As many comic book fans already know, Preacher is one of the true gems of the medium. Along with titles like Hellblazer and Sandman, Preacher turned DC’s Vertigo imprint into the must-read line every month. A difference for Preacher from prior series is having a connection to the DC Comics universe. Preacher remained its own tale, original and full of characters facing the supernatural in ways that would fit well in any dusty saloon the West could offer. Jesse Custer’s path through the world is carved through his faith — or lack of faith — his relationships with those closest to him, and his role as a host for Genesis. The result is a modern Western having fun with the tropes and tone of the genre while disowning it all to create a bloody commentary on religious doctrine, America, and masculinity.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Creator Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s world was instantly attractive to readers thanks to the rich characters that populated the comic pages. Jesse Custer’s view on right and wrong drives his actions, which sometimes run afoul of his romance with Tulip O’Hare and his friendship with drunken Irish vampire Proinsias Cassidy. The trio is the heart of the book’s search for God, and none of the struggle with Heaven and Hell matters without it.
With the series creeping up on 30 years, we decided the time was right to look back on Preacher and some of the characters that made the series great.
10) Allfather
We kick things off with the Allfather. The initial leader of The Grail cult and a distant cousin to Jesse Custer, he’s a strong leader hampered by his extreme obesity, his penchant for disgustingly gorging and purging himself. He makes the list for his memorable presence and his memorable end at the hands of Herr Starr. He pushes the Allfather from a helicopter, landing on top of Humperdoo and ending the whole Grail dynasty to that point in one swoop. He’s at the very least one of the most memorable parts of a very memorable story.
9) Humperdoo
The Grail’s Messiah, who was created by the founders of the group over decades of inbreeding within the “divine lineage.” The result is a long line of children and parents that inbred over 2,000 years. While the latest and eventually last in this line, Humperdoo, is an entertaining distraction, he’s no less annoying. But the actions of Humperdoo and his parents offer moments of laughter in an absurd situation that earns a spot on the list. They’re offensive in more ways than one and it is wild how far Ennis takes it, all the way to the messy end when Allfather is thrown out of a helicopter on top of him.
8) God
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Preacher was a controversial book for several reasons during its original run. No story that deals with the Christian deity or any of the religious iconography is going to have a smooth arrival. The way God is handled throughout paints him as an egotistical, selfish, and seemingly omnipotent creator until he makes the mistake of creating Genesis. This sets his own doom in motion, and also reveals his major secrets: he can be killed by The Saint of Killers and his main powers are tied to his throne.
God makes a great villain at the end of the days, especially when that villain believes he is right. He’s also a bit petty, as his treatment of the Saint of Killers demonstrates. Still, it’s a hard sell to some when your comic ends with God being gunned down by a cowboy.
7) Jody and T.C.
You reall have to combine Jody and T.C. for once entry. The duo are such a one-two punch for Jesse’s upbringing and as enforcers on Marie L’Angelle’s ranch. Jody is a ruthless, tough, and cold S.O.B. that fights gorillas for fun. He’s also the oddest father figure you could encounter in pop culture. He felt being tough was a way to prepare Jesse for the world, sometimes teaching the lesson brutally with T.C. at his side. T.C. is similar to Jody due to his tendency to use violence as a first option in any encounter. He was also quite perverted, trying to have sex with any creature or inanimate object he encountered. The result is a dynamic duo of white trash killers who torture our main characters until Jesse returns for revenge.
Tulip offs T.C., who didn’t have much to earn a redemption, while Jody has a final drag-out fight with Jesse. While Jody is a cruel beast, he still earns a modicum of respect for helping shape Jesse into the man he has become. Not enough to save his life, but enough that he becomes a layered, complex piece of dirt in the story.
6) Arseface
After being left disfigured by a misguided suicide attempt, Arseface grows into a sort of pop culture figure who escapes an abusive life and ends up as a pop star before finding peace. It’s a Cinderella story for the ages, even after the fall, when his manager Gene Sergeant has stolen money and the audience has grown tired of him. His involvement in Custer’s story comes after the latter’s actions lead to Arseface’s father’s death. Sheriff Root refused to speak to his son after the suicide attempt, but Arseface continued to try and ends up vengeful after his suicide. He’s an enigma wrapped in a riddle and slapped with a disfigurement that makes him look like a literal butt hole. A star if there ever was one.
5) Herr Starr
Starr’s name is never revealed in the comic, unlike the TV version, which seems to be far more likeable. The comic’s decision to forgo the name adds more to his mysterious background as a former German anti-terrorist agent and later leader of The Grail. After finally taking control of the organization from the Allfather and the inbred Messiah Humperdoo, he puts his true plans in motion. His goal is far different than Allfather’s, with Starr hoping to take power and use The Grail as a military force to capture Custer and make him the new Messiah.
The hunt for Custer and the resulting battles, including a murderous showdown in Monument Valley involving the Saint of Killers and a nuclear detonation. Starr is fun as he’s an unapologetic, clear villain, but he’s also consistently a failure despite his machinations. By the end of his life at the hands of Tulip, Starr has been scarred and mangled, losing a leg, requiring a valve to urinate, and having his head carved to look like a giant penis by Custer. He’s surprisingly one of the wildest characters out of the bunch, if only due to his awful personality contrasted with his somewhat absurd follies throughout. You want to see him get destroyed and can derive a lot of joy from it.
4) Saint of Killers
In the case of the Saint of Killers, he’d easily walk straight to the top if this was his book. The murderous cowboy literally ends the series sitting on the throne of Heaven. But before he gets to his final destination, the Saint has make it through Hell, build a legend, and kill a lot of people. When he first died, his hatred became so strong that he freezes Hell after his demise.
The legend only grew from there. Not even the Devil could whip the hate out of him, giving the Angel of Death the idea to put the Saint in the Grim Reaper role. The angel forges two revolvers from Death’s sword, and charges him to be the new Angel of Death, with pistols that never go empty, never miss, and kill whatever they hit. The Devil finds this out quickly after being rude, and then we’re off on a trail of destruction. Later in the series, he’s kicking tanks, blasting everyone in sight while remaining hyper-focused on revenge. He also goes from hunting Jesse Custer to holding an uneasy truce, which is bad news for God.
3) Tulip O’Hare
A trained killer and Jesse’s love interest, Tulip actually starts the tale at odds with him. Her connection to Jesse began after dropping out of college, meeting him one night at a bar before they hit the road like Bonnie and Clyde. But then Jesse disappears, taken by Jody and T.C. back to L’Angelle Ranch. The next time they meet is after the church in Anneville is destroyed by Genesis. Tulip remains cold toward him for a bit, while Cassidy becomes a welcome third wheel. Once they end up captured by his grandmother, Marie L’Angelle, Tulip ends up shot in the head and considered dead. She’s resurrected by God in the next issue, but it’s a jarring moment.
Time and time again, Tulip proves that she’s not a damsel in distress, and she’s not very fond of Jesse’s decisions to leave her, both before his rescue mission for Cassidy from The Grail and later when Jesse drugs her to protect her from a final encounter with Herr Starr, the Saint of Killers, and God. They still end up together in the end, but her self-value makes her an important part balancing out the trio.
2) Cassidy
A member of the Irish Volunteers in 1916, Cassidy ends up bitten by a “hag” and becomes a vampire, finding out quickly that sunlight doesn’t mix well with his new status. He deserts his family and the army, making his way to the United States and finding himself at the bottom of a bottle before getting twisted up with drugs. All of it combines to make a decent friend, at least for a bit, and a “parasite” to those around him when he’s reach an end. He admits to abandoning friends as soon as the situation becomes too hairy.
By all accounts, Cassidy is a lovable piece of garbage, with loyalty to the point where it also benefits him. But by the end, he’s grown and decided to sacrifice himself after betraying Jesse and Tulip. It establishes hope that he will change for good, with a pledge after being turned human to be a true man like Jesse after earning back that humanity.
1 ) Jesse Custer
Our main character, the host for Genesis, and modern cowboy of Preacher is Jesse Custer. And while he’s imbued with the Word of God, he’s still just a man made of Texas grit and trauma. Custer walks through life with a sharp sense of right and wrong, partly thanks to the influence of his father, John Custer, but also due to a harsh upbringing under his grandmother, Marie L’Angell, and her henchmen, Jody and T.C.
Jesse is far from perfect, and he knows it. But his bond between himself and Tulip shows he can’t hide his heart, and why he seems to always do the wrong thing when he’s trying to protect her. He’s also guided by the ghostly spirit of John Wayne, which only helps to reinforce the cowboy mentality. By the end of the series, Jesse firmly asks Tulip to accept his apology after his second abandonment. While she initially stands firm that she’s done, she relents after seeing him cry for the first time since his father’s death. They then ride off into the sunset, the happiest ending they could’ve had considering the mileage they accrued.
We surely overlooked a few characters, so share your own in the comments. Preacher has plenty to explore, so we’d be happy to come back.
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of Netflix -
Toei Animation
