Preacher Book One, written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon, is an acclaimed and award-winning comic book series published in the 1990s. The series follows the continuing adventures of the Reverend Jesse Custer, a small-town preacher from Texas, who gains the power to control people's minds and sets off to search for God for answers.
The first volume of Preacher begins in France, with the Reverend Jesse Custer in the middle of a fight between two powerful and mysterious entities; the Saint of Killers and Herr Starr. After seemingly defeating both of them, Jesse is sent hurtling back to his hometown of Annville, Texas. Soon after his arrival, Jesse begins to experience strange visions and discovers that he has gained a strange new power.
Jesse soon finds himself searching for answers to where his new power has come from. Along the way, he is joined by Cass (an Irish vampire) and Tulip (his former girlfriend). Together, they travel across America, encountering numerous characters and strange occurrences, in order to track down God, who has apparently abandoned Heaven.
On their journey, they meet up with a number of interesting characters, including crime bosses, the Grail (an ancient secret society) and a secret government agency. All of these characters have their own agendas and secrets, and they soon realize that they are all connected to a much larger and darker conspiracy. During the journey, they come across a number of enemies, most notably Herr Starr, the Saint of Killers, as well as a variety of other villains and powerful forces.
As Jesse and his friends search for God, they discover a number of dark secrets about the world, including the truth about various myths and religious stories, as well as the horrifying truth about the source of Jesse’s power. In the end, Jesse discovers the truth about God and the world he lives in, ultimately facing off against the Saint of Killers one more time.
Preacher Book One is a fascinating and thrilling story, full of dark humor, violence, and an impressive cast of characters. Garth Ennis's writing is often macabre and full of black humor, while Steve Dillon’s artwork is sharp and dynamic. Together they make Preacher Book One one of the best comics of the 1990s, and a true classic in the comic book world.
