Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Steve Dillon
Publisher: DC Vertigo
The second trade of Preacher, like the first (reviewed recently here), contains two storylines: “All in the Family” and “Hunters”. The former reveals the backstories of Jesse and Tulip while the latter rounds out the cast, bringing Herr Starr and the Grail into the picture, and gets the central plot in gear. Neither one is entirely representative of what Preacher is about, but “All in the Family” might possibly be the greatest short story arc in the entire Vertigo line.
Let’s hit that one again: “All in the Family” might possibly be the greatest short story arc in the entire Vertigo line.
It’s got the worst of Preacher’s trademark cursing, extreme violence, and weird sex, and an all around sadistic streak, but without such extremes, the power and will of the heroes wouldn’t shine as brightly. It’s the kind of story you usually find years into a creator’s long run, the kind that reaffirms the hero’s resolve, redefines him and his purpose – but Ennis doesn’t wait years, he gets right to it and shows us upfront why we should stick around for the duration of this series. If this story doesn’t win you over to Preacher, then be my guest and quit the series, you lifeless waste of a pulse you.
That’s all I’m going to say about this story. It’s just freaking beautiful.
Now, quite honestly, nothing could be a satisfying follow-up to “All in the Family”, but “Hunters” gives it good shot. It gets the main plot back on track, introducing the central antagonist and comedic relief of the series. Oh yes, Herr Starr is both villain and jester, and what’s funnier than the terrible streak of luck he endures is the limited range of emotional responses he gives. He’s a one-dimensional villain suffering the pains of living in a three-dimensional world. Again, it’s an unfulfilling follow-up from the previous story, but hilarious and intriguing in its own right.
That, and Ennis makes rape funny. This goes out to all those jaded Sue Dibny and Felicia Hardy fans.
Morals
The protagonist Jesse Custer has a strict code of relative morals throughout Preacher. I say “relative morals” because he’s not above stealing from stores and getting into bloody brawls – which tie into the Western Cowboy theme, but more on that another time. However, as Robin Hood demonstrated that stealing isn’t always morally reprehensible under certain circumstances, Jesse has a similar outlook. Some things are okay some of the time, if the situation permits, and some things are never okay. This theme really takes center stage in the last third of the series, but the blocks starting building from the outset.
The John Wayne character, or ghost, or figment of Jesse’s imagination – whatever he is – reinforces the necessity of morals by appearing every so often throughout the series to do nothing more than pep talk the hero into action. While this role may sound somewhat cliché, the context in which the character appears, the use of the interaction to reveal crucial flashback scenes, and the significance of the character himself all serve to re-ignite Jesse’s moral flame.
“Said ya gotta be one of the good guys—“
“’Cause there’s way too many of the bad.”
In some ways, such a simple justification is all it takes for Jesse to find motivation and for the reader to find his cause credible. After all, morals are only based on what we believe is right, and should our own religious figurehead betray us as Jesse’s did, what else do we have to live by? While Jesse becomes fazed from time to time, his beliefs and convictions give him the strength to push on for the sake of those beliefs and do what’s right.
Due to this blazing moral compass, Jesse’s actions throughout the series are almost always seen as noble, righteous, and justified. He sweats the small stuff when others do wrong, even if committed by friend or family. Tulip and Cassidy also have strong moral convictions, but not enough to prevent them from occasionally lapsing. While morals are usually beyond most of the villains, one in particular is actually swayed 180 degrees from his mission when he finds a better and more righteous cause to follow. And still, at the end of the day, such morals are still tenets of the great western movie heroes, and following the ideals of one’s heroes is another glorified theme.
But it all comes down to morals, and if I had to tell someone was Preacher was about, I’d say it was about a guy who swore to do right no matter what got in his way. And did it.
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