Presume God exists. Suppose he decided he didn't want to be responsible for the world anymore and simply got up and left… leaving Heaven to be run by his scientists and army.
Believe there is a Devil. Suppose that he died at the hands of one of his own creations - the Saint of Killers.
Know there is a Man. A Preacher. Suppose he has imbibed a power called Genesis that renders him unquestioned obedience to the words he says… and he wants to ask God why He has abandoned his creation.
Add to that a conspiracy by a group of Christian extremists who want to bring about Armageddon before they produce a Saviour.
That is the foundation of Preacher - a comic series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
But its more than that. As the Preacher and his assassin-lover search for God, their paths cross with a vampire who becomes his best friend, a sexually deviant ruthless military commander, a kid with a mutilated face - all of whom play key roles in the story. An interesting angle is John Wayne (yes, the man himself!) as the Preacher's imaginary friend who makes appearances throughout the series.
With a storyline that sometimes moves into flashbacks giving the reader insights into the characters' past, we see examples of society's dark side and stark examples of deviant desires. On one level, the dialogue on religion is controversial, yet its also about a 'never say die' spirit across all its characters. While the protagonists have a marked 'take no shit' attitude, the reader also understands why some of the others do 'take shit'.
Another way of looking at it is through individual philosophy. Each character has his/her own philosophy of life and they never waver from it. Each one has clarity about what he/she has to do next… and does it without any compunctions of any kind. As individuals, they are flawed, and don't even pretend to apologize for it.
Read it once for the story. Take it in like you would a Oliver Stone film. Then go back and spend time on the monologues/thoughts of the characters. Now look at the modern America and the image it tries to project and what it tries to hide. The poverty of the poor. The underlying racial tension. The lobbies within the government. The clash of cultures. The search of identity in youth and modes of expression.
Ennis' dark writing is brought to life by Dillon's stark no-holds-barred artwork. The ugly are ugly. Scars add character, and not a 'cool' factor. The fights are dirty with no-quarter given. Moods and thoughts are shown with entire pages of repeated frames where only the character's facial expressions change. If the narration is dark, so is the frame. The series is dotted with pitch black frames with just a few words in a box.
But it's not all dark... there're frames that'll have you laughing. Herr Starr's unfortunate wounds, mishaps and frustrations are a source of constant comedy. Indeed, if it weren't for that, the story would have been much harder to read, since these allow the reader some breathing space.
The series consists of 75 issues in total — 66 regular issues and five one-shot specials and a four-issue Saint of Killers limited series. Read it.
