A review by some_okie_dude27
Preacher, Volume 3: Proud Americans by Garth Ennis
5.0
Religion tends to be an easy touch point for satirists, so much so that it becomes dull rather quickly. We get it, religion has some rather silly concepts behind it, so much so that it almost makes fun of itself. With that in mind, I avoided Preacher for a while, fearing it would be another 'fuck religion' polemic disguised as a story (a la His Dark Materials), and while there are the 'fuck religion' moments layered in Preacher from time to time, Ennis never gets too lost in his message and allows his focus to be clear. Religious satire died with Preacher for me, as few others could ever get quite get as madcap, as strange, nor as deviously imaginative as Ennis' opus on religion was, and still very much is.
I sometimes like to jokingly describe Preacher to friends as if Hunter S. Thompson decided to try his hand at writing a comic (without being Transmetropolitan), yet that comparison to too faint for this series. Ennis certainly shares Thompson's love for the demented and the depraved, but the vision that he dishes out for Preacher is purely his own. Ennis' satire is cutting, yet toned down in comparison to some of his other series' (I'm lookin' at you, The Boys), certainly his crass humor can become bothersome at times, but the characterization and the drama of the series are excellent. Many of the characters that are introduced throughout Preacher screams iconoclasm, with so many of them being unforgettable from Jesse to Ruth to Cassidy to The Saint of Killers and Preacher's version of God (who's not a very nice God to put it plainly), Ennis' talent for crafting interesting and well developed characters can sometimes be underrated, with most people focusing on his crass humor and dark intensity that would become landmarks of the series. But many forget the oddly heartfelt story that is told throughout the series
I often point people to this series when people ask me what I find to be a golden standard for long form storytelling, there is never a moment in Preacher that feels like a misstep or a bit that's boring, it's a rare series where everything comes together so beautifully that I'll dare not ruin it for anyone. Despite the plot being very straightforward, much of the intrigue comes from the characters and their personalities, which are based on their history and psychologies, much like how real people form their personalities based on their life experiences. Ennis' keen awareness for characterization and conflicts arising from characters' motivations and desires is the crux of what makes Preacher compelling. Ennis does take his pot shots at religion, yet never tells you what to think and never condescends to the audience, as he can sometimes do. He allows himself to be utterly selfless with his pen and give us a good story, which is all what he could hope for nowadays.
Steve Dillon's art is whole other thing entirely, and while I'm not always fond of his style (his characters often look similar), I find that the way that he and Ennis worked together was almost magical, something Ennis would lament. Ennis and Dillion's creative partnership is one of the great partnerships in comics, with few others being comparable: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino. Dillon almost pitch perfectly captures the depravity, as well as the heart that lies within Preacher's story. Their influences are clear, from Hellblazer (which was the book that they cut their teeth on State side with Vertigo), to Leone's spaghetti westerns to The Bible, but they bring their influences together in order to make something truly unique and original.
This is a series that I love because of how creatively ugly it is. It is so vile, so tasteless, and so utterly insane that it's hard not to appreciate it. One of the reasons that I found that the AMC show failed is because it didn't share the original comic's sense of vulgarity. It's like if NBC decided to try and make an adaptation of Transmetropolitan, it's vulgarity is a part of the series' charm. Then again I suppose it's fitting, to make something that's so depraved and unpleasant, one would have to tap into something that's also extremely depraved and unpleasant. There's simply nothing else like Preacher.
Preacher is truly a once in a life time series, and Preacher is one of those series' that reminds me why I love comics. While Ennis may focus too much on the sales numbers, I find that Preacher is his magnum opus in terms of artistic merit. Is it high art? No, I don't think so, yet I often look back to a particular satirical fantasist when I'm asked such questions:
"Susan hated literature, she'd much prefer to read a good book."
I sometimes like to jokingly describe Preacher to friends as if Hunter S. Thompson decided to try his hand at writing a comic (without being Transmetropolitan), yet that comparison to too faint for this series. Ennis certainly shares Thompson's love for the demented and the depraved, but the vision that he dishes out for Preacher is purely his own. Ennis' satire is cutting, yet toned down in comparison to some of his other series' (I'm lookin' at you, The Boys), certainly his crass humor can become bothersome at times, but the characterization and the drama of the series are excellent. Many of the characters that are introduced throughout Preacher screams iconoclasm, with so many of them being unforgettable from Jesse to Ruth to Cassidy to The Saint of Killers and Preacher's version of God (who's not a very nice God to put it plainly), Ennis' talent for crafting interesting and well developed characters can sometimes be underrated, with most people focusing on his crass humor and dark intensity that would become landmarks of the series. But many forget the oddly heartfelt story that is told throughout the series
I often point people to this series when people ask me what I find to be a golden standard for long form storytelling, there is never a moment in Preacher that feels like a misstep or a bit that's boring, it's a rare series where everything comes together so beautifully that I'll dare not ruin it for anyone. Despite the plot being very straightforward, much of the intrigue comes from the characters and their personalities, which are based on their history and psychologies, much like how real people form their personalities based on their life experiences. Ennis' keen awareness for characterization and conflicts arising from characters' motivations and desires is the crux of what makes Preacher compelling. Ennis does take his pot shots at religion, yet never tells you what to think and never condescends to the audience, as he can sometimes do. He allows himself to be utterly selfless with his pen and give us a good story, which is all what he could hope for nowadays.
Steve Dillon's art is whole other thing entirely, and while I'm not always fond of his style (his characters often look similar), I find that the way that he and Ennis worked together was almost magical, something Ennis would lament. Ennis and Dillion's creative partnership is one of the great partnerships in comics, with few others being comparable: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino. Dillon almost pitch perfectly captures the depravity, as well as the heart that lies within Preacher's story. Their influences are clear, from Hellblazer (which was the book that they cut their teeth on State side with Vertigo), to Leone's spaghetti westerns to The Bible, but they bring their influences together in order to make something truly unique and original.
This is a series that I love because of how creatively ugly it is. It is so vile, so tasteless, and so utterly insane that it's hard not to appreciate it. One of the reasons that I found that the AMC show failed is because it didn't share the original comic's sense of vulgarity. It's like if NBC decided to try and make an adaptation of Transmetropolitan, it's vulgarity is a part of the series' charm. Then again I suppose it's fitting, to make something that's so depraved and unpleasant, one would have to tap into something that's also extremely depraved and unpleasant. There's simply nothing else like Preacher.
Preacher is truly a once in a life time series, and Preacher is one of those series' that reminds me why I love comics. While Ennis may focus too much on the sales numbers, I find that Preacher is his magnum opus in terms of artistic merit. Is it high art? No, I don't think so, yet I often look back to a particular satirical fantasist when I'm asked such questions:
"Susan hated literature, she'd much prefer to read a good book."