Preacher, Volume 2: Until the End of the World (Comics)

Jesse Custer, a Texas preacher possessed by a divine entity, travels across the American South with his assassin girlfriend Tulip O'Hare and the Irish vampire Cassidy. In this volume, Jesse’s brutal past resurfaces when he is captured by his grandmother, Marie L'Angell, and her sadistic henchmen, Jody and T.C. Civil war era grudges and family secrets emerge at the Angelville estate. The narrative details Jesse’s childhood trauma and the physical abuse he endured while being forced into the clergy by a cultish matriarchy.

Fans of transgressive fiction and dark Americana read this book for its mixture of theological rebellion and hyper-violent action. Readers who enjoy gritty character studies find a story focused on personal agency and the rejection of inherited cycles of violence. By the end, the reader sees how Jesse’s moral code was forged through survival. This volume provides the necessary backstory to understand the protagonist’s hatred for divine authority and his commitment to his personal sense of honor.

Growth-minded and escapist; an easy read.

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