482 PREACHER
in 1968), as well as Stephen King’s novel Th e Stand (1978). We s t e r n motifs infl ected
through such fi lms as A Boy and His Dog (1974) and Mad Max (1979), as well as
novels including Stephen King’s Dark Tower series (1982) and David Brin’s Th e Post-
man (1985) grew infl uential in the post-apocalyptic comics by the beginning of 2000s.
Th us, both Garth Ennis’s Pilgrim miniseries (2001) and King’s adapted and newly
created Dark Tower comic series (2007) evoked a Western style. In any case, with a fore-
boding sense of millennialism upon the lead-up to the second millennium c.e. , followed
by heightened tension between the West and Islamic worlds in the aftermath of the
September 11 attacks, the decline of U.S. hegemony, and the forthcoming Mayan date
for the end of the world in December of 2012, contemporary concerns and anxieties
have fueled a burgeoning interest in post-apocalyptic narratives in comics and all forms
of storytelling.
Lance Eaton
PREACHER (1995–2000) was created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon,
and originally released serially by DC Comics’ imprint Vertigo. Th e series was collected
in a trade paperback series of nine volumes. Ennis’s best-known work to date, Preacher ’s
violent, humorous, and often absurd depiction of American culture and mythology has
gained a large cult following and garnered Ennis numerous industry awards.
Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a disillusioned preacher forced into ordina-
tion by his evil maternal grandmother, Marie L’Angelle, and her henchmen, Jody and
T. C. During a sermon in his tiny Annville, Texas, church, Jesse is possessed by Genesis,
the forbidden off spring of an angel and a demon. Genesis imbues Jesse with the Word
of God, which forces anyone hearing it to obey his commands. Following his congrega-
tion’s immolation, Jesse sets out to hunt down God and force the deity to answer for his
fl awed governance of creation, meanwhile battling such foes as the Grail, a conspirato-
rial network controlling the governments of the world and protecting the bloodline of
Jesus Christ.
Jesse’s quest reunites him with his ex-girlfriend Tulip O’Hare, a college-dropout
turned hit-woman, and Cassidy, a 100-year-old Irish vampire , whose hard-drinking,
party-loving attitude immediately endears him to Jesse. After Jesse falls out of an
airplane during their escape from the Grail, Tulip believes he is dead and completely
breaks down, turning to alcohol and tranquilizers, which Cassidy is all too happy to
provide. After six months of running from the Grail and reluctantly living and sleeping
with Cassidy, Tulip comes to her senses and seeks refuge at her friend Amy’s house,
where she is discovered by and reunited with Jesse.
For most of the series, Cassidy is Jesse’s best friend and drinking buddy. Although he
dedicates himself to helping Jesse complete his quest, Cassidy falls in love with Tulip,
and gradually reveals himself to be a monster, as he all but kidnaps and rapes Tulip
while they both believe Jesse to be dead. He fi nds Tulip shortly after her reunion with
Jesse, and he and Jesse arrange a fi nal meeting to hash out their diff erences. Before the
meeting, Cassidy makes a deal with God: Cassidy will incapacitate Jesse long enough
