Plot: Custer faces his showdown with the Saint of Killers, Cassidy and sorts out that pesky "God" fella once and for all.
God abandoning his realm, an army on a religious crusade now seeking revenge, vampires fighting ministers, rape, genocide, sex, war, chaos, death, alcohol abuse, buggery, and the Saint of Killers mowing down the heavenly host in cold blood. Is this the end of the world? No - so it must mean book 9 of Preacher is finally here.
Alamo features a few character departures, mostly in firearm related incidents. Actually, replace mostly with entirely and you're there. This is where Jesse finally has his meeting with Cassidy, showdowns with the Saint of Killers and reveals and executes his plans for God. This is the final resolution of the series and the weak just won't survive.
This is the book where Ennis ties up all the loose ends and brings the series to a close. Don't worry, although there is a number of twists here, there isn't anything too unexpected, except...but I can't tell you that. It would ruin it. You'll just have to read it. Rest assured, it is a climax, of sorts, and a blinder of a read along the way.
In addition, the artwork is consistently functional and although it is not especially pretty, neither is the plot; therefore, in a twisted way it captures the feel of the writing.
However, Preacher falls down in a couple of ways. The humour is quite often juvenile and almost totally utterly unsubtle. The sub-plots are often weak, simplistic and overtly crass. So, the humour and some of sub-plots suggest a teenage audience, nevertheless, some of the concepts touched upon within the book would certainly strike a chord with the "Mature" readers that the cover suggests the book is intended for.
In any case, you really do have to admire the audacity of Garth Ennis. I feel certain that no comics writer alive today would dare to do what he has done with Preacher and that is why I vote for Preacher as the book most likely to be burned in a national press witch-hunt in 2001. I'm very surprised that they haven't had a field day with this already. (Maybe they have in America, I wouldn't know - so perhaps it's just that British journalists don't read comics.)
Preacher Book Nine: Alamo should be read in conjunction with books 1-8 to avoid total and utter confusion from a new reader. Also, assuming you haven't already guessed, this is not for the faint-hearted or easily offended. Those with strong religious convictions should certainly steer well clear. For everyone else, it's a brilliant ride all the way. Ok, you aren't going to find enlightenment in these pages, but then were you expecting to?
