Preacher (comics) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis Preacher and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo (an imprint of DC Comics), with painted covers by Glenn Fabry. The series consists of 75 issues in total - 66 regular, monthly issues, five one-shot specials and a four-issue Preacher: Saint of Killers limited series. The entire run has been collected in nine trade paperback editions. The final monthly issue, number 66, was published in October 2000. Contents 1 Characters The cast of Preacher. Cover to Preacher #56. 2 Plot Art by Glenn Fabry. 3 Themes and influences Publication information 4 Collected editions 4.1 Original trade Publisher Vertigo imprint of DC paperbacks Comics 4.2 Hardcovers/re- Schedule Monthly released trade Genre Satire, Supernatural, paperbacks 5 Adaptation attempts Action 6 AMC adaptation Publication date 1995–2000 7 Legacy Number of issues 66 (plus 5 specials and a 4- 8 References issue miniseries) 9 External links Main Jesse Custer character(s) Tulip O'Hare Characters Cassidy Saint of Killers Jesse Custer Herr Starr Tulip O'Hare God Cassidy Arseface The Saint of Killers Creative team Herr Starr Writer(s) Garth Ennis God Arseface Artist(s) Steve Dillon Glenn Fabry Plot Colorist(s) Matt Hollingsworth Pamela Rambo Preacher tells the story of Jesse Creator(s) Garth Ennis Custer, a preacher in the small Steve Dillon Texas town of Annville. Custer was accidentally possessed by the supernatural creature named Genesis in an incident which killed his entire congregation and flattened his church. Genesis, the product of the unauthorized, unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon, is an infant with no sense of individual will. However, as it is composed of both pure goodness and pure evil, it might have enough power to rival that of God Himself. In other words, Jesse Custer, bonded to Genesis, may have become the most powerful being in the whole of living existence. Custer, driven by a strong sense of right and wrong, goes on a journey across the United States attempting to (literally) find God, who abandoned Heaven the moment Genesis was born. He also begins to discover the truth about his new powers. They allow him, when he wills it, to command the obedience of those who hear and comprehend his words. He is joined by his old girlfriend Tulip O'Hare, as well as a hard-drinking Irish vampire named Cassidy. During the course of their journeys, the three encounter enemies and obstacles both sacred and profane, including: the Saint of Killers, an invincible, quick-drawing, perfect-aiming, come-lately Angel of Death answering only to "He who sits on the throne"; a disfigured suicide attempt survivor turned rock-star named Arseface; a serial-killer called the 'Reaver-Cleaver'; The Grail, a secret organization controlling the governments of the world and protecting the bloodline of Jesus; Herr Starr, ostensible Allfather of the Grail, a megalomaniac with a penchant for prostitutes, who wishes to use Custer for his own ends; several fallen angels; and Jesse's own redneck 'family' — particularly his nasty Cajun grandmother, her mighty bodyguard Jody, and the 'animal-loving' T.C. Themes and influences Preacher draws on movies, particularly Westerns, for many of its stylistic elements. For example: an apparition of John Wayne is a recurring character and serves as a sort of spiritual guide or conscience for Custer; Monument Valley and The Alamo serve as backdrops to various legs of the journey; for a time, Jesse acts as the sheriff of a small town in Texas, and must protect the inhabitants from harm; the image of the Saint of Killers, a reformed bounty hunter- turned-killer-once-more in the tradition of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven character, William Munny, is a nod to the classic Writer Garth Ennis signing Western notion of nemesis, straight and Preacher trade paperbacks at true and terrible. Midtown Comics Downtown in The series also invokes ideas popularized by Manhattan. such books as Holy Blood, Holy Grail. As Massimo Introvigne of the Center for Studies on New Religion explains, Preacher was "among the popular comic book series which...focused interest on the subject."[1] Within Preacher the claims that there is a still-viable bloodline descending from Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene similar to those in Holy Blood, Holy Grail are taken as true. Herr Starr reveals to Cassidy that Jesus had children, and did not die on the cross, but instead lived to middle-age, and was killed by a runaway offal cart. After his death the Grail guardians took away his offspring, who were forced to intermarry with one another in order to keep Jesus' divine power within the bloodline. For over 2000 years this intermarrying perpetuated an incestuous family tree culminating the last of the Jesus line, a mentally handicapped child, in whom the Grail guardians place their hopes. The original plot and premise of Preacher was spun out of Ennis' run on Hellblazer, which postulated what would happen if an angel and a demon mated, and the spirit of their offspring ended up in a mortal man. Like many comics spun out of DC's 1990s work, it incorporates the idea of the Jewish God (Jahve) as the main antagonist of the series, serving as the creator who has left his creation. Other related comics include Swamp Thing and Sandman (and its spinoffs, like Lucifer). Collected editions Original trade paperbacks Release # Title ISBN Collected material date Preacher: 978- March 1, 1 Gone to Preacher #1–7 1563892615 1996 Texas Preacher: Until the 978- January 1, 2 Preacher #8–17 End of the 1563893124 1997 World Preacher: 978- October 1, 3 Proud Preacher #18-26 1563893278 1997 Americans Preacher Special: Saint of Killers Preacher: 978- March 1, #1-4, Preacher Special: The Story 4 Ancient 1563894053 1998 of You-Know-Who, and Preacher History Special: The Good Old Boys Preacher #27-33 and Preacher Preacher: 978- September 5 Special: Cassidy - Blood and Dixie Fried 1563894282 1, 1998 Whiskey Preacher: 978- March 1, Preacher #34-40 and Preacher 6 War in the 1563894909 1999 Special: One Man's War Sun Preacher: 978-1- September 7 Preacher #41-50 Salvation 563895197 1, 1999 Preacher: 978- June 1, Preacher #51-58 and Preacher 8 All Hell's A- 1563896170 2000 Special: Tall in the Saddle Coming Preacher: 978- May 1, 9 Preacher #59-66 Alamo 1563897153 2001 Hardcovers/re-released trade paperbacks Release Title Format ISBN Collected material date 978- July 21, Hardcover Preacher: 1401222796 2009 Preacher #1–12 Book One 978- June 18, TPB 1401240455 2013 978- February Hardcover Preacher: 1401225797 16, 2010 Book Preacher #13–26 978- October Two TPB 1401242558 1, 2013 978- December Preacher #27–33, Preacher Preacher: Hardcover 1401230166 21, 2010 Special: Saint of Killers #1–4, Book 978- January and Preacher Special: Three TPB 1401245016 28, 2014 Cassidy – Blood and Whiskey 978- June 14, Preacher #34–40, Preacher Hardcover 1401230937 2011 Special: The Story of You- Preacher: Know-Who, Preacher Special: Book 978- June 24, The Good Old Boys and Four TPB 1401230944 2014 Preacher Special: One Man's War 978- November Hardcover Preacher: 1401232504 29, 2011 Book Preacher #41–54 978- August Five TPB 1401250744 19, 2014 978- January Hardcover Preacher #55–66 and Preacher: 1401234157 17, 2012 Preacher Special: Tall in the Book Six 978- November TPB Saddle 1401252793 4, 2014 Adaptation attempts Garth Ennis, feeling Preacher would translate perfectly as a film, sold the film rights to Electric Entertainment. Rachel Talalay was hired to direct, with Ennis writing the script. Rupert Harvey and Tom Astor were set as producers. By May 1998, Ennis completed three drafts of the script, based largely on the Gone to Texas story arc.[2] The filmmakers found it difficult financing Preacher because investors found the idea religiously controversial. Ennis approached Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier to help finance the film under their View Askew Productions banner. Ennis, Smith and Mosier pitched Preacher to Bob Weinstein at Miramax Films.[3] Weinstein was confused by the characterization of Jesse Custer. Miramax also did not want to share the box office gross with Electric Entertainment, ultimately dropping the pitch. By May 2000, Smith and Mosier were still attached to produce with Talalay directing, but Smith did not know the status of Preacher, feeling it would languish in development hell.[3] By then, Storm Entertainment, a UK-based production company known for their work on independent films, joined the production with Electric Entertainment.[2] In September 2001, the two companies announced Preacher had been greenlighted to commence pre- production, with filming to begin in November and Talaly still directing Ennis' script.[4] The production and start dates were pushed back because of financial issues[5] of the $25 million projected budget.[6] James Marsden was cast in the lead role as Jesse Custer sometime in 2002. He explained, "It was something I never knew anything about, but once I got my hands on the comic books, I was blown away by it."[5] In a March 2004 interview, Marsden said the filmmakers were hoping for filming to start the following August.[7] With the full-length film adaptation eventually abandoned with budgetary concerns,[5] HBO announced in November 2006 that they commissioned Mark Steven Johnson and Howard Deutch to produce a television pilot. Johnson was to write with Deutch directing.[8] Impressed with Johnson's pilot script, HBO had him write the series bible for the first season.[9] Johnson originally planned "to turn each comic book issue into a single episode" on a shot- for-shot basis.