‘Preacher: Book One’ – Ennis, Dillon (DC, Vertigo)

 


Page Count: 352 Pages

Just a quick one today, mostly because I’m shattered already (and today is going to be a busy one) but also because I’m 99% certain that I’m the last person to have read ‘Preacher’ and I don’t think I’m going to say anything that people don’t already know. Having said that though, I hadn’t read any ‘Preacher’, until the other day, and this blog helps me keep track of what I’ve read (amongst other things) so… Here we are.

The other week, I had a rather nice scratch card win and there was a copy of ‘Preacher: Book One’ on the shelf in Waterstones. I’m not a hundred percent sure what happened next but all of a sudden, I was outside the shop and there was a copy of ‘Preacher: Book One’ in my bag. Funny how that seems to happen… It took me a while to get round to actually reading it but read it I did and…

Merging with a bizarre spiritual force called Genesis, Texan Preacher Jesse Custer becomes completely disillusioned with the beliefs that he had dedicated his entire life to. Now possessing the power of "the word," an ability to make people do whatever he utters, Custer begins a violent and riotous journey across the country. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend, Tulip, and the hard-drinking Irish vampire, Cassidy, the Preacher loses faith in both man and God as he witnesses dark atrocities and improbable calamities during his exploration of America.

Collects Issues 1-12 of ‘Preacher’

It’s not a new question is it… If God created everything, why does he allow bad things to happen? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it asked in a comic book though. Given that there’s another five books to follow, I wasn’t expecting the answer straight away and I wasn’t disappointed. This opening volume is very much about setting the scene, for Jesse to start dealing with his new ability and purpose, as well as asking questions that, I presume, will play out over the rest of the series.

The good news, for ‘first time reader me’, is that Ennis does a superb job of introducing us to Jesse Custer, as well as laying the foundations for the rest of the series. By the time the book comes to a close, I was well grounded in the ‘what’ while the ‘why’ is pretty damn tantalising and I really want to find out more now.

And it is all delivered against a backdrop that shows us just how murky it is in the shadows, and lonely places, of America. Violent too, Ennis doesn’t shy away from those moments (and damn, that glimpse into Jesse’s childhood has left me in awe of his resilience) and gives us intertwining plotlines that brood hard, and then explode into life at just the right moments.

I told you it would be a short post today. Instead of going into a whole spiel about how awesome ‘Preacher’ is… Lets just say that it’s been a long time since I’ve read something as powerful as these opening chapters of ‘Preacher’ and there’s no question about it, I’ll be picking up the rest of the series as and when I can get them.

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