Review: Preacher: Alamo

All epics must come to an end, and Preacher: Alamo is the final tale in the story of Reverend Jesse Custer, Tulip, Cassidy, Herr Starr and the rest of the cast of characters.

After months of searching for God, Jesse, a Texan at heart, hatches a genius plan, and decides to end his whole ordeal at the Alamo. A fitting location given the task at hand. Though Jesse might want to square things with God, Jesse's old enemy Herr Starr has given up on his original plans of making Custer into a modern Messiah, thus bringing about a global apocalypse that would make Starr Supreme Overlord of Earth. Since it was a complex and convoluted plan at best, Starr scraps that plan in favor of a new one that is much more simple in concept, and involves only one step: Kill Jesse Custer.

Before any of that whole reckoning with God stuff can happen Jesse needs to settle things with that wanker-bastard Cassidy, cut a deal with the Saint of Killers, oh, and keep Tulip safe in the process. Sound like the set up for an epic ending to an epic story? It is.

I'm always a little hesitant when finishing off a long series that I've really enjoyed. I worry that the ending wont live up to my expectations, and I think a part of me just doesn't like to see a good thing come to an end. Well, Preacher: Alamo is just about as perfect of an ending as I could ask for. Not only is the ending entertaining, but it also was pitch perfect in regards to the the story. It fit very well with the tone of the series, and its conclusion was rather satisfying as well.

After reviewing the previous eight installments, it is hard to say much of anything about Preacher that I haven't already gushed about. All told the Preacher series was 66 issues long, with a handful of one-shots, that flesh out the series to nine volumes in graphic format. That's a hefty chunk of material, and what I find remarkable is the level of consistency that Ennis and artist Steve Dillon maintain throughout. Preacher is pretty much always awesome, all the time. Basically, if you are reading this, and you haven't started in on reading the series...DO IT!

Over the course of this year, Garth Ennis's Preacher has been a steady source of entertainment. This is a landmark story in the world of comics, and is a must read for comics lovers. But really, Preacher is awesome enough to entertain those who might otherwise disregard the comic medium. You can't go wrong with a story about a bad-ass Reverend who is a cowboy at heart, who sets out to make God answer up for all the terrible bullshit that goes on in the world. What the hell are you waiting for? Read Preacher!

Grade: A

Review: Preacher: All Hell's A-Coming

The hero of the Preacher tale is a man named Jesse Custer. As we all know, behind every great man, there is an even greater woman. So, when Jesse's woman, Tulip saw Jesse fall from an airplane during a nuclear disaster, she thought he was dead. You can't really blame the gal for thinking that. So her downward spiral into the all-too-eager arms of that wanker of a vampire, Cassidy wasn't much of a surprise. Too bad for Cassidy, you cant keep Tulip down for ever.

The eighth and penultimate Preacher book starts with Tulip getting her shit together and walking back into a better life. The early pages of All Hell's A-Coming focus on Tulip's "angelic resurrection" and also deliver her origin story which covers the tragic deaths of her parents, her early love for guns and sharpshooting, and even her first encounter with Jesse.

From there, writer Garth Ennis sort of checks in and brings the reader up to date on many of the side characters, carefully maneuvering them into place for the finale. Through this story telling technique, we find out how much of a true wanker Cassidy is, find out the latest news with everyone's favorite, controversial pop sensation, Arseface, and get a close look at the devious machinations of Herr Starr and his Grail minions. To wrap things up, Ennis throws in a spin-off/one-shot story called High in the Saddle about Jesse and Tulip's car thievin' days.

Preacher: All Hell's A-Coming is definitely a book that dots the I's and crosses the T's. Reading it, I got the sense that Ennis wanted to make sure all the loose ends were tied up and all the essential pieces are in place for the grand finale. That isn't to say that this is a boring volume. This is a character driven story, and by now I am pretty damn invested in a bunch of the characters, so the backstories, and developments that go on serve to add depth to this fantastic story. There are some interesting developments that give me the feeling the ending is going to be epic.

The creative team of Garth Ennis, and Steve Dillon maintain their high level of quality work. Consistency is important in an on-going story and they sure do keep cranking out highly entertaining material. I'm practically salivating for the finale, but I'll likely cleanse my palette with a few other things before I get around to it.

Grade: B

Review: Preacher: Salvation

When we last parted company with Jesse Custer, he had survived a nuclear charged showdown in the desert with the evil forces of The Grail, only to fall from an airplane. Somehow he lived through the fall, only to wake up a month later missing an eye, and his memory of how he survived. Not wanting to spoil too much important plot stuff, I'll just say that he has also temporarily parted ways with his usual traveling companions, Tulip and Cassidy. Not surprisingly, after going through such trials, Jesse is a man in need of some quiet reflection, Which brings him to the town of Salvation, Texas.

Salvation has a bunch of problems, but most of them can be traced back to local meat baron Odin Quincannon. Before too long, Jesse has made many of the town's problems his own, as he becomes the town's Sheriff. The new sheriff and Quincannon quickly become enemies and their mutual hated soon spills over into all out war. Custer may seem like the ideal guy to take on the corrupted and violent Qunicannon, as he seemingly has nothing to lose, but as he becomes more involved in the town of Salvation, and makes connections with it's citizens, he discovers that he has a lot to protect.

Though the plot of Preacher: Salvation seems to take a break from the main story line, yet I felt that this is one of the strongest Preacher trades yet. Ennis seems to be at his best when he is writing about strange, creepy, weird, and violent characters and situations... and there is plenty of all that to be had here.

Once agian, a major strength of the graphic novel was Ennis' ability to build interesting, and complex characters. Odin Qunicannon is one of the more memorable characters to populate the Preacher world so far, and his rivalry with Jesse is extremely entertaining. Ennis' character building skills don't just stop with Quincannon though, as he populates the town of Salvation with a variety of colorful and interesting characters, and by virtue of that, the town comes to life.

Despite the fact that this is one highly entertaining and action packed graphic novel, I couldn't shake the sense that Jesse's stop in Salvation is sort of the calm before the storm. Everything seems to be gathering energy for one mean assault. There is only two volumes of Preacher left, and I got the sense that this may be my last chance to catch my breath.

Though the past couple volumes suffered a slight dip in quality and entertainment value, Salvation recovers quite nicely. Steve Dillon's artwork is as solid as ever, and the story itself was more entertaining than the last two volumes. I can't wait to see what is in store for the rest of the series.

Grade: A-

Review: Preacher: War in the Sun

The last time I read a Preacher book I was somewhat less than thrizzled. Well, in War in the Sun, the sixth volume of this series, I am happy to say that the ship has been set back on course, and the entertaining action and drama that has defined this series is in full force.

War in the Sun opens with an origin story of sorts. In this opening chapter, we follow Herr Starr in his journey from German elite soldier to his beginnings with the organization called "The Grail". As a child, Starr was the target of bullies, and one day the bullying went too far. Using a broken bottle, the bullies carved a five pointed "star for Starr" on his face, causing Starr to lose his eyesight from the injury, his hair from the trauma, and also giving the poor bastard a life long raspy voice due to all the screaming he did during the incident. This event hardened Starr and he used that hardness to eventually rise to the powerful position of All-Father of the Grail organization, which leaves him in command of a private army, and the power to pull many political strings...all of which he uses to his fullest ability to get his hands on Jesse Custer...

Which brings me to the man himself: Jesse Custer, his lady-friend Tulip and his pal Cassidy. Since the events in Louisiana, Custer's plan is to head to the desert, take some peyote, and talk to Genesis, the powerful being that has possessed his body. With that plan in mind, Jesse scores some peyote from an American Indian, and heads for Monument Valley, the popular backdrop of many a classic Western film.

Meanwhile, Tulip and Cassidy are less than buddy-buddy due to Cassidy's recent proclamation of hidden love for Tulip. Cassidy has since apologized for his "wankerish" behavior, claiming he'll leave Tulip and Jesse to their love, but there is a definite lack of trust on Tulip's behalf. Rightfully so, given some stories she heard from Casssidy's friends in New Orleans...

Jesse isn't the only one heading towards Monument Valley. Thanks to some inside information, Starr, with his personal army, is waiting in ambush, and this time they have the US Army in their back pocket. However the hallucinogenic soul searching and the world domination schemes are interrupted by an unexpected third party, and when the dust clears no one will be left unscathed.

War in the Sun is packed with Ennis' usual action, drama and humor. Those three qualities are in abundance in this volume. Ennis has done a solid, though somewhat obvious, job of making me mistrust and dislike Cassidy. By the end of this volume, I kinda hate the bastard. There isn't much to say about Ennis' writing that I haven't already said. There were times when I felt the dialog took over the page, essentially squeezing out the art, but that feeling dissipated as the action picked up.

A different artist, Peter Snejbjerg, was brought in to draw Starr's origin story. Overall, I was not a fan of his art. My biggest gripe being that Starr's nose and chin looked over sized and cartoony, the guy isn't Pinocchio! While some panels were rather striking, I felt the overall quality was a drop in comparison to that done by Steve Dillon. Dillon on the other hand, once again did great work. It never ceases to amaze me how many of his drawings get laughs out of me. Sometimes they are just so spot on for the moment they are depicting...plus he draws Arseface. Great stuff.

It was nice to see a return to excellent form for this series. The middle books in any series can often be a struggle to get through, but now I find myself on the home stretch, and I can't wait to see where this series will end up, and what will happen to the characters. War in the Sun is one of the more exciting entries in the Preacher series. Awesome stuff.

Grade: B+

Review: Preacher: Dixie Fried

The fifth Preacher volume opens with a violent and hilarious account of Cassidy from his earlier vampire days. In this prelude, Cassidy discovers a fellow vampire in the city of New Orleans. However, this guy is way into the cheesy, gothic, Dracula-esque vampire scene, right down to sleeping in a coffin every night. This wanker, (Cassidy's words, not mine), Eccarius also has a band of followers who fancy themselves Les Enfants du Sang or Children of the Blood. They're a bunch pathetic hangers on, and Cassidy tries to show Eccarius a better way of life: A life of boozing it up and living life to the fullest, of course. Cassidy and Eccarius prove to be too different to see eye to eye, and their short acquaintance comes to a fiery conclusion.

Back in the present course of events, Jesse and Cassidy have arrived back in New York City and have been rejoined by Tulip. She was left behind in France by Jesse back in the third volume, and she finally gets her shot at revenge, and she does not miss. While Jesse is suffering from Tulip's wrath, Tulip meets Cassidy at a pub, and Cassidy confesses his love for her. While it could be seen as drunken confusion, Cassidy insists that it is not, and that his love is for real.

Jesse's quest to confront God must continue though, and the three set out to New Orleans to see a Voodoo priest that can supposedly help Jesse find some answers. Amidst fractured trust, cults hell bent on revenge, and the return of Arseface, Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy need to stick together in order to stay alive.

This fifth volume of the Preacher series sports a return to the main story line, and the three main characters of Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy. While it nice to see Ennis shake things up a bit and create a few fractures in the group, not a lot else occurred in this volume. Normally I praise Ennis' skill at crafting fantastic dialog, but this one had too much dialog and not enough plot movement. The voodoo elements were deliberately cliched, but hopefully provided some direction to Jesse's mission so that the next volume will be more exciting.

Dixie Fried was not all bad though. Many of the side-plot elements were interesting and funny. There is never a dull moment when Arseface is around, and I look forward to tracking his burgeoning singing career. Les Enfants du Sang proved to be entertaining cannon fodder for Tulip and company. If only all shitty, expendable villains were so entertaining.

On the artistic front, Steve Dillon is impressive once again. Dillon has a wonderful ability to draw extremely memorable and graphic scenes. There are a few panels in Dixie Fried that will live long and prosper in my memory. The two Les Enfants impaled on the same samurai sword panel is a winner in my book.

While Dixie Fried isn't as strong as the other Preacher books, it still delivers some good solid entertainment. I'll be honest and say that this was my least favorite of the Preacher books so far, but I'll temper that statement by saying this is still some extremely entertaining stuff, and better than 99% of the capes and tights bullshit out there. Preacher continues to be awesome and I'll be reading more of it soon enough.

Grade: B-

Review: Preacher: Proud Americans

At the start of this third volume, the Reverend Jesse Custer and his lady Tulip are on their way to France to find Cassidy, their vampire pal. While at the airport, Jesse meets Billy Baker, a Vietnam vet who was a good friend of Jesse's dad. As they drink at the airport bar, Billy tells Jesse how the "Fuck Communism" lighters came to be, amongst other stories about Jesse's father.

Once in France, Jesse, who worries for Tulip's safety, ditches her and heads off on his own to rescue Cassidy. Thanks to this decision, Jesse is basically forced to wage a one man war on an ancient secret society called the Grail. Their leader, an enormously fat, bulimic sack of shit named D'Aronique is simply one of the easiest bad guys you'll love to hate. His eventual comeuppance is quite satisfying...and fitting.

The issue concludes with a long scene on top of the Empire State Building, with Cassidy telling Jesse the tale of how he came to be a Vampire. Cassidy's back story was actually a lot less interesting than I thought it would be, and the way he came to be a vampire felt like a bit of a rip-off. Considering his current nature: a hard drinking, fast living guy, his back story didn't really seem to fit.

Ennis' inclusion of the 'war story' was cool, it was nicely written and despite seemingly very pressing things happening in the main story line, I got caught up in it. Ennis has a strong knack for dialog, and he has an uncanny ability to build believable characters in short amounts of time. None of the soldier characters felt like cliches or filled the generic roles we so often see in war films. This section of the volume turned out to be my favorite part.

Technically speaking, Ennis was on a role in this volume. His writing was sharp and extremely witty. There were a few moments where some minor detail mentioned, or hinted at in a panel pages ago, would crop back up at just the right moment, and be absolutely hilarious. Based on writing alone, this was a very solid installment, however, as far as entertainment value goes, Proud Americans lacked some of the punch from the first two volumes.

Thanks to the Vietnam story, which was good, and Cassidy's origin story, which was not so good, not a ton happened in terms of the overall story line. Granted, more happened here than most other entire comic series, but after the first two volumes I've come to hold Preacher to a pretty high standard. With the return to American soil, I expect things will get moving again though. Once I get my hands on the fourth volume, a review will follow closely behind.

Grade: B

Review: Preacher: Until the End of the World

I recently read the second installment in Garth Ennis's Preacher series and I am glad to say that it was mind blasting.

Until the End of the World picks up where the previous installment, Gone to Texas left off. Reverend Jesse Custer and his gal Tulip have returned to Texas, intent on settling up some debts, but instead they get captured by Custer's most lethal enemies, who take him back to the family homestead. As far as homecomings go, this is about as terrible as it can get. Custer's Gran'Ma is easily the most severely deranged one hundred year old wheelchair bound granny ever. Her evilness is matached nearly equally by her cronies Jody and T.C. Jody is brains and brawn combined with a lethal temper, and T.C. is a shotgun toting lack-wit who sodomizes farm animals...Not exactly a family tree you'd be proud to branch off of.

To top things off, Jesse's "word of God" power has no effect on his family members.

During the capture, much is learned about both Jesse's and Tulip's history. Much of the mysteries of these two central characters are revealed, as Ennis expertly fleshes out his characters. Both have fucked up histories, Custer's unbelievably so. Through these flashback scenes, Ennis was able to make me really start to care about his main characters, and fully appreciate just how extremely evil Gran'Ma, Jody and T.C. truly are.

We also learn that Custer has a Guardian Angel/Pardner who may or may not be the Duke himself John Wayne...Crazy!

Adding to Custer's problems is the fact that word about his "word of God" power is getting around, and for better or worse, other groups are seeking him as well. With his world getting torn in two, Custer has to face evils that may be even more terrible than his Gran'Ma.

Until the End of the World is easily the best comic I've read so far this year. Ennis took everything that was great about the first preacher volume and ramped up the intensity. I think character building is tough to do in the Graphic format, but Ennis really made me care about his characters and those that surround them. Another amazing thing about Preacher is the dialog. Ennis may be a brit, but I can hear the Texas twang when characters speak. The conversations have an amazing flow and true to life feeling that is rare in writing these days.

I can't get over how much fun it was to read this graphic novel. Until the End of the World is a true page turner. There is more excitement packed into its 250 or so pages then most movies or novels. I can't say enough good things about this graphic novel, and I cant say much bad about it. I will say that Preacher is certainly NOT for everyone, but I still think everyone should read it. I give this graphic novel my fullest and most emphatic recommendation. Look for more Preacher reviews in the future of Battle Hymns.

Score: A+

Review: Preacher: Gone to Texas

Preacher: Gone to Texas, is a crazy, sadistic, blasphemous, and heretical comic.

It tells the story of Jesse Custer, a small town preacher in Texas, who gets possessed by a supernatural God-like being called Genesis. Genesis is the product of an unholy sex-tryst between an angel and a demon. Since the conception of Genesis, God has quit, disappeared from heaven, thus leaving the petty, squabbling angels in charge. The angels fear that whomever is possessed by Genesis, will gain God-like power, so they set the Saint of Killing loose in Texas to find Jesse Custer.

Custer indeed gains some powers. The one revealed so far is his "Word of God" ability to speak commands and have people immediately do as he asks. While this power could make Custer's life extremely easy, he only uses it as a last-ditch solution...the man has morals.

After accidentally destroying both his church and his congregation while becoming possessed by Genesis, Custer sets out in search of God...literally. His goal is to discover why God has abandoned His creation. Custer is aided along the way by his gun-toting ex-girlfriend, and a heavy drinking Irish vampire.

Preacher struck me as a down and dirty comic where nothing, truly nothing, is sacred, and anything goes...Angel execution by a pistol wielding cowboy? Check. A Sheriff who literally tries to fuck himself? Check. A homophobic hero detective with a secret fetish? Check. Every character in the book is fucked up or will somehow become fucked up. At moments this comic had me laughing out loud, then cringing the next as Dillon, the artist, depicted someone's face getting shot off.

Preacher is definitely not for the weak of heart or the religious conservative. Luckily, I am neither, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Dillon's artwork is not my favorite, but his style fits the story quite well. His "faces getting shot off" pictures will likely give me nightmares for life. Fun stuff! Ennis writes and plots well, and kept me guessing throughout. I don't know who exactly I would recommend this to, but I do indeed give it my recommendation.

Preacher: Gone to Texas, the first volume in a nine part graphic novel series, is written by Garth Ennis, and drawn by Steve Dillon.

Grade: A