Preacher, Volume 9: Alamo by Garth Ennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Well, here we are.
It’s kind of odd reviewing Alamo, the final collection of Preacher trades, as it simultaneously is a review of a collection of issues of the comic, and the run as a whole. It’s something you’re not going to read unless you’ve read the rest of the run, and if you’ve managed to stick through the other eight trades, you’re probably in for the long haul anyway. (more…)
Preacher, Volume 8: All Hell’s a-Coming by Garth Ennis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This, the penultimate Preacher collection, gathers together issues 51-58 and the Tall in the Saddle one-off. It’s a collection that has a fair bit going on, though it’s not as action-packed, necessarily as the others. Certainly, it seems to clear the path for the final volume.
We begin with our main trio split, still. Tulip is kept in a drugged haze, and through her escape from chemical bondage (and creepy sex) (more…)
Preacher, Volume 7: Salvation by Garth Ennis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This Preacher trade gathers issues 41-50 of the regular run of the series, and focuses squarely on Jesse’s path after splitting with Cassidy and Tulip. It’s something of a refractory period in the story – Custer regroups and finds strength again – but it’s also home to some of the series’ more interesting foes, so it’s a worthwhile read. And that’s without counting the insight into the padre’s past this handful offers. (more…)
Preacher, Volume 6: War in the Sun by Garth Ennis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gathered in this volume is the special issue One Man’s War, and issues 34-40 of the main run of Preacher. It’s a collection that’s not quite as dazzling as some of the previous installments, but it does feature a shitload more firepower than we’ve seen previously – and the first really ruinous split in the crew.
(Oh, there’s also a small imaginary world where everyone has a face like an arse, but that’s more a little palate-cleanser for the next gathering of issues. Suffice it to say that it’s the first time Arseface has been without subtitles for a long stretch.) (more…)
Preacher, Volume 5: Dixie Fried by Garth Ennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This Preacher trade is another favourite. It collects Blood and Whiskey, a Cassidy special, and issues 27-33 of the regular run. Together, they deepen the portrait we have of the series’ whiskey-swilling vampire, proving that there’s a little more to him than toothy comic relief. (more…)
Preacher, Volume 4: Ancient History by Garth Ennis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another day, another collection of Preacher issues. However, this one’s something of an oddity. It gathers together three one-shot specials: Saint of Killers, The Story of You-Know-You and Good Old Boys. There’s a lengthy introduction by series author, Garth Ennis, in which his love of cinema is apparent – which is convenient, as the volume contains an excellent riff on his favourite genre, the Western, as well as a not-so-great version of the ’80s action film. (more…)
Preacher, Volume 3: Proud Americans by Garth Ennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Preacher re-read rolls on. Proud Americans gathers issues 18 to 26 of the series and while it contains just as much blow-shit-up-while-making-knob-jokes stuff as the previous trades, it’s also one which deepens character and explores history, too. Spoilers ahead, most likely.
We begin as Jesse is en route to Paris, where he encounters Space, a Vietnam vet who has stories to share of John Custer. The previous collection’s story of Angelville told of the meeting of Jesse’s mother and father, but this one offers some insight into what sort of a man he was – traits which have rubbed off onto the son, in an exchange begun by an anti-Commie lighter. (more…)
Preacher, Volume 2: Until the End of the World by Garth Ennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Until the End of the World, the second trade paperback in the Preacher series, gathers together issues 8-17 of the comic about the Texas padre with the Word of God in his skull, a failed-assassin girlfriend and an Irish vampire best mate. It’s also the trade wherein shit gets weird.
Well, weirder. (more…)
Preacher, Vol. 1: Gone to Texas by Garth Ennis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the lead-up to the AMC Preacher series I decided it was about time to reread the Ennis/Dillon comic series before I saw how it was transformed to fit television (and the updated time period). This will be a shorter review than normal as I’m keen to not reveal many spoilers, if possible.
This book collects issues 1-7 and their covers. We’re introduced to the main trio of characters, and given a bit of Big Apple adventure, but there’s the sense that the best is yet to come. This is a beginning, after all.
If you’ve not come across Preacher before, it’s pretty simple to categorise: it’s a dudes’ book. It’s all Texas and face-punching and murder and weird sex and uncomfortable gay jokes. It’s enjoyable, but it’s also kind of cringeworthy in some places, because it hasn’t necessarily aged particularly well. (more…)
Yeah nah. 