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Preacher
Preacher, Volume 4: Ancient History
Graphic Novel.
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
50 people are currently reading
2195 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,622 books3,173 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 365 reviews
January 4, 2023
A slight change of pace with back stories for the Saint of Killers, Arseface and surprisingly T.J. and Cody. On first reading the Saint of Killers origin is pretty hardcore, but tbh, I just wanted to get back to the main story. A solid Four Star, 8 out of 12 though, as the short stories are all pretty interesting, darkly comedic and most definitely out-there!
2019 read; 2017 read
2019 read; 2017 read
April 12, 2012
A "Most Interesting" review:
He once read Ulysses by James Joyce…
He composed a dirty limerick in Cuneiform…
He once…
He is…
.
.
.
“I don’t always read graphic novels, but when I do, I prefer Preacher by Garth Ennis.”
.
.
.
Nuff said...I mean when the coolest suds spokesman since Billy Dee was telling America that, "It works every time"
spills that he enjoys Garth Ennis’s Preacher series, I’m not sure what more my rambling comments can add to the endorsement, so let me just give a brief rundown of the events transpiring in this fourth Volume.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Taking a break from the ongoing storyline, this installment provides some overdue back story on several important supporting characters, most notably and most awesomely, the immortal, badass extraordinaire, Saint of Killers.
Taking up two-thirds of the page count, this terrific origin story lays out the history of this unstoppable murder machine, who until now has been the most mysterious characters of the series. While main character Jesse Custer is clearly the voice of the series, Ennis has described the Saint of Killers as its "soul," making his story an essential aspect of the narrative. Ennis intended the SOK to be the personification of the violence and cruelty of the old west, making him reminiscent of “the Judge” from McCarthy’s Blood Meridian.
Only Ennis, master of the medium that he is, could tell the story of this destructive, cold-hearted (literally) killing machine and make you empathize with him. His actions may prevent you from truly caring about him, but you will grow to understand him and how he came to hold the position of Heaven’s chief assassin.
Great story, great art, and Ennis’s usual superb writing. It is, put simply, EXCELLENT.
Next, Ennis takes us on the sad, childhood journey of the most unusual characters of the series…ARSEFACE. Told with surprising emotion, Garth shows us an unloved, abused child, who nonetheless loves his verbally and physically abusive father, and we see the progression of events that culminated in the botched suicide attempt that gave birth to Arseface. While I did not enjoy this quite as much as the Saint of Killers storyline, it was well done and Ennis does an excellent job evoking empathy for the child that became this monster of a man.
Finally, in what passes for a “lighter story” in this series, Ennis takes us on a violent, gore-strewn parody of action film clichés, when Preacher’s uncles, Jody and TC, take on a whole gaggle of bumbling soldiers and inept terrorists. Disgusting, profane and extremely funny, this was a great way to end this volume on a upbeat note…so to speak.
4.0 to 4.5 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
He once read Ulysses by James Joyce…
He composed a dirty limerick in Cuneiform…
He once…
He is…
.
.
.
“I don’t always read graphic novels, but when I do, I prefer Preacher by Garth Ennis.”
.
.
.
Nuff said...I mean when the coolest suds spokesman since Billy Dee was telling America that, "It works every time"
spills that he enjoys Garth Ennis’s Preacher series, I’m not sure what more my rambling comments can add to the endorsement, so let me just give a brief rundown of the events transpiring in this fourth Volume.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Taking a break from the ongoing storyline, this installment provides some overdue back story on several important supporting characters, most notably and most awesomely, the immortal, badass extraordinaire, Saint of Killers.
Taking up two-thirds of the page count, this terrific origin story lays out the history of this unstoppable murder machine, who until now has been the most mysterious characters of the series. While main character Jesse Custer is clearly the voice of the series, Ennis has described the Saint of Killers as its "soul," making his story an essential aspect of the narrative. Ennis intended the SOK to be the personification of the violence and cruelty of the old west, making him reminiscent of “the Judge” from McCarthy’s Blood Meridian.
Only Ennis, master of the medium that he is, could tell the story of this destructive, cold-hearted (literally) killing machine and make you empathize with him. His actions may prevent you from truly caring about him, but you will grow to understand him and how he came to hold the position of Heaven’s chief assassin.
Great story, great art, and Ennis’s usual superb writing. It is, put simply, EXCELLENT.
Next, Ennis takes us on the sad, childhood journey of the most unusual characters of the series…ARSEFACE. Told with surprising emotion, Garth shows us an unloved, abused child, who nonetheless loves his verbally and physically abusive father, and we see the progression of events that culminated in the botched suicide attempt that gave birth to Arseface. While I did not enjoy this quite as much as the Saint of Killers storyline, it was well done and Ennis does an excellent job evoking empathy for the child that became this monster of a man.
Finally, in what passes for a “lighter story” in this series, Ennis takes us on a violent, gore-strewn parody of action film clichés, when Preacher’s uncles, Jody and TC, take on a whole gaggle of bumbling soldiers and inept terrorists. Disgusting, profane and extremely funny, this was a great way to end this volume on a upbeat note…so to speak.
4.0 to 4.5 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
January 14, 2024
Three amazing stories.
we get the origins of The Saint of killers and Arse-face.
and a story in the past of T.C and Jody.
They are all well made with Great Supporting characters.
dam am too distracted i don't feel like writing anything else.
we get the origins of The Saint of killers and Arse-face.
and a story in the past of T.C and Jody.
They are all well made with Great Supporting characters.
dam am too distracted i don't feel like writing anything else.
June 14, 2019
Το τέταρτο μέρος του preacher είναι από μόνο του αρκετό για να δικαιώσει ολόκληρη τη σειρά.
Οι ιστορίες των "good old boys" και του "you know who" έχουν το χαβαλέ τους, αλλά εκεί που η δημιουργία του Ennis και των συνεργατών του ανυψώνεται σε άλλα επίπεδα, είναι στην ιστορία του "saint of killers".
Δεν ξέρω αν μπορεί να βρεθεί σε κόμικ άλλη το ίδιο δυνατή ιστορία πόνου, οργής και εκδίκησης σαν κι αυτή.
Πιστεύω όχι.
Αξίζει να διαβάσετε όλη τη σειρά, μόνο και μόνο για να απολαύσετε την ιστορία αυτού, στον ήχο των όπλων του οποίου, η γη τρέμει.
Οι ιστορίες των "good old boys" και του "you know who" έχουν το χαβαλέ τους, αλλά εκεί που η δημιουργία του Ennis και των συνεργατών του ανυψώνεται σε άλλα επίπεδα, είναι στην ιστορία του "saint of killers".
Δεν ξέρω αν μπορεί να βρεθεί σε κόμικ άλλη το ίδιο δυνατή ιστορία πόνου, οργής και εκδίκησης σαν κι αυτή.
Πιστεύω όχι.
Αξίζει να διαβάσετε όλη τη σειρά, μόνο και μόνο για να απολαύσετε την ιστορία αυτού, στον ήχο των όπλων του οποίου, η γη τρέμει.
April 23, 2021
Hikâye açısından sevdim, merak ettiğim iki karakterin geçmişini okumak çok keyifliydi ama redaksiyon gerçekten rezalet. Her sayfada min 2-3 hata bulmak çok sıkıcı😒
December 1, 2010
Garth Ennis wrote an introduction to this volume of Preacher where he says that part of his inspiration for the story came from his love of western movies. He doesn’t explain why he included a kid disfigured after a botched suicide attempt who now goes by the name of Arseface. That’s probably for the best. I don’t think I want to know how Ennis came up with that character.
This collection breaks away from the main storyline of Jesse Custer’s quest to find and punish God to give us some background of some of the supporting characters. We learn why Arseface decided to follow in Kurt Cobain’s footsteps and try to stage a quick exit via shotgun. For a character that’s been portrayed as disgusting comic relief to this point, it’s a surprisingly moving story.
There’s a hilarious satire of action hero movies starring a couple of old acquaintances of Jesses’s. Watching Jody and TC’s violent redneck antics as they deal with a handsome male cop and a beautiful female lawyer being pursued through a swamp by a deranged terrorist is disgusting, and completely hilarious.
But the pivotal story in this the origin of the Saint of Killers. The Saint was once just a man with a talent for murder that he used during the Civil War as well as hunting Apaches afterwards. When he was robbed of the only happiness he’d known, his rage is so fierce that it scares both Satan and the Angel of Death, leading to him taking up the mantle as God’s own killer. He carries out this duty as a kind of fucked up hybrid of a cowboy and the Grim Reaper. As Ennis puts it: Back when he was just a man, before the world shook to the thunder of his guns, there was still some good in his heart. And that was the tragedy.
While not strictly necessary to the overall Preacher story, this collection is still great reading for fans of the series. Where else are you going to see a guy fight a gorilla with a baseball bat?
This collection breaks away from the main storyline of Jesse Custer’s quest to find and punish God to give us some background of some of the supporting characters. We learn why Arseface decided to follow in Kurt Cobain’s footsteps and try to stage a quick exit via shotgun. For a character that’s been portrayed as disgusting comic relief to this point, it’s a surprisingly moving story.
There’s a hilarious satire of action hero movies starring a couple of old acquaintances of Jesses’s. Watching Jody and TC’s violent redneck antics as they deal with a handsome male cop and a beautiful female lawyer being pursued through a swamp by a deranged terrorist is disgusting, and completely hilarious.
But the pivotal story in this the origin of the Saint of Killers. The Saint was once just a man with a talent for murder that he used during the Civil War as well as hunting Apaches afterwards. When he was robbed of the only happiness he’d known, his rage is so fierce that it scares both Satan and the Angel of Death, leading to him taking up the mantle as God’s own killer. He carries out this duty as a kind of fucked up hybrid of a cowboy and the Grim Reaper. As Ennis puts it: Back when he was just a man, before the world shook to the thunder of his guns, there was still some good in his heart. And that was the tragedy.
While not strictly necessary to the overall Preacher story, this collection is still great reading for fans of the series. Where else are you going to see a guy fight a gorilla with a baseball bat?
May 14, 2021
Carine le storie su Faccia di Culo e la coppia sudista Jody e T.C.
Ma è la storia del Santo che cattura realmente ed emoziona.
Chi era il Santo prima di essere questa creatura letale e immortale? Come è diventato il Santo degli Assassini? Cosa lo ha reso quel che è adesso?
Una storia che ci porta nel selvaggio west, tragica e cupa, tra massacri, dolore e un odio talmente profondo da far gelare l'inferno.
A seguire un racconto dei due scagnozzi della nonnina di Jesse, che ce li mostrano in azione nel loro tempo libero. T.C. impegnato a cercare di farsi le cose e creature più improbabili, Jody invece a lottare in arene clandestine e a sgominare terroristi talmente stupidi da volere attaccare briga con due texani.
Il tutto mescolato con la storia di una modella ora avvocato in fuga dai terroristi assieme a un detective da film, con toni totalmente diversi rispetto alla storia del Santo: spacconate, violenza gratuita, parodie e prese in giro.
Infine, la storia di Faccia di Culo. Qualcosa sapevamo, ora sappiamo come sia cresciuto il ragazzo, cosa abbia vissuto e cosa lo abbia portato a diventare chi è ora.
Un buon volume, un focus più interessante del previsto su alcuni personaggi non protagonisti di questa storia.
Ma è la storia del Santo che cattura realmente ed emoziona.
Chi era il Santo prima di essere questa creatura letale e immortale? Come è diventato il Santo degli Assassini? Cosa lo ha reso quel che è adesso?
Una storia che ci porta nel selvaggio west, tragica e cupa, tra massacri, dolore e un odio talmente profondo da far gelare l'inferno.
A seguire un racconto dei due scagnozzi della nonnina di Jesse, che ce li mostrano in azione nel loro tempo libero. T.C. impegnato a cercare di farsi le cose e creature più improbabili, Jody invece a lottare in arene clandestine e a sgominare terroristi talmente stupidi da volere attaccare briga con due texani.
Il tutto mescolato con la storia di una modella ora avvocato in fuga dai terroristi assieme a un detective da film, con toni totalmente diversi rispetto alla storia del Santo: spacconate, violenza gratuita, parodie e prese in giro.
Infine, la storia di Faccia di Culo. Qualcosa sapevamo, ora sappiamo come sia cresciuto il ragazzo, cosa abbia vissuto e cosa lo abbia portato a diventare chi è ora.
Un buon volume, un focus più interessante del previsto su alcuni personaggi non protagonisti di questa storia.
July 12, 2013
I was all prepared to hate this volume.
I mean...no Custer? No Tulip? N-n-n-n-o Cassidy, the world's coolest and most inebriated vampire?
No freakin' way!
But, geez, they got me. Right away I was slapped in the face with a glorious, bloody, Peckinpahish horse opera about how a loner seeking vengeance became the Saint of Killers. What's the devil to do when Hell literally freezes over?
Then we revisit the sad, sad story of Arseface, and see the birth of yet another loner out for blood.
And finally, there's a fun tale of mayhem and wild things gone wilder with Jody and T.C., fore they was dead. Watch as these good ole boys mix it up with a cop on the edge and a supermodel-turned-lawyer-with-a-dangerous-secret who just happen to find themselves marooned in the middle of a swamp.
Even without the three main characters, there are some rip-roarin' times to be had in this collection.
I mean...no Custer? No Tulip? N-n-n-n-o Cassidy, the world's coolest and most inebriated vampire?
No freakin' way!
But, geez, they got me. Right away I was slapped in the face with a glorious, bloody, Peckinpahish horse opera about how a loner seeking vengeance became the Saint of Killers. What's the devil to do when Hell literally freezes over?
Then we revisit the sad, sad story of Arseface, and see the birth of yet another loner out for blood.
And finally, there's a fun tale of mayhem and wild things gone wilder with Jody and T.C., fore they was dead. Watch as these good ole boys mix it up with a cop on the edge and a supermodel-turned-lawyer-with-a-dangerous-secret who just happen to find themselves marooned in the middle of a swamp.
Even without the three main characters, there are some rip-roarin' times to be had in this collection.
November 17, 2011
Im rating this 5 stars only for Preacher Special: Saint of Killers #1-4 and not the other two stories in this collection which isnt as powerful. The first 3 volumes of Preacher issues was good but not as great as the story of Saint of Killers and his old west days. Garth Ennis is a great comics writer and his writing of the Revisionist Western story is one of the best westerns i have read in comics form. Up there with the best Jonah Hex comics. A dark Western that deals frankly with the uglier aspects of violence and the myth of the Old West. A destruction of the myth and the same time a homage to the western movies of John Wayne,Clint Eastwood.
I knew Ennis hero was Clint Eastwood like he is my fav western actor and i always wished he wrote a hardcore western like that.
Steve Pugh and Carlos Ezquerra art fit the story better than Steve Dillion art would ever have.
I knew Ennis hero was Clint Eastwood like he is my fav western actor and i always wished he wrote a hardcore western like that.
Steve Pugh and Carlos Ezquerra art fit the story better than Steve Dillion art would ever have.
February 9, 2017
Holy crap! The Saint's story was even better than I imagined!
I mean, we're getting into some great ghost story stuff, but add a mountain of steroids and a man that both the Angel of Death and Satan, himself, is scared shitless of, and we've got Keyser Söze, or um, I mean, the Saint of Slaughter. :) Hell of a good story.
Someone in Supernatural has been cribbing from this comic. :)
And now that I know so much more about this guy, I can't believe that everyone got off so light, before. :)
I mean, we're getting into some great ghost story stuff, but add a mountain of steroids and a man that both the Angel of Death and Satan, himself, is scared shitless of, and we've got Keyser Söze, or um, I mean, the Saint of Slaughter. :) Hell of a good story.
Someone in Supernatural has been cribbing from this comic. :)
And now that I know so much more about this guy, I can't believe that everyone got off so light, before. :)
May 13, 2021
Normalde ana hikayeden uzaklaşıp, yan karakterlere odaklanan öyküleri vakit kaybı olarak görür, bana dayatılmış bir görevmiş gibi muamele yaparım ama bu ciltten gerçekten zevk aldım. İtiraf edeyim serinin bu kadar iyi olacağını düşünmemiştim ve şu an okuduğum en iyi uzun soluklu çizgi roman serisi olma yolunda emin adımlarla ilerliyor.
September 18, 2011
"Ancient History" is sort of a sidenote to the main story of Custer and Co. as this book (the fourth in the series) contains back story for the Saint of Killers, Arseface, and Jody and T.C.
The best of the bunch is the Saint of Killers' story. From late 19th century wild west, cowboys and injuns, to the gates of Hell and beyond, we see how the Saint became the cold blooded killing machine he is in the main story. Carlos Eszquerra supplies some fantastic drawings for his part in the story, the Hell sequence. His Devil is brilliant and you find out his first name too. The story takes up a full half of the book and is perfect reading for upcoming Hallowe'en celebrations. That is, read it by candlelight with a drink and ignore the brats at the door.
Arseface's backstory isn't that great. If you've read the first book (and why haven't you?) you'll know he looks the way he does because of his own actions and some other details. It's elaborated on more here but doesn't really provide that compelling a story.
Jody and T.C.'s story is a satire on action films and has a fun story of the pair taking apart an international mobster's hitforce in the swamps of the South. Some really creative deaths in this part of the book.
It's a great addition to the brilliant story of "Preacher", fleshing out the supporting players for the reader and providing some excellent reading for a couple of hours.
The best of the bunch is the Saint of Killers' story. From late 19th century wild west, cowboys and injuns, to the gates of Hell and beyond, we see how the Saint became the cold blooded killing machine he is in the main story. Carlos Eszquerra supplies some fantastic drawings for his part in the story, the Hell sequence. His Devil is brilliant and you find out his first name too. The story takes up a full half of the book and is perfect reading for upcoming Hallowe'en celebrations. That is, read it by candlelight with a drink and ignore the brats at the door.
Arseface's backstory isn't that great. If you've read the first book (and why haven't you?) you'll know he looks the way he does because of his own actions and some other details. It's elaborated on more here but doesn't really provide that compelling a story.
Jody and T.C.'s story is a satire on action films and has a fun story of the pair taking apart an international mobster's hitforce in the swamps of the South. Some really creative deaths in this part of the book.
It's a great addition to the brilliant story of "Preacher", fleshing out the supporting players for the reader and providing some excellent reading for a couple of hours.
August 29, 2019
This my favourite Preacher none Jessie book because find out the origin of Saint of killers No John Wayne or Clint Easterwood a reel fucken C##t .
Arseface how he became so fucking horrible ,a sad tale of depression & stupidly
The Good Old Boys a constriction in terms ,nothing fucken good about them.
You could take Western story & make real blood & guts Western out of it with Daniel -Day Lewis, in the starring role.
Arseface how he became so fucking horrible ,a sad tale of depression & stupidly
The Good Old Boys a constriction in terms ,nothing fucken good about them.
You could take Western story & make real blood & guts Western out of it with Daniel -Day Lewis, in the starring role.
June 20, 2023
Origin stories of The Saint of Killers, Arseface and the third story is a parody of action movies, I guess, where Jody and T.C. inadvertently get involved in someone's else's problems. This is vol 4 of the collected Preacher series so you know what to expect: darkest of humours and vilest of violence.
May 30, 2021
La nascita del Santo degli assassini e altre due storie secondarie.
Secondarie solo di nome, si intende: erano splendide!
Secondarie solo di nome, si intende: erano splendide!
August 24, 2015
Ah yes, what I've come to learn is a signature move on the part of Ennis (and others like Aaron in Scalped or Wood in DMZ): the volume of "side character stories".
Related tangent: I was obsessed with Preacher when I first read it, and tracked down everything in print. Including some obscure little one-off of story about the Saint of Killers. I awaited that eBay/Amazon purchase like a rabid squirrel, and when it finally arrived I tore it open...only to discover it was the original printing of the very story collected in this volume. Bugger me - where's the extra-special secret stories I was seeking?
Re-reads like this are both hard and gratifying - hard to think I've forgotten so much of what I once knew, and gratifying to see these old, vaguely familiar characters in scenarios that are so new to me, even if I have a funny idea I know where they're headed.
Favourite character: well duh - the Saint Of Killers.
Favourite moment: "Go an' look."
Favourite surprise: the Devil playing cards, smoking a cigar and cursing.
Least exciting story: the lame parody of 20th-century action films, even if there were a few fun puerile moments.
Related tangent: I was obsessed with Preacher when I first read it, and tracked down everything in print. Including some obscure little one-off of story about the Saint of Killers. I awaited that eBay/Amazon purchase like a rabid squirrel, and when it finally arrived I tore it open...only to discover it was the original printing of the very story collected in this volume. Bugger me - where's the extra-special secret stories I was seeking?
Re-reads like this are both hard and gratifying - hard to think I've forgotten so much of what I once knew, and gratifying to see these old, vaguely familiar characters in scenarios that are so new to me, even if I have a funny idea I know where they're headed.
Favourite character: well duh - the Saint Of Killers.
Favourite moment: "Go an' look."
Favourite surprise: the Devil playing cards, smoking a cigar and cursing.
Least exciting story: the lame parody of 20th-century action films, even if there were a few fun puerile moments.
June 8, 2015
Much better one off stories than the Cassidy origin. The saint of killers story was phenomenal. The Arseface and The Jodi, T.C. stories were ok.
June 12, 2018
This is a collection of three stories that provide background information for different characters. This collection does not move the story arc forward so one can read this collection at anytime. In this collection, we find out how the Saint of Killers comes to be, how the accident occurred to Arseface, and a side story to Jodi and T.C. who were characters in Jesse's teenage years.
I absolutely loved the stories about the Saint of Killers and Arseface. Even though I knew about these stories from the television series, these two stories were fantastic and emotional. One cannot help but feel empathy for the Saint of Killers and how he became so cold and ruthless. There are differences between the print and television story of Arseface and I prefer the comics story. It details how teenagers feel alone and how in some cases the parents are the problem and not the children. I was going to give this collection five stars based on these two stories and then I read the final story. Visually, there is nothing wrong with it. It was just a little too much on the nose for my liking as it was blatant what it was trying to spoof.
I enjoy the background information aspect of universes as we get to see the motivations of characters. I would have never guessed that I would have enjoyed this universe's background information so much. Two out of the three stories were fantastic and a pure pleasure to read. I wish I stopped after the second story and moved on to the next collection.
I absolutely loved the stories about the Saint of Killers and Arseface. Even though I knew about these stories from the television series, these two stories were fantastic and emotional. One cannot help but feel empathy for the Saint of Killers and how he became so cold and ruthless. There are differences between the print and television story of Arseface and I prefer the comics story. It details how teenagers feel alone and how in some cases the parents are the problem and not the children. I was going to give this collection five stars based on these two stories and then I read the final story. Visually, there is nothing wrong with it. It was just a little too much on the nose for my liking as it was blatant what it was trying to spoof.
I enjoy the background information aspect of universes as we get to see the motivations of characters. I would have never guessed that I would have enjoyed this universe's background information so much. Two out of the three stories were fantastic and a pure pleasure to read. I wish I stopped after the second story and moved on to the next collection.
May 13, 2021
This caught me a bit off guard as this is not a continuation of where we left Preacher in the last volume. Which was, naturally, a bit of a cliffhanger so I was excited to see what happened and instead I found myself reading a collection of short stories set in the world of Preacher.
It was solid, however. I enjoyed learning about the Saint of Killers, that really was a heck of a story. Just enough packed to not miss the main events of the series.
The story of Assface was...ok. My least favorite of the three. I guess there were enough people wondering why he looks the way that he looks and so now they have their answer. I never wondered.
The last story was painful to read more so then anything, so I suppose: success! (At least from writing perspective). Digging deeper into Jessie’s past does give perspective as to what makes him tick. What kind of a man he really is.
None of these are essentially necessary to the overall story and could be safely skipped. If I’d known ahead of time, I probably would have, especially since short stories aren’t my favorite.
However, if you enjoy learning backstories of various characters, this might be a great one for you to pick up. And also now I get to feel good knowing I am following the series in a “proper order” and without skipping anything, so that’s a plus!
And now, onto the next book on my never ending To Read list.
Roman
It was solid, however. I enjoyed learning about the Saint of Killers, that really was a heck of a story. Just enough packed to not miss the main events of the series.
The story of Assface was...ok. My least favorite of the three. I guess there were enough people wondering why he looks the way that he looks and so now they have their answer. I never wondered.
The last story was painful to read more so then anything, so I suppose: success! (At least from writing perspective). Digging deeper into Jessie’s past does give perspective as to what makes him tick. What kind of a man he really is.
None of these are essentially necessary to the overall story and could be safely skipped. If I’d known ahead of time, I probably would have, especially since short stories aren’t my favorite.
However, if you enjoy learning backstories of various characters, this might be a great one for you to pick up. And also now I get to feel good knowing I am following the series in a “proper order” and without skipping anything, so that’s a plus!
And now, onto the next book on my never ending To Read list.
Roman
November 16, 2018
DISCLAIMER: I wasn't able to find the physical trade of this one and when I went out to get the single issues I could only find The Saint of Killers storyline. So I will only review that portion of this trade and not the other two stories.
So with that out of the way, let's hop into this! So the story of this tells us the origin of The Saint of Killers; the unstoppable, completely OP cowboy who hunts Jessie in the main Preacher series. I always found this guy to be really scary and relentless in the series, so going back to the wild west and seeing his backstory was a treat. We get to learn more about him and how got his ridiculous powers. The story is pretty well written and in Garth Ennis fashion, is dark and gory on every level! The artwork was not too amazing, but I grew to love it the more I read; the last issue however switched to a completely different artist, which had a style that really didn't suit the book at all!
Overall it's a bit of a break away from the main story in Preacher, but its a pretty solid volume!
So with that out of the way, let's hop into this! So the story of this tells us the origin of The Saint of Killers; the unstoppable, completely OP cowboy who hunts Jessie in the main Preacher series. I always found this guy to be really scary and relentless in the series, so going back to the wild west and seeing his backstory was a treat. We get to learn more about him and how got his ridiculous powers. The story is pretty well written and in Garth Ennis fashion, is dark and gory on every level! The artwork was not too amazing, but I grew to love it the more I read; the last issue however switched to a completely different artist, which had a style that really didn't suit the book at all!
Overall it's a bit of a break away from the main story in Preacher, but its a pretty solid volume!
September 20, 2018
This volume consists of three different Preacher tie in stories.
Saint of Killers: This is the origin of the unstoppable gunslinger who has Jesse Custer in his sights. I enjoyed this one the most of the three as I'm a huge fan of Weird Westerns, and that's exactly what this is. Satan and The Angel of Death show up as well. 5 Stars
Story of you-know-who: This is the origin of Arseface, and this was surprisingly deep. 5 stars.
The Good Ol' Boys: This one was the weakest of the bunch. A story of Jody and TC from before we see them in Preacher. Just a little too over the top, even for this series. I didn't find most of the jokes funny, and it almost seemed like a self parody. Still entertaining though. 3 stars.
Overall not a bad volume at all, and a nice aside from the main storyline.
Saint of Killers: This is the origin of the unstoppable gunslinger who has Jesse Custer in his sights. I enjoyed this one the most of the three as I'm a huge fan of Weird Westerns, and that's exactly what this is. Satan and The Angel of Death show up as well. 5 Stars
Story of you-know-who: This is the origin of Arseface, and this was surprisingly deep. 5 stars.
The Good Ol' Boys: This one was the weakest of the bunch. A story of Jody and TC from before we see them in Preacher. Just a little too over the top, even for this series. I didn't find most of the jokes funny, and it almost seemed like a self parody. Still entertaining though. 3 stars.
Overall not a bad volume at all, and a nice aside from the main storyline.
November 29, 2024
“I love my horse. I love my wife. And I love my little girl. And as for Jesus… he can join us all in hell.”
June 26, 2010
Ancient History covers the background of some of Jesse's adversaries: the Saint of Killers, Arseface, and Jody & T.C.
Saint of Killers struck me as the most interesting. It's got an haunting, mythic quality to it. I even found myself sympathizing with the man he was and the situation that brought him to what he is now.
Arseface is a story of a quiet teen from an abusive home. Though I don't care all that much for the character, it was sad to see Sheriff Root's treatment, the mother's depression, and the uncertainty that led "Arseface" to destruction. He inspires a lot of pity.
Jody & T.C. What to say about these two. The entire story ran as a farce of a blockbuster action-comedy: the gorgeous model-turned-lawyer, the ruggedly handsome cop trying to protect her from the Bad Guy foreigner...until the good ol' boys show up. The two are sadistic and reprehensible, but damn if they don't know how to kick ass. Other than highlighting Jody's warped sense of honor this didn't add much to the world, but was still mildly entertaining.
Because this is an add-on to the Preacher series, the artwork was handled by three different artists. Having grown used to the style of the previous books, I found some of these pages lacking by comparison. There was a realism missing from many of the fight scenes, and the work was somewhat inconsistent.
Overall, worth reading for the Saint of Killers' origins, but I'll be glad to get back to Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy!
Saint of Killers struck me as the most interesting. It's got an haunting, mythic quality to it. I even found myself sympathizing with the man he was and the situation that brought him to what he is now.
Arseface is a story of a quiet teen from an abusive home. Though I don't care all that much for the character, it was sad to see Sheriff Root's treatment, the mother's depression, and the uncertainty that led "Arseface" to destruction. He inspires a lot of pity.
Jody & T.C. What to say about these two. The entire story ran as a farce of a blockbuster action-comedy: the gorgeous model-turned-lawyer, the ruggedly handsome cop trying to protect her from the Bad Guy foreigner...until the good ol' boys show up. The two are sadistic and reprehensible, but damn if they don't know how to kick ass. Other than highlighting Jody's warped sense of honor this didn't add much to the world, but was still mildly entertaining.
Because this is an add-on to the Preacher series, the artwork was handled by three different artists. Having grown used to the style of the previous books, I found some of these pages lacking by comparison. There was a realism missing from many of the fight scenes, and the work was somewhat inconsistent.
Overall, worth reading for the Saint of Killers' origins, but I'll be glad to get back to Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy!
April 18, 2016
Ancient History features 3 spinoff stories about The Saint of Killers, Arseface, and the Jody and T.C. tandem. I believe that these standalone chapters are not vital to the whole Preacher story as a whole, though they offer a deeper character development that the main series didn't show.
All three stories are entertaining, though it's only with the origin of The Saint of Killers and Arseface I am invested in. The background story about Jody and T.C., with all the satires and violence and its inappropriateness, falls flat and hollow when compared with the other two.
Arseface's story before the ass face is a sweet, tragic comedy about a teenage kid who grew up everyday with everything going against him. I pity him and the sad state he is in now while laughing my arse off (pun intended) as I read his muffled dialogue shown in boxed translations. Whu wuhn hur whu huhmuh du wuh hu wuuh? (Who wouldn't try to imitate the way he speaks)?
The Saint of Killers origin story on the other hand might pass as a straightforward revenge-western story with a lot of glorious bloodbath from gun-slinging and sabre-cutting, if not because of his brief trip to hell and encounter with the devil himself. Damn, this saint is clearly NOT someone to piss-off!
Preacher volume 4 gives a quick detour from the main storyline. It may not be at par with the main comics, but these spinoff chapters are definitely must-reads for Preacher readers and fans.
All three stories are entertaining, though it's only with the origin of The Saint of Killers and Arseface I am invested in. The background story about Jody and T.C., with all the satires and violence and its inappropriateness, falls flat and hollow when compared with the other two.
Arseface's story before the ass face is a sweet, tragic comedy about a teenage kid who grew up everyday with everything going against him. I pity him and the sad state he is in now while laughing my arse off (pun intended) as I read his muffled dialogue shown in boxed translations. Whu wuhn hur whu huhmuh du wuh hu wuuh? (Who wouldn't try to imitate the way he speaks)?
The Saint of Killers origin story on the other hand might pass as a straightforward revenge-western story with a lot of glorious bloodbath from gun-slinging and sabre-cutting, if not because of his brief trip to hell and encounter with the devil himself. Damn, this saint is clearly NOT someone to piss-off!
Preacher volume 4 gives a quick detour from the main storyline. It may not be at par with the main comics, but these spinoff chapters are definitely must-reads for Preacher readers and fans.
April 1, 2016
There are three parts to this volume, featuring some of the main supporting characters.
It begins with the action-packed backstory of The Saint of Killers. He is so badass! This installment takes up a good portion of the book. I really enjoyed this!
The second story was about the much talked about Arseface. Wow. There was a deep, intense sadness throughout. Surprisingly heartbreaking. I was quite drawn to it.
The third was a satirical look at action hero movies, which focused on Jesse's uncles, Jody & TC. This was okay, but definitely my least favorite out of the three!
Even though this takes away from the main storyline with Jesse, Cassidy & Tulip, it was nice to have a more fleshed out view of some of the important supporting characters. I just requested volumes 5 & 6 from the library. Now that I am back into reading them, I really cannot wait to see where the story goes next!
It begins with the action-packed backstory of The Saint of Killers. He is so badass! This installment takes up a good portion of the book. I really enjoyed this!
The second story was about the much talked about Arseface. Wow. There was a deep, intense sadness throughout. Surprisingly heartbreaking. I was quite drawn to it.
The third was a satirical look at action hero movies, which focused on Jesse's uncles, Jody & TC. This was okay, but definitely my least favorite out of the three!
Even though this takes away from the main storyline with Jesse, Cassidy & Tulip, it was nice to have a more fleshed out view of some of the important supporting characters. I just requested volumes 5 & 6 from the library. Now that I am back into reading them, I really cannot wait to see where the story goes next!
March 27, 2012
This should really be labeled Volume 3.5, as it does not follow the main cast of characters -- neither Jesse, Tulip nor Cassidy make an appearance in this volume -- nor does it push forward the main story line.
That being said, these three unrelated back stories are still engaging and do a good job of fleshing out the ensemble cast of the Preacher universe. The first, chronicling how the Saint of Killers became who he is, is the highlight of the three, but the Arseface story is also revealing and worth reading. The story of Jesse's redneck cousins was the only one that I really didn't love, as it was a little too farcical and over the top.
I also didn't like the fill-in artist, Carlos Ezquerra, as much as Steve Dillon, the regular artist for the series.
That being said, these three unrelated back stories are still engaging and do a good job of fleshing out the ensemble cast of the Preacher universe. The first, chronicling how the Saint of Killers became who he is, is the highlight of the three, but the Arseface story is also revealing and worth reading. The story of Jesse's redneck cousins was the only one that I really didn't love, as it was a little too farcical and over the top.
I also didn't like the fill-in artist, Carlos Ezquerra, as much as Steve Dillon, the regular artist for the series.
July 22, 2012
I enjoyed how over the top the Jody/T.C. story was with the typical over the top action star, and the female with the over-complicated backstory. I also enjoyed reading how the Saint of Killers took up his enchanted pistols and began his reign of terror. Saying that, though...i didn't like the artwork and I felt that even though the stories were good, most of the book was a waste of time. An unwelcome break to the normal Preacher story arc.
February 17, 2015
The first story (Saint of killers) is good, but i can't say the same for the other two and that's why i gave 2 stars.
October 8, 2023
(Zero spoiler review for the omnibus collecting this volume, score for this volume) 4.5/5
I'm not all choked up, you are. Well, if that wasn't one of the great endings, period (not just for a comic), then I don't know what is. I certainly had my criticisms for the first omnibus, with Ennis' all too frequent habit of undercutting almost everything with something absurd or outright ridiculous being prime among them. Omnibus one had some stellar moments, but there was just a bit too much stupid weighing it down to be anything more than pretty dang good. Not that pretty dang good is anything to sniff at. It's just that I wanted this to be amazing. This was one of the first omnibus' I bought all those years ago when I first started collecting. I wanted it to be great. And now, thanks to omnibus volume two, and that wonderful finale, I can say that it was. It may just be the whimsy and the misty eyes, but hot damn if that didn't make up for so much of the silliness (that in fairness volume two suffered from occasionally as well), though certainly less than volume one. I was kind of fearing the ending, to be honest. It dipped a bit somewhere around the middle, with it feeling like Ennis had kind of lost the point of his story. Even if that aspect of the story was by far the least interesting. Like I said, I was worried for how Ennis was going to bring it all together in the end. I needn't have been. The man knew exactly how to do it and knocked it out of the park. Maybe I do need to buy the absolutes now, after all.
Steve Dillon's art continued to grow on me throughout. Whilst never being the most technical of artists, I was surprised at just how much I came to care for having his art line almost every page of this series. One or two more talented artists may have handled to spin offs, but it always was, and always was meant to be a Steve Dillon story, and I'm really glad it was. Hats off as well to the colourist, who did a bang-up job throughout, to boot.
So yeah, I didn't quite see myself enjoying this one quite so much, especially after the slightly underwhelming feeling having finished omnibus one. There will no doubt be a few issues here and there I'll skip on a re-read, but I'm glad and grateful to have read this one, and that it ended up living up to the hype. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
I'm not all choked up, you are. Well, if that wasn't one of the great endings, period (not just for a comic), then I don't know what is. I certainly had my criticisms for the first omnibus, with Ennis' all too frequent habit of undercutting almost everything with something absurd or outright ridiculous being prime among them. Omnibus one had some stellar moments, but there was just a bit too much stupid weighing it down to be anything more than pretty dang good. Not that pretty dang good is anything to sniff at. It's just that I wanted this to be amazing. This was one of the first omnibus' I bought all those years ago when I first started collecting. I wanted it to be great. And now, thanks to omnibus volume two, and that wonderful finale, I can say that it was. It may just be the whimsy and the misty eyes, but hot damn if that didn't make up for so much of the silliness (that in fairness volume two suffered from occasionally as well), though certainly less than volume one. I was kind of fearing the ending, to be honest. It dipped a bit somewhere around the middle, with it feeling like Ennis had kind of lost the point of his story. Even if that aspect of the story was by far the least interesting. Like I said, I was worried for how Ennis was going to bring it all together in the end. I needn't have been. The man knew exactly how to do it and knocked it out of the park. Maybe I do need to buy the absolutes now, after all.
Steve Dillon's art continued to grow on me throughout. Whilst never being the most technical of artists, I was surprised at just how much I came to care for having his art line almost every page of this series. One or two more talented artists may have handled to spin offs, but it always was, and always was meant to be a Steve Dillon story, and I'm really glad it was. Hats off as well to the colourist, who did a bang-up job throughout, to boot.
So yeah, I didn't quite see myself enjoying this one quite so much, especially after the slightly underwhelming feeling having finished omnibus one. There will no doubt be a few issues here and there I'll skip on a re-read, but I'm glad and grateful to have read this one, and that it ended up living up to the hype. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
February 2, 2018
this is just ...so incredibly boring and also unnecessary. i literally don't even think i read this 'volume' the first time i read through the series because NONE of this seems familiar in the slightest. anyway this is a volume comprised entirely of specials that have little to do with the main plot line. you can honestly skip it and not miss out on anything important.
the saint of killers stuff was probably the best out of the three but still leaves me rolling my eyes, mostly because i have literally zero patience for 'murdered wife and child' origin stories and also just because i don't caaare. the arseface story was ...okay i guess but again never in my life have i ever thought 'boy i wish i knew more about him'. plus we pretty much knew all of his stuff already from the main series. and the one with jody and ...the other guy was just ...entirely awful. who in the world wants to read more about them. [loud groaning]
the saint of killers stuff was probably the best out of the three but still leaves me rolling my eyes, mostly because i have literally zero patience for 'murdered wife and child' origin stories and also just because i don't caaare. the arseface story was ...okay i guess but again never in my life have i ever thought 'boy i wish i knew more about him'. plus we pretty much knew all of his stuff already from the main series. and the one with jody and ...the other guy was just ...entirely awful. who in the world wants to read more about them. [loud groaning]
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