Jesse Custer Reviews

You know that old saying, men want to be him and women want to bed him? Usually it's applied to James Bond, but it really should refer exclusively to Jesse Custer, the anchor of Garth Ennis' masterpiece, Preacher. In a comic filled with extraordinary supporting characters, Ennis and the artist Steve Dillon had to work some to make sure that the title character stood out. Jesse is at once a throwback to the good ol' days of the Wild West, a rootin', tootin', ready-with-his-fists guy, ready to do what's right and stand up for what he believes in. He communes with the ghost of John Wayne and looks like Jim Morrison took to the church. But he's also - and this is the clever part - one of the most noble, romantic characters in modern comics, with almost everything he does motivated by love, friendship and self-sacrifice: love for his girlfriend, Tulip, and the friendship of his Irish vampire chum, Cassidy. Almost everything else, like his desire to find God and punish him, is driven by dismay at the state of the modern world. Controversial, but understandable. Oh, and he even looks great with an eyepatch.

Trademarks: For a man of God, Jesse Custer has something of the devil in him – he's a drinkin', smokin', cussin' ex-preacher with a taste for pleasures of the flesh. He also happens to be possessed by Genesis, the enormously powerful offspring of an angel and a demon that gives him the ability to make anyone do what he says.

On Screen: There was talk of a Preacher movie for more than a decade – Sam Mendes was one of the filmmakers attached – but it finally burst to life on Amazon Prime with Dominic Cooper donning the cloth for four seasons as the classic comic book antihero.

Did You Know?: Jesse turns against the hypocrisy of the church after a chance encounter with comedian Bill Hicks.

Buy Preacher Book One now on Amazon