Description
Price: $19.99 - $12.49
(as of Mar 24, 2025 15:15:23 UTC – Details)
In this now-legendary graphic novel series that serves as the inspiration for the hit AMC television series, Jesse Custer was just a small-town preacher in Texas… until his congregation was flattened by powers beyond his control and the Preacher became imbued with abilities beyond anyone’s understanding.
Now possessed by Genesis—the unholy coupling of an angel and demon—Jesse holds Word of God, an ability to command anyone or anything with a mere utterance. And he’ll use this power to hold the Lord accountable for the people He has forsaken.
From the ashes of a small-town church to the bright lights of New York City to the backwoods of Louisiana, Jesse Custer cuts a righteous path across the soul of America in his quest for the divine—an effort that will be met by every evil that Heaven and Earth can assemble. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend, Tulip, and the hard-drinking Irish vampire, Cassidy, Jesse will stop at nothing to fulfill his quest to find God.
The creative powerhouse team of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon bring readers on a violent and riotous journey across the country in this award-winning Vertigo series, beginning with Preacher Book One. Collects issues #1-12.
ASIN : 1401240453
Publisher : Vertigo; Illustrated edition (June 18, 2013)
Language : English
Paperback : 335 pages
ISBN-10 : 9781401240455
ISBN-13 : 978-1401240455
Reading age : 13 years and up
Item Weight : 1.31 pounds
Dimensions : 6.6 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
Customers say
Customers find the graphic novel an enjoyable read with a captivating storyline. They appreciate the artwork and character development, finding the characters memorable and well-developed. The writing quality is praised as great and heavy on dialogue. Readers describe the pacing as fast-paced and exciting. However, opinions differ on the humor, with some finding it profane and others finding it mildly amusing.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Joseph J. Truncale –
This is an adult graphic novel with evil and unique characters with great illustrations.
As someone interested in all kinds of strange and even unusual types of books, novels, and graphic novels, when I saw this volume (The Preacher: Book #1, 352 pages) on Amazon for a bargain price I decided to purchase it. No doubt this is the weirdest and most irreverent graphic novel I have read in a long, long time. It is based upon a television series, which I had never seen so I knew nothing about the characters in the graphic novels.This first volume we find Jesse Custer, a small-town preacher in Texas giving a sermon to his flock when his church and congregation is suddenly destroyed. He now becomes a preacher possessing super powers but cannot find out why. The story moves along with this religious coupling of an angel and demon. Jessie finds out that âGodâ has left his angels in charge and has now disappeared.Jesse travels on the road with his two companions, Cassidy, a liquor loving Irish Vampire and Jesseâs ditsy gun carrying girlfriend Tulip to many places in search for âGodâ in order to hold his accountable for abandoning his duties to humankind.It is difficult to find who the actual holy angels are and bad angels are, as well as who the hell the good guys and bad guys are when reading this graphic novel. It seems to me after finishing Book #1 there are only pure evil entities and morally flawed humans who inhabit this strange world where it appears âGodâ took a vacation from being in charge.The Preacherâs family who we meet in the last half of this book are about the most evil group as you will find on Earth and in Hell. I will have to admit the color illustrations throughout this 352 page graphic novel are just fantastic and that is the main reason I gave this irreverent book 5 stars.If you are into unusual graphic novels you may want to check out this unique graphic novel series.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Training alone in Combatives and Self-Defense).
Joseph –
Give it a shot unless you have real thin skin
I was wary to pick up preacher because of the premise and hearing that people were upset by how anti-Christian it was. I’m Christian but I’m not easily offended or anything. I love Crossed and had read the one arc by Ennis with the Englishman, Irishman, etc. That didn’t offend me but it was annoying how preachy it was with atheism. I was worried preacher would be an entire series like that but I was pleasantly surprised! After reading the first book I think anyone wary like I was doesn’t need to worry, assuming you’re not easily offended. It’s funny, twisted, and dark with good characters and a good/evil or heaven/hell theme. Great story too, I couldn’t put it down. I also was pleasantly surprised by the art work! I know this came out a while back so I was worried it would be that old style comic art that comes on the newspaper style paper (like old Hellblazer). The art is great and pretty modern looking, the book itself is nice quality with gloss paper. Holds up to any modern trade paperback. I tore through the first book in 2 sittings and already have book 2 ordered. Unless the series takes a turn and becomes one long atheist sermon, I don’t see what the big fuss was about. I’m glad I gave it a shot and can’t wait to see how the show holds up!
Daniel Rodrigues –
Best Garth Ennis book ever
Simply a fictional work of art and very highly recommended. No matter how many times I’ve read the series, and there have been a few, it still amazes each read.
Morris –
Must read for comics fans.
The first book in the acclaimed Preacher series by Garth Ennis. This is a great story filled with irreverence, humor, sex, drugs, and revenge. In this book we meet our protagonists Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy and see how they meet and how Jesse gains his unusual power. If you’ve never read the series, get this and give it a try, it’s that good. I’ve given it to people who don’t like comics and even they enjoyed reading it.The only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is because the beginning issues are actually the weakest in the series. The sign of a great comic is that it keeps getting better over it’s life, which Preacher certainly does. Start here, if you like it, you’ll love the later books.
Action Raccoon 79 –
Thank you Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon for creating Preacher as I’m hocked on it!
After reading Garth Ennis The Crossed I was interested what outs he wrote. Looking him up on Wiki states he is known for a lot of big hit comics such as Preacher. I have read many reviews stating it was a smash hit when it came out the mid 90s and read it has over the top violence, dark humour and stunning artwork. However I nearly bought the tv series first which I’m glad I didn’t because it aren’t good as the comics were. I was blown away how good Preacher was it. Like nothing I have ever read before and it hocked me and didn’t disappoint me at all. All the characters are well crafted with each story getting more and more interesting each time I turned the page.I’m now a fan of this series and plan on reading more of Preacher. If you looking for an comic series to get into I say give Preacher a try if you’re looking for something that’s dark, over the top violent and dark humour and different from other comic series then Preacher is up your alley.
Mario –
I Couldn’t Put It Down
First off you get the first twelve issues put together already a plus. Going into the story is breath taking. I didn’t know this was a comic until I watched the AMC show of the same name love the show but this comic is 10 times better as you’d expect from a comic to tv. The characters are engaging the writer Garth Ennis gives you enough to like them and want to read more about them and then he pulls it back a bit to where you’re hungry wanting to know more. But he more then makes up for it with either a new character or giving you more of the others. I will add that all characters use excessive swearing, some racial slurs, and homophobic comments. So if that bothers you you may not want to start this series. With that being said the book is great read and the art is pretty good too.
L.S.V.A –
In very short words, for me was epic and catching, at the same time a little bit disturbing but really good
Nor Bert –
Dieser Sammelband enthält die Kapitel #1-12 der Vertigo-Originalserie: Im Himmel ist Genesis entkommen, ein Kind das ein Engel mit einem Dämon gezeugt hat und daher Gut und Böse in sich vereint und über ungeahnte Kräfte verfügt. Im Angesicht dieses neuen Konzepts hat sich Gott kurzerhand verabschiedet, während Genesis sich während einer Messe mit der Seele des texanischen Predigers Jesse Custer vereinigt, dabei die versammelte Gemeinde tötet und Jesse erstaunliche Fähigkeiten verleiht. Daraufhin macht sich der Preacher zusammen mit seiner Ex-Freundin Tulip, einer Auftragsmörderin, und dem irischen Vampir Cassidy auf die Suche nach Gott, um ihn zur Rede zu stellen.Dies ist die Grundprämisse für eine wilde 66-teilige Serie (plus 5 einteilige Specials und einem 4-teiligen Spin off), welche Elemente aus Western, Roadmovie, Urban Fantasy, Gangsterkrimi, Splatter und Satire in bester Quentin-Tarantino-Tradition à la “From Dusk Till Dawn” in sich vereint. Brutale und perverse Rednecks spielen darin genauso eine Rolle wie gefallene Engel, der Saint of Killers, ein unglücklicher Junge mit dem Spitznamen Arseface, ein Serienmörder und diverse Gangster. Die dargestellte Gewalt ist teilweise so plakativ, dass sie selbst die Macher der “Saw”-Filme schockieren dürfte, und die lästernde Sprache Nils Ruf die Schamesröte ins Gesicht treibt.Die skurrilen Gestalten und Geschichten, die dem (Anti-)Helden auf seinem Weg begegnen und widerfahren sind höchst unterhaltsam und haben durchaus Tiefgang. Denn bei aller Brutalität, Sex und Gotteslästerung ist die Serie zutiefst moralisch. Sind doch Jesse Custer und seine Gefährten immer wieder aufs Neue überrascht, erzürnt und angewidert über die Tatsache, wie tief Menschen sinken können. Fast alles, was Jesse unternimmt, ist nobel und motiviert durch Gefühle wie Liebe, Freundschaft und Selbstlosigkeit. Das macht ihn zu einer zutiefst romantischen Figur. Und die physische Suche nach Gott ist auch eine spirituelle: Jesse packt die Wut über das erkannte Wesen Gottes und sieht letztlich in ihm einen eitlen Heuchler, der die Welt und die Menschen nur erschaffen hat, um sie leiden zu lassen, und trotzdem erwartet, dass sie seinen Namen preisen, ohne auch nur einen Finger zu rühren, um ihnen zu helfen. Darin stecken zynische Gesellschaftsanalyse und harsche Religionskritik.Auch grafisch kann ich nichts aussetzen. Die Erzählung hat fast filmischen Charakter und verzichtet weitgehend auf erzählende Kästchen, sondern setzt vor allem auf Dialoge. Die düsteren Ideen des Autors werden zeichnerisch angemessen realistisch umgesetzt. Die Farben sind eher gedeckt. Die Hauptfiguren haben einen hohen Wiedererkennungscharakter: Jesse wirkt wie James Morrison in einer Sutane. Dadurch, dass ein einziger Zeichner die Serie realisiert hat, wurde das Konzept konsequent fortgeführt.Die komplette Serie wird in den sechs Bänden gesammelt, von denen dies der erste ist. Einer der besten Erwachsenen-Comics, die ich kenne.
francesco –
Love context created by Ennis: contrast between religion and supposed good versus low life people where evil should have easy life.Suggested for who has no fear to face violence and filthy language
Stenio franklin –
Best comic series ever written.
fakinasjol –
Maravilloso cómic. Los giros que les van a cada una de las pequeñas historias que crean con cada personaje secundario son geniales. De hecho me han gustado más estas historias que la trama principal, que creo que la emparanoiaron un poco de más. (Escribo esto a los 20 min de terminar el último tomo) En cualquier caso la saga completa se queda entre mis libros favoritos.