Rating: Summary: Preacher is losing steam Review: let me say first of all i haven't read past this volume yet, so i don't know if said loss of steam is remedied or not. in any case, i really enjoyed the first three volumes, but Dixie Fried, as most have pointed out, just doesn't measure up. it's pretty weak plotwise, and the characters, particularly Tulip, seem to have changed overnight. let's hope Garth gets back to his usual standard!
Rating: Summary: The Demented Mr. Ennis Review: Some people have criticized this volume as being a bit sub-par for the series. I haven't read 6-9 yet, and while this isn't quite at the level of the first 3, it is a most welcome return to our main heroes after Vol. 4's focus on origin stories. The main criticism that anyone could have about this collection is the general weakness of the antagonists. And yes, it is true, a bunch of gothic wankers aren't quite as threatening as the Saint of Killers or the Grail, they aren't the focus of these issues. The focus is on Cassidy, or rather, Cassidy's degrading relationship with Tulip. We get a few glimpses into a slightly more turbulent and shady time in Cassidy's past, and start to get the idea that perhaps he isn't the stand-up guy that he seems to be. It is Cassidy that puts them Tulip and Jesse at risk, it is Cassidy that nearly gets them all killed, and it is the Cassidy that may cause the fractioning of this adventuring trio and lead them into even greater danger than before. To me, this volume seems to have laid the groundwork for the rest of the series, and as such, it was very intriguing. And come on, the gothic wankers("Les Enfants du Sang") are pretty darn entertaining. Who doesn't love to laugh at a bunch of pretentious psuedo-intellectuals and faux-artitses!
Rating: Summary: The Demented Mr. Ennis Review: Some people have criticized this volume as being a bit sub-par for the series. I haven't read 6-9 yet, and while this isn't quite at the level of the first 3, it is a most welcome return to our main heroes after Vol. 4's focus on origin stories. The main criticism that anyone could have about this collection is the general weakness of the antagonists. And yes, it is true, a bunch of gothic wankers aren't quite as threatening as the Saint of Killers or the Grail, they aren't the focus of these issues. The focus is on Cassidy, or rather, Cassidy's degrading relationship with Tulip. We get a few glimpses into a slightly more turbulent and shady time in Cassidy's past, and start to get the idea that perhaps he isn't the stand-up guy that he seems to be. It is Cassidy that puts them Tulip and Jesse at risk, it is Cassidy that nearly gets them all killed, and it is the Cassidy that may cause the fractioning of this adventuring trio and lead them into even greater danger than before. To me, this volume seems to have laid the groundwork for the rest of the series, and as such, it was very intriguing. And come on, the gothic wankers("Les Enfants du Sang") are pretty darn entertaining. Who doesn't love to laugh at a bunch of pretentious psuedo-intellectuals and faux-artitses!
Rating: Summary: PREACHER PICKS UP SOME MOMENTUM Review: This (the fifth volume of the Preacher series) is a step up from the slow down that occurred after The Grail storyline (a definite high point). Jesse, Tulip, and Cass are all back together and the stories in this volume give the most insight to Cass and start to make him more of a character and not so much a characture.New readers be warned...Preacher is not the kind of series that you can jump onto at any point...start with Book #1 - GONE TO TEXAS. For those of you who have been along for the ride let's just say that Dixie Fried gives us more of what we love: dark humor, violence, disturbing ideas, masochism, sex, swearing, and even ArseFace (who makes me sick to my stomach every time). The story telling is of A-quality and the only minor stumbling points are: weaker villains...who don't portray much menace for our protagonistic three, and a lack of Herr Starr (everyone's favorite whipping boy), I myself have not yet read Volumes 6-9 but I'm heading in that direction and I guarantee that anyone who starts reading these adventures in GONE TO TEXAS will end up at THE ALAMO. Humperdido!
Rating: Summary: PREACHER PICKS UP SOME MOMENTUM Review: This (the fifth volume of the Preacher series) is a step up from the slow down that occurred after The Grail storyline (a definite high point). Jesse, Tulip, and Cass are all back together and the stories in this volume give the most insight to Cass and start to make him more of a character and not so much a characture. New readers be warned...Preacher is not the kind of series that you can jump onto at any point...start with Book #1 - GONE TO TEXAS. For those of you who have been along for the ride let's just say that Dixie Fried gives us more of what we love: dark humor, violence, disturbing ideas, masochism, sex, swearing, and even ArseFace (who makes me sick to my stomach every time). The story telling is of A-quality and the only minor stumbling points are: weaker villains...who don't portray much menace for our protagonistic three, and a lack of Herr Starr (everyone's favorite whipping boy), I myself have not yet read Volumes 6-9 but I'm heading in that direction and I guarantee that anyone who starts reading these adventures in GONE TO TEXAS will end up at THE ALAMO. Humperdido!
Rating: Summary: Dillon & Ennis take the piss on Vampires. Review: This collection contains Preacher 27-33, and the Cassidy: Blood & Whiskey one shot. The Blood &. Then it's on to the guts of it - the seven collected issues. Previously, in the Preacher story arcs, the violence that has occured in and around the main characters has actually been slightly frightening and very much the focus. In this collection the story takes a slightly different tack, with the violence used as a plot device to show us that good ole Cassidy ain't a nice feller aller the time, and Jesse is just a wee bit too trusting. A great read. Still got more balls than any comic this side of Hellblazer.
Rating: Summary: "Justice, Vengeance, Arseface..." Review: This fifth book in the Preacher series begins with a backstory on everyone's favorite hard drinking Irish vampire Cassidy and his meeting with another vampire in New Orleans. That story is great on its' own and has its' moments of the dark humor and insane violence that Preacher readers know and love, and is a good read on its own. The next story continues where Proud Americans left off as we see Jesse and Cassidy re-uniting with Tulip in New Orleans. Cassidy plays a huge role as he drunkedly confesses his love for Tulip while he is being stalked by a group of Goth vampire wanna-be's that he met in his backstory. Arseface finally sees his chance to take his revenge on Jesse and co., and believe it or not that ends with some very humerous results. Dixie Fried relies more on story and dialogue in the beginning as opposed to the usual action, and while it isn't the best book in the Preacher series, it is still worth a read.
Rating: Summary: "Justice, Vengeance, Arseface..." Review: This fifth book in the Preacher series begins with a backstory on everyone's favorite hard drinking Irish vampire Cassidy and his meeting with another vampire in New Orleans. That story is great on its' own and has its' moments of the dark humor and insane violence that Preacher readers know and love, and is a good read on its own. The next story continues where Proud Americans left off as we see Jesse and Cassidy re-uniting with Tulip in New Orleans. Cassidy plays a huge role as he drunkedly confesses his love for Tulip while he is being stalked by a group of Goth vampire wanna-be's that he met in his backstory. Arseface finally sees his chance to take his revenge on Jesse and co., and believe it or not that ends with some very humerous results. Dixie Fried relies more on story and dialogue in the beginning as opposed to the usual action, and while it isn't the best book in the Preacher series, it is still worth a read.
Rating: Summary: A great graphic novel. Worth buying Review: While not as good as the second volume, it's considerably better than the first and third. Contains all the graphic violence and provocative material which loyal readers love. If you're a first time reader, I urge you to pick up the first volume; it'll really get to you.
Rating: Summary: Southern Discomfort Review: With this instalment, we return to real-time in the series. The fearsome threesome find themselves deep in the Lousiana bayou; historic N'awlins, to be precise. Jesse hooks up with a witch doctor with a mind to jumpstart his buried consciousness. Lucky for us, things aren't quite so simple. The gang manages to quickly upset the baddies, resulting in the usual decapitations, burnings-to-death, and human shish kabobs we've come to love with Preacher. In the subplot department, Arseface becomes a celebrity and Tulip meets up with an old friend (after having hogtied her poor hopeless beau). The intro story, a stand-alone feature, stars Cassidy and his (mis)adventures in New Orleans. Cassidy comes to learn later in the series that his actions have consequences; not just to him, but to those in his circle, too.
While the plot moves somewhat laboriously at times (the interchange between Tulip and friend really did not need to be that long) this is offset by the fact that there are some big revelations here, and some interesting plot developments. Many critics find this to among the weakest of Ennis' efforts in the Preacher canon. While certainly not up to par with the first two books, it manages to do the job and get you itching to read the next instalment.
Slightly disappointing in this volume was the lack of a Forward; I was getting accustomed to the excellent introductions that prefaced each book and contextualized the series (Ennis' own introduction to Ancient History was especially noteworthy). Dillon continues to surprise here, managing to create iconic images with ease. His deceptively simple style effectively reinforces the stark and brutal violence that underscores this world.
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