.
This book is fantastically written. There is so much dark
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humor, crass language, and graphic violence that I'm surprised I didn't hear more about it from the people who usually boycott things like that, especially in a comic book. Kudos to Garth Ennis for pulling off such a brilliantly dark book and to Steve Dillon for not holding back on the gory details.I cannot wait to see where this is going.
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LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
This was book one of a series I received as a donation to my Little Free Library, I flipped through the pages of this book and wondered who would ever read it as every page was filed with pictures of blood and gore. Then, as I usually do in the case of questionable books, I check what people wrote
The next day, I took another peek at it, starting from where i left off on the previous day. Strange! I became absorbed in the story as soon as I figured out who was who and what each person was trying to do to the other people (except for the one person, Reaver Cleaver (haha!), who was intentionally devious. I was captured by this story and found some of it quite funny. I guess it was kind of dark humor, but it grabbed me anyway.
Now, guess what? I found the last third of this book easy enough to understand and want to finish the whole seven-book series. Go figure!
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about it on LibraryThing. Lo! People actually liked it. So what do I do? I go back and start reading it. I tried to wade my way through the gratuitous blood, violence, blasphemy, and profanity to see what the book was really about. Some of it was way over my head. I wasn't following the story line. I was amazed at the art work which was incredibly detailed and well done. I set the book aside to give away.The next day, I took another peek at it, starting from where i left off on the previous day. Strange! I became absorbed in the story as soon as I figured out who was who and what each person was trying to do to the other people (except for the one person, Reaver Cleaver (haha!), who was intentionally devious. I was captured by this story and found some of it quite funny. I guess it was kind of dark humor, but it grabbed me anyway.
Now, guess what? I found the last third of this book easy enough to understand and want to finish the whole seven-book series. Go figure!
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LibraryThing member savageknight
Interesting concept... interesting characters... but... didn't grab me more than that. Perhaps it was just too overly hyped by my friends.
LibraryThing member andreablythe
Volume One introduces Reverend Jesse Custer (a small town minister who has merged with a half demon, half angel being called Genesis), Tulip (Jesse's gun toting ex-girlfriend), and Cassidy (a drunken Irish vampire). After a disaster in Texas, the three find themselves on the run from both the
I was a bit torn on this one, because while I liked the concept and ideas and the plot, most of the character were unlikeable (lots of Texans spouting vile racism and sexism) and extreme brutality (some of which didn't seem to serve a purpose other than shocking the reader). Even the main characters I had a hard time liking and only began to find interest in what happened to them toward the end. The art I liked fine (and it suits the tone of the story well), but the structure at the beginning rang artificial. I think that if I didn't happen to already have Volume Two sitting in front of me, I might not have bothered with continuing.
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redneck police and a ruthless immortal called the Saint of Killers. I was a bit torn on this one, because while I liked the concept and ideas and the plot, most of the character were unlikeable (lots of Texans spouting vile racism and sexism) and extreme brutality (some of which didn't seem to serve a purpose other than shocking the reader). Even the main characters I had a hard time liking and only began to find interest in what happened to them toward the end. The art I liked fine (and it suits the tone of the story well), but the structure at the beginning rang artificial. I think that if I didn't happen to already have Volume Two sitting in front of me, I might not have bothered with continuing.
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LibraryThing member kmajort
Took me a long time to get around to reading this. When Preacher came out I was big into Hellblazer, and despite the similarities did not want to switch camps.
But all in good time. Will be reading more of this asap.
But all in good time. Will be reading more of this asap.
LibraryThing member AlexWMcPherson
I love it!
LibraryThing member JenJ.
While I feel that this is extremely well executed and thought-provoking, this is definitely at the far violent and graphic edges of my taste. Foul language? Yep. Sex? Yep. Over-the-top violence? Yep. I read books with all of these things included, but in a graphic novel they have an even higher
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impact. A strong stomach and a tolerance for less than reverent depictions of religion are both needed, but if you can handle it, I would highly recommend this series. This first volume really sets the stage for the series as a whole and introduces us to the three main characters - Jesse, who has the Word of God on his side (sort of), Tulip his gun-toting ex-girlfriend, and Cassidy, an Irish vampire. Fun and funny in places as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member BrynDahlquis
It wasn't what I was expecting, but admittedly I didn't know what to expect. I like the characters, especially Cassidy. Even though the background story is somewhat cliched, it still works, and the ongoing plot is new and fresh.
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Reading this comic made me feel sick and a bit dirty. Ennis seems to feel that by adding as much violence, bodily fluids, rape and gore as possible, he'll achieve a gritty, realistic feel. Instead, he just makes himself look like a sick-minded poseur.