Rating: 
Summary: Hooked on Comics
Review: "Preacher" is one hell of a roller-coaster ride, so you better buckle your seat belt once you get in, or your bound to fall out.Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's edgy tale of religion and spirituality painted with the dusty and gory hues of Texas grit and horror-show exuberance is my first real foray into the intriguing world of comic books. I can't compare "Preacher" to any other comics out there, because I haven't read any yet. But "Preacher" has me hooked, and this certainly won't be the last comic I read. "Preacher" isn't for everyone. I can think of quite a few people that it would (upset). But if that's the kind of warning that draws you forward like a moth to a flame, by all means, sink your teeth in. I first heard about "Preacher" from a blurb written by Joe R. Lansdale, one of my favorite writers. If you like Lansdale, then "Preacher"'s right up your alley. This first compilation, "Gone to Texas," which collects the first seven comic books in the series, is a blast to read. I just couldn't stop once I picked it up. The story is strange, hip, and compelling, and the beautiful artwork makes it all go down like Jim Jones Cool-Aid. "Preacher" stands convential religion on its ear, and is bound to be offensive to many, but actually offers a positive message of personal responsibilty and moral decency buried under all the blood, guts, and apparent blasphemy. The story involves Jesse Custer, a former man of the cloth with a dark past, who, after finding his faith all-but-completey eroded, is hit by one hell of a divine inspiration. It's not your everyday burning bush, though, or voices coming from the sky. While preaching to a parrish in a small town in Texas, Jesse is suddenly possessed by a divine entity called Genesis, which whaps into him like a holy fireball, leaving him with the ability to speak "The Word" (sort of like the Jedi Mind trick), and hell-bent on a crusade: to find the absent-landlord in the sky, God, and hold him acountable for his wayward creations. Jesse is accompanied on his quest by his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and an ultra-cool Irish vampire named Cassidy who only tears the throats out of those who deserve it. I guess you could say it's all sort of like "The Wizard of Oz".
Rating:
Summary: The beginning of the Garth Ennis legend!
Review: Although I rather enjoyed the occasional issue of 'Preacher' that I'd flip through at the local comic shop, I never really got into collecting the series. Then I discovered the first trade paperback, and took a closer look at this legendary funnybook tale of a former Texas minister, his girlfriend, and their mysterious Irish vampire sidekick on their mission to find God. And I must say, I've got to go along with what many of the critics and fellow fans have said about it. It truly is an amazing hybrid of road movie, western, & horror flick, with a bit of modern Biblical epic, and some cop drama & murder-mystery/suspense as well (in this particular volume, anyway). This four-color epic hits on practically every movie genre you can think of short of sci-fi! Well, without it being a movie, anyway. Of course, from the rumors running through the grapevine of comic-book geekdom, 'Preacher' may soon be hitting the celluloid as hard as it did the bristol board! Although writer Garth Ennis was no stranger to conceptualizing some of comics' darkest and most disturbing, yet unbelievably hilarious moments before he started this saga, 'Preacher' was the book cemented his reputation for these things. With the help of Steve Dillon's renderings, Ennis proves himself the master of the kinda blood & guts that'd make the likes of Paul Verhoeven & Quentin Tarantino queasy, yet mixed with an amazingly dark & sick sense of humor that helps... um... lighten the tone a bit. His rep for creating some of the freakiest and whacked-out supporting characters also began here, with the introduction of Arse-Face, the hideously disfigured teenage son of an overbearing podunk town sheriff. Another great character intro'd here is the Saint of Killers, an indestructible, immortal killing machine, sent by God's angels to deal with the reverend and his Deity-seeking quest. You can see more of his weirder & deadlier side characters in 'Hitman', 'The Rifle Brigade', and 'The Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank', all of which I recommend as well. There's a whole lot more I could say about this 'Preacher Vol. 1: Gone To Texas', but I think you get the idea. And besides, I don't want to give too much of the story away. If what I've written above has swayed you, feel free to check it out! 'Late
Rating:
Summary: PREACHER - SIMPLY THE BEST
Review: I recommand everybody reading Preacher. From the startin a small bar in Texas until the end in The Alamo. One time you laugh like hell about Arseface or Herr Starr's (FACE OF WAR) humor. Everybody who is at least a bit interested in comics should read this masterpiece! It's worth the money
Rating:
Summary: The one that started it all
Review: The Preacher comic series is on par with The Sandman as one of the greatest out there. This collection is the one that started the whole Precher saga and it is truly great. With extremely graphic violence and constant gutter language, it is what we have come to expect from Garth Ennis. This is a MUST for all fans of the series, or people wishing to read something with an alternative humor style.
Rating:
Summary: Texas, by God
Review: This is an extremely difficult review for me to write. I'm an evangelical Christian, and, hard to believe as I'm sure it seems to a lot of people, I still think it's the best (and only) way. Preacher was going to be the enemy for a long time - that strange, pretentious book about a man of the cloth taking on God. And then I read Gone to Texas. And the next day, I read Until the End of the World. And the next day, I read Proud Americans. In case the pattern had escaped you, I had a very hard time putting these down. More to the point, I did not put them down, and have just finished Alamo. Did the book shake my faith? No. It made me think a great deal, and a great deal harder about things that had not previouly occurred to me. Was I offended by it? Sure. Find me someone who wasn't. Did I love every single page? You bet. The book has so much going for it that I probably won't be able to fit it in here - Ennis and Dillon did every single issue - that's NEVER been done before, as far as I know. You can start with Gone to Texas, and finish up at Alamo with a clear understanding of how each of them became better at what they do. It was smart without being pretentious, which put it head and shoulders above most of DC's Vertigo line - anyone can read it, anyone can understand it. Most importantly to me, though, the characters were as real as you or me. Ennis peppers the story with horrific violence and some incredibly disturbed images, but I wouldn't have batted an eyelash if I hadn't known that it was Tulip at gunpoint, or Jesse hanging out of the plane. No matter what the characters go through or do to each other, you still love them - Cassidy is one of the most well-written and complex characters to ever grace the pages of a comic book, and Jesse, in the midst of all the incredibly debauchery, is one of the most moral. For those reasons, I enjoyed the slower stories more; Salvation is at the top of my list, followed closely by All Hell's A-Comin. And let's not forget the humor - there were times when I was laughing so hard I couldn't turn the page. Give it a shot. It's new, it's innovative, and someone thought about it. That alone should be worth the prive of admission. You'll like it, and if you don't like it, you'll read it anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Every saga starts somewhere...
Review: To help me write this, I'm sitting here flipping through my copy of the trade paperback Gone To Texas. On the cover are three characters swaggering through a pile of charred corpses with expressions of equal parts determination and indifference. This is it, the best of the best of Garth Ennis's masterpiece, Preacher. It's incredible how quickly you'll feel like you've been a longtime loyal fan of these comics within the first ten or twenty pages of storyline. Here we meet characters that will occupy our thoughts and discussions with fellow fans for months. The Reverend Jesse Custer, The Gunslinging Girlfriend Tulip O'Hare, The Irish Vampire Cassidy, the horribly disfigured son of a sheriff and more and more and more. Comics don't get much better than this, and that's a strong statement. Here in Gone to Texas you will find depth, violence, and heart that you'd never expect from a comic book. The first of countless times I read this book all the way through I put it down in awe of how much brilliance I had just mentally digested, and so will you. Get it.
Rating: 
Summary: The beginning of something great
Review: Collecting the first 7 issues of Preacher, probably the greatest comicstory ever next to Neil Gaimans Sandman, this one is a must-read for every self-respecting comic-reader who isn't stuck on superhero comics alone. What happens when a person gets possessed by a creature that came to birth from the forbidden lobe between a demon from Hell and an angel from Heaven. Follow Jesse as he goes on his way to confront a God who abandoned heaven with his responsibilities. This series is SF, western, action, humor, oneliners and bizarre storylines all in one put together by the great writer that is Garth Ennis (Punisher, Hitman, Hellblazer). This trade is a very welcome intro to the world of Preacher and has you meet the mainplayers Tullip, Cassidy and Jesse Custer
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Summary: The comic of comics!
Review: Of all the comics i have ever read this is the best! I have never seen any comic which is so original. It contains really cool and orgiginal characters, very good humor and a very exciting story mixed with western clichès. All this painted by an expert in comic-drawing, Steve Dillon. If you start to read the first book in the preacher-series you won't be able to stop until you have read the whole serie, and then you just got to read it again, and again. This is not just a comic, it makes you wonder if God exists, and if he does, "What the hell is he doing?".
Rating:
Summary: Deconstruction
Review: Preacher takes what we think of comics and flushes it down the toilet. Then puts a cat in with it. In an industry dominated by tight-clothed heroes with disporportionate bodies and holier than thou attitudes, it is very pleasing to see a comic that makes you think as well as laugh. To sum it all up, the action is good, the attitude is true to it's nature, and the hero is bonafide american.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Unique Work
Review: Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon have managed to single-handedly change the world of comics. Preacher is without a doubt, one of the ballsiest comics ever published. Taking on the faux pas topics of faith and religion and giving them a swift kick in the pills, Preacher delivers. Follow Jesse Custer, a reverand from Texas, his hit...uh, person ?girlfriend? Tulip and a beer-swilling Irish vampire Cassidy as they take off on a quest for the lord, and its not as holy as it sounds, I assure you. You also meet the young boy Arseface, and see his tradgedy, but you can't help but laugh a little bit. Round it off with the patron saint of all Killers and you've got a fun book. Great art, great plot, Preacher is forever immortalized in this, the firt of 9 violumes that will leave you breathless. For anyone who never liked comics or considered them "kiddy," Preacher says that they're anything but.
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