Preacher

I finally read the three graphic novels 'Los lent me. And I actually liked them! They were about religion, sex, family, drugs, feminism, politics, vampirism and ethics. The protagonist, Jesse Custer, is a small-town preacher who get possessed by the spawn of an angel and a demon, and sets off to find God (who had lest his post for whatever reason). The other main characters (and Jesse's travel companions) are his gun-toting girlfriend, Tulip and an Irish vampire, Cassidy. Notably, the last pages of the third book addressed Cassidy's love for his adopted hometown of New York City. And being an older comic, the Twin Towers featured prominently in the artwork.

Jesse's ethics are a sticky point in the series. He had once made his way in the world through high-end auto theft, and was still up for the occasional spin in "borrowed" wheels. Yet he takes issue with Cassidy's occassional snack, and often struggled with the idea of doing the "right thing." I imagine this is supposed to parallel with the idea of the good/evil spirit that had possessed him, and it will be interesting to see how this develops in later stories. The theme is best summed by the advice Jesse's father gave him: Be a good guy, 'cause there's way too many of the bad.

If this were made into a movie, it would likely have a similar feel to Sin City... Weird, artsy stuff! And 'Los and I had fun "casting" the movie version. I think we decided on Hugh Jackman for Preacher, Charlize Theron for Tulip and Billy Idol for Cassidy. I may have to start doing this with my other books!