A Gentelman's Library

I originally read Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher about 15 years ago. It was of one of the original printings of the first trade collection and I realise now that I was too young to understand it.

Now, a little bit older and (hopefully) a little bit wiser I “get” the story, and what Ennis is trying to say with it, much more. I also understand and appreciate Dillon’s art in a way I didn’t those years before.

I can certainly understand why people were - and continue to be - offended by this book. It’s crass, it’s violent, it’s characters are sexist and racist. America is made to look like a country of inbred idiots and not much else. Every character is, for the most part, decidedly unlikable. Even the hero, Jesse Custer, is a bit of a bastard. 

Angels swear and get pissed. Demons and angels fuck, Heaven has the biggest murder in creation on it’s pay role and, oh yeah, God’s quit. 

While all of this can seem like just an excuse to piss off the religious and more moral readers, if you look past that you can see Ennis is really critiquing ourselves, not religion. Preacher isn’t saying that religion makes people crazy bastards, he’s saying that we make religion crazy. And, maybe, God’s had enough.

I loved reading this, properly understanding it for the first time. I’ll certainly be getting the rest of the volumes and I can not wait to see where it all goes!

(Originally posted on Collectorize blog.)