Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but...
Review: ...it never lived up to its initial promise. Profanity for profanity's sake is OK, but a little more substance would have kept my attention past the first 20 issues of this series.
Rating: 
Summary: For Anyone Who Has Questioned Their Faith.
Review: Let me start off by saying that this review is for the entire "Preacher" series. I have read this book and all of the others more times than I can count, and it still never fails to amaze me. For those of you who are fans of the graphic novel format, this one is up there with "Maus" and "Watchmen". Profanity, violence, and graphic imagery are all used to prove a very strong point. If I had to find a flaw, I would say that it is a shame that I can't read fast enough to finish the series in one sitting. If I tried to describe it any further I would be doing it an injustice. GET IT
Rating: 
Summary: An overrated but lively and enjoyable comic
Review: In his introduction to the second volume of this series, Kevin Smith talks about _Preacher_'s intelligent and provocative commentary on religion. Like Smith's film _Dogma_, _Preacher_ demonstrates that the author has thought about the subject for at least five minutes (as opposed to most people, who haven't thought about it at all). Intelligent religious commentary, however, it is not. Fortunately, _Preacher_ has many other strengths. The story is well-paced and fast-moving, the characters are hard-edged and interesting, and the religious imagery and humor are wonderfully bizarre and often disgusting (but in that good way). The art is expressive and lively, with a memorably dark and tormented main character. A warning: _Preacher_ is unbelievably vulgar, so vulgar that it sometimes leaves humor behind and becomes a tedious barrage of gross-out panels and only mildly creative obscenities. Overall, however, Ennis manages to tell an engaging enough story and enough good jokes to make _Preacher_ worth reading. Do the comics community a favor, though -- when you're looking for something to give your non-comics reading friend to introduce them to the genre, leave Ennis for later and stick with Gaiman instead; _Preacher's_ exactly the sort of thing that makes the non-comics reading public think comics are nothing but sex, violence, and blasphemy.
Rating:
Summary: Best published work in the last 15 years, comic or not.
Review: When you take the series as a whole (all 66 issues, or 9 graphic novels), it's probably the best published work in many many years. Behind the nudity and violence, you have strong moral characters, alot of introspective thought, and an incredibly paced story. I was a comic fan for many years, and I've read all the greats (V, DKR, MAUS, etc. Fans will know what I'm talking about) but this blew. me. away. Really, you're talking about the VERY BEST of both worlds. On the one hand you have a great plot, clever dialogue, and great characters. and on the other hand, violence done right. Steve Dillon draws fights like no one else, making it flow almost like a movie. You totally have a feel for all the movement and action, unlike many other comics out there. If you're a fan of original thought, and new ideas, read all nine books. If you're a fan of violence, action, and a touch of humor, read all nine books. Hell, if you're a fan of love stories, drama, betrayal and all that soap opera stuff, you guessed it, read all nine books. You will thank yourself.
Rating:
Summary: A little too disturbing
Review: I'm in the right demographic for action/violent books and movies, and I tend to enjoy them. Mixing in religious themes usually adds to my enjoyment. So this book looked like a sure thing to me. However, there were things in here that disturbed me enough to not want to read the next book in the series. I'm giving it four stars because there isn't anything wrong with the story. It just isn't to my taste. I didn't get the sense that this book takes violence seriously enough. That's not a big deal when you're talking about entertainment that doesn't really take anything seriously. A Steven Seagal movie, for instance, can include hundreds of meaningless deaths. No big deal. But this book has a moral message, so I was paying attention to how it portrayed violence and its consequences. Part of the book's message, apparently, is that it is OK for the "hero" to force someone to rip off a piece of his own anatomy, as long as that someone is a racist. The "heroes" even joke about it later. I also had trouble with some of the details of the serial killer plot and the killer's actions. Just too graphic for me. All in all, my state of mind is better without reading this series. Others might not mind the violence. "Preacher: Gone to Texas" is well written and drawn. Obviously, the writer and artist are talented.
Rating:
Summary: Violent and Dissatisfying... Like the Bible
Review: Preacher is more boring than offensive. The protagonist is a foul-mouthed, vigilante preacher, but considering his sidekicks are an obnoxious vampire and a brash hitwoman, his own bad attitude doesn't stand out much. When every character is arrogant and cruel, there's no potential for a compelling conflict. There is occasional suspense and intrigue, but the payoff is almost always disappointing: a serial killer... with body parts in his fridge! A homophobic cop... who turns out to be a gay connoisseur of S&M! It's all rather predictable and powerless, honestly. Just because something's over-the-top doesn't mean it's campy, clever or satirical. Sometimes a smashed nose and the F-word is just a smashed nose and the F-word.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining comics, but there's better.
Review: I bought the Preacher because of two reasons: One, I'd heard vague but positive opinions about it...it was the only TPB in the store I was at that I could afford. So I grabbed it. Roughly 24 hours later, my response is "Humzurm." I certainly wasn't stricken with side-splitting laughter as most revewers seem to have been. The violence was very gratuitous and at some points truly horrific. Everyone in this book seems to use bullets of some ridiculous caliber, since the human body seems to turn to liquid after being shot. The story is pretty original and fairly interesting. The art was very well done, however there was a problem with it. It didn't really convey a lot of speed to me. There were never any moments when I was flipping pages furiously, taken away in the raging river of panels. Nothing seemed to happen suddenly. That really bugged me. This is a decent, violent comics, but as I saw it, there was nothing that special here. Nothing gave it a unique spark that captivated, like some comics have. This ought to drive the point home: After finishing it, I regretted getting it, and wished I'd bought a different TPB. Simply because when you get down to spending your hard-earned money, you want it to be on something you'll like a lot and want to re-read over and over. That didn't happen with this. You might love it, but be wary. Try to read it before throwing down cash on it. There's nothing that special here.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing work, but...
Review: I was quite the comic buyer until about 10 years ago when I was in University. So much of what was available then was of a very poor quality and I lacked the funds to wade through all of that to get to the good stuff. I now have a bit more in the way of funds and I am casting around to look for some of that really good stuff. I picked up Preacher on the recommendation of a good friend and was absolutely stunned. This is the work of an amazing imagination. I can't say, however, that I am in a big hurry to pick up the next in the series (although I expect that I will anyway just to see what else Ennis comes up with). Mr. Ennis explores some of the very basest areas of our psyche and presents them for both laughs and tears with no regard for any of the standard taboos. For example, one of the most sympathetic characters here is a brutally violent Irish Vampire who will do anything for his friends. If you are easily offended (or even not all that easily offended)this might not be the best for you. If you enjoy being shocked by what I regard as one of the most talented and twisted of all of the new breed of comic writers then I suggest that you pick this up right now.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Hype
Review: Preacher Gone to Texas begins the tale of a wayward ex-preacher, his girlfriend that he left out of the blue years before, an alcoholic vampire, and a wide array of supernatural beings and misfits. The story is quite inventive, especially the origins of Genesis, the spirit being that has escaped from heaven and into the preacher. The artwork is suited to the story's characters and it's probably the best part of the graphic novel. Most of the reviews I've read stated that this work is extremely violent and hilarious. They are all right on the first point but I profoundly disagree with the second. I couldn't even crack a smile to tell the truth. The dialog fell flat, especially any attempts at portraying human relationships (such as the preacher and the woman he suddenly left). The scenes between those two were especially lackluster and never once rang as true or insightful on an emotional level. The most interesting character was actually the saint of murderers, a most unsavory and irredeemable creature that doesn't say too much but wreaks havoc just about everywhere he goes. I grew up on comics, I am one of the few women I know who has a taste for the medium. But I have to admit, I love comics that are equals to great literature such as the works of Neil Gaimen, Alan Moore, even Dave Sim. Preacher had a promise that was never fulfilled. I expected to be laughing out loud (Arseface is just not that funny), I really wanted to like this story but the characters did not have enough real depth to ever make me care. I'm not expecting Shakespeare every time I pick up a comic but I do expect to have at least a small part of my world and the way I see things altered for the better. Is that too much to ask for the money, time, and effort? Preacher, or maybe my reaction to it, reminds me of Guy Ritchie's movies, which many people find quite funny and almost profound. I sat through two of them yawning, scratching my head, asking my friends "What the heck did they say", and looking at my watch way too much. That's exactly how I felt reading Preacher. This is not a feminist review but I don't recommend this series for women or anyone who is expecting "great" writing. Even women that have a high tolerance for the usual violence, swearing, and cookie cutter misogyny that is unfortunately a trademark of the mainstream comic will find that it does get old.
Rating:
Summary: Damn, best series I've ever read.
Review: The best thing about this series is that its not your run of the mill super hero comic. There's no cheesy dialogue, and flat characters, this is grade A quality writing. The story is based around a Texas Preacher who inherits the powers of the offspring of a Demon and an Angel. A "new idea" with equal power to both good and evil. As it goes on Jesse begins to deal with his newfound powers and search out god, who has left heaven because of his fear of Genesis (the demon/angel). Later in the series it brings up dark things from Jesse's past as well as the other main characters. Anyway, my absolute favorite part of this comic is the fact that Gart Ennis is not afraid to just go out there and write something that's good, instead of something that will please censors and minority groups. This totally deals with everything, religion, incest, bigotry, facism, odd sexual behavior. As Kevin Smith says in the foreward of the second book, controversial is just another word for intelligent and interesting. Another strong point is the characters. The first impressions stick with you for a while, but later the actions of some characters and more background information makes you adjust your opinions and lets you know that these characters aren't just flat stock characters, these are people, and Vampires.
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