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I don’t often make non-metal recommendations here. But I just finished Vol. 1 (hardcover edition) of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher, and I’m inclined to shout it from the mountaintops.
Preacher!
The best comic book since Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns!
Granted, I’m not a big comics guy. I appreciate them, but I don’t have time for another hobby. However, some friends of mine run a comic book store, Brooklyn Monster Factory. They know what they’re talking about, and they won’t shut up about Preacher. So I gave it a go. It was so good, it gave me chills. Metal fans would dig it. It’s dark, violent, and blasphemous (in a sophisticated way). More importantly, it’s written amazingly well. Garth Ennis crafts memorable characters with whip-cracking dialogue and complex yet cohesive plots. What I’ve read of his has been “can’t put down” quality. Preacher — seek it, savor it, and see if Sam Mendes will do it justice on the big screen.
Preacher:
Amazon (Vol. 1, hardcover)
Amazon (trade paperbacks, 9 volumes)
Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's partnership is definitely noteworthy. Their work in Marvel Knight's Punisher is one of my favorite series. You should check out Moonknight. It's very dark and violent, but sometimes the psychological trouble ruins the story. If you can follow it, it's amazing, i got lost after the 10th issue.
Oh man, I used to read Preacher back when I was a teenager and the issues hadn't been collected in trade paperback format yet. Even then it was hot shit — the early issues fetched a pretty penny as I recall. It's still shocking today all the stuff that Ennis and Dillon got away with. Cosmo, just you wait until you get to Vol. 2. There's some stuff that happens in there that still hasn't been rivaled for depravity in graphic novel form.
Quite a distance between Away We Go and Preacher for Sam Mendes, huh?
A lot of people like Preacher and it certainly is well-made, but I don't think it's a masterpiece, personally (I've been reading/making comics for years). Tell us what you think once you're fully done with the series.
Fuck yeah. FUCK YEAH! Preacher!
If one is into metal, they ought to be into Preacher.
I remember reading this book when I was struggling with my beliefs. I've been LDS half my life (try reconciling that with a love of metal!). It made excellent use of iconoclasm. Many comics have used myth as backdrop for storytelling (Grendel, Wonder Woman, Thor, Mage, etc.), but Preacher presented Judeao-Christian doctrine as one would any other myth. It helped me to realize that all this stuff that so many people are convinced is reality is no more believable than Zeus chucking thunderbolts.
Thanks Preacher! I owe you (as well as Napalm Death) the second half of my life.
Cosmo, I know you don't really have time for comics, but if you are ever looking for something beyond Preacher, you might try Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, and (for the adventures of a dystopian journalist) Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan.
Helm – What comics have you produced?
Seriously, one of the best comics ever. Made me laugh at things I thought I could never laugh at, and the ending was so classically romantic that it made me cry!
starts off great and gets much less great towards the end unfortunately
Garth Ennis is my favorite Comics Writer after Ed Brubaker and Preacher has a really nice place in my all time list because of the time I read it and it's overall quality but at least IMO his masterpiece is his run on the Punisher, but I'm talking the Marvel MAX series not his more wacky Marvel Knights run, if you want the ugly side of crime and human nature a la The Wire in comics that run will give you that in spades. Their Hellblazer run (Ennis-Dillon) is also considered a classic too.
Vertigo made Transmetropolitan #1 available as a free download .pdf – it looks great so far. Thanks for the recommendation, Miska. Any interest in writing a guest post for us: "Tales of an ex-Latter Day Saint metalhead"?
Helm has a blog for his comics. They are of high quality:
http://asides-bsides.blogspot.com/
enjoy it now cuz it's been optioned for a movie. i'm sure suckularity will ensue.
for what it's worth:
Warren Ellis' and Ed Brubaker's music faves:
?Here Come the Warm Jets? – Brian Eno
?Engine? – American Music Club
?Either/Or? – Elliott Smith
?Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Sleeper, Incognito, Criminal)
?Berlin? – Lou Reed
?Congotronics? – Konono No1
?The Complete Recordings? – Robert Johnson
?Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Crooked Little Vein, Crecy)
from: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/07/14/do-anything-007-by-warren-ellis/
this has been on my "to read" list forever….huge comic fan so I should really get on this.
Currently really enjoying Vertigo's new series "The Unwritten"
Transmetropolitan was my first favorite comic. I bought and read every volume within two weeks after I read the first two trades.
Soon after, I started Preacher and read them all pretty quickly as well.
Since then, I haven't found two comics as good as those – a lot of others come close, but those two are close to my heart.