Preacher

Right off the bat, Joe Lansdale's intro is sooo compelling. After reading his intro, how could anyone not read Preacher?
The attitude of Preacher reminds me of Pulp Fiction combined with Dogma. The characters are so bad ass, and they know it. The coloring in "Gone to Texas" is very muted and bland, which enhances the dull sentiment of the dreary South where the stories take place. The beginning, with the three of them sitting in the diner booth is a perfect way to set the scene and introduce the characters. I felt as if I were sitting in the booth with them based on the perspective of the drawings. Jesse and Cass balance each other well, as Cass is full of personality and vulgarity where as Jesse is a bit more thoughtful and simple. Tulip, is of course, a great female role. She is strong and independent, but she has not lost some of her feminine side, she is not afraid to be a little bit emotional and vulnerable, which adds some flavor to the constant testosterone that is everything about these stories.
I find Ennises style of writing quite captivating, not only is the dialogue totally awesome (especially the way he writes Casses accent) but the setup is so suspenseful. Often I find that I dont know what the characters are talking about and then two pages later everything will be explained. The timing, in that sense, is just really perfect. He gets the reader asking questions and then he answers them just in time, before it gets frustrating. Though the story is dark and disturbing, and everyone thinks there is no way that I would like these books, I really do!
"Until the End of the World" is even more intense than the first one. The whole story of Jesse's past is so creatively depressing. You really start to understand his character and his motivation, great that Ennis waited till the second colume to explain. By doing this, he sets a precedent that makes me feel like there are so many things about the characters that I still dont know and it makes me really want to read on. Also, the second volume is a little more colorful, which I appreciate, because there are actual positive moments that really contrast the constant negativity. Such as on pages 138-139, where Tulip and Jesse are in the bath. It is just beautiful enough to appreciate the moment without getting overly cheesy or sentimental.
The way that Dillon draws human flesh is great, too, especially because there is a lot of broken human flesh. For example on page 54 (bk.1), the last panel, his skin looks like fabric blowing in the wind. Whenever one of the characters is shot or hurt it is funny how ambivalent there facial expressions are. On page 132 (bk1) the first panel where the guy has no face, his expression is so unharmed. Or on page 174 when Coltrane puts the sword through Tulip's hand, she just looks at it, she doesn't scream or anything. These depictions make the violence almost more bearable.
A final note, the covers done by Fabry are amazing, His attention to muscles definition is phenomenal and so affective. My favorite one is definitiely on pg 32 (bk.2). This is the most creepy picture. These detailed covers really add an element to the characters that you don't get from the more cartoony depictions through the book. They are sooo creepy, and awesome.
Can't wait till the summer when I have time to keep reading!