Let's talk Preacher.
 

Well, I finished the Preacher series, a while ago already. Let's discuss it.

For those not in the know, it's about Jesse Custer, a disillusioned preacher who gains the power of speaking with the Word of God, meaning he can force anyone to do just about anything just by ordering it. He's got big things in mind with it, too - he decides to go on a search for God himself and make him own up to the fucked-up state the world is in. His companions are his ex-girlfriend, now hired killer, and an almost 100-year-old Irish vampire who's into booze as much as blood.

Now.

When I read the first few books (there are nine in total) I thought they were great. A little on the violent side (that's an understatement; this is one of the most violent things you'll ever read), but it didn't seem to be violence for violence's sake. At least not up until about halfway through. Looking back after reading the entire thing, Preacher seems very much like the Slipknot of comics; edginess for the sake of being edgy and not much else. Oh, there are some very good ideas and thoughts, but there are just as many continuity errors and bad characterization.

Just one guy's opinion, in a nutshell. I'll be glad to elaborate if the discussion continues further.

(Oh, and I just realized this - if we talk religion and religious ideas, let's keep it to what's relevant for the comic.)

(Also, is it me or is Arseface modelled after James Vance? Look him up. He's the one with the relation to Judas Priest. They even look alike, although I'm damn sure not gonna link that.}

EDIT: Okay, that's somewhat less of a turnout than I hoped for. Nonetheless I think I figured out my main gripe with the characteriztion. Everyone is an outrageous over-the-top character, and there's no straight man for them to be played against. That's the whole problem.

I received the exact opposite impression. To me, Preacher is mostly gratuitous violence, sex, and political incorrectness for its own sake. But I love those things, especially when they're gratuitous, and I love Preacher. Also, I think Garth Ennis is a god of dialogue. The insults, oneliners, etc, that man comes up with are brilliant. I loved what Jesse did to those two guests on the radio show he was listening to near the end of the series.

As for characters, I like Herr Starr and Jesse the most. I thought Cassady was awesome too, until I found out

...He sucked dick for crack.

...please use the [spoiler] tag...

I will, now that I know of its existence.

Also I think it was heroin. :p

Well, of course, if that's your thing you'll have a field day with Preacher. Nothing wrong with that. And yeah, the dialogues and especially the talkshow scenes are what I'd file under "the good aspects."

Which is, let's be fair, a bit more respectable.

Oh, I wouldn't say that. I think that Preacher had a lot of signifigance in its final chapter, revolving around the relationship between Jessie and Cassady. It says a lot about friendship and faith, and redemption too.

For starters, Jessie is the messiah. Now, when I say this, I don't mean it to be taken literally. But Tulip's words hold a hidden depth when she points out who Jessie is and what he does. His initials are J.C. He walks the earth and rights wrongs, defends the weak and punishes the guilty wherever he goes. But it's not that simple; Jesus was tempted and so is Jessie, to use his powers for evil.

I look at his confrontation with that ex-Nazi in book seven as a first test. A test that he failed. Now admittedly, this is going to vary depending on your own views about capital punishment and morality. There's no question the old man's past actions were monstrous: perhaps they were unredeemable. But I believe he was honestly regretful, and there is no question that he had long ceased to be a threat to anyone.

Again, the question was whether or not Jessie could find it in himself to forgive that old man--and he failed to live up to his own potential, I believe, when he executed the elder.

His second test comes again in his final confrontation with Cassidy. Frankly, Cassidy's an even worse case than old Hauptmann (I think that was his name)---he's had a whole century to corrupt and destroy the lives of everyone he touched, a vampire in every sense of the word. He's more a monster than any single lifespan could afford. And yet, Jessie forgives him. That's what it came down to, I think, and I guess it again comes down to what you believe---is Cassidy, human again, going to return to being a monster, or will he pick himself up? I like to believe the latter, because I like to believe that forgiveness has the power to redeem, and so to me that's what Preacher has to say.

I would say that the Saint of Killers is a pretty damn straight man. It's a dark comedy.

I think Preacher is characterized wonderfully. And the Ending is pretty chilling outside the Jesse Tulips stuff. The Saint sitting in the throne with his hat over his eyes and a host of dead angels lying around him. Awesome.

I appreciate Preacher for having wicked good dialouge and imagery, as well as being fairly deep for all the violence and gore.

It's wonderful.

I'm not exactly what continuity errors you speak of. It's not like the invisibles which just went retarded in the last two books. (and I like the invisibles)

True, the Saint is probably the most fleshed out main character in the entire series. Cassidy has an interesting and well-described past, too.

The inconsistencies I'm talking about are mostly due to the sidestory I forgot the name of; the one from Jesse, Tupil and Amy's past. (Spoilers for that story and the one featuring Cassidy's friend Sy follow.) Jesse claims Sy is the only man he's ever killed, and he seems to take some pride in that; in that sidestory, however, we see him killing three people quite brutally. I've tried to find a way to explain that, but I have to say it strikes me as simply a glaring error; one that seriously hurts Jesse's character at that. Garth Ennis wrote that story himself, after all - you just have to wonder what he was thinking. The story seems as if it was written solely to even further appease (part of) the readership's want for brutality.

Imagine Brian doing a sidestory where Black Belt returns, Black Mage permanently kills Fighter, and featuring four pages of Black Mage-on-White Mage action.

Then again, maybe I just find it hard to get past the thick layer of violence and the over-the-top main story (which itself doesn't work too well for me - the final showdown for example, really just came to pass because nealry all the protagonists happened to be in the same spot as their rivals, except for Jesse and Cassidy), and through to what might well be the reall issue, as described by Piedmon.

Correction - it is written to appease Garth Ennis' want for brutality.

Garth Ennis just likes him some mother-fucking violence.

See also Hellblazer, Punisher, anything else with which Garth Ennis has ever been involved.

As far as Jesse, Jesse also claims that he is guided by the spirit of John Wayne. We can probably assume that this is a matter of an unreliable narrator. (Assuming that Jesse wasn't saying that Sy was the only man he'd killed in cold blood, or anything to that effect.)

Not really, they were all manipulated into being into the right spot. Starr was actively searching for Jesse, who allowed himself to be found, Jesse told Cass straight up where to find him, and the Saint of Killers was in Heaven because they knew that God would return there once Genesis was no longer a threat.