Thou Shalt Read PREACHER

Once again, I'm proving just how behind the times I am...

I just finished reading the entire comic series PREACHER, written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon. There were 66 issues in all that ended July 2000. Behind Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN series and Alan Moore's WATCHMEN, it might be the greatest example of story-telling in comics I have read so far.

PREACHER is the story of Reverend Jesse Custer and his search for God. Literally. With his girlfriend Tulip and vampire buddy Cassidy, the good Reverend sets out to find God and make Him answer for the awful world he's created. And, of course, along the way they make all kinds of enemies and friends while horrible and hilarious things happen in their wake.

There are moments of horror (like seeing the one you love get her brains blown out in front of you).

There are moments of excitement (like a gunfight in a Louisiana graveyard with aspiring vampires).

There are moments of blasphemy (like telling God to go fuck himself).

There are moments of human insight (like a conversation about how all decent people enjoy Laurel and Hardy).

And, of course, there are moments of hilarious depravity (like a lovable character named Arseface, as pictured below).

This comic very intentionally tries to do every awful thing parents fear comics can do (I'm talking gore, sexual perversion, toilet humor, the whole shebang), but still tell a passionate, meaningful, exciting story. And that is awesome.

Read the first issue.