Absolute Preacher Vol. 3

Absolute Preacher Vol. 3 by Garth Ennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolute Preacher Volume 3 collects Preacher #41-66 plus the Tall in the Saddle special.

As I've said before, for a few years, Preacher was one of the only comics I read. Due to the Ferengi concept of the Great Material Continuum, some of the crap I cashed in at Half Price Books magically became this book.

Jesse Custer's quest to find the almighty comes to a conclusion in this volume, not without a lot of bumps along the way. After the events of the last volume, Jesse wanders out of the desert, minus an eye and has the rug pulled out from under him yet again. After an unexpected reunion and a stint as a small town sheriff, Jesse heads for New York to set things right and head for the finish line.

It's been at least fifteen years since I've read these stories and I forgot great whacks of them due to the magic of getting older. Some of the moments still pack quite a punch. I felt man tears threatening to burst forth when Jesse called Jodie 'Mom,' as well as during his reunions with Tulip. Cassidy is still an utter douche, the depths of his douchebaggery rediscovered like picking at an old scab. Once again, I felt a little sorry for Starr, losing a leg and his genitals in this volume, although I was satisfied when he was finally pushing up daisies.

The ending still disappoints me after twenty one years, though. A certain party got off light and the confrontation we'd been waiting for for 66 issues never actually happened. Still, it was still satisfying in its own way, particularly the ride on horseback off into the sunset.

Ennis and Dillon crafted an epic with Preacher, an ode to America that only two immigrants could have created. I'll gladly ride this trail again in a few years. Five out of five stars.

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